Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie

First, the crust...

I make my own and you can find that recipe here... and then I cut the big dough ball into 4 equal pieces (I use deep dish pie pans) or you can cut it into five equal wedges if you use normal pie pans or 8" pie pans...

Or you can make a cookie crust or use a packaged crust. Whatever works for you and your family is fine by me.

Rumors that I am a crust-snob are GREATLY EXAGGERATED, aren't they, Missy Tippens?????

:)

So you need one 9" pie crust, ready to go.

Chocolate filling:

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 2/3 Cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
4 cups milk
4 egg yolks
3 teaspoons vanilla

(These are all normal ingredients, like Really Normal, nothing earth-shattering here!)

Melt butter in 3 or 4 quart saucepan. Remove from heat

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add to butter. Stir until butter is blended throughout.

Add Milk and egg yolks. Whisk in. Return to heat and cook over medium-medium high heat until pudding is thick and bubbling, stirring regularly and then constantly once pudding is thickening. Cook about 1/2 minute while bubbling.

Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Whisk in. Cover hot pudding with plastic wrap pressed against the hot surface if you want to avoid "skin"... although I love to eat that "skin" so call me and I'll come to your house and eat it for you.

I'm nice that way.

Chill pudding completely. Make sure pie crust is cool. Spoon pudding into pie crust.

Top with whipped cream.

WHIPPED CREAM:
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar

Put into large mixing bowl... beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon and spread on chocolate pudding filling deliciousness...

Garnish with mini-chips, chocolate shavings or dust with cocoa. (My sifter has a hole in it, so dusting is not an option right now!)

And that's it!

I'm in Nashville today, after having a wonderful time at the Christian Fiction Reader's Retreat yesterday... but this was my handmade personal birthday treat last weekend, andit was just as good as it looks! I had a piece Sunday... and possibly a piece on Monday, too!

And in the space of time when you take a gallon of water out to the side porch, THIS HAPPENS:

A born storyteller, with Grammy's wild hair...

Oh my stars! Morgan!!!!

:)

Ruth Logan Herne loves life, God, her family, country, chocolate, dogs and coffee... she lives on a small farm in upstate New York and loves to get dirty outside because flowers Don't Talk Back!

Find her on facebook at Ruth Logan Herne or stop by her website! With over a million books sold, Ruthy is living her dream... and still has to pinch herself to make sure it's real!

Holding Down the Fort

So I guess I'm holding down the fort today while half the staff scurries off to Nashville.

As Jan and I were discussing, I had to replace my refrigerator which has made cooking anything unusual a bit of a challenge. Our food is divided between two neighbors.

So instead, I thought I'd share a few songs from one of my favorite TV shows - Nashville, and a few ideas for what to eat while you're in Nashville. That way the rest of us can pretend/dream we're there.


I really like this song. It inspired one of my characters. I Will Never Let You Know.

This one is full of angst, but it's great for getting into a dark character.

Then there's this one from the (almost) series finale.  Love You Home

When I first heard it, I wasn't overwhelmed with love, but it's grown to  be one of my favorites.

One last one - the song I play when writing Dylan and Grace's story. I Know How to Love You Now.

Okay, we've got the music background, let's talk food!

I've never been to ACFW, but my conference experience usually includes very little time outside the hotel. So we may find out more about Nashville food than the conference attendees.


On Nashville, the hot spot to spend time listening to music is The Bluebird Cafe. Apparently the show's success has meant a huge line waiting to get in to The Bluebird.

I thought this video was hilarious. Have any of you ever had to do online queuing?

Arnold's Country Kitchen is listed as favorite -  a real family restaurant.

Their website says: 
We've been serving up home-cooked "Meat & 3" here in Nashville for more than 30 years - and we look forward to serving you.
 You an actually watch a video about the history of the restaurant with lots of food.



