I have a relationship with this pie.  That’s normal, right?  

The smell of this pie takes me back to the days six year old me would run screaming through our lime green, hallway shaped kitchen in anticipation of pie and ice cream and the imminent holiday festivities such a dessert suggested.   

My Dad has been making this pie, with more cinnamon, with less coriander, with two eggs, with four eggs, with all sorts of variations, for… oh, just my entire life.  

Believe it or not, it’s hard to write about something you’re so close to.  Two things here are strange.  One… I’m so close to a pie.  Two… I’m having trouble writing about dessert! Oooh Lordy. 

Here’s what I want you to know about this Sweet Potato Pie.  Excuse me while I stumble through this.  

     This pie is made with orange fleshed sweet potatoes.  Maybe you call them yams.  Maybe you call them sweet potatoes.  The difference continues to perplex and bore me.  

     If you’re wondering what heaven might smell like, whip this pie up, throw it in the oven, wait 20 minutes then take a deep breath somewhere near the oven.  There.  Heaven.  Coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar heaven.  

     This pie can be made with my Easy No-Roll Pie Crust.  You win.  I win.  Pillsbury pre-made pie crust loses.  It’s better this way.  Trust me. 

Sweet Potato Pie.  It’s beauty.  It’s love.  If you think I’m exaggerating… then we’re obviously not friends. 

This is a gorgeous holiday pie.  Sweet Potato Pie is a really lovely alternative to Pumpkin Pie.  The flavors are full and warm and inviting, everything you would want from a Autumn pie.  

Can I say enough good things about this pie?  No.  

Maybe you’re not a pie baker.  That’s ok.  Become one now.  If you take the time to make this pie, it won’t let you down.  The love shines through, promise.  

Dad’s Perfect Sweet Potato Pie

     makes one 9-inch (you’ll have extra filling) or 10-inch pie 

     Note-  the No Roll Pie Crust is only made for a 9-inch pie pan

     Print this Recipe!

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2- 5oz cans evaporated milk (1 1/4 cups evaporated milk)
3 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Boil two medium sweet potatoes in their jackets in a covered pot over moderate flame, until sweet potatoes are very soft and tender.

Test with a thin sharp knife. If there is any resistence, boil longer. Knife should penetrate the sweet potatoes fast and smoothly. Remove potatoes from the water and allow to cool on a plate or wire rack.

When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes, cut into chunks and place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes thoroughly with a potato masher. There should be NO lumps.

Measure 2 cups and put in a medium sized pot with the packed brown sugar, all of the spices, salt,  the 1/2 stick butter, and one 5 oz can of evaporated milk. Cook on low flame for about 5 minutes, whipping with a wire whisk until butter and brown sugar are melted down and mixture is well blended, smooth and starts to bubble. Remove from fire and let cool in pot. 

In a medium sized bowl, beat the three eggs with a fork. Add the second 5oz can of evaporated milk, granulated sugar and vanilla to the eggs and continue beating until creamy. Pour the cooled sweet potato mixture from pot into a large bowl. Stir  in the egg mixture. Blend thoroughly with a whisk and refrigerate mixture overnight or use immediately.  

Easy No-Roll Pie Crust

     makes one 9-inch pie shell

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup (4 Tablespoon) frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used almond oil)

1 Tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons cold milk

In a medium sized bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.  Whisk together.  

Add frozen butter that has been grated on a cheese grater and tablespoon of cream cheese.  With your fingers, work the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture, breaking the butter and cream cheese up until they’

re in well incorporated into the flour.  Some butter bits will be tiny, other the size of small peddles.  The dough may even begin to some together in a rough, sandy kind of way.  

Combine the milk and oil.  Whisk together.  Add all at once to the flour and butter mixture.  With a fork, begin to combine the ingredients, making sure that all of the flour mixture is introduced to the liquid.  The mixture does not need to come together into a ball.  Leave it a bit shaggy and dump the dough into a clean 9-inch pie plate.  With your fingers,  press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides.  Try to get the dough as even as possible, but don’t worry too much about finger indentations.  You can’

t fight that.  

