FRENCH SILK CHOCOLATE PIE

Absolutely the easiest chocolate pie I have ever made. It only requires a baked pastry shell and four ingredients. It's also one of the richest chocolate pies EVER! One 8 inch pie will serve 8 to 10 people. If you have any leftover, it freezes well. 

FRENCH SILK CHOCOLATE PIE

8-inch Baked Pastry Shell

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

6 Tablespoons powdered cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

In small mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, chocolate and vanilla. Blend well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes after each. Pour into baked pastry shell. Chill at least 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream and nuts if desired. 

That's it! People will think you slaved in the kitchen on this one! Here are the pictures for my friend, Margie. 

Assemble your ingredients

I used a refrigerated pie crust. Roll it out just enough to fit your pie
pan. Roll it onto your rolling pin for easy transfer to the pie plate.

Crimp the edges by pinching between your thumb and forefinger.
NOTE: I've been known to put a Mrs. Smith's pie in my pie plate,
recrimp the edges, bake, and serve! I never said I made it from
scratch. I simply said I "baked" it! Feel free to use my little cheat!

Use a fork to prick the crust.

Bake at 450 until golden brown (11-13 minutes)
Cool while you make the filling.

In small mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, chocolate
and vanilla. Blend well.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating at medium speed
for 3 to 5 minutes after each.

Pour into baked pastry shell. Chill at least 2 hours. 

Soften dark chocolate bar. Use vegetable peeler to make curls for garnish.

Serve with whipped cream and nuts if desired.

I skipped the nuts this time and used chocolate

curls. You can make your own whipped cream

or RediWhip. Either way it is delicious!

My dinner guests raved over the depth of chocolate flavor. There were two slices leftover. I ran them up the street to a sick neighbor. She's all well now. I'm not sure it was the pie, but it could have been. I'm just saying!

BEWARE OF SNAKES!

“Lace, would you be able to keep Max and Maya for a couple of hours so I can get a pedicure?”
“You bet. Drop them off and I’ll make sure they are alive when you get back,” I laughed.

Caring for a five-year-old girl is easy! I have three granddaughter. I know what to do with girls. Elaborate tea parties, fashion shows, dress-up, crafts and cooking. These are endeavors at which I excel. My only grandson is one and lives in Budapest. I’m clueless when it comes to boys. I grabbed the phone and began calling mothers of boys for recommendations on activities for a seven-year-old boy.I got the same advice from everyone—Legos, cars, or put him outside and give him something that makes noise or a mess.

I don’t have cars or Legos, but I remembered a lovely park with a sand box, two sets of swings, two slides, and a huge pirate ship with a rock wall! Ahhh, that’s the ticket! I’ll take them before it gets too hot. They can get messy and make all the noise they want. Off we went!

The kids were wowed at the sight of the pirate ship. 

A small creek with a six to eight foot embankment ran behind the park. I noticed a sign in front of the creek which read, “Beware of Snakes.”

Hummm….how brave do I feel? Should I resort to Plan B? I didn’t have a Plan B. After a thorough inspection for sticks that wiggle and hiss, I gave the children a very stern warning to stay in the play area and not venture toward the creek. I showed them all the wonders of the park and told them to play anywhere they wanted, except the creek.

For half an hour they played on the swings, climbed the rock wall, and commandeered the pirate ship. I enjoyed watching their delight in creating maritime adventures and battling with imaginary swords. Arrrgh, a pirates’ life for me!

And then what do you think they did? Yup, they headed toward the creek. From several yards away they gently pitched a few rocks into the creek hoping to scare up a snake. Failing that, they crept closer to the creek throwing rocks harder in an attempt to hit the opposite creek bank. After each attempt I cautioned them to be careful. I told them I didn’t want to spoil their fun, but I was concerned for their safety. I went so far as to draw a line in the dirt they were not to cross. They didn’t. They moved to another portion of the creek edging closer to the embankment. They raised small tree branches overhead and heaved as hard as they could. The biggest splash won!

 Looking for snakes became a secondary issue. My main concern was what I would do if they fell in the creek? Even if I could jump down to them, I’d never be able to get them back up. In that event, do I call their mother or 911 first? Horrified I even had these thoughts, I told them to head to the car. Fun time ended!

Does this sound at all familiar to you? Maybe a little like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?

Genesis 2 and 3 described the creation of man and woman.  God planted a garden in Eden with all kinds of trees, “beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge–of-Good-and-Evil. God commanded Man to eat from any tree in the garden, except the Tree-of-Knowledge–of-Good-and-Evil. God warned Adam, "The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead."

A cunning serpent convinced Eve that God commanded them not to eat of the Tree-of -Knowledge–of-Good-and–Evil because they would become just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”

 Genesis 3:⁶ When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.

⁷ Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Long story short, God banished them from the Garden for their disobedience. They lost all the privileges of playing in the Garden. It had much more than a sand box, two sets of swings, two slides, and a huge pirate ship with a rock wall! It included room and board!

