Just an FYI…the Game Plan link for the Cookie Baking Day has been fixed. Sorry about the mixup. This is my first time using Google Documents.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking pie! Pumpkin Pie that is! With all the pumpkin puree I made last week, I’m ready to start baking! While the filling is very important in a pie, I think having a good crust recipe is the key. I’m going to share my Grandmother’s recipe with you as well as a good filling recipe. I’m also going to give you  my favorite Impossible Pumpkin Pie Recipe…it’s a crustless version.

Happy baking…and I’ll post some pictures after I’ve baked mine on Tuesday.

Double Crust Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2 Tabls. sugar
• 7 Tabls. ice cold water

Directions:

1. Mix flour & sugar in large bowl
2. Cut in shortening until pieces are pea size or smaller
3. Add water 1 T. at a time as you toss with a fork.
4. Add enough water until the dough is the consistency of play-doh (not the softer stuff…the “harder” play-doh)
5. Divide in 2 and chill for 1 hour
6. Roll out each half on a lightly floured surface and place in pie plates.
7. Follow pie directions for baking.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• one half teaspoon ground ginger
• one half teaspoon salt (optional)
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups pumpkin puree
• 1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (the mixture may be runny…it will become firm as you bake it)
2. Fill crusts about 2/3 full
3. Cover edges with foil to prevent  crust from getting too brown.
4. Bake in a 425 oven for 15 minutes
5. Turn oven down to 350 and continue to bake for 45 – 60 minutes until knife inserted into center comes out clean.
6. ENJOY!!

Notes: this will make a light fluffy pie. If you like a more dense pie, use only 3 eggs and 1 can of evaporated milk.

Crustless Pie Recipe

Ok…this is simple! Pour the pie filling into a greased baking dish and bake as directed above.  This turns out very nicely and even those that aren’t big pie fans will love it!

We love pumpkin in our house! Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Pie…pumpkin everything. I haven’t been able to find any great sales on cans of pumpkin lately, so when I saw this post…I was ready to get busy.

Wal-Mart has Pie Pumpkins for $.33/lb right now, so I picked up 3 to see what I could get. I was very surprise at what I ended up with. For $3 , I ended up with about 11 cups of pumpkin puree! That’s about 5 cans worth. At $1.19 a can, I think I did pretty well. I’m going to pick up 5 more this weekend and freeze up enough to last the winter.

Step 1 : cut washed pumpkin in half

Step 2: scoop out seeds (you can save the seed for roasting)

Step 3: place pumpkins in a bowl with some water and cover with a damp towel. Microwave for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Remove skins. They will slip right off! Be careful…it’s very hot.

Step 5: Using a food processor, puree the pumpkin until smooth

Step 6: Freeze in 2 cup amounts or amounts that will suit your needs.

I love fresh pumpkin! It was so nice to use and tasted so much better than the canned stuff! I’ll post some pictures of the baked goods soon…and I’ll even post the disaster bread…it happens!

It’s that time of year again…time to start baking! As soon as the weather starts getting chilly, I fire up the oven and start cranking out baked goods. It’s just a small way I can bless my family and friends as the holidays approach.

Every year I get together with a friend and we spend the day baking. In past years, we’ve only planned a week or so in advance and just gathered what we could at the last minute. This year is going to be different. Oh, I’m sure we’ll still decide on some last minute additions, but for the most part we’ll be more prepared for the day.

To make the day even more fun, I’ll be blogging about it as I have time and then at the end of the day. We haven’t picked a date yet, but it will most likely be the second week in December. To help you get ready, here is our recipe list, shopping list and our game plan. Have fun and if you have a blog…leave a link to your baking day in the comments. I’d love to see how much fun you all have!

*all documents are in Google Documents and are printable.

HERE is the Shopping List.  Since I always go on the idea that, when baking, it’s better to have more than enough…all the ingredients are rounded up to the nearest pound or package size. you can alway save the rest for another baking day!

HERE  are the Recipes. NOTE: The shopping list is for a double batch of each. If you are doing this alone, you’ll want to half all of the amounts on the shopping list. You will have double the recipes as you go.

HERE  is our Game Plan. Feel free to add your own details or arrange things to fit your schedule. We’ll have a 3 year old and 6 year old with us for the day and have older children that will need picked up after school.

This is a time to build your friendship and bless your family. Don’t stress over details! Another important detail is to TAKE PICTURES! You will have so much fun every year looking back through the pictures and remembering all the fun you had.

