This recipe is adapted from this version by the New York Times.
One of the things we have made year after year after year is pecan pie. When I was growing up my mom had us do the laying down of the pecans to create designs in our pies, and we always made two. I still take time to design how I lay out my pecans as you can see below. The first picture is one layer of a total of two.
The following is the final pie, as you can see they shift a tad, but I think it is worth it overall, then again I love the process and I do not mind taking the time to be meticulous
I still in this recipe from her, make two. I also have made some rather large adaptations in the quantity of pecan to filling ratio, much more pecans that originally called for and I have shifted from bourbon to maple syrup, but you do as you see fit. As the fall continues on and I am starting to think about Thanksgiving, I know I will be making this pie recipe again this year as I have in years prior.
Maple Pecan Pie
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One of the things I love about being married is that I have a whole extra set of family members than before. Now don't get me wrong, my husband and I were together for quite a long time before we got married so I felt like I had already been part of the family for a while. Along with being involved in someone else's family you get to experience the joys of their food traditions. I have found over the years that sitting down to dinner at his home provided me with new foods and new flavors that I enjoyed but just did not grow up eating. Take this recipe for example, it was developed from my mother-in-law's spaghetti sauce. I grew up eating spaghetti sauce, but not in this way, usually with meatballs added, but not in a more meat sauce form. This was something new that I remember eating at my husband's house and just wanting the sauce it was so good it didn't even need the pasta. Developing this recipe was quite a challenge. First of all it feeds many people, so one batch lasts a long time and I did not want to only eat spaghetti sauce for weeks on end. Second my mother-in-law is an intuitive cook, meaning she cooks by feel and taste rather than by measurements. This means each batch she makes ends up slightly different but all great. I remember asking her to make this so I could watch and I stood next to her at the stove eyeballing measurements and writing down ingredients hoping it would be something I could eventually make myself. Then as with all recipe testing there were the usual pitfalls, the testing it using canned tomato sauce, which was too metallic for my taste. I am glad to say I am finally here at a recipe that is close to hers, it is not the same and it never will be. Hers is made with a few changes, but as I have written about before part of what makes food great is the setting and the people. I cannot replicate meals at her table without her, so it will never taste exactly right, but I think this is as close as I will ever come. I hope you try it out and enjoy the flavors and then feel free to make it your own, as with all things our tastes are different and what I enjoy might not be the same for you. Bulk Spaghetti Sauce
This last month was actually a good reading month for me. In order for me to actually enjoy what I was reading though I quit a number of books. I am learning that that is sometimes what is required in order to find the books I actually enjoyed.
I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel
This was one of the first books I read that I just enjoyed. I loved how Anne writes about reading and makes you remember what you loved about it in the first place. This book is a short read, but I really just was reminded of why I read and it made me more dedicated to picking up books this month.
Book Rating: 4/5 The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year by Dawn Dais
I was a little nervous with the title, because I am not one who typically enjoys cursing in books. This book though I found to be one of the best books on parenting, not for your typical run of the mill advice, but because it made me laugh out loud until I cried a few times. I read parts of it with my husband and I found we were both laughing. I have found during pregnancy the need to laugh is something that is not talked about enough. I love how she describes children's books and that at the beginning your baby may not be as cute as you think. Overall I really enjoyed this book and read it quite quickly.
Book Rating: 4/5 Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
I have been listening to these on audio with my husband. We have found them to be a good series to listen to in a similar vein to Sherlock Holmes, which we have listen in entirety. I particularly liked this collection on audio because it is short stories, so you are able to listen to one and not feel the need to finish the whole audiobook at once because they are not connected. I also find myself growing to love the detective and I can effectively never guess the ending. I also appreciate that they are not gruesome in the way a modern detective story can be. Overall I am excited to continue reading the next Poirot book and glad we have a new audiobook series.
Book Rating: 4/5 Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for literally years. I have wanted to pick it up and have started it and stopped it many times, not because it was bad but usually because my reading life was not as consistent as it has been recently. This is a detective story of sorts and the protagonist is Maisie Dobbs. I appreciated how this wove her backstory into the actual story so we got to know her better and the best part of enjoying this book is that it is part of a series so I can actually pick up another for a long while. I found this to be similar to Poirot in that it was not gruesome and has a similar feel to Sherlock Holmes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to picking up the next one in the series.
Book Rating: 4/5
My books this month have a clear detective or mystery theme to them, but I am glad that I found books I enjoyed. What are you reading lately? Any suggestions for me? Please share them below!
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About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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