No Partridge in this Pear Pie -- Just Pears

 

My Grandmother Lottie Epperson Griffith was famous in several counties for her piemaking abilities.  She was perhaps best-known for her pecan pies, but she made many different kinds and I've never been afraid to experiment with pie.

My Mom and my Dad were also great in the kitchen.  My Mom, Betty Jo Boyd Griffith, could create anything and make it beautiful.  My Dad, Bob Griffith, wasn't afraid to experiment and combine unlikely ingredients.

We had some gorgeous Riviera Pears from Harry and David that were ripening too quickly for us to enjoy so I decided to make a Pear Pie.

A few weeks ago my sister gave me a 58-year old Dormeyer mixer that had belonged to my mother who passed away last year.  It seemed only logical to use that mixer-- and it still worked!
Ingredients include

Pastry to make 9-inch pie crust
2 pears sliced (I don't peel -- peel adds interest and texture)
1 cup white sugar plus 1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Slice and arrange pears -- slightly-layered like cards -- in bottom of pie plate.
Sprinkle pears with tablespoon of sugar and set aside while you make filling.
Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs. Add vanilla and flour and beat until mixed.
Pour mixture over arranged pears.
Bake at 350-degrees for 1 hour.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Serve with a slice or perhaps just a shaving of extra sharp cheddar cheese.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

In our family, homemade pimiento cheese and ginger ale punch are part of the Christmas Eve tradition. Aunt Grace started that, declaring that it was rich, but not too filling; "save those calories for Christmas Day Dinner."
But, we loved this  Texas Monthly story about the King Ranch casserole (thank you, Sara Ivey) and wanted to share this on our blog.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/king-ranch-casserole#.Uq0r0alOEj5.facebook
The King Ranch Casserole didn't originate on the King Ranch; more likely, according to this article, it was a Junior League take on Chicken A La King.
Aunt Grace also had a wonderful Chicken A La King recipe, which we'll share soon.
In the meantime, this could become our new Christmas Eve dish.  Thanks, Sara.

King Ranch Casserole

Grace Alice Boyd

Nigella's Chocolate Cherry Trifle -- Great Downton Abbey Dessert for a Holiday Party or Ice Party

After four days of being ice-bound, we're ready to reembrace our healthy eating.  But, there was one last gasp yesterday as we created a chocolate cherry trifle.  We couldn't find our trifle bowl, so we improvised.  Husband Steve Moffett (@SteveMoffett) put this together twice yesterday -- once for our friend Christine and her family for so generously hosting our son during this ice-mageddon and once for a family dinner last night with Aunt Barbara Anne and Uncle Doug who braved their way through the ice and snow all the way from next door.

We've made this dessert several times for parties and it's always a palate-pleaser and an eye-catcher (especially if you can find the trifle bowl.)  There's about 15 minutes of prep, a half-hour execution -- but the secret is to let it chill for several hours, even overnight, before serving.

As for calories, don't ask.  With apologies to Pamela Foster, whose Twitter account I follow (@Downton Cooks,) this dessert is -- in my American perception, at least - definitely "Downton Abbey Edwardian" in richness and presentation. Plan to eat fruit and Tracy's Tacos for several days afterward in order to compenstate.

Here's a link to Nigella's original recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-feasts/chocolate-cherry-trifle-recipe/index.html

Tracy's Table -- Low-Cal Taco Salad

My sister Tracy -- through healthy eating and sensible exercise -- has improved her health immeasurably in the past year. 

She's also "invented" a number of wonderful recipes that are tasty as well as healthy.  I've been so impressed with her cooking I asked if I could share a few of her recipes.

Here is 

Tracy's Table Taco Salad

You'll need

3-4 cloves fresh garlic
1 large onion
Bell peppers
coconut spray or organic coconut oil
1 lb ground chicken
taco powder seasoning
1 can Rotel tomatoes
Fresh chopped lettuce
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop fresh garlic, onions and bell peppers and saute in skillet, using coconut spray or 1-2 Tb of organic coconut oil (we use Spectrum brand, but there are several fine products.)
As onions become "glassy," add
1 lb ground chicken and cook very well.
Then, add taco powder seasoning -- as much as 1/4 cup -- thoroughly incorporating the powder and making sure all ingredients are "chopped" finely.
Finally, add one can of Rotel tomatoes.
Arrange meat dish over plate of finely-shredded lettuce and serve.

You can store/refrigerate this mixture in one-cup containers and reheat (for approximately 1 minute) in the microwave.

