Chocolate Cream Pie

My family came down from Gainesville to spend Sunday with us a few weeks ago, and I really wanted to make dinner special. We made pulled pork in the crock pot and Bubba’s Beer Biscuits (a recipe from the great Paula Deen). But the the best part was supposed to be a chocolate cream pie. I followed the recipe word for word (I usually just focus on the bold words), and one hour before their arrival it was still a soupy mess, concealed beneath a perfect meringue topping. Oh well...it was a good try. If anyone can tell me what I did wrong, I would appreciate it.

 

 

 My chocolate cream pie.

I ran out to Publix and picked up this perfect chocolate cream pie from their bakery.

My daughter loved the chocolate crumb topping.

 

Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe:

 

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 C sugar
• 3 TB cocoa powder
• 1 TB all-purpose flour
• Pink of salt
• 3 eggs yolks, beaten
• 2 C milk
• 1 TB butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• one 9-inch backed pie crust

Filling Directions:

• In a sauce pan, stir together sugar, cocoa, flour and salt
• Slowly stir on beaten yolks and the milk
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens
• Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla
• Pour filling in to a bowl to cool
• Put waxed paper on the surface of the filling to prevent a crust from forming
• When cool, pour the filling into the pie crust

 

Meringue Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tarter
• 1 TB sugar

 

Meringue Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Beat the egg whites with the cream of tarter until soft peaks form
• A 1 TB of sugar at a time, beating constantly, until the whites form stiff peaks
• Spoon meringue over the pie filling
• Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown

Craving Chocolate?!?

Ok...so my hubby and I were just sitting here watching our Gators get their butts kicked by Alabama, and I suddenly got a major chocolate craving (must be depression...I've always been an emotional eater) so I pulled out my trusty Paula Deen cook book and whipped of some gooey chocolaty brownies called Lady Brownies. I cut the recipe in half because if I made a full-sized pan of brownies, guess how much would get eaten this weekend? Answer: the WHOLE pan. The other modification I made was to add chocolate chips because, as I mentioned before...everything is better with chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!

I took the brownies out of the oven early because we love it when they are super gooey.

I also topped it with whipped cream...cause that's just how I roll!!! Go Gators!

Lady Brownies Recipe:

What You Need:

• 13x9 pan
• 2 C sugar
• 4 eggs
• 6 TB cocoa powder (I used a combo of light and dark cocoa)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-1/2 C self-rising flour (if you only have all-purpose flour, add 1/2 tsp baking powder)
• 1 C chopped nuts (I left this out because hubby hates nuts)
• 1 C chocolate chips

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Grease and flour pan
• Blend sugar, oil, eggs, cocoa and vanilla
• Mix in flour
• Add nuts and/or chocolate chips
• Spread into pan
• Bake for 25-30 minutes

Pumpkin Bread

I can’t believe that it is already October and, as usual, I don’t feel in the “Fall spirit”. It still feels like Summer to me….although the days are getting shorter.  But down here in Florida, the leaves aren’t changing, we’re still going to the pool on the weekends and the temperature still creeps up to 90 degrees by mid-day. In order to get into the spirit of fall, this past weekend I decided to bake pumpkin bread.  I got the recipe from my favorite celebrity cook, Paula Deen. The only thing that could have made it better was if I had added chocolate chips…of course everything is better with chocolate.

This recipe makes two full-sized loaves of pumpkin bread. I made one regular-sized loaf and three mini loaves so I could give some away to family.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe:

What You Need:

• 2 loaf pans
• 3 C sugar
• 1 C vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 C canned pumpkin
• 2/3 C water
• 3-1/3C all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease and lfour two loaf pans
• Mix sugar and oil.  Add eggs and blend
• Combine remaining ingrediants and add slowly
• Fill pans equally and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown

Healthy Variation:

• For the oil, substitute 1/2 cup oil and add 1/2 cup apple sauce

Savannah - Day 4

     We decided that we couldn't leave Savannah without visiting "Aunt" Paula Deen, so on the last evening in town, we had dinner at The Lady and Sons, famous for its low country southern cuisine. Mike, my husband, started the morning by walking to the restaurant. In order to get a table, you have to be in line at the hostess podium when they start taking names at 9am. The wait can be anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour, just to get a reservation to come back and eat...but I think it's worth it. The hoe cakes and cheese biscuits alone are worth it.

Our reservation was for 5pm, so we arrived at 4:45 to find the sidewalks that line Congress Street overflowing with people, all waiting to get into Paula Deen's restaurant. It was so busy, you would think there was a famine and The Lady and Sons was the last restaurant in Savannah serving food. We didn't have to wait long before we were called..."Mike, party of three and a highchair."

When we entered the restaurant, it was already bustling with people. It is a three-level restaurant and we were told to take the elevator to the third floor. Keep in mind that the dinner service started at 5pm, and it was only 5:15. It's VERY popular to eat at The Lady and Sons.

When we got seated, I ordered sweet tea, and it was some of the best sweet tea I've ever tasted. It comes in a big glass with a sprig of real mint, so with every sip you get the cool, sweetness of the tea mingling with the fresh scent of mint.  We all got the buffet so we could sample as much southern greasy goodness as possible. There was fried chicken, collard greens, fried okra, baked mac-n-cheese, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, BBQ ribs...so much to choose from.

With the buffet, you get to choose one dessert from the menu, so we each got something different so we could try them all. There was ooey-gooey buttercake, chocolate gooey buttercake and banana pudding. We were so full when we left there that I vowed never to eat again! I only made it a few hours. :)

Me with my husband, mom and daughter

at The Lady and Sons

Our desserts