what i made yesterday

[pennie_dreadful]

Pumpkin Pie

1 can of unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 can of evaporated milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar (white or brown)
9 inch pie crust, unbaked (okay I admit to cheating and using a frozen one.  Sue me, I ain't pastry)

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine sugar and spices, set aside.  Beat pumpkin and eggs together; slowly whisk in evaporated milk.  Then add in spices.  Pour into pie shell, and cover the edges of the crust with foil, so they don't get over browned or burned (experience talking here).  Bake at 425 for fifteen minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for 30-35 minutes.  You can tell it is done by shaking it, just slightly.  If the filling jiggles like jello, it needs to cook more, if not, it's ready.  Or you can stick a knife in it and if it comes out clean, it's done.  But that messes it up.

This is actually the recipe from the can of Libby's canned pumpkin.  I asked my grandmother once what her recipe was, and she confessed she always used the one on the can of Libby's.  :/  I admit to being a tad disappointed, but hey, it's good pie, so I guess it doesn't really matter.  And I have her recipe for sweet potato pie, and that is not from any can.  I just did not have the money for sweet potatoes; I already had the pumpkin so that was what I made.

What I am making tomorrow:

Green Bean Casserole
(This is totally experimental; I have no idea if it will actually be good, but being a student of the culinary arts, come on, I am not just going to throw together a can of condensed soup and canned green beans.)

1 pound fresh grean beans (or frozen if you must, but please, not canned, ew)
2 ounce jar of pimentoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (it's good on spinach, so I thought I'd try it with green beans)
1 cup of grated cheese (I'm planning on using swiss, but whatever you like is fine)
French fried onions (my one concession to tradition, heh)

In a medium sized skillet, melt butter, and add flour, cook together about two minutes (this is a roux, and it will thicken the sauce, so this is a very important step).  Then slowly whisk in the heavy cream and chicken broth and spices.  Bring it just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens up.  It won't thicken until it reaches the boiling point, but actually boiling it will not be good for the sauce, so after it starts bubbling just the slightest bit, kill the heat and leave it while you prepare the green beans.  Now is also the time to taste and see if it needs more salt, etc.

The beans need to be washed, of course, and have the tips cut off, and depending on your preference, either chopped further into smaller pieces, or left whole.  I am planning on cutting them down to smaller sizes, for easier eating.  Then blanch them in boiling, salted water for two to three minutes. Drain them well, and dump in a casserole dish, maybe an 8x8x4, or therabouts.  Also add the pimentoes, and then pour the sauce over them, mix well.  Cover with cheese and onions, bake at 400F for, eh, twelve or fifteen minutes.

Those shall be my contributions to the Thanksgiving table tomorrow.  LOL, we are too poor to buy a turkey or ham, so we're just having a roasted chicken and whatever anyone else brings.

I'm thankful that even though much, much discouraging shit has happened, I have persevered; I've made some great friends here at school, and I have my cats, after all.  I keep telling myself, and believing, that this is only a temporary run of bad luck, and that one day I will finally have the title of professional chef, and I will not be so broke. 
 

Comments

[impeccablesimon.livejournal.com]

I hope you had a relaxing day with friends and/or family...I cannot remember if you went home or not. As always, I keep you in my thoughts (and prayers, when I remember to pray), and I wish nothing but the best for you. You are intelligent, talented and strong; never forget that. (But if you do forget, you'll have me to remind you.)

Also, your cooking sounds delicious. I too cooked for my family. Sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, 7-layer salad, pumpkin pie, a fun fruit drink that was delicious and non-alcoholic, stuffing and maybe something else; I can't remember. I'm not nearly as fancy/talented as you, but I did my part and my food went over well.

[madhowan.livejournal.com]

This is perhaps a silly question, but is Pumpkin Pie a traditional Thanksgiving thing? I'd never heard of it before.

Also, mmmmmm, pie!

Also also, perseverance is good - you'll be cooking up a storm and getting paid lots of money in no time!

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

I spent the holiday down here with a very good friend. In fact, we had such a good time that my bad ass self did not make it back to my place until 4 am.

I also made my mother's cornbread dressing. I think I did pretty well on that, but of course my mother has always made the best dressing.

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

Well, since you don't celebrate, it isn't silly for you to ask. Yes, pumpkin pie is very traditional on Thanksgiving. I think it's a crime to not have a pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. We usually have a pecan pie, and a chocolate chip pie, too. But it was just the two of us, so we didn't really need three pies.

[impeccablesimon.livejournal.com]

You are a party animal! Glad to know that you are making fiends in our program. Friends are important...and when we don't have them around, their presence is truly missed.

Cornbread dressing does sound good...I just made the typical bread-based dressing.

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

The people I've met here (one in particular) are the one unadulterated good thing about me coming to this place. The sad thing is, my friend is even unhappier with the program than me, and is moving back to Missouri. We have phone numbers and emails of course, and we even have vague plans of moving to Atlanta together after we get finished with school, but yeah. I seriously considered moving with her, except for the lack of savings on my part. I may still transfer schools, if I get as much money from financial aide as I am hoping.

