I live in the Deep South but it is a sad thing that I do not care for pecan pie. I do not make pecan pie. I do not eat pecan pie. Oh, don't get me wrong, it is delicious....if you like sweet...really sweet...sickening sweet. Pecan pies are sweet. Each pie takes about a truckload of sugar mixed in with a few barrels of corn syrup. Throw in a few tablespoons of butter, some salt and eggs then pour the mixture over two cups of pecans in a pie shell. Oh, maybe add a bit more sugar just for good measure. Yep, pecan pies are that sweet.
Last week, one of my "adopted" sons called me to ask a favor. "Could you make two pecan pies for me to take to our corporate Thanksgiving dinner? I told everybody that you are the best baker in the whole state." Well, although the statement is not even remotely true, what could I do? When someone sweet-talks like that, it is hard to say no. Bless his heart, he sure knows how to butter people up to get them to do whatever he needs. So, I became a baker. I made pecan pies...even though I had never made one before in my life. He and his coworkers bragged on my attempts so I baked another last night for our Thanksgiving feast. I figured if everyone else liked them, perhaps I had a misconception of the southern favorite.
The pie did not make it to the dinner table in one piece. Mark sneaked a slice of the legendary southern treat while it was still warm from the oven! "That is delicious!" he proclaimed. Ok, ok...I will try a smidgen. Yep, it was tasty. Yep, I still found it far too sweet. Still, I will make pecan pies in the future for those who desire to have their pecans covered in straight syrupy goop but I will continue to bake other treats for those of us who prefer to not have a massive sugar rush. I have to admit, it does look impressive, though, and I can truly say I do, indeed, make pecan pies!
I am thankful for loving kids who, even though they will be out of town on the actual day, cared enough to spend "Thanksgiving" with their dear old mom. Yep, we celebrated Thanksgiving a few days early so I would not feel neglected. What wonderful, caring, loving kids!
While our dinner could not actually be described as the traditional meal shared on this day, we had plenty to eat and enjoyed lots of visiting. Yes, we did have a turkey...sort of...as I baked a turkey breast, but we also had samosas, stuffed squash, a vegetable medley, homemade biscuits and assorted other goodies. I guess in a way, those samosas were the only thing that set the pace as a bit different other than the fact that ninety percent of our meal was vegan. Both Darling Daughter and I have changed our diets to include less meat. She became a vegan years ago and health issues have just recently forced me to rethink what I eat. I have found that being a vegetarian (other than eating seafood) has vastly improved my well-being. So, our meal reflected the cooks' choice of dishes. Enough said. We all dined until full but still saved room for dessert. AND it was that dessert that was the talk of the afternoon!
Elizabeth had made two pies for our feast. One was a vegan pumpkin pie. Its deep rich filling was perfectly seasoned and creamy rich. She had used honey as the sweetener and used cornstarch instead of eggs to thicken the filling. It was delicious! The other pie was an apple/pear pie. This..she proclaimed was the heaviest pie in the world with the "hugest" crust! Not so in a bad way! Yes, the pie was heavy because I think she used a good twenty apples in it and then decided to throw in a few dozen pears for good measure. The crust had to be "huge" to contain all the goodness therein. The pie was delicious! Both were and I am so glad she decided to leave leftovers with us! Yum!
While our meal was most delightful in itself, it was more the whole family time thing that made the day perfect. We missed Mark, my oldest son, my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren but those of us who gathered today felt truly blessed...none more than me. Happy Thanksgiving...a few days early.