Place the prepared crust in the freezer while you preheat the oven.

When the oven is preheated, remove the crust from the freezer and add the sweet potato filling until almost full.  I used a 9-inch pie shell and had a bit of extra filling.  

Heat oven 450 degrees with a cookie sheet inside. After heated. pour filling into the pie shell and put on the HOT cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for ten minutes then turn oven to 325 (300 with the convection fan turned on) and bake for 1 hour more, or until edges and center are raised and puffed and the center only shakes slightly.  

Remove from oven.  Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving.  

I’ve got a case of the lazy bones.  Serious and impervious to negotiation, lazy bones.

These lazy bones have coerced me into watching a solid five hour block of television last Friday night.  These lazy bones strong armed me into excessive Saturday and Sunday napping.  I also did that thing where you get up and make breakfast, eat it, hold you belly with the sheer joy of your accomplishment… then get back in bed… back in bed (!) for a nap.

I’ve had the best of intentions, but I learned early on this weekend (about halfway through watching my third bridal show on Friday night) that my to-do list was just going to have to sit tight and have some patience.  That’s how it goes some weekends.  Who am I to disrupt the flow?

Nuts.  I somehow roasted and fancied up hazelnuts.  This must have been done in one of the hazes between naps.  I have no real recollection, but I do have photographic evidence.  Thank heavens.  I may not fully remember making them, but I sure do remember the dream where I was shoving them into my face by the fistful.  True.

Ok…. maybe they’re not the prettiest nuts you’ve ever seen.  Delicious?  Oh.  So.  Yes.

These fancy roasted hazelnuts are part of a larger idea.  I’m thinking that these nuts are going to be a part of my holiday survival plan.  They’re great to give as hostess gifts, or to have on hand when guests arrive, or when you have a last minute invitation to a friend’s holiday sing along.  Always be prepared for the sing along… always.

I made this recipe with all hazelnuts.  Next time, I’ll use a mixture of hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts.  I think a mixture is best.  They’re sweet, somehow fluffy and lightly crisp with a touch of salt.  Now you know.

Salted Cocoa Roasted Hazelnuts

adapted from Essence of Chocolate

Print this Recipe!

3 cups nuts ( a mixture of hazelnuts, pecan halves and walnut halves would be best)

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks

2 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon cocoa

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center.   Spread nuts out on a half sheet pan (17×12x1-inch) or a 9×13-inch baking pan works in a pinch.  Toast nuts for 10 minutes.  Remove from the sheet pan and set aside. Note:  If your hazelnuts still have skins like mine, the may loosen and begin to peel.  Just go through the nuts with your hands and loosen and remove any peels that might be ready to come off.  I left a lot of mine with skins on.. no biggie!

Scatter the butter pieces over sheet pan and place in the oven to melt.  This should only take a few minutes.  Remove the pan as soon as the butter is melted.

Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites.  When the whites just start to hold their shape, gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk on medium-high for two minutes.  The mixture will be sticky and shiny, but may be a bit thinner than meringue.

Sift the cocoa over the top of the beaten eggs and fold in.  Pour the chocolate mixture over the toasted nuts and fold in.

Spoon the coated nuts on top of the butter on the baking sheet.  Spread out into an even layer.  Not all of the butter may be covered by nuts, that’s ok!

Bake nuts for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and quickly stir a bit.  Return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and stir once again.  The meringue will look like it’s drying out a bit.  This is when you add the salt.  Sprinkle it on top of the meringue and nuts.  Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, remove and give it one final stir, breaking the nuts up a bit as you stir them.

