Chess Pie Recipe

This is a Southern classic. I have no idea why it is called "Chess" pie. If you know, please post a comment! This recipe comes from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. If you don't have one on your shelf, I HIGHLY recommend it! I have used many of the recipes in it and have yet to find a bad one. EXCELLENT!

Buttermilk Chess Pie

3/4 C. buttermilk
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp. fine-ground cornmeal
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 recipe for single-crust pie dough, fit into pie plate and chilled, but not baked.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet o the rack, and heat to 375 degrees. Whisk all of the filling ingredients together until just combined, then pour into the unbaked chilled pie crust. Bake on the heated baking sheet until the center is set and the top is golden brown, 40 - 45 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool until warm or room temperature before serving. Serve as is, or with freshly whipped, unsweetened cream and fresh berries!

NOTE: This pie can be made 2 days ahead of time, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated.

Rum Ball Recipe

I have been promising to post this (and other) recipe(s) for a while, so here it is. Mimi, the Chess Pie recipe is next I PROMISE!


RUM BALLS

2 boxes vanilla wafers (12 oz each), finely chopped in food processor
4 C. pecans (16 oz bag), finely chopped
4 C. powdered sugar
8 tsp. cocoa powder
6 tsp. light corn syrup
1 1/2 C. dark rum (or bourbon or brandy. I didn't have enough of any one thing, so I mixed rum and brandy. Hence, Rumdy Balls)

Mix all ingredients in a BIG bowl. Roll into balls by hand, and then roll the balls in regular sugar or cocoa powder or additional chopped nuts. Store in airtight container. Put in airtight tins or bags to give away as gifts.

Simple Woman's Daybook Monday, January 12, 2009

FOR TODAY Monday, January 12, 2009...

Outside my window... sun right before sunset, after a day of blizzard winds and snow!

I am thinking... that my baby will be born within a week of today.

I am thankful for... a warm bed, a loving husband who is willing to brave the snow to buy the week's groceries, and enough food in the pantry to last us a bit since the road conditions proved too much for him.

From the learning rooms... no formal school today, but the kids have been making things out of tissue paper, toothpicks, glue & Play Doh, and reading a lot of books.

From the kitchen... we made basic cookie dough last night and used cookie cutters to make the 3 Wise Men and teapot shapes. Then we "painted" them with egg yolk-and food coloring paints and baked them. They came out pretty nice!

I am wearing... maternity pajamas and socks, headband and glasses. No makeup today.

I am creating... Susan's Christmas stocking. I worked on it a little today. It is starting to look like something.

I am going... ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I ain't movin' until this baby is born, unless I suddenly get a great burst of energy and my bones don't hurt when I walk.

I am reading... Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth, Joseph Pearce's The Quest for Shakespeare, and Your Pregnancy Companion.

I am hoping... the roads aren't bad this evening when Ian goes out for our weekly milk.

I am hearing... Susan (4) playing the piano and singing "Christ will die, Christ is Risen..."

Around the house... spare ribs baking in the oven with a yummy BBQ dry rub I made, kids finishing their chores (hopefully), and Ian taking a break from working on the computer.

One of my favorite things... Having Ian home when the weather is bad.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Birthing a baby.... Um, that's all. I have invited a couple over for dinner on Friday, which will ensure that I go into labor that day.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
Visit the Simple Woman's Daybook home page and join the fun! http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Waiting for Baby

Tomorrow (Jan 9, 2009) is the 36-week mark of my pregnancy. I have trouble sleeping, I have heartburn, my joints hurt, and I am tired and weepy. And I am happy. I have a brand-new human being growing and kicking inside me, and soon, God willing, I will get to hold him in my arms. We will name this child and present him to the Lord on his baptism day.

The waiting, especially this close to my due date, is hard. I have so many things I want to accomplish before the blessed event, but not enough time, talent or treasure to do it all. I wish I could strip and polish the kitchen and bathroom floors (or better yet, replace them with something sturdier and easier to clean); replace the little bath tub that has no place to rest your head with something a little more comfortable and patch a hole in the big tub so water doesn't leak down beneath the house (or wherever the water goes); organize the garage with sturdy shelving and put everything away so that there's room for both cars and all the bikes, with easy access to everything; sew hems on the curtains throughout the house so they don't drag on the floor; prepare meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) in advance so that I don't have to cook anything for a while after the baby's born ....