"Sorry, grandma", the "memorable" mains and "down-home" sides at this "legendary" Gulch Southerner add up to the "best damn meat and three on the planet", and "cafeteria-style lines" "sneaking out...

here's no better place to sample a wide array of Southern fried goodness than at 34-year-old Nashville institution Arnold's Country Kitchen 








 If you'd prefer something more upscale, say for after the CAROL Awards, how about southern food from a James Beard award-winning restaurant in an old mansion?

According to Chef Brock, “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door.”


HUSK

Perhaps you'd like some Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra?


They also serve lowcountry cuisine in a beautiful mansion in Charleston!



According to Eater Nashville, the hottest restaurant in Nashville is The Treehouse Restaurant. They have their own organic farm 50 miles from Nashville.

 The remaining nine are:
Butcher & Bee  - it started with sandwiches
Bajo Sexto Taco Lounge (Oaxacan dishes and Mexican with a twist)
Salt & Vine
Bastion
Old Glory - this one is in a boiler room in an old industrial space
Five Daughters Bakery - can we say 100 layer donuts!!!!!
Vui's Kitchen - If you've had enough southern cooking, how about some Vietnamese?


If you ask Southern Living, Arnold's tops the list.

MacK & Kates Café & Wine Bar or Macke’s Restaurant (named for the owners' daughters)

How about a Speakeasy Hangout - Patterson  House. Southern Living says - "The 30-stool bar retains a hush-hush, Gatsby-and-Governor sophistication, and savvy bartenders stir and shake in Capone-era getups."


Supposedly a Legend - Prince's Hot Chicken - chicken cooked to order

I Dream of Weenie - come get your hotdogs from a vintage yellow Volkswagon bus!

And finally Margot/Marche´ - sunny eggs and sausage polenta with a pomegranate mimosa


So, by now, you're either feeling stuffed or you're drooling. I'm wishing more than ever that I was there.

But we saved a dog's life this year so no conference for me.

But he's worth it, don't you think?

Have you been to Nashville? Is there someplace that I've missed?



 

Boys Will Be Boys - Removing Rust from Clothing

Ah, the beautiful Red Mountains. Such a lovely site. 

I took this picture when we were in Ouray a few weeks ago. What a glorious morning it was.

The reason I'm showing you this picture is so you will understand the source of the rest of this post.

A day or two before this photo was taken, we took the boys to the abandoned mining town of Ironton.

Ironton is a neat little place that a lot of folks don't even realize is right off of the main highway. Many of the buildings are still standing in this place that was once home to over a thousand people. Today, it's a quiet respite. At least for us adults.

But if you're a kid, it's ripe for all sorts of mischief. Like throwing rocks.

Notice the golden hue to the water. That's from all the minerals as the water flows past the Red Mountains. Actually, it usually has more of a rusty tint, so I was a little surprised by the different color.

Whatever the case, our little genius in the aqua shirt was pretty irritated when he discovered those wet rocks had left deep golden spots all over his shirt. 

Rather than spark his ire by reminding him it was his own fault, I told him he could change shirts when we got back to hotel and I would try to rinse out the color.

No go. Those marks were there to stay. At least until we got home and I had all sorts of laundry products at my disposal. 

So, once we got home, I pretreated the spots with liquid laundry detergent. 

No go.

Stain remover.

No go.

Peroxide.

Nope.

By the way, I never put the shirt in the dryer. That would set the stains for sure.

Since the stains actually reminded me of rust, I took to the internet, looking for ideas on removing rust from clothing. Believe it or not, I found something that really worked. And everything I needed was in my kitchen and right outside my back door.

Okay, so these are the spots in question. 

Sorry, I didn't even think about taking a picture until I'd already treated them.

 By now you're probably wondering what I treated these pesky stains with, aren't you?

A simple slurry of salt and lemon juice. Just enough juice so it's thinner than a paste, but not too soupy.

I spooned it evenly onto each of the spots.

 Then laid the shirt out in the bright summer sun and waited for the magic to happen.

Round one - stains were faded, but still obvious.

Round two - faded more, but still there.

 I rinsed the shirt out after the first two applications to make sure the stains really were fading and not simply covered with salt residue.

