White Coats and Pumpkin Pie

Well it’s finally here, my favorite month of the year! Alabama doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo, as our high this weekend was 90 degrees, but that doesn’t mean I can’t drink my hot cup of coffee and snuggle up with my dog like it’s 50 outside.

We had a fun and busy weekend as Eric’s parents came to town to celebrate his White Coat Ceremony on Friday. I was one proud wife when they put his fancy white PA coat on him (which made him even more handsome than he already is…) and had him recite his pledge of professionalism in medicine. One part of the oath reads, “I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.” I don’t know if there is any clearer sign that Eric was made for this profession than this statement. His compassion for people is the sole reason he chose a career in medicine, and I am confident that he will be among one of the most sought out PA’s due to his kind, sympathetic heart.

In order to properly celebrate both Eric’s white coat and the first weekend of October, my mother-in-law and I decided to bake a pumpkin pie! What better way to welcome October than a pumpkin pie?!

Well I have a confession to make: I’ve never made a pie crust. I normally just take the easy way out and buy a prepared crust. Well my mother-in-law set out to change that this weekend by teaching me how to make a homemade pie crust for our pumpkin pie. It was actually very quick and easy to do! The recipe for the pie also came from one of my absolute favorite Southern Living cookbooks, The Southern Pie Book. While I was learning to make a pie crust, my husband also got to learn how to use the camera a little and took several of the following pie-making pictures. 

Part one: The "crust" of the matter...

Ingredients (for a single crust):

-       1 ¼ cup flour

-       1/3 cup Crisco

-       4-5 tablespoons of cold water

-       1 tablespoon sugar

-       ¼ teaspoon salt

How to make a simple pie crust:

First, pour your flour into a mixing bowl. See, isn't this easy?

Then, using a pastry blender, combine the crisco and flour until the mixture is nice and crumbly (be sure not to OVER mix it, no matter how fun those pastry blenders are!).

I've been hand-modeling at work for the past two weeks.. does it show? ;)

Now comes the cold water. My mother-in-law simply put some ice cubes in a mug of water and spooned the cold liquid into the flour/crisco mixture.

Then you get to take yourself back to the play-dough days and get your hands dirty. Mix up the ingredients until they form a nice dough ball, then plop it on your nicely floured surface. My mother-in-law uses a pastry cloth, which makes cleaning up a breeze as opposed to getting all that flour off your counter.

Roll the dough ball out into a nice, even circle that is large enough to fit your pie dish. You also want to be sure your crust will make it up the sides of your dish. 

Place your crust into the dish carefully. With the extra edges, tuck the excess under and pinch any pattern your heart desires! And voila! You made a pie crust! 

Now onto Part 2: The pumpkin filling

Ingredients:

-       1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

-       2 large eggs

-       1 can pumpkin (15 oz)

-       1 cup brown sugar

-   1 tsp. ground cinnamon

-   1/2 tsp. salt

-   1/2 tsp. ground ginger

-   1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

-    dash of ground cloves (optional)

-   Whipped cream for topping

How to:

Preheat your oven to 425, then whisk together milk and eggs. After this, add pumpkin and the following 6 ingredients and whisk. 

Once smooth, pour into the pie crust.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for 50 minutes longer or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Now you have a beautiful and tasty pumpkin pie for your perfect (or not-so-perfect) October day!

Apple Hand Pies

In my mind, the month of September is a lot like Christmas Eve. From the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks to the first day of boot season (basically when the temperature hits 70 for me), the anticipation seems to build towards my favorite month of the year, October. While I’m an October girl at heart, September cannot be overlooked. It brings with it some great novelties too, such as the start of college football and the perfect fall treat that is apple pie.

While pumpkin pie is truly my favorite (did I mention I’m in love with October?), a good apple pie can turn a cloudy gray day into a cozy Fall haven. For that reason, I had to try this recipe for Apple Hand Pies that I found in a Betty Crocker recipe book. I also have a goal to make my husband like apple pie, and since this recipe included toffee bits I had a feeling it might just do the trick.

So here's what you'll need:

• 2 Gala apples, finely chopped (Rome apples also work)
• 2 tablespoons toffee bits (I use Heath bits of brickle)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened (I used Pillsbury pie crusts)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 12 cubes

Here's how it's done:

Preheat your oven to 375 and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray (liberally, these babies stick).

Stir apples, toffee bits, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice together in a medium bowl.

Now unroll your pie crusts onto a lightly floured surface, and using a 3" cookie cutter, cut 8 circles from each of your crusts. 

Place 8 of your 16 circles onto your cookie sheet and brush both sides with the beaten egg. Then place a tablespoon of the apple mixture into the center of each round and top with a cube of butter. 

Place the remaining 8 rounds on top of the apple mixture and press down the edges with a fork to seal. Brush with the remaining egg and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Be sure to eat them while they're warm for the best taste!

This was a great rainy day baking adventure, plus I finally accomplished my goal and made Eric like apple pie :)