[impeccablesimon.livejournal.com]

It is quite sad that your friend is unhappy and planning to move, but at least she has been there for you. I'm sure both of you are much better off haing known each other. There are some wonderful people here at Purdue, and I don't think I could make it here without my friends.

I hope you do get enough financial aid to transfer, if that is really what you want. Atlanta seems to be ahotsopt for many of the Sociological and Gerontological conferences I may end up attending int he future, so if you do open up a restaurant, believe you me, I'll come visit. :)

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to remember if I friended you before or after I tried to go to the Art Institute of Atlanta...yeah, I had my sights set much higher that where I ended up going (I did get in, a feat I am quite proud of, as it was very complicated and I had to be interviewed and write essays and jump through multiple hoops). The problem is private college=too much money, multiplied by the fed government telling me oh yes you can come up with $50,000 to cover the balance! I was so ready to get the hell out of Alabama. Instead I traded one po-dunk town for another po-dunk town. I made some good friends (tellingly almost all of them are from out of state), but like I said, that's the one and only good thing.

[impeccablesimon.livejournal.com]

Sadly you friended me after your attempts to go to the Art Institute of Atlanta. I did read some of your previous entries, but I did not realize just how much money you were expected to come up with for school. I completely understand your decision to not go there, although I must extend kudos on getting in. It sounds like a very difficult program.

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

That was for a two year degree, too. The Bachelor's program was $70,000. I still want to go there, so what I'm thinking is, after I'm 24 (which will be right around the time my lease runs out) I can try to go there again. Since I will be counted as an Independent, I'm sure I'll get enough FA to go, since my parents might make too much money, but I DEFY Uncle Sam to tell me I can afford a $50,000 tuition when I am surviving on less that $800 a month.

[impeccablesimon.livejournal.com]

No kidding! Sometimes the way financial aid is decided is just idiotic. Hopefully our new president-elect will change the way financial aid works.

[madhowan.livejournal.com]

Oooo, chocolate chip pie? Yummo! Is that like Chess Pie? (I was reading about Chess Pie--it's a southern thing, isn't it? Sure looks tasty!)

Ok, here's a silly question- does pumpkin pie taste like pumpkin? I don't like pumpkin, but I love pumpkin soup and pumpkin scones, neither of which taste like pumpkin.

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

Oooh, chess pie. I have a good recipe for chocolate chess pie, but this is a different thing. It's almost like a cookie, but very moist and chewy.

I don't think it tastes a whole lot like pumpkin--it has a lot of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves) so that comes through more than anything. Ha, that's like me and tomatoes; I love tomato soup, but I'm not such a fan of raw tomatoes, unless they're on something. Some people I know eat tomatoes like apples. Buwaahh. Ick.

[madhowan.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to trying Chess pie. I hope I don't stuff it up!
Mmm, cookies and pie. In one. Is that not the best invention ever?!

Ah, okay, that makes sense. It makes me want to try pumpkin pie, too. (I'm very much in a pie-recipe gathering stage.) If it doesn't actually taste like pumpkin, then I'll probably like it!

My sister eats tomatoes like apples. I have occasionally, but I hate the way they just explode in your mouth. Nope, they've gotta be sliced or diced or whatever, otherwise it's weird.

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

If you want pie recipes, I'm your girl, as I have quite a few. Most of them are recipes my family has used for years and years. We have a scrumptious coconut pineapple pie, and one of those no-bake cheesecakes. The chess pie, the choc chip pie, and oh, have you ever heard of buttermilk pie? It is totally yum.

[madhowan.livejournal.com]

(Love the new layout!)

I love that everyone loves pie. I make a pretty good chicken pie, and occasionally I'll make apple, but I want to try some new ones, like chess pie and banoffee pie. And maybe a peach pie--you don't know of anything that goes with peach, do you?

I haven't heard of buttermilk pie, but now I want to ; )

Oh, and I really want to try that bacon apple pie that appeared on food_porn a while back. It looks great!

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

I thought the layout was the right mix of seaonal without being really Christmasy, you know?

I should have brought my cookbook with me! I don't know if we have a peach pie recipe but I could probably come up with one. I'll keep it handy so the next time I'm in the library I can just whip it out and send you a couple.

[madhowan.livejournal.com]

Ooer, that'd be ace : ) I've read that peach goes with raspberry, but I'm secretly hoping it'll go with vanilla. I'm going to test a few out--I got a jumbo texas muffin tin so I'm going to make a few cup pies with different flavours!

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

Peaches would go with any kind of tangy fruit. They're good with strawberries, too, but I don't think they'd work so well with blueberries, though, or apples. They go beautifully with mangoes, too. I found a recipe in my Nana's cards for peach cobbler, but I forgot to bring it. I suppose vanilla would work with them, I've never tried it, but some almond extract would be pretty good, I'm betting.

[madhowan.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks! They've got farmer's markets on tuesday evening, so I'll see what they've got in season. : ) Mangoes. Yummmmm.