I'm working on it...

To the many bloggers who post every day - CHEERS!

Me?  I'm in the middle of a cleaning marathon that ends with Christmas all over the house and cookies in the oven.  Also, I did get an iPhone so I'm somewhere in the learning curve trying to figure out how and when I turned the volume off - sorry about all those missed calls...

Today I am celebrating something big in my life.  It has been one year, one week, and a day since I colored my hair. 

Some day soon I will update my profile picture.

Life is good.  Really and truly one of the best things I've done for myself this past year is not put color on my hair.  It was almost a two year process.  The first year I changed over to temporary (28 day) color and every few months I bought a lighter shade.

Then I just quit coloring my hair and - although I can't figure out what I've done with the extra time and money - I can tell you I feel better.  I know, I know, the commercials will tell you that my life is flat and boring and my hair is wimpy.  But I will tell you I'm smart enough to not be bored and a good hair cut (thank you, Jessica!) can keep just about any body's hair from being wimpy.

Unfortunately, this change has not made me smarter - I had to take several pictures before I figured out I needed to "look up" when I pushed the little button.

Next week I'll work on taking better pictures.

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Waiting for My Crown...

You know that gas the dentist gives you, before he gives you a shot so you won't feel the really big shot he's going to give you, so he can work on your tooth, so that next week he can yank off the temporary crown he's putting on today, and permanently attached your "crown?"  Well, let me tell you, it has worn off...  the gas is gone.  At this moment I do not feel like laughing.  I think the feeling is coming back to my right ear now...  While I wait for my body to come back online, I can't help but feel out of sorts. 

So I'm just moping this evening.

Of course, when you're not up to working you can not help but notice everything that needs doing. 

Bless my cozy, cluttered kitchen - 

The hutch in the breakfast room has caught as much junk as I can stand.  So when I finish typing I plan to start thinking about dusting and then I'll put on her winter look. 

Sigh.

But not tonight, I've been to the dentist, and tonight, I'm moping.

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Sweet Potatoes

I know sweet potatoes.  Or maybe they are yams... 

Sweet potatoes (is that darker one a yam?), our half eaten pie,
and small 'crustless' pie.
Just playing with my food.

Whatever this vegetable is, I do know how to make pies with it and this is my favorite recipe.  The recipe makes two 9 inch pies.  I experimented with this batch and I made one of my pies without the crust - would that make it pudding?  or a casserole? 

I could have added to my crustless pie a half cup of Bourbon, 3 more tablespoons of melted butter, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, and thrown miniature marshmallows on top and it would have been my Aunt Jo's Sweet Potato Casserole (I remember it was a great side dish/dessert at family gatherings - as long as we didn't let it get too close to candles).

I got this recipe from my friend, Freddie.  Sadly, she died just over a year ago.  She had lived a long, full life and was well respected by everyone who knew her.  For me, she lives on in my memories  - her sweet smile, soft southern voice, gentle ways, and even in her pie.

Recipe -  Freddie B's Sweet Potato Pie

Before you can make this pie you'll need to wash, peel, cut up, and boil your sweet potatoes.  I used  three large sweet potatoes in this recipe (and had some left over).  I cut them in to small pieces and put them in a pot, added just enough water to cover them, a dash of salt, and put the lid on.  Put the pot on the stove top with medium heat.  I set my timer for 22 minutes and just let them cook.  I stirred the pot 3 or 4 times.  When the timer went off, I turned off the heat and just left the pot there while I made the pie crust.  Here's a link to my pie crust recipe.  After I made the crust, I drained the sweet potatoes and mashed them.  The recipe mixes up best if the potatoes are almost room temperature.


1 3/4 to 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (really, this is a very flexible recipe)
1 teaspoon salt
1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring (that was my idea - Freddie's recipe only calls for a teaspoon)

Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl, keep the mixer on low, mixing until everything is well blended.

Pour 2 2/3 cups of the mixture into each pie shell (I've added a little more and nothing terrible happens - you just have to cook a bit longer).

Place into oven and then turn it on to 425F / 425 degrees.

Bake 20 minutes, maybe a little longer, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool 20 minutes (minimum) I think an hour or two is best.  Tastes good hot, warm, or cold.

Vanilla ice cream is a nice garnish or a little whipped cream.

This is what Autumn tastes like. 

Enjoy.

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