I have made many pumpkin pies in my lifetime.  I’ve tried wide variations in recipes, and finally settled upon this one.  It is a modification of a William Sonoma recipe.  I love the creamy, rich texture and the balance of spices.  It is especially great with homemade whipped cream.

Ingredients:

• 1 pie shell
• 1 ¾ cups of homemade pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt
• Whipped cream for topping

Pumpkin Preparation:

I don’t believe in using pumpkin
from a can.  Fresh pumpkins ...<< MORE >>

Recently, I began making my own butter.  I figured that as long as the cost of good butter is about the same as good cream, then there is no reason why I shouldn’t make it myself.  This way, I can be sure that the butter is made from local milk and I’m sure that it will taste a lot better than the stuff in a box.

Well, one of the wonderful by-products of making butter is buttermilk.  This weekend, I made cultured butter.  While the milk/yogurt sat in the fridge overnight, I had some chicken cut-up and soaking in ...<< MORE >>

1 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh plain yogurt with live cultures

Combine the cream and the yogurt in a bowl, lightly whisk the yogurt into the cream (not too much as you don’t want to make whipped cream yet).  Cover the bowl and set it in the fridge for two days.  When you take it out of the fridge, whip the mixture in a stand mixer on slow speed until the solids and liquids separate.  Wrap the solids in a paper towel and lightly squeeze out the remaining liquid, then rinse in cold water until the water is clear.  Pat the ...<< MORE >>

After a week of sitting at home with my foot elevated, I finally got out and about this weekend.  Saturday, my brother and I attended a class at the Artisanal Cheese Center on Chocolate and Cheese Pairings. We learned all about how good chocolate is made from a representative of the Michel Cluizel chocolate company.  We arrived to a cocktail reception of champagne and cheese.

...<< MORE >>

This weekend, I fell and sprained my ankle.  I walked across my front lawn and did not see the small hole beneath the grass – a hole just the right size to snag the top of a shoe.  I stepped right into it  and fell face up on the lawn, screaming in pain.  

So, a trip to the hospital and a few hours later, I found myself trapped at home with a soft cast and crutches.  For the first few days this week, I couldn’t really get around at all, but as the week progressed, I started doing more and ...<< MORE >>

 had high hopes for my braised rabbit, you know, the one I made the previous weekend.  I started with rabbit salads for lunch.  Nearly every day, I had another decadent and delicious rabbit salad packed up in a plastic container ready for me at lunchtime.