by Liz | The Backyard
My husband LOVES pumpkin pie. I’m not a huge fan, there’s just something about the texture. However, when our neighbor kindly gave us a Boston Marrow Squash and we realized it’s famous for use in Pumpkin Pie, I just had to take a stab at it (literally) and find a great pumpkin pie recipe.
The first challenge was actually splitting the darn thing so I could roast it. I broke a knife point clean off. Next time, I’m getting a wedge and a mallet…no joke. Another method is to roast the squash before trying to cut it open. This would probably be a bit easier, but way less adventurous.
I placed the halves face down on a large cookie sheet lined with foil. Then I baked at 400 degrees for 60-90 minutes. Mine actually took about 55 minutes before the juices were gushing and bubbling in the pan. You can also try to cut the halves into smaller pieces but that just seems like you’re asking for trouble (see above). The good news is once you’ve got it open…you get millions of seeds!
Once the squash was roasted to the point where a knife (not the broken one!) slid right through the flesh, you’re all set. I let it cool for a while as I wrangled kids into chairs for lunch, naps etc.
Removing the flesh of the squash from the skin was pretty easy, most of it came away with a spoon and could easily be mashed into a puree. I ran a few bits through a food processor but really, they could probably have used a bit longer in the oven. Note for next time. The good news is you’re going to have way more puree than you could possibly need for one pie. You can easily freeze some for the next time around!
Next up was the filling! I used three eggs (straight from our hens) and hand whisk them until yolks and whites were combined. Then I slowly added 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of allspice and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (I like my spices!). Add in 2 cups of Boston Marrow puree and combine. Finally, add 1/2 cup evaporated milk (If you don’t have any hand, which I never do, you can simmer a little over twice the volume you want to end up with until it reduces. In this case, I used a little over 1 cup of whole milk.)
Slowly add the warm milk to the filling mixture. Finally, pour the whole lot into a pie dish prepared with a pie crust. I used a fairly vertically sided pie dish so the filling would be uniform across the entire pie.
Pop this into the oven at 450 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. When an implement of your choice can be inserted at the center of the pie and come out clean, it’s ready! There should be little to no jiggle if you move the pie dish (similar to a quiche).
I have to say, for a person who doesn’t really enjoy pumpkin pie…this is pretty darn good! Official taste test by the hubbie to follow…
Recipe card below!
by Liz | Chaos Hacks, Health & Home
Morning, noon and night, I think about food. Preparing food, buying food, packing food for lunches, toting food along for errands or road trips in case someone gets hungry, choosing healthy food, wondering whether or not to buy organic (at twice the price) food…it never ends.
I think of myself as a decent enough cook and my family doesn’t seem to disagree. We strive to eat healthy and keep a decent mix of fruit and vegetables in our diet. Sugar is under constant surveillance to keep it at a minimum or at the very least, opt for natural rather than processed sugars. No one in our household is on any sort of diet, we strive for healthy every day and keep a decent amount of exercise in our daily lives. Yet, all I think about is food. It’s exhausting!
So we’re embarking on a new strategy. I feel that we’ve learned a lot in the past year or so about portions, balancing our nutrition and cooking in general. I’ve enjoyed cooking so much more, especially when I have a plan of attack when it comes to meal-planning. One of the things we loved about Blue Apron was the convenience of having some order within our chaotic schedules. Not to mention recipes we’d never have tried on our own. My one main challenge is the planning, left to my own devices I end up rotating the same meals over and over. That’s no fun for anyone.
In an effort to cut back on spending (especially with the Holidays coming up, eek!) we’re trying something new. Essentially, it’s simply a meal-planning service that gives you recipes for every meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) and a shopping list for each. You can choose to follow it or not, whatever your preference but it at least gives you a framework to work within. My one main gripe is that the shopping lists are not consolidated. If I want to shop for the week, I have to combine quantities on my own. This is no big deal for pantry staples, but for fresh ingredients it’s a bit of pain. One main plus, is if you aren’t particularly thrilled about a menu choice you can swap it for 3-4 alternatives or just choose to eat leftovers. I typically pack my own lunch for work so that’s a big bonus for me. Leftovers are also a huge bonus over Blue Apron, hopefully they will help reduce the morning chaos that usually ensues as I try to get everyone out the door.
This is week one, so I’ll be sure to report back!
by Liz | All Things Kids
When am I not? I was trying to get organized this morning, thinking about the million things I have to do or work on…and then I looked up. For whatever reason, this view made me stop and reflect for a second. A year ago, this would have been a giant wall of bamboo, our house was in chaos with the move, our daughter was about to be born and a bucketload of other things weren’t accomplished yet. Everything seems a bit more attainable now when you realize how far you’ve come.
by Liz | Health & Home
My husband had a tiny cottage before we got married. We actually lived there for about a year after we got married until shortly after our daughter was born. A variety of factors led us to move when she was three months old and we’ve rented it out ever since. We have been trying to sell it for quite some time and finally, it’s time to say goodbye.
We spent a few hours there recently with both our girls, taking down the last remnants of our life there. They had a great time…
For us, it was a bit harried as we tried to coral our youngest, who is intent on getting into everything she shouldn’t.
As we drove toward home, we had no regrets. But there is definitely a feeling of bitter sweet reminiscing. This was our real first home together and we worked hard to make it our own. We are lucky in that we can take pieces of it with us and always hold on to those memories.
by Liz | All Things Kids
After a crazy busy week the house is a wreck, the kitchen is worse and the laundry is a mile high.
This is halfway finished…with the washing, you don’t want to see the folding pile.
I actually managed to cook for a change and even made a loaf of bread.
Then this happened…
Needless to say the rest of the day was a bit discombobulated. The list of ‘To Dos’ is still a mile long….how does that happen?
I guess that’s a lesson in just letting the day take you where it will. It’s impossible to stay in control so don’t let the chaos stress you out!