When done, the butter should be absorbed and the nuts and coating crisp.  Let cool completely before handling.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

I’ve got a guilty conscience.  Here’s a little peek inside:

Dear Coworker David,  

Tonight when you were detailing the twenty one shots you had for your twenty first birthday, I stopped listening at about shot number four… the Raging Bull I think you said.  How do you remember all twenty one shots after twenty one shots anyway!?   Sheeesh!  Though I was smiling and nodding tonight, I heard not a word you said.  True. 

Dear Downstairs Neighbor,

Is it noisy down there?  Does it seems sometimes like I’m stomping around on my second floor apartment floors?  Probably.  I am.  I can have some heavy feet from time to time.  Do I do it on purpose?  Sometimes.  Yes.  To be fair, I do this because, as you know, I left cupcakes on your doorstep for you one afternoon and I watched you discover them and take them to the dumpster to throw away.  I saw you do that.  Not cool.  Not cool at all.  

Dearest Friend (pssst!… that’s you),

Sometimes I make recipes vegan simply because I’m out of eggs and/or butter.  It’s true.  A severe and persisting egg shortage in my house was the inspiration for the Vegan Pumpkin Bread.  If you’re vegan, you’re probably annoyed.  That’s ok.  I can be annoying.  If you’re not vegan, you’re probably happy to know that you can still bake up some wonders without eggs and butter.  Your call.  

Love,

Joy the Baker

Pumpkin Bread.  Ooooh, you’re a tough one to futz up.  Pumpkin adds moisture and flavor that just won’t quit.  When combined with plenty of spices, pumpkin bread becomes a treat that will stay fresh and moist for days and days.  This version is sweetened with both brown sugar and maple syrup.  I. Love. It.  

Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread

     makes 2 loaves

     Print this Recipe!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour ( or whole wheat flour… or just use only all-purpose flour)

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, or just under two cups

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup water

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Grease and flour two loaf pans (mine are 8×4x2) and set aside.  

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.  

In a medium bowl, carefully whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, maple syrup and water.  

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients together.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well, finding any stray flour bits to mix in.  Fold in most of the chopped walnuts, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the batter once in the pan. 

Divide the dough between the two greased pans and sprinkle with a few walnut pieces.  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Let rest in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.  

Serve warm.  Maybe even wrap one loaf up in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for future munching.

 

I’m putting on an orange leotard tomorrow.  An orange leotard. 

I’m also putting on bright blue leggings tomorrow.. and white leg warmers… and sweat bands.  

I’m going to encourage the big, puffy, curly hair that I spend most days trying to tame.  Yes, there will be blue eye shadow.

I’m going to step out in the world tomorrow as an 80’s aerobics instructor.  The only little hitch?  That I actually have to step out of the house in a skin tight orange leotard and skin tight blue leggings.  Oooh lordy.  Whose idea was it to take the Halloween celebration beyond my solo living room dance parties?  Yeeps!  

Ironically, the only thing making me feel better about my very bright and very tight 80’s debut are these S’mores Icebox Candy Bars.  There are fifteen in a batch and I’ve worked through four just writing this post.  Send help.  Orange leotard, people…. send help. 

I love a good, down-and-dirty dessert.  This is that treat.  All the goodness of s’mores, crumbled up then pressed together and refrigerated.  I sliced these little darlings into small bars, wrapped them in wax paper… and now I’m eating them like a mad woman.  No baking.  No fuss and sure to be gone in a flash.

S’mores Icebox Candy Bars

     adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

     makes 15 bars

     Print this Recipe!

3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup light corn syrup

pinch of salt

1 14-ounce box graham crackers, lightly crumbled

2 big handfuls of mini marshmallows, plus a handful more for sprinkling on top

Line a 9×13-inch baking sheep with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl, crumble the graham crackers into large chunks.  Add two handfuls of mini marshmallows and set aside. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter together butter, cocoa, corn syrup and a pinch of salt.  Stir and heat until smooth.  Once melted, let chocolate mixture cool for 5 minutes.  