I’ve updated this recipe in order to incorporate the sugar. Thanks to Loren for the comment and suggestion! I made this tonight and it was by far the best crust I’ve ever made.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teas. sugar
• 2 1/4 teas. yeast
• 1 teas. garlic salt
• 3 cups flour

Directions (adapted for Kitchen Aid mixer)

• Mix water , sugar & yeast in mixer bowl and stir to dissolve yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes to let the yeast bloom.
• Add salt & flour
• Using dough hook – mix on speed 2 for about 6 minutes. Dough will be slightly sticky when finished.
• Turn out into greased bowl; turn over; cover and let rise for 30 mintues
• Gently punch down and move to pizza sheet
• Using hands gently press from center to edge around the pan.
• Top with your favorite pizza toppings & bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
• Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Here’s a recipe that will be included in the Christmas Cookie Baking Day post scheduled for next week.  YUMMY!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. confectioner sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 t. shortening
• 1/2 c. sprinkles or nuts

Directions:

1. Cream butter & sugar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add vanilla and mix well
3. Add flour and mix well
4. Cover & Chill for 1 hour
5. Shape into 1T.  (2.5 x .5 in. sticks) Place on cookie sheet.
6. Flatten 3/4 of each end lengthwise with a fork
7. Bake & cool completely on wire rack
8. Melt chips & shortening together. Dip cookies and then add sprinkles or nuts. Cool completely and store in air tight container.

Wow! If you haven’t heard of Alice.com yet, you’re in for a treat! Right now, new customers  can snag a $5 Alice.com e-card for only 12 swagbucks!

Alice.com is an online shopping site that offers amazing discounts and free shipping. The discounts are in the form of e-coupons and are similar, or better than, the coupons you might clip from the Sunday paper. And the great thing right now is … you can earn a $10 once you’ve spent $50!  Go HERE to sign up for Alice.com and start snagging some great deals!

What are Swagbucks you ask?  If you go HERE you can sign up for Swagbucks and earn “bucks” for doing internet searches. It’s a great site and even if you don’t do many internet searches…it’s a great way to earn some free stuff! It’s the luck of the draw, but you can earn 1-5 sbs per search! There are other ways to earn bucks, so check out the site and sign up today! It won’t take you long to earn 12 SB then you can go snag you gift card for Alice.com.

I haven’t had a chance to go over the ad this week, but MSM put together a great list of deals for this week. Check it out HERE and have fun shopping!

This week is a week of leftover and using up what is in the freezer and pantry.  Here are some ideas I have for this week…of course, when I’m “winging it” I never know what we will have until it’s on the table.

Breakfasts:

• Waffles
• Eggs & Potatoes
• Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Grits
• Toast & Yogurt (I’m going to try this recipe this week!)

Lunch

• PB & J, Carrots & apples
• Spaghetti & toast
• Chicken Salad Tortillas
• Grilled Cheese & Soup
• Leftovers
• Pizza Rolls

Supper

• Baked Ham, Rice Pilaf, Carrots
• Beef Patties w/ gravy, Mashed Potatoes & Corn Casserole
• Chicken & Dumplings w/ salad (using leftover chicken)
• Ham, String Bean & Potato Soup, Biscuits
• Chili & Cornbread
• Leftovers
• Pizza, Salad & Bread Sticks

Don’t forget to check out more great menu ideas at Orgjunkie.com

Monday:

• Breakfast – Bagels or English Muffins
• Lunch – leftovers from my mommy
• Supper – Lasagna, Salad & Garlic Bread

Tuesday

• Breakfast – Egg Burritos
• Lunch – Leftovers & fruit
• Supper – Crockpot Beef over Mashed Potatoes, Corn & Rolls

Wednesday

• Breakfast -Yogurt & Toast
• Lunch – Chicken Fingers & veggies
• Supper – Harvest Pork Chops, Buttered noodles & Green Beans

Thursday

• Breakfast – Pancakes
• Lunch – Pizza Rolls
• Supper – Baked Ham, Mashed Potatoes w/ gravy, corn & rolls

Friday

• Breakfast – Baked Oatmeal with apples
• Lunch – leftovers
• Supper – Kids Pizza night…Date night for Mom and Dad

Satuturday – NO DETAILS….I’m doing something special for DH and since he reads my posts, I can’t give any hints!

Sunday

• Breakfast – Bagels
• Lunch – Crockpot – Ham, Bean & Potato soup , Homemade Bread
• Supper – Leftovers