My little darling...

I am working on taking better photos of my daughter as she grows up. So, I thought I would share my most recent shoot of her with you all. Hope you like them. 

Fall, fall, fall....

Photo of the Day!!!

More Fall...

I enjoy the Fall season so much that I decided to share some more Fall pictures. While, these two photos are not some of the greatest photos I've ever shot, I absolutely love the bright colors. I hope they brighten your day :-)

These photos were both taken in 2009 at a church near the apartment I lived in. I drove by many times and always wanted to stop. So I finally did. 

I Simply Remember my Favorite Things...

This is one of my favorite places in Austin, Tx. My husband and I love walking through the Austin Botanical Gardens. While it was not at this very spot, he did propose to me at the gardens. I love this place!

Pumpkin Pie from scratch!!

 One of my favorite things about the Fall season is....HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE!! I love picking out my own pumpkins and making my own pies from scratch. However, I have not made my own pie crust yet. Maybe next year I will have enough courage to attempt every thing from scratch...but for now I will stick to making the pie filling myself. So on today's post I am going to take you step by step through the process so that you can make your very own pumpkin pie....I even have pictures :-)


Ingredients: 

• 1 - 8 inch pie pumpkin or 3 of the smaller pumpkins. You want to end up with 3 cups of cooked, pureed pumpkin.  ( I always use the smaller pumpkins because I prefer how the consistency of the pie turns out. )
• 1 - Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 - Tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 - Tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 - Tsp Ground all spice
• 1/2 - Tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 - Tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 - Tsp Salt ( Optional - I always use 1/4 Tsp )
• 4 - Large Eggs
• 1 1/2 - Cans Evaporated Milk ( 12oz cans )

First things first:
You will want to wash the outside of your pumpkin thoroughly. Once you have cleaned the outside, dry off the pumpkin and get ready to cut. For this step you will need a cutting board and a sharp knife. ( I let my husband do this part because I am very clumsy. ) If you have a decent serrated knife, use that, for it will be less likely to slip. However, we used a smooth edged knife and it worked just fine. 

Serrated ( Shown Left ) is highly suggested but we used a smooth edged knife ( Shown Right ) 

Cut your pumpkin(s) in half

as shown.

Then, using a spoon or ice cream scoop.

Scoop out the seeds and stringy innards.                                            

Scoop out as much of the "strings" as possible. It will help the consistency of your pies

I, having a fairly small microwave, then cut my halves in half in order to make them fit in the dish. This will also help them cook faster.

Next, place the cut pumpkin(s) in a microwave safe dish with 1-2 inches of water and cover. Start by cooking on high for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes is up, carefully remove the dish ( it will be hot ) and flip your pumpkin quarters.

                                                   

It took me a full 30minutes to get all the pumpkin quarters fully cooked. Keep in mind that all microwaves are different. I suggest starting off with the full 15 minutes then do 10 minutes then 5 minute increments. When the pumpkin is fully cooked you will be able to easily pull the skin away from the "meat", as seen in the photos below.

Once you have removed all the skin from your cooked pumpkin, you will want to use either a mixer or a handheld blender to puree the pumpkin until smooth.

At this point it is best to let your cooked, pureed pumpkin sit for about 30 minutes or so. This will allow any excess water to separate. Once the water separates, pour off and measure out three cups of pumpkin.

Now you are ready to mix in the rest of the ingredients. Yay! But be sure to preheat your oven. Bake at 425 degrees for the first 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes or so.

Mix:

3 cups cooked pumpkin

1 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 Tsp Ground Cloves

1 Tsp Ground All Spice

1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 Tsp Salt ( Optional - I do 1/4 Tsp )

4 Large Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 1/2 Cans Evaporated milk 

( 18 oz total )

The mixture will be quite runny. It is supposed to be so don't worry. 
Be sure to mix well before pouring into pie crust.

I filled two pie crusts and had some filling left over. I did not buy the deep dish crusts but probably could have filled two deep dish crusts with my pie mixture.

Every oven is different so after the 45 minutes is up you will want to check your pie by inserting a knife into the pie. If the knife comes out clean, the pie is ready! If the knife comes out with filling on it, cook pies for 5-10 more minutes and check again. Do this until pie is completely cooked. You can put aluminum around the pie crust edge to keep it from burning. However, I did not and my crust did not burn. But if you are concerned it is best to go ahead and cover the edges. Now that your pie is done...Enjoy!! If you have suggestions from your own cooking experience, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!!

Fall...

Last fall, I had an unexpected day off so I took the opportunity to drive around town and take photos of all the changing trees. There was a time in my life when I was blinded by hurts and fears. I wasn't able to enjoy the beautiful things. Then, as I let God in to those places, it was like seeing for the first time. I couldn't believe how beautiful my surroundings were....I even asked someone if the trees were more colorful than before. They said no, it's always like this. I couldn't believe I had become so oblivious to the beauty around. I am so thankful to be able to enjoy the beauty and wonder of God's creations again. Don't miss out on life and the beautiful things in life...Let God heal your hurts and open your eyes.