The list could be eternal, but none of it is really important after all. Somehow I will survive if I can't relax in the small tub. Having boxes of Christmas decorations piled in the guest room for a little while longer will (probably) not kill me. Right now the important things are the children sitting around the table working on Math, the little ones playing with the toy kitchen pots under the same table, the hard-working husband making his business work, and the Mama thanking God for all these blessings and trials, because this is my path to heaven.

So I wait. Not always very patiently, not always the picture of serenity. But inside my soul is at peace. I sigh heavily under the weight of my growing belly, but I know God is with me every step of the way. I know He will be with me when this tiny miracle comes out to meet the world.

Simple Woman's Daybook, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009

FOR TODAY, Tuesday, January 6, 2009...
Outside my window... very sparkly snow in full sunshine! It is cold, but we have the shades open to let in all that glorious light and heat.

I am thinking... That I would like to have a turkey avocado sandwich for lunch, but I don't have any turkey or avocado. Sigh.

I am thankful for... my wonderful husband who literally drove us ALL over town yesterday (shopping day) and for the life that God has given me.

From the learning rooms... We are starting up school again after our nice Advent/Christmas break.

From the kitchen... My In-Laws, to whom I am already eternally grateful for all that they have done for our family, from raising their son to be a wonderful husband to helping him start and run his business, to taking care of our children and teaching them to tie their shoes,... these In-Laws gave us a Bosch kitchen machine for Christmas! I have pored through the owner's manual and can't wait to make something! Today it will be cookies, and often it will be bread!

I am wearing... maternity (of course) jeans, a burgundy maternity top that is getting tight! warm socks from Ian's drawer, and brown suede Mary Janes.

I am creating... a clean home after the busy Christmas season. The ornaments will come off the tree today, and we'll vacuum up all the needles. Tonight I will start sewing Susan's Christmas stocking for next year.

I am going... I actually already went yesterday - shopping and errand running. Went to the bike shop, the bank, grocery, Costco, library, and I don't even remember where else.

I am reading... the owner's manual and recipe booklet for my new Bosch! Ian got Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI and another book called How to Read Stories to Children for Christmas, and I think I am going to have to borrow them when he's done reading them.

I am hoping... that the baby is born soon.

I am hearing... the hum of the clothes dryer, the hum of Maria eating a piece of bread in her high chair, and an "Echoes of Spain" CD.

Around the house... Margaret & Annie flipping through reading books, Andrew arranging his knights with the new ones he got for Christmas, Maria singing to herself, Susan choosing a new CD.

One of my favorite things... NOT having heartburn!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Plan the week's menus and then REMEMBER to take things out of the freezer so it thaws before I have to cook them. Midwife tomorrow, friends over for a play date on Friday, chocolate party on Saturday (doesn't that sound wonderful? I can't wait to find out what it all means!)

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
Note the pregnant Mary BEFORE Dec. 25th!

Peggy is still on vacation this week (she'll be back next Monday), but if you want to find out how to add your Daybook entry to her list, go here: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Simple Woman's Daybook Dec. 29, 2008

FOR TODAY Monday, December 29, 2008...

Outside my window... dark, cold and windy. The sun has set and the temperature has dropped.

I am thinking... that I need to drink more water, but ice cold milk and something chocolate sounds more appetizing. Both will give me heartburn, so why not live a little? ;o)

I am thankful for... my wonderful husband who drives us all over town on shopping day (today) even when I can't find half of what I am looking for at the stores.

From the learning rooms... we start week 15 tomorrow!

From the kitchen... we just bought some ingredients for yummy desserts and treats for Epiphany. Andrew wants to make something called "Eve's Apple Crumble" from his Kids' Bible Cookbook for fun, and we are making a couple of chess pies to serve with freshly whipped cream and berries on Epiphany, and also some cookies shaped like the 3 kings that the kids will paint with food coloring.

I am wearing... maternity khaki pants, a black tank top with red button-up shirt over it, and a gold sweater.

I am creating... in my mind, a sewing corner that will hopefully take flesh next Christmas!

I am going... to bed early tonight. I am exhausted!

I am reading... Bernina sewing machine brochures and Koala Cabinet brochures. Sigh. We went to the High Country Quilts shop next to Ian's store and I just loved it. They have all kinds of fabrics for quilting and heirloom sewing, they offer wonderful classes, and they have all the Bernina sewing machines right there to try out and drool over. And then all the accessories, notions, embelishments, threads, colors... If I had 5 lifetimes I could not do all the kinds of sewing crafts that they can teach you how to do here. It is incredible. I'll be back.

I am hoping... that I can get a little more energy before the baby is born to get some things done.