Pour chocolate mixture over graham crackers and marshmallows.  Stir so that all of the graham crackers are moistened by the chocolate mixture.  Dump into lined baking pan, and a few more marshmallows on top and press down with the back of a spoon.  Cover the top with another sheet of parchment and press with your fingers.  Let cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then place in the fridge to solidify for a few hours or overnight.  Cut into bars.  Wrap individually and store in the fridge.

Today’s Maple Pecan Muffins are dedicated to Tracey.  

Tracey, you are dear and darling… and 15, which is equal parts hard and rad, I know.  

Let me tell you a little about Tracey.  Tracey had her 15th birthday last week.  Tracey’s best friend Maggie sent me a pretty precious email asking me if I would send Tracey an autographed picture of myself for her birthday.  See,  Tracey is a great baker and a huuuuge fan of my site.  

I’m not the sort to have pictures of myself to autograph on hand… that would be totally weird,  so I sent Tracey a little birthday gift and handwritten note.  Easy enough, right?   In return Tracey sent me a very long, very excited, exceedingly adorable email to thank me for her birthday present.  Seriously friends… this girl is priceless.  

After reading Tracey’s email a handful of times (it was packed to the gills with information), here are a few things I want you to know about my new friend:

Tracey makes a mean lemon pound cake with blueberry sauce.  

Tracey almost set her house ablaze trying to make these doughnuts.  

Tracey is obsessed with muffins… and feeds them to her dog.  Let’s all just pretend like that’s normal.  

Tracey got a “Tracey the Baker” apron for her birthday.  Clearly I have competition. 

By sharing loads homemade cookies, Tracey is well on her way to becoming the most popular girl in school.  Don’t get too popular Tracey… it might be overrated.    

Tracey giggles a lot… not in emails, but this is just something I’ve surmised from being 15 and eating a lot of sugar once upon a time.

Tracey?  Is that Jesus peeking over your shoulder on your fridge there?  If so… awesome.  If not… awkward. 

Tracey these muffins are my little shout out to you because it seems like you get as excited about eggs and butter and sugar and flour as I do.  That makes me happy. Thank you. 

Oooh Maple Pecan Muffins.  Holy smokes these muffins are good. 

Here’s the trick with these muffins:  use real maple syrup.  Don’t even think about using the pancake syrup you might have hiding in your fridge.  No way friend-o!

These muffins are moist, sweet, drenched in maple flavor and just lovely for Autumn.  The pecans round out the sweetness and add just the right crunch.  Weekend breakfast?  Heck yes!  You win!

Maple Pecan Muffins

     adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

     makes 12-16 cupcakes

     Print this Recipe!

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/2 vanilla bean scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 Tablespoons browned butter (start with 6 tablespoons and melt it down just over 5 Tablespoons)

3/4 cup maple syrup, divided

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, plus 12 pecan haves (or the largest pecan pieces of the bunch for topping the muffins)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.  

In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter over medium flame.  Butter should crackle and foam and then produce little brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Turn flame to low, scrape brown bits from the bottom of the pan (that’s where all the flavor is hiding) and remove from heat to cook a bit before using.  

In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a small bowl whisk together buttermilk, egg and vanilla bean or extract.  

Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and stir with a large spoon until just incorporated.  Add melted butter and carefully mix until incorporated.  Add the chopped nuts and half of the maple syrup (you can eyeball half of 3/4 cup) and fold until evenly dispersed throughout the batter.  

Fill the muffin cups until about two thirds full (I was able to make 16 cupcakes).  Place a large pecan piece on top of each unbaked muffin and drizzle all of the muffins with the remaining maple syrup.  

Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  

Allow to cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes before removing to serve.

Persimmon Pudding, from tree to table.  

Step One:  Find a neighbor with a gorgeous, almost cartoon like persimmon tree.  Ask your Mom to help you pick persimmons… Mom always likes to help.

Step Two:  Entice neighbor and Mamabear with the promise of fresh baked persimmon pudding if you’re granted access to their persimmon tree.  

