Pre-Thanksgiving Festivities.

My first ever pecan pie is in the oven baking. I used the Dear Abby recipe freely available online. David made the crust (because he is wicked awesome at it). He used Julia Child's technique and a personally experimented recipe from Julia and other friends advice. Here is the list:

2 cups all purpose flour
8 oz of butter
2 t salt
4 T heavy cream
1 T vodka

put the flour, butter and salt into a bowl and use a pastry cutter to make it crumbly.
add in the cream and vodka. Dump the whole mixture out on the counter and squish it against the counter with your hands (basically squick the crap out of it). when it is well blended make a ball and roll it out. This recipe makes two pie crusts.

I altered the pecan pie recipe a touch-I added twice as many pecans. I chopped some up and put them into the syrup mixture and then took another cup and decorated the top. When it comes out I will post a picture.

I will also take a picture of the feast tomorrow..I imagine I will not be eating much of it given the last two night-time adventures however...There will be 14 lovely adults and children to visit with and David is making some lovely leek and potato soup for me and any vegans among the group.

Lets talk important food now :)

over at Fat Fish in a Skinny Sea Rachel told a story of her hilarious because it is so true adventures in trying to get the ingredients for a pumpkin pecan pie. It is really funny isn't it how certain foods at holidays are so very important to us. I think the turkey is important, the gravy made a certain way is vitally important and mashed potatoes are important. My aunt says that candied sweet potatoes are super important (I bought some and she is going to make them tomorrow). My cousin thinks the pecan pie is important (hence I am making that for him). Since David is British and several of our other friends are British..they have no such foody ties to Thanksgiving. Christmas however is a whole other thing.

In 2009 we spent Christmas at my mother-in-laws in the UK. I had a similar Pie breakdown to Rachel . I didn't even imagine that no one would sell canned pumpkin in the UK. I had access to the pan and everything else needed but..the canned pumpkin was just not available. I have tried to cook a real pumpkin in the past and make it have the same texture as the stuff you can get in a can...it is not the same so I took a pass and spend one Christmas without pumpkin pie. It bugged the crap out of me but guess what..I didn't die. I am still here and I am not even making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I will do one for Christmas and that is enough. Over here David and his friends make sure they have a Marks and Spencer Christmas pudding ready and a tin of Birdseye custard. I think both of these are just plain old icky but it would not be Christmas for him unless they were on the table.

Update: My pecan pie burned on top before it finished in the middle. $#%$#%$...I don't even like the thing but am feeling the need to go make another one just to prove to myself I can do it.

For dinner we went out to the Spaghetti Factory. I have not been in several years. That place used to be pretty band unfriendly. Huge portions...and then of course there is the whole pasta thing. For the past few weeks I have had a craving for Mizithra and browned butter spaghetti. It used to be my favorite dish they served there The Spaghetti factory has adapted and I actually had it tonight but not on pasta...on spaghetti squash. It was divine!!! Tasty...ORgasmic :). So far...no repeating nighttime tights!! It seems to be settling down in my tummy quite nicely thank you very much :)...yummmy sigh of contentment.

If you don't have a Spaghetti Factory near you you can make it yourself (and I plan to)...just bake a spaghetti squash in the oven with butter. Brown some butter in a pan, fork the Spaghetti Squash (so that it is pasta-ish into the buttered pan. Sprinkle on finely grated mizthra cheese and freshly chopped parsley. You can garnish with a bit of fresh pepper too.


Now to conquer that blasted pecan pie and clean house :)

xxxooo