Liking what I saw, I kept going. I don't remember if I did three or four rounds, but I was determined to get those stains out. And I am happy to say that I was successful. It's always good when moms can score brownie points with their kids. And resurrecting their favorite shirt from the dead scored me plenty.

Okay, I just now took this picture instead of when the shirt was first cleaned and it has been worn and washed several times since. That light area over the logo did not appear until this most recent washing, so I'm not sure what caused it.

I will tell you that the person who posted this information on the internet did say they had only used it on whites. But since the shirt was headed for the trash anyway, I figured it was worth trying. It did lighten a couple of the areas at the bottom just slightly, but not enough for my son to notice, so I didn't say a word.

All in all, it was a fun experiment so I thought I'd pass it on in case you ever had to tackle a rust stain.  Or mineral deposits from boys throwing wet rocks. :)

I'm also wondering how this treatment might work on some yellowed antique linens I have tucked away. Nothing too delicate. Perhaps when I unearth them during the move I'll consider giving it a go.

Do you have any stain removal secrets? If so, you know we'd love to hear about them,

Summertime Sandwiches: the BLA

No, that's not a typing error. My favorite summer sandwich is a Bacon, Lettuce and Avocado sandwich. AKA, BLA!

It's what I like to make for a quick lunch, especially if I'm going out of town for a week, and these are in my refrigerator:

I hate it when avocados go bad...they're too delicious to waste that way!

A BLA is super easy to make. In fact, it's a lot like a BLT.

Cook up some bacon, toast your bread, get the Ranch dressing out of the fridge...

Yes, Ranch dressing rather than plain mayo. It adds a bit of yummy deliciousness to the sandwich.

And then start layering - A bit of salad dressing on both pieces of toast, and then a generous helping of lettuce, avocado slices, and top with bacon.

Put the lid on (aka, the other slice of toast) and you're set to go.

Warning: this is a very messy sandwich. Don't try to eat it on the run!

Another delicious lunch I've just heard about is avocado toast. From the number of recipes available on the internet, it seems like I'm the only one who has never run across this before!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! A slice of toast, mashed avocado, and a topping. My favorite is crumbled bacon.

Do you sense a theme here? Avocado and bacon are delicious together!

I've been doing quick lunches for the past week or so because I'm getting ready to take off to Nashville tomorrow for the First Annual Christian Fiction Readers Retreat  and the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference.

If you haven't heard about the Readers Retreat, go here to get the scoop!  You'll notice that some of your favorite writers are involved, and it's a day centered around our favorite people: Readers!

And then the ACFW Conference starts on Thursday.

Just imagine, an entire week (at least, Wednesday through Saturday) filled with readers, writers, and other people who love books. Doesn't that sound like a dream come true?

Since we just got done with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (ten days of not leaving home to head up into the Hills) and I'm getting ready to leave for the rest of the week, my husband and I HAD to make a trip up to some of our favorite places on Saturday.

I ignored my new office and the paint-less walls, the vacuuming and weeding and laundry that needed to be done, and we went to the center of the Hills, up to the Needles Highway.

This is what we wanted to do:

Our intention was to hike the Cathedral Spires trail, but there was a problem. We couldn't find anyplace to park near the trail head. Or near our alternative hiking choice in that area, the Little Devils Tower trail. So we drove and dodged other cars.

I'm not complaining, though! It's a beautiful drive....

Do you see why it's called the Needles Highway? Those granite spires....

There are narrow tunnels along the way, and the one at the top is breathtaking. Here's the approach...

Suck in your tummy when you meet those trucks!

Looks good so far, but remember - it's a one-lane tunnel.

Oops, traffic jam. Everybody wait your turn...

And if you aren't driving, be sure to look up as you go through!

The other side of the tunnel was packed with cars, trucks, pedestrians...and I forgot to take more pictures!

But here's a great video someone took during last year's Rally. They have people directing traffic during that week!

