My empty nest world of scratch baking and chicken scratch
Make a Homemade Crust! If you are afraid to make a home-made pie crust, don’t be! It is not complicated. It takes a little practice and there are definite rules for success. Rules for success Butter must be very cold (never margarine) Ice water to bind dough Don’t over mix or over handle Refrigerate pie … Read more
Custard pies and cream pies are similar. They share similar ingredients but are prepared differently. The difference between the two is all in the preparation method. One is made on the stove top and the other is baked in the oven. Both custard and cream pies are served cold. Custard Pie: The filling for a … Read more
The Key lime is a citrus hybrid with a spherical fruit, 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) in diameter, that is yellow when ripe but usually picked green commercially. It is smaller and seedier, with a higher acidity, a stronger aroma, and a thinner rind than that of the Persian lime It is valued for its unique … Read more
Pecan Pie – the quintessential Southern pie. A tender, sweet butter crust serves as the foundation that encases this rich, buttery, gooey, pecan filling. I’ve tried countless pecan pie recipes over the years and I always come back to this recipe which uses brown sugar instead of white sugar; brown sugar intensifies the flavor. This recipe is … Read more
This recipe comes from the September 1994 Southern Living Magazine. Reminiscent of old-fashioned American diners, this pie never goes out of style; always a classic and always a crowd pleaser. The pie is bursting with a fresh lemon curd and topped with soft, billowy, creamy, vanilla scented meringue, all sitting on top of a … Read more
Coconut Cream Pie is a classic. A thick, rich, creamy coconut custard filling topped with either meringue or billowy mounds of whipped cream, this pie always makes a great impression! This pie is different from a Coconut Custard Pie which is more custard-like and does not get a topping. When people eat this pie, they … Read more
Buttermilk Pie: A pastry shell filled with a mix of buttermilk, butter, eggs, flour, sugar, and sweet flavorings, a Southern US favorite. Prononciation: Buttah-milk Pie Don’t let the name of this pie fool you. It is delicious! This is a simple, wholesome, sweet and tangy custard-like filling with a slight hint of vanilla. It is very easy to make, … Read more
This rich, velvety chocolate cream filling pairs perfectly with my sweet butter crust! If you don’t have time to make a homemade pie crust, a store-bought crust will work too. Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream. I have served this filling in a pre-made Oreo crust and the results were DIVINE! This … Read more
Baking is a science. It is the science of organic chemistry. Unlike cooking, baking requires precision and very careful measuring and mixing, in a specified order, that produces a chemical reaction with the carefully measured ingredients for a certain specific, uniform outcome. There’s no room for adding a little of this and a little of … Read more
Fruit Cobbler is not a fussy or fancy dessert and relies strictly on taste, not presentation. As such, this dessert was allegedly “cobbled” together by Early American settlers using fruit – usually preserved, canned, or dried – and clumps of biscuit dough before baking it over an open fire. Modern day cobbler is a fruit filling … Read more