I am hearing... Andrew changing the pages of his Boy's Life Magazine. The dish washer humming. The furnace turning on. Sounds of a home winding down for the night.

Around the house... The 4 youngest are in bed and quiet, so I hope some of them are sleeping. The 3 older ones are reading in the living room until their bed time, and Ian is working on his computer in the other room. I am reclined on the sofa with my laptop.

One of my favorite things... being home with everyone peacefully settled, with my feet up and nobody needing anything more.

A few plans for the rest of the week: school, playdate, Mass on Thursday, New Year's dinner at Mom's, the girls start up Irish dancing lessons again, Mass on Sunday, and Epiphany dinner.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
Here is the link back to the Simple Woman's Daybook where you can find entries from other bloggers! http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

New Business

I have been drinking teas from Let's Do Tea for 4 years, and finally decided to sell them myself! I am now officially an Independent Tea Consultant, and I have a new web site where you can buy tea and tea accessories, or even sign up to be a consultant yourself!

http://kitty.letsdotea.org

If you live in the Colorado Springs area, I can do a tea party for you and your friends at your house!

If you really love tea, I would suggest you order before Dec. 31, because the prices are going up on January 1!

Simple Woman's Daybook Dec. 26, 2008

FOR TODAY DECEMBER 26, 2008

Outside my window... snow again.

I am thinking...that I should be lying down while the littles are taking a nap.

I am thankful for... a warm house, a loving husband, and helpful children, and that I have wonderful In-Laws that live only about 20 minutes away.

From the learning rooms...we are on Christmas break from school right now. We'll start up week 15 next week.

From the kitchen...had family over for turkey dinner last night. Mom brought a lovely red velvet cake for Baby Jesus. Yummy. I am making a BIG pot of turkey broth for making soups in the weeks to come. Gotta start stocking the freezer before baby is born!

I am wearing...khaki maternity pants, a navy tank top and a black sweater.

I am creating... we just decorated the Christmas tree with white lights and some of our family ornaments. The kids had fun doing that while Ian & I got Christmas dinner ready yesterday.

I am going...to lie down as soon as I finish this post!

I am reading... The Search for Shakespeare still, although I haven't picked it up since my last post. This week has been too busy to take the tine to read anything much.

I am hoping... that all those who are traveling get to where they're going safely!

I am hearing... Andrew digging through the Lego box in the "back room," Lucy, Margaret & Annie cutting and sewing fabric in the dining room, and the silence of Susan, Maria & Peter SLEEPING!!

Around the house... poinsettias and paperwhites blooming, the Christmas tree in the front window, Lincoln Logs in a big popcorn tin waiting for nap time to be over, Ian working on his computer, and me getting ready to take a nap.

One of my favorite things... the quiet of snow falling past the window, and a soft pillow to lay my head on.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Keep sewing on that project I talked about last time, Mass on Sunday, Holy Family Ball that night.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...ok, I almost have the photo thing figured out. I will post a picture next time.

Visit the Simple Woman herself here: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ Dec. 16, 2008

FOR TODAY, December 16, 2008

Outside my window... snow, snow, snow. It is a bright, sunny day, but barely below freezing, and more snow expected today and tonight.

I am thinking... about my newest baby, due in February.

I am thankful for... my Mom's recent visit, and how nice it was to have her here, even though it wasn't long enough and she did a lion's share of the work around here! My husband who works so hard, for all of our children, and for good health.

From the kitchen... We made a St. Lucy Crown for St. Lucy Day last weekend, rumdy balls (I didn't have enough rum or brandy, so I used both), and Scottish shortbread! We also made a whole wheat sourdough bread loaf. Today all I have actually made is oatmeal for breakfast, but I need to make another sourdough loaf or two.

I am wearing...maternity jeans, a gray 3/4 sleeve top, socks and slippers.

I am creating... Christmas gifts! I am making a dollhouse-scale doll out of muslin. I can't say how it will be dressed, because the recipient might read this and know it's for him or her!

I am going... on a birthday date tonight with my husband!

I am reading... the latest issue of Victoria Magazine, The Search for Shakespeare by Joseph Pearce, and a book on fairies from the library that I want to ok before letting my kids read it.

I am hoping... the weather doesn't cause us to cancel our date tonight.

I am hearing... Margaret playing the piano and Maria, Annie, Peter & Lucy singing, and Andrew and Peter playing with Lego.

Around the house... All the kids playing peacefully together! The house is a little messy, but it is joyful today, despite the snow.