Do you see why I hate leaving home, even for the ACFW Conference? I'll still have plenty of fun, though. My roommate for conference is the best, isn't she, Ruthy?

Have a great week, everyone!

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com

Black Cherry and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Hi everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back with a fun summer recipe. But first, a silly picture. (I'm wondering if this will be the screen grab for the post, haha. That would be great!) Anyway, we walk along the river in the evenings and came upon this field of... toilets. 

Apparently, this retirement home is renovating, but the image was so funny, especially to our elementary aged boys. "Ahhh, summer, when toilets are finally ripe for the picking."

  I also have to share this funny picture of my seven year old reading. It's so "summer" to read in an inner tube with goggles. LOL

 So, our peaches are ripe!
                                             
For a while, every day he'd go out with a basket and come back with a few tomatoes and peaches. Now, we need about five grocery bags.
                                            
We leave them on the tree as long as possible so that friends can come and pick what they like.

 We had old friends from Idaho visit this past weekend and my fifteen year old made a peach cobbler...

 And a huckleberry one (that was my favorite!)...

 And a blueberry one. It looks like all the fruit sunk to the middle, but it was nicely distributed.
                                  
Oh, it was delicious. I forget how amazing huckleberries are. We have blueberries most of the time, but huckleberries have such a unique flavor.

 We also made pasta salad. Only sharing because it's sooo prettttyyyyyyy. We also made a roast chicken with potatoes, gravy, corn, fruit salad, etc. Good food and great friends over, can it get any better?

 Random pictures of the garden before I get to the ice cream. Black bell peppers! They tasted pretty good once they ripened. I had one before it was done and thought it was bitter. But they were actually okay.

 Purple tomatoes. They're really called "black beauties" or some such but they're not exactly black. :D

 The tomatillos are growing! This is the source of all our salsa verde and green chile pork stew through the winter. MMMMMM....

 I'm excited to pick these banana peppers and stuff them with herbed cream cheese, then fry!

 It's been a great year for cantaloupe. Not anything like Ruthy's farm but I'm proud of these little guys.

 I'm not actually sure what this is...

 Pumpkins!!

 Little guys wanted me to take this picture of a "beauty" hidden under a spider web.

 I can't remember what heirloom variety this is but it's getting interesting.

 And the sunflowers! I love these giant sunflowers that grow bigger than your head!

 OK... so finally to the recipe! And there was something awry with my camera so it's a bit fuzzy. This is the final photo and it was so hot the ice cream was melting as I took the picture. The recipe is a general ice cream recipe tweaked for maximum deliciousness!

Ingredients:
one and a half cups chopped and pitted Bing or other sweet cherry
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 1/3 cup heavy cream (I used half and half, still good!)
1/2 cup sugar
dash of lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used chips)

Some add the chopped fruit directly to the cream, sugar, milk mixture, or they heat the cream and cherries altogether to make a dark purple ice cream (very pretty!). We've done it both ways, but I like this way the best: I like to make it into a syrup first. Add 1/4 cup sugar, cherries, and lemon juice to a sauce pan on medium heat (stirring constantly) until cherries are semi dissolved and the mixture is thick and bubbly. Let cool for about 30 minutes.

Mix the cream, milk, 1/2 cup sugar in a pan and heat on low until the sugar is combined. Pour into a form or mold. Place into the freezer for one hour or until lightly set. Fold the cherry mixture in, letting it fall gently into the ice cream. Let freeze overnight. Each slice should have a delicious ribbon of cherry goodness!

 That's all for now! A few last photos of my grandfather's typewriter. He was raised on the border of Arizona, the son of a border patrolman and fluent in Spanish from childhood. He knew from his teens that he wanted to be a veterinarian and to raise money for school, he wrote and translated letters for the illiterate city residents.

Note how there are the "enya" and upside down question mark keys! So wonderful to see this and remember how much he loved typing out stories. I have dozens of letters from him from my college years and early on in my marriage.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and stop by my facebook author pages Mary Jane Hathaway, Virginia Carmichael, or my blog The Things That Last!