Pumpkin Pie Bliss

Hey Cowgirls, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I really wanted to post a recipe that is one of my favorite turkey day staples - delicious pumpkin pie. It's my favorite for sure! This recipe is my Grandma Margie's. She always makes three pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. They are so good when they are topped with some fresh whipped cream! So here is her crust and pie recipe. I think that you will really enjoy them. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble!

Pumpkin Pie Bliss

Pie Crust

3 cup of flour

1 1/4 cup of shortening - I am going to experiment with butter instead of shortening. I hear that the ratio is the same for butter.

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

Cut the four, shortening, sugar and salt until crumbly

Beat together:

1 egg

5 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. vinegar

Add to flour mixture. Put in fridge for about an hour.Make into dough ball and roll it out onto floured surface. This makes three pie crusts.

Pie Filling

7 eggs, beaten

1 large can of pumpkin

1 1/2 cup of sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 lrg. can (12 oz.) of evaporated milk

3 1/2 cup of fresh milk

Beat together and pour into three large pie shells. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake some more. Use a knife in the center of the pie to test to see if it is done. If it comes out clean it's done. Another sure sign that the pie is done, is when the center of the pie puffs up.

Egg Nog Bliss

Kim here...Little late on the posting, sorry about that! Been quite busy around here! I am sure nobody can relate to that :). Anyway here is the recipe for the week. I felt like posting this one tonight because 1) I love eggnog and am so happy it is 'tis the season for it...2) I kinda felt like a drink after these last couple of crazy weeks :). So enjoy this one, I know I will right after I post!

Egg Nog Bliss

1 glass full of egg nog (My favorite brand is Land O Lakes)
1-2 jiggers or shots of Baileys depending how strong you want it

Mix it up and enjoy!

Mike and Deb's Beer Chili and Famous Cornbread

So here is our recipe for this week. We have been really contained to the house this past weekend due to a bunch of sick kiddos and a sick kitty cat. My husband Mike thought that he would whip up some of his favorite beer chili. He always asks me to make my famous cornbread to accompany it! These are super good together so hope you will try them out.

Mike's Beer Chili

2lbs. hamburger

1lb. bacon

2 cans of kidney beans

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of tomato paste

1 lrg. can of crushed tomatoes

1 beer of choice (We only use Sierra Nevada in this house)

2 white onions

2 bell pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

5 cloves garlic

2 fresh tomatoes

1 tablespoon of oregano

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons of paprika

1 - 2 tablespoons of chili powder

1-2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper (If you want the kids to be able to eat it. Stick with 3/4 of a tablespoon or less. Mike used 2 tablespoons at it was a little too spicy for our little eaters)

Brown the hamburger. In a food processor (or a blender) combine fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano, paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper together until blended. Fry the bacon until nice and crisp.

Add hamburger, blended ingredients, bacon and remaining items into a large stockpot. Add enough water to give it the correct consistency. Cook and cook and cook on medium heat. It makes the house smell fantastic!

Deb's Famous Cornbread

This is a recipe I have adapted from the original recipe on the Aber's Corn Meal box. My mom always made our cornbread nice and sweet and I have to carry on the tradition here. I love it like this and I think you will too.

1 cup of Aber's yellow corn meal (or any brand of corn meal that you have handy. I just prefer Abers)

1 cup of all purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup of milk

1/3 cup of extra light virgin olive oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 inch baking pan.

Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil and egg in small bowl; mix well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for approximately 20 -23 minutes. I use a wooden toothpick to see if it is done or not. When it comes out clean I know that it is ready to roll.

Taco Chili

Kim here...Here is our first recipe in our new feature...Recipe of the Week! I originally got this idea while watching Paula Dean on her Food TV show. She did it with dried beans and spicy tomatoes. While I am sure that is delicious, I don't have the patience for dried beans and after my second pregnancy, my belly doesn't appreciate spicy tomatoes :). So here is my altered recipe for Taco Chili. It's a great one that I think you will enjoy.

Taco Chili

1 pound ground beef or chicken
salt/pepper to season meat while cooking
1 small onion, chopped
14.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained
14.5 oz. can pinto beans, undrained
1 (1 1/4 oz.) packet taco seasoning ( I like McCormick)
1 (1 oz) packet of buttermilk salad dressing mix (Hidden Valley)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups water
Tortilla Chips (optional for garnish)

1. Brown and crumble meat while adding seasonings and chopped onions.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and water.
3. Bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered until you get a nice, rich, thick consistency to your chili. This may take up to 2 hours.
4. Serve with tortilla chips and/or a dollop of sour cream on top.

A Cowgirls and Cupcakes Update

Hello all! We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween. We know our girls and boy did! We wanted to let all of you in on a little update here at Cowgirls and Cupcakes. We are going to begin doing a Recipe of the Week starting today. So make sure you check in every Monday for the new recipe to use!