Each serving is approximately 230-245 calories.

Legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas Dies at 92

Pioneering journalist Helen Thomas has died.  This Associated Press obituary shares the highlights of a persistent nature that tormented presidents -- and delighted the rest of us.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/pioneering-journalist-helen-thomas-dies-was-an-irrepressible-white-house-correspondent/2013/07/20/80f2dce8-f146-11e2-b2e0-0ecd9d3227c0_story_1.html

A and E Series is Just -- Well, Ducky

A few days ago, my family -- after an unexpected trip home to Tennessee - -introduced me to a TV show called "Duck Dynasty." The A and E reality series chronicles the adventures -- and misadventures -- of the Robertsons, a Cajun country family who own a multi-millionaire dollar duck call business. It's all a huge put on but it's great fun as these faux country folk pretend to be the 21st century edition of the Beverly Hillbillies. However, there is nothing even remotely ignorant about these people. The men may sport ZZ Top beards and speak in over-the-top drawls but it's very clear, from the first scene to the last, that they are laughing all the way to the bank. The tipoff is their vocabulary. Their sentences are punctuated with multisyllabic words and they speak in ways carefully cultivated to get the laugh. Another clue is their wives -- all immaculately groomed and standing on the periphery of most scenes, with indulgent half-smiles and hands on hips, as if to say "Hurry up, guys. Finish this TV project and let's get to the country club. We're meeting Thurston and Lovey Howell for bridge." Lastly, and most importantly, it's very clear that the family themselves are in charge. Okay, yeah, we'll do your reality TV series, one imagines them saying to the folks at A and E, but WE will call the shots and y'all can just show up and follow our lead. And, we may make up part of the storyline. In fact, we may make up ALL of the storyline. Though it's clearly a farce, it's also highly addictive. Like the time one of the bubba brothers brought a winery on line. Or when another challenged the town troublemaker to a riding lawnmower race. Or, when the grandpa agreed to put together the newly arrived life-sized playhouse for his female grandchildren ("the yuppie girls," he calls them) but used his chainsaw to turn it into a modified duck blind. By the way, the little girls loved it and Pappaw announced "There's hope for you yuppie girls yet." In an era of Honey Boo-Boo and the Real Wives franchise and even HGTV's Love It or List It, all of which rely heavily on TV producer-induced drama, Duck Dynasty isn't that different --- but it's certainly more entertaining when the subjects themselves seem to be in charge.

A & E Reality Series is Just -- Well, Ducky

A few days ago, my family -- after an unexpected trip home to Tennessee - -introduced me to a TV show called "Duck Dynasty." The A & E reality series chronicles the adventures -- and misadventures -- of a Cajun country family who own a multi-millionaire dollar duck call business. It's all a huge put on but it's great fun as these faux country folk pretend to be the 21st century edition of the Beverly Hillbillies. However, there is nothing even remotely ignorant about these people. The men may sport ZZ Top beards and speak in over-the-top drawls but it's very clear, from the first scene to the last, that they are laughing all the way to the bank.

The tipoff is their vocabulary. Their sentences are punctuated with multisyllabic words and they speak in ways carefully cultivated to get the laugh.

Another clue is their wives -- all immaculately groomed and standing on the periphery of most scenes, with indulgent half-smiles and hands on hips, as if to say "Hurry up, guys. Finish this TV project and let's get to the country club. We're meeting Thurston and Lovey Howell for bridge."

Lastly, and most importantly, it's very clear that the family themselves are in charge. Okay, yeah, we'll do your reality TV series, one imagines them saying to the folks at A & E, but WE will call the shots and y'all can just show up and follow our lead. And, we may make up part of the storyline. In fact, we may make up ALL of the storyline.

Though it's clearly a farce, it's also highly addictive. Like the time one of the bubba brothers brought a winery on line. Or when another challenged the town troublemaker to a riding lawnmower race. Or, when the grandpa agreed to put together the newly arrived life-sized playhouse for his female grandchildren ("the yuppie girls," he calls them) but used his chainsaw to turn it into a modified duck blind. By the way, the little girls loved it and Pappaw announced "There's hope for you yuppie girls yet."

In an era of Honey Boo-Boo and the Real Wives franchise and even HGTV's Love It or List It, all of which rely heavily on TV producer-induced drama, Duck Dynasty isn't that different --- but it's certainly more entertaining when the subjects themselves seem to be in charge.