Taste of Home Tuesday: Spiced Pumpkin Custard Pie

Fall is here and it's time to make pumpkin pie!  Justin and I love pumpkin pie so it was an easy choice this week.  I really liked the pie, not only because it has a delightful flavor, but the recipe is for a 9 inch pie.  I've always used my grandmothers pumpkin pie recipe but her pie plates were always smaller.  I either ended up with an empty pie or extra filling and then made individual pies.  Good luck and enjoy!!   

Picture by Taste of Home

Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon ice water
Filling:
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
Whipped cream, optional
Additional ground cinnamon, optional

Directions
Place pecans in a food processor; cover and process until finely ground. In a large bowl, combine the pecans, flour, ginger and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, spices and salt until smooth. Beat in pumpkin. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into crust.

Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.

Taste of Home Tuesday from Pinterest: Sopapilla Cheesecake

This cheesecake is so easy, so quick and the best part, it is so yummy!  I cut the recipe in half and made it in an 8X8 pan.  Enjoy!!

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent roll
2-8oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 stick butter (1/2 cup real butter not margarine)

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Unroll and press 1 can crescent rolls into the bottom of your baking dish press the seams together. In a separate bowl blend the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla (Tina used a tsp and a half, because she loves vanilla extract. I think it would be fun to try other extracts like almond extract) spread over top of dough. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and place on top of the cream cheese mixture pressing seams together again. Melt butter and pour over top layer of crescents. Mix the reaming 1/2 cup of sugar & cinnamon together. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture generously over the top. If you don’t think that’s enough cinnamon sugar on top add more its really up to you there’s no rules on this part of the recipe. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly and bottom crust is slightly brown. Cool, slice and enjoy!

It Is Well With My Soul

I came home today to a sermon playing over the internet while Justin was working.  Mark Driscoll was talking about finding joy in suffering, specifically death.  I only caught the end of the message but he was closing with a biography of Horacio Spafford.  Mark said,

"He is a man who knew much of suffering and death and Jesus Christ. In the midst of the most horrendous occurrence that any man could experience, that being the death of his own children, he wrote a great hymn called “It is Well”."

"Horacio Spafford was a man familiar with death and tragedy. The Spafford’s were grieving over the death of their first son to Scarlett Fever when the great Chicago fire decimated the city. Horacio, a successful lawyer and real estate investor, lost everything.
After the fire, Horacio and his wife, Anna, were attempting to pick up the pieces when a good friend, the great Evangelist preacher, D.L. Moody, encouraged him to take a much needed vacation. Moody was doing a preaching stint in England and invited the Spafford family to join him there.

Horacio had some business to attend to so he decided to send his wife and daughters ahead, planning to meet up with them shortly. In route, the Spafford’s ship collided with an iron sailing vessel, and all four daughters drowned. Anna was one of only a handful of survivors.

Horacio immediately departed for England to join his devastated wife. When the ship’s captain told him that they were passing over the scene of the accident, he retired to his cabin. Overcome with sorrow, he wrote, “When sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say ‘It is well with my soul’.”

These words were eventually set to music and became the great hymn of the same name – “It is Well with My Soul”.

However, the story did not stop there. A few years later, Horacio and Anna had two more children – a son and a daughter – but this son also contracted Scarlett Fever and died at just four years old.

Horacio’s life was marked by persistent tragedy and death. In the course of his life, he lost business and real estate and saw the death of six of his eight children. However, he did not surrender himself to anger, sorrow and despair. Though he wrestled with these things to be sure, instead he defiantly declared his hope and trust in his sovereign Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Echoing the words of Paul, he learned to be content in any situation, even death and loss. Ultimately, the Spafford’s turned their grief into mercy ministry, founding a small community of believers in Jerusalem working to aid the poor and needy in the early days of World War I.

Horacio’s great song challenges us to fight for joy in the midst of tragedy and death – to defiantly declare that in Jesus, whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, “It is well. It is well with my soul.”

Taste of Home Tuesday: Two-Potato Shepherd's Pie

I don't remember ever having Shepherd's Pie before so I thought we'd give it a try.  I wish I would have had some sweet potatoes on hand, I think they would have tasted good on the top.  The nutmeg and orange juice were a different flavor for me in a main dish, but they were good.  It's the perfect meal for a chilly fall evening.

Photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

5 large potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound bulk pork sausage

1/2 pound medium fresh mushrooms, quartered

2 large carrots, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Directions

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, sausage, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender; drain.

Stir in the orange juice, orange peel, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is evaporated. Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes.

Drain potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the mustard, brown sugar, vinegar and remaining salt and pepper; mash until smooth. Spread over meat mixture.

Bake one casserole, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. Cover and freeze the remaining casserole for up to 3 months.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-25 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 2 casseroles (4 servings each).

Kutless - "Even If"

I heard this song on the radio this morning. 
God is so good and blesses us in so many ways, even when its not something we would have chosen for ourselves.
Nothing changes who God is, the good things or the bad things that happen in our lives.
"You are God and You are Good"
What an awesome promise!!

Taste of Home Tuesday: Super-Quick Shrimp & Green Chili Quesadillas

Several weeks back Justin and I tried shrimp tacos.  We really enjoyed them so when saw this recipe for shrimp quesadillas we thought we would give them a try.  I bought uncooked shrimp instead of the cooked it calls for.  I just cooked them quick before I started.  I did add a little cumin to the shrimp as they were cooking.  We really enjoyed the flavor of these quesadillas and the time it took to make them was great as well.

Photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

1-3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup peeled and deveined cooked small shrimp

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained

2 green onions, thinly sliced

8 flour tortillas (8 inches)

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

2 tablespoons salsa

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

In a bowl, combine the cheese, shrimp, green chilies and green onions. Place half of the tortillas on a greased griddle; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Top with remaining tortillas. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash avocado with salsa and garlic salt. Serve with quesadillas. Yield: 4 servings (1/2 cup guacamole).

Tomorrow

We have had a crazy start to our week and Taste of Home Tuesday was pushed to the end of the list.  I will be posting the recipe tonight.