One of my favorite things... Quiet snow and a cup of tea.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Put up the Christmas tree and put lights on it, but we won't turn it on or decorate until Christmas! Talent show/pot luck at my Sister-In-Law's house. Schedule one tea party for my new business.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... well, my camera and computer are not speaking to each other, so I will not be posting a picture until I can find some software that works.

Please pop by Peggy’s and see the other entries for this week’s Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Christmas Shopping Coupon for Aquinas and More

Because there are only two weeks left before Christmas, we'd like to help make the rest of your Christmas shopping easier by giving you and your readers a coupon for free priority shipping on orders over $55 at our store. Just enter the code BloggerSpecial into the coupon field during checkout. In order to ensure delivery by Christmas, we're encouraging our customers to place their orders by Thursday, December 18 at the latest if they want priority shipping (this date is only applicable to in-stock items). Don't wait too long to get great Catholic gifts for everyone on your list!

Have a blessed Advent!

Hot Boss Buns (It's NOT What You Think)

This morning my 2-year-old son Peter was walking around the kitchen singing, "Two a tennie, fwee a tennie, hot boss Buns!"

Baking for Christmas

Starting in September, we have made some cookies to give as gifts for Christmas.

First, we made Gingersnaps from Faith & Family magazine's November/December 2007 issue. We did not burn them this time.

We made Gingerbread Men (and Women, and Snowmen and Stars) from a recipe I found years ago in one of those "Holiday Baking" mini-magazines you find at the grocery store checkout.

We also made Springerle, lemon-anise flavored HARD cookies for dunking in coffee, tea or cocoa. I think I used the recipe in Joy of Cooking. My mom especially likes these, so I make them primarily for her, and also giv ehtem to other coffee-drinkers in the family.

Next, we will be making Pine Bark, also from the F & F Nov./Dec. '07 issue, and bourbon balls (or rum balls, depending on what I find in the seldom-visited liquor cabinet), from a family recipe.

On Christmas Eve we'll make Christmas Eve Mice, from the F & F issue cited above. The recipe pages in this particular issue are destined to be well-worn soon. I was hoping this year's November/December issue would have more good cookie recipes, but it just has ideas for dressing up store-bought refrigerator cookie dough, which is fine if you are in a hurry and don't mind the too-sweet taste or hazardous ingredients. But since we usually make our cookies in September & October and freeze them, we want them to be worth the wait until Christmas! We'll stick with from-scratch for now.

Summer and Fall, 2008

Every year flies by faster than the last. I started noticing this phenomenon when I was in college, and it is no less true now that I am married and have children. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to do all the things I want to do, to send that thank you note as soon as someone does something thoughtful for me, to keep that little curl from baby's first haircut in her baby book. "Baby" is now almost 10 years old and her baby book, although admittedly more complete than those of her 6 younger siblings, is nothing to brag about.

This summer (starting with the spring, really) I took lots of pictures and even downloaded most of them onto my computer, with the idea that I would post them here on my blog to share with the world, or at least with that part of the world that might be interested in the happenings at our little house on the prairie.

Here are some of the things that happened during the warmer months this year. Pictures will have to come later, as something on my computer won't let me do anything with the pictures I have downloaded, and won't let me download any pictures that are on my camera:

We painted the house yellow. By "we" I mean my husband. By "yellow" I mean "Fairy Lily" Colorplace paint from Walmart.

We cleaned out the back room so the kids would have a place to play. Again, by "we" I mean my husband. I went through some boxes and threw a lot away and found new homes for some things, but he has a keen, organizing mind and I stand in awe that he could go into the already full room with boxes and boxes of "stuff" and a couple of hours later come to me and say, "Come see," and I behold a clean (vacuumed, even!) floor, walls lined with shelves and a sewing table by the window with my sewing machine set up and ready for Christmas sewing projects! Ian, you amaze me!

Annie (5) and Lucy (9) learned to ride bikes on a dirt road with no training wheels.

Margaret (8) can ride a big bike and made her First Holy Communion in May.

Ian & I took Maria (10 months old at the time) to New Jersey for the Catholic Marketing Network conference. We spent a day in New York City and a night in Boston with my sister, who is a Daughter of Saint Paul. It was a fun vacation. The rest of the kids stayed with Ian's parents here in Colorado. They had a great time with their grandparents, and we are eternally grateful to said grandparents for their generosity.