Step Three:  Try this phrase, “Hey Neighbor!  I think you’re just swell.  Can I borrow a ladder?  That’s one tall tree.  Sweet… thanks.”

Step Four:  If you decide to sneak a peek into the other neighbor’s yard while you’re up on that ladder picking persimmons… maybe you’ll want to be more subtle than my mother.  I’m just sayin…

Step Five:  Pick the ripest, softest persimmons.  Way to be, Mom!

Step Six:  Carefully place super ripe persimmons in bag to cart off home, thanking your neighbors Dan and Libby for their ladder and their abundant tree. 

Step Seven:  If you don’t happen to have a neighbor with a persimmon tree, I’m betting that the local farmer’s market will have some gorgeous Hachiya persimmons for you this time of year…. and you won’t need a ladder. 

Step Eight:  Call your favorite Aunt from Indiana and ask her to promptly send you all of the persimmon recipes she owns… that will be a lot.  Seriously.  Thanks Judy!

Let’s very quickly clear up any confusion you might have about persimmons.  There are probably two types of persimmons that you might run in your search for the fruit this autumn.  Fuyu persimmons are the squat little darlings that you can eat when they are hard.  Hachiya persimmons are the more bulbous fruit that are best enjoyed super right and super soft.  Hachiya persimmons are lovely for baking as they are super sweet… like eating nectar… dreamy.

Now… let’s talk about ‘Simmon Puddin’.  When you think of Persimmon Pudding think of sweet and super moist bread pudding meets spice cake.  If you can… close your eyes and think about a dessert that you grandmother might make in October 1976 if you lived in Indiana… now, you might not like this dessert as much as you like your grandmother’s chocolate cake, but you liked that she served her Persimmon Pudding with super melty vanilla ice cream… which made everything ok.   There you go…. that’s Persimmon Pudding.

Persimmon Pudding

     some old school Indiana newspaper 1976

     makes 6 to 8 servings

     Print this Recipe!

2 cups fresh Hachiya persimmon pulp, removed from the skin

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon melted butter, plus more for buttering dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9×9 baking dish and set aside

Stir the baking soda and sugar into the persimmon pulp and set aside.  This mixture may thicken as it sits… that’s ok!

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.  Add to the persimmon mixture all at once and stir until flour is almost completely incorporated.  

Whisk together milk, egg and butter and add to the persimmon and flour mixture.  Batter will be very loose.  Pour into the baking dish.  

Bake for 1 hour covered with foil, or uncovered.  If you make the pudding covered, you’ll have a very wet and moist pudding.  If you bake the pudding uncovered, you’ll have a drier pudding topped with a bread like crust.  I baked my pudding uncovered.  Bake the pudding until it is firm but still very moist.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.  Best served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Autumn To-Do List

Buy boots.  Wear new boots at every waking moment.  

Bust out the scarves and go for it.  Two at a time?  Fine by me! 

Make Dad’s Sweet Potato Pie.  I know… I’ve been talking about this for ages.  I need to shut my trap and get bakin’ already.

Don’t get Swine Flu, that would be seriously lame. 

Is it time for flannel sheets?  Well.. is the Pope Catholic?  Heck yes!

Eat Roasted Pumpkin Soup by the truckload.  Do it.  Done.  

I make a lot of soup.  I don’t tell you about half of the soup I make because if you knew, you might make me change the name of this blog to Joy the Soup Maker.  

That being said… when I make soups, I usually don’t follow a recipe.  Here’s a secret:  you can throw just about anything into soup and it’ll be delicious.  

Here’s my recipe for pumpkin soup.  It’s easy, creamy, and super healthy.  Store it in jars in the freezer and put a frozen jar in the fridge in the morning for the evening’s dinner.  This recipe is divine with or without the heavy cream.  You could also use water instead of vegetable stock, but I love the flavor that a good vegetable stock adds to vegetable soups.  

Roasted Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup

     serves 6 to 8

     Print this Recipe!