God gave us rules to protect us. When we break the laws, we have to suffer the consequences, i.e. don’t commit adultery you will get your heart broken. To enjoy an abundant life we must follow His laws. But in our shortsightedness we edge closer to the creek for the thrill of the splash.

I commit each day to dwell in the blessings He has provided for me and not go snake hunting.

PS. The children’s only punishment was leaving the park. We went to the house, played with the dogs, and watched a movie. I learned that boys like to do crafts and cook too. Especially if they get to make and eat a huge sugar cookie!

Yeah, they don't look to injured! The dogs were happy too!

Peach Cobbler!

I promised you a peach cobbler. When I took the grandgirls to Ham Peach Orchards we picked our own blackberries. I know we picked blackberries at a peach orchard. What can I say? I'm just glad it's available. A short road trip to Terrell, Texas and we had lovely morning picking blackberries, eating peach ice cream, and buying way more overripe peaches than we needed. So we gave away some, made a cobbler with some, and froze the rest.
Did you know you can freeze peaches whole! Peel and all. Place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once they are frozen, throw them in a ziploc bag, and back in the freezer. When you are ready to use them, run under warm water. The peel will slip right off. Slice and enjoy!
You can make the crust I described last week, buy a refrigerated one, or make this one. You have options. Ain't American Grand!

PEACH COBBLER

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1 egg 1/4 cup cold water 3 pounds fresh peaches - peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup orange juice 1/2 cup butter 2 cups brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 tablespoon butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Work in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cold water. Sprinkle over flour mixture, and work with hands to form dough into a ball. Chill 30 minutes.
2.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll out half of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish, covering bottom and halfway up sides. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
3.	In a large saucepan, mix the peaches, lemon juice, and orange juice. Add 1/2 cup butter, and cook over medium-low heat until butter is melted. In a mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cornstarch; mix into peach mixture. Remove from heat, and pour into baked crust.
4.	Roll remaining dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into half-inch-wide strips. Weave strips into a lattice over peaches. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
5.	Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown. I like my middle dough cooked as described in step 2. My husband and daughter like it as I described last week with a layer of fruit, then cobbler, fruit, and more cobbler. You can do this recipe either way. All this needs is ice cream and a spoon!!!

BEST BLACKBERRY COBBLER EVER!

Love, love, loved taking the grandgirls blackberry picking. I had no idea they would enjoy the hunt for ripe, juicy bits of deliciousness. I thought the Texas heat, spider webs, and prickly bushes would deter them. I was wrong! I had to make them stop once we reached six pounds. Delighted with our haul we mopped our brows and headed home to continue our adventure in the air conditioned kitchen. Ahhhh, air conditioning--God's special gift. I've lived without it, but hope to never again.
My mom makes a delicious blackberry cobbler. She cooks the blackberries, sends them through a sieve, removes all the seeds, and uses only the juice. My daughter loves it, but I like a little more substance. Here is my recipe.
I make up my pie crust first and cover it with a damp paper towel while I put my berries together. You can use refrigerated pie crust, but this one is easy and tastes so much better.

I use my stand mixer with a wire whisk to combine 
flour, sugar and salt.

Cut in shortening until it is pea size.

Sprinkle cold water a tablespoon at a time until dough holds together.
(If there is too much water, it will be sticky and tough; if there's too little water,
 the edges will crack, the pastry will tear easily and it will be hard to roll out)
Roll into two balls. Cover with damp paper towel while you
combine your berries.

Sprinkle sugar, flour, and lemon juice over blackberries in large bowl.

Gently stir. Let stand for 10 minutes

Spoon half of blackberry mixture into a lightly greased
9 x 13-inch baking dish. 

Flatten one pastry ball into 1/2 inch thickness on floured surface.
If the shortening marbles the crust, you've done it just right.

Fold pastry in half or roll it around your rolling pin and
unroll it on top of  the berries. Dot with half the butter.

 Cobble means putting together different parts in a quick way. It doesn't have to be pretty.  If your pastry breaks just cobble it together. I've seen beautiful lattice-work cobblers. You can do that, but I want to get this cobbler under the ice cream and in my belly as soon as possible!

Repeat the layers.

Dot the top crust with remaining butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until pastry is golden
and mixture is bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla is my personal favorite!

FRESH BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons sugar 

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

5 to 7 Tablespoons cold water 

Filling:

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

8 cups fresh blackberries

1/4 cup butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and divided

1 tablespoon sugar

Variations-- Substitute gluten-free baking flour for a yummy gluten-free dessert. For my granddaughter who has a dairy allergy, I used a dairy-free spread for the butter. 

If you have enough berries for two cobblers bake and eat one. Make up the other to the point of baking. Freeze it until you need it. Thaw and Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

 This didn't last long enough to get a pretty picture, but trust me it's worth the effort. Next week--A variation on Peach Cobbler!