At some point I took a big box of peaches and made pie fillings to put in the freezer for some special winter or spring party. Yum. I was going to do the same with apples with my Mother-In-Law, but the apple crops in Colorado were ruined this year. Oh well, maybe next year.

I am sure we did more, but my poor brain can't think of anything else at the moment. I'll post more when I remember and when I can get at those pictures!

Gifts from the Heart

I read today a good post on simplifying gift-giving for Christmas at Starry Sky Ranch. I wrote a lengthy comment there, and decided to make it my first blog post in a long while.


Great post, Kim!

I have been thinking about this for several years now, too. It is not always easy to find the time to make hand-made gifts for going-on-eight children, plus In-Laws, cousins, etc., nor is it possible to find the money to buy natural toys and gifts for so many. But it is worth the effort. The kids help me make special cookies to send to their cousins in another state, I sew one more Christmas stocking each year for the youngest child (some day I may be caught up), and make cloth or painted wood ornaments for the extended family who would appreciate such things.

St. Nicholas brings much-needed socks, slippers or tights on Dec. 6, any presents from out-of-town family are opened on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, and presents from each other are opened on Epiphany. Thankfully, the rest of the family understands that we don't want the flashiest new toy on the market, so we get warm clothes, simple toys and holy cards, nice thank-you note cards to use, or even gift cards for groceries or a restaurant, for the most part.

We don't get everything we want or need. We don't give everything family and friends want or need. We do what we can to give comfort and joy, and try to let God do the rest.

So far it has made for joyous family memories as we gather on St. Lucy's day to share hot cocoa and a honey cake, or Christmas Eve to eat a traditional Mexican dinner before Tata reads "'Twas the night before Christmas...." and sing "Joy to the World" at Christmas morning Mass. Loving each other is the best gift we can give, whether it shows itself in the form of a hand-sewn Raggedy Ann doll or a Christmas stocking with an orange and a walnut in the toe, or a smile and a "Merry Christmas!"

May God bless you this Advent as we all prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. May the gifts we give each other bear fruit in eternal life.

Maybe we WON'T plant trees today...

Yesterday was sunny and about 80 degrees outside. But NOT TODAY!!


So... How about a game of Cooties...bread making...
and hanging shelves?

We might light a fire in the fireplace later. Have a hot cup of tea with fresh-from-the-oven bread... I like snow days.

First Communion Season

Margaret, our beautiful second grader, will be making her First Holy Communion in May! My mother made a First Communion dress for our oldest Lucy last year, and Margaret will be wearing it this time around.



If you have a First Communicant in your life, for First Communion gifts, I recommend Aquinas and More, of course, because they have a good selection and my husband owns it!

Room Transformations III: Girls' Bedroom

Our next Project is cleaning up the former Master Bedroom to make it into the new Girls' Room!

This is what it looks like right now because we put everything from the former "Back Room" into it to paint the other rooms. Once we empty this room, we'll paint it "Olive Grove" on the bottom and "Budding Green" on top, with a "White Light" chair rail between.

This is where the girls live now. You can see that it's a little tight for four of them, and soon Maria will be joining them, so they need a bit more space.
This room will become the new "Back Room," but it won't have a bed in it. It'll be a play room for the kids. We plan on removing the carpet and installing Pergo or some type of hard floor so they can build things with Lego or blocks, and have a place to roll their trucks besides the kitchen when I am making dinner. We hope to line the walls with book cases and cabinets so everything can be put away out of sight and still be found when needed. I'll post pictures in the years to come as we accomplish these things.

Room Transformations II: Master Bedroom

Next, we changed the boys' old room into the Master Bedroom.

This is what it looked like when Andrew & Peter occupied it.

Ian painted it in one day ("Spring Fawn").

We moved in that evening.

Room Transformations I: Boys' Room

We're in the process of painting most of the rooms in the house and moving bedrooms around to make more room for our 5 girls.

First, we emptied the room we called the "Back Room." It had a guest bed in it, plus toys that only the older kids could play with (small or fragile parts, etc.), all my sewing stuff, and whatever else didn't have a home. It could be a mess sometimes. I don't have any pictures of it with all the stuff in it, thank goodness.

Then Ian painted the top "Cloudless Sky" blue and the bottom "Olive Grove" green.


Andrew helped Daddy put up the trim after I painted it "White Light."

Everyone likes this room! It looks great, Ian & Andrew! Andrew and Peter moved in as soon as the paint was dry.

Common Cents

Andrew (6), counting the money in his piggy bank: "Mommy, I don't have much cents at all."

He's got Math down pretty well. Next subject: Grammar!