1 medium pumpkin (perhaps a sugar pumpkin) and 1 medium butternut squash

1 cup leeks

2 small cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper 

5-6 cups vegetable broth

1/4-1/2 cup cream

2 teaspoons brown sugar

a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut pumpkin and butternut squash into 2-inch chunks, removing the inner seeds and fibrous bits.  I roasted my pumpkin and squash with the peel on and removed the cooked flesh from the peel once baked.  If you think it’s easier to peel the pumpkin and squash before baking, then go right ahead.  

Slice the white flesh up until the green stalks of several leeks.  Toss the pumpkin, squash, whole garlic cloves and leeks on a baking tray with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a fork inserted in the flesh of the pumpkin and squash meets no resistance.  

Remove from the oven and allow them to rest until cool enough to handle.  

When cooled, use a spoon to scoop the cooked flesh away from the squash peel and place in a large saucepan.  Add the roasted garlic and leeks to the pan too.  Add 3 cups of warm vegetable broth and using a hand blender, blend and breakdown the squash flesh with the broth.  If you don’t have a hand blender, blending the chunky soup in a regular blender in batches should work too.  Add 2 to 3 more cups of broth and blend until you’ve reached the desired consistency.  Add sugar and nutmeg.

Cook soup over medium heat for 30 minutes.  Add cream and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir.  Serve warm.

I love pancakes.

Maybe you don’t believe me.  Maybe you need proof.  

How about a list of the ways in which I totally love love love pancakes?

Perhaps you can find your deep rooted love for pancakes this weekend with one of these fine recipes.  

Milk Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes

Dad’s Buttermilk Pancakes

Vegan Jam Swirl Pancakes

Everything But the Blueberry Pancakes

Gingerbread Pancakes…

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes, one of my all time favorites. 

Need more proof of my pancake love?  Ok!

Chai Spiced Pancakes?  Yum!

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes…

Sourdough Pancakes 

aaaaaand Carrot Cake Pancakes.

See?!  I love pancakes… something about those warm little clouds of flour and milk just get me goin’ in the morning.

Honey Roasted Plums with Fresh Thyme and Greek Yogurt

This weekend I want out!  Out of the kitchen and into a pool.  Out of these clothes and into a bathing suit.  Out of this computer and into a poolside book and cocktail situation.

I want you out too.  I don’t want you in the kitchen all weekend.  Don’t you think your time would be much better spent in sunglasses and a big floppy hat with your feet up by the pool!?  Good.  I’m glad we agree.

If you’re celebrating the 4th of July this weekend, be sure to say things like “Go America!” and watch colors explode in the sky if you can.  It’s fun.

If you’re not celebrating America’s independence… well heck… I think a weekend by the pool is still in order.  You just don’t have to scream things like “Go America!” unless you really want to.

Here are the recipes that will keep you out of all day kitchen adventures and magically keep your bellies satisfied.

Let us explore.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

S’mores Brownies. Heck yes!

Dutch Baby with Orange Sugar. Easiest breakfast ever.

Crunchy Oven Baked Fries with Herbes de Provence

Spicy and Sweet Cabbage Slaw

Proscuitto Dijon and Gruyere Puffs

Summer Sweet Raspberry Lemonade. You know you’re thirsty.

Homemade Kettle Corn. Because I’ve eaten it everyday since I posted the recipe.  Seriously.

We used to be one of those families that would drive out to the cemetery on Sunday afternoon after church service.  I can remember chasing my sister around the cemetery slopes, slipping on the moist grass in my church shoes and getting bright green stains on my Sunday dress while my parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents sat around our family graves exchanging stories.

The bright afternoon sun, the way the wind whipped over the rounded hills of the cemetery, and hearing my family talk and laugh about our family who had passed… it’s one of those super calming childhood memories that I keep tucked away, and pull out on days like today.  The remembering is important.

Today it feels good to remember all of the men, women and families who have sacrificed so much for our country.  While thanking you may seem trite, I mean it from way down on the inside.  Thank you.