Little Foodies America - Pecan Pie and it's all about MeMe

I wish!

Pecan Pie (or Peecan Pyyy)
Enough shortcrust pastry to line an 18cm (7inch) flan/pie tin.
2 eggs
4 tablespoons of golden syrup
2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
250g pecans (could have used a lot less)


Line the pie tin with the pastry and bake blind in the oven (220C/450F/gas mark 8) for 8 minutes. Take it out and let it cool a little.
In a bowl beat together the eggs, golden syrup, sugar, melted butter and vanilla essence.
Arrange the pecans in the pastry shell. You could easily get away with using 100g / 4oz pecans.
Pour the syrupy mix over the top and bake in the oven on high for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to about 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and cook for a further 25 minutes.

We really could have used a lot less pecans but Little suggested it would taste so much better if we tipped the whole 250g packet in. Having never made or eaten pecan pie I don't know if he's right about it tasting better but it certainly does taste very good.

It's all about Meme...

I've been tagged by two lovely ladies Nora of Life's Smorgasbord and Margaret at Kitchen Delights. So here goes...

1. I've said that I will sort out the food for the evening reception at my cousin's wedding in France (in under a month). That's fine there will only be 72 people! Eeeeeek!

2. Ever since, I've been surfing the internet for ideas of traditional French wedding food and festivities. I've unearthed all sorts of traditions such as the bride and groom should drink from a double handled goblet that has been engraved with their names, etc. but not really anything about food.

3. We're driving and I'm not that keen on being in the car with 2 small children for what may seem like forever. As we're going on to Spain afterwards I fear that we may fall out several times before we return home.

4. My dad's friend taught me to ride my bike without stabilisers when I was about 5 years old. He held the back of the bike and said he was still holding it when in actual fact he'd let go about 50 metres before hand. I turned round to see I was riding by myself and immediately fell off! My dad says he was too scared to do this as he thought I'd hurt myself. (Work that one out!)

5. My childhood was far from conventional - and would make a good TV drama. With a mix of madness, sadness, happiness, love, laughter, rich timesand poor times. It did however teach me that laughter does indeed nourish the soul. It's something I do often, every single day. It's also in stark contrast to my husband's childhood and to now with my own family (Little, Small, Hubby and me).

6. My hair desperately needs cutting!

7. One of my favourite holidays was one I thought would end my relationship with my then boyfriend (now husband) and involved driving from England to Spain in a very old MG Midget. I'm hoping the fears I have about our upcoming driving holiday will turn out the same - unfounded.

I don't know who to tag as so many blogs have been tagged already, so perhaps I'll just tag them too (I know it's a cop out!)
Little and Small at Boys Can Cook Too, (lovely well brought up boys - teehee! who will only participate if I actually do it for them.)
Mum at TOC Aromatherapy, (lovely well brought up Mummy, it's taken me a while (36years) but she's getting there!)
Janet at Janet is Hungry, (fellow mummy - tagged already).
Kelly-Jane at Cooking the Books, (lovely blogging friend who I've tagged before but she's been tagged by Margaret and agreed to do it so sorry KJ but as you were doing it anyway!)
Truffle at What's on my plate (lovely blogging friend who is kind and generous! Currently on a tour of Europe soon to return with lots of wonderful stories I'm sure - tagged already).
Ros at Living to Eat (great blog and as she'll be starting a new job in September, we may see less of her so read while you can - tagged already.)
Patricia at Technicolor Kitchen (absolute sweetheart, also tagged already.)

Meme's - They could be likened to those celebrity magazines that are often trashed but secretly read by many. (I've personally weaned myself off them... celebrity magazines that is.) Take part only if you wish to.

I have a busy few days ahead. End of year school mum's night out today, hen night tomorrow, then Saturday will be the first time ever the boys will be away from us for the whole night. Possibly wont see any of you for a few days.. but plenty to read with the blogs above.

Little Foodies America - Happy Independence Day

Our July 4th 2007 Menu

Rack of Ribs oven roasted with homemade bbq sauce
served with Homemade Coleslaw, Buttery Corn on the Cob and Anya Potatoes, boiled in their skins.

Raspberries, Blueberries and Vanilla Ice Cream...

I did think of making a key lime pie or a pecan pie. I love the name pecan pie it always reminds me of the film When Harry Met Sally when they start talking in silly voices peeecan pyyyyyy.... So I guess I have to make this before we move on to another country.

Hubby, Little and Small are loving all of this meat but I'm feeling a little over indulged in the meat department. Our next country is going to need careful consideration, I want lean and fresh. For a start my cousin is getting married in France in just over a month, we'll be there and then we're heading off down to Spain for a few weeks so I am rather desperate to be feeling a little slimmer. Note, I didn't say to actually be slimmer, just to feel it!

Little Foodies Homemade BBQ Sauce (I hadn't realised the time. I'll post the recipe later as off for a drink in my favourite country pub.)

6.20pm 5 July 07 - Where was I... yes the BBQ Sauce we made this time included...
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon english mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
2 cloves of garlic crushed or crushed with a knife and a sprinkle of salt to make a paste
4 tablespoons tomato ketchup or 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
Mix all together in a medium size bowl and then pour over your chosen food ready to cook.
If you're going to be using this to marinade and cook with don't bother cooking it. However, if you want it as a dipping sauce you need to put it in a pan and cook on a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Until it changes colour to a deeper red/brown colour.

I like to play with bbq sauce. I've made it with just sugar, mustard, tomato puree and vinegar and I've made it with an even longer list of ingredients to what you see above... The one above was very nice smothered over the ribs but I realise it's a lot of ingredients.

Happy July 4th - Happy Independence Day!

Little Foodies America - Southern Fried Chicken & Cherry Pie

Southern Fried Chicken (our version).
3 eggs, 60ml water, 1/3 bottle of Nando's peri-peri BBQ sauce, 2 cups self raising flour, a good few grinds of black pepper, 4 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons garlic granules, 4 chicken drumsticks, 4 chicken thighs.

First mix the garlic granules, black pepper and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and water and mix in the bbq sauce.
In a separate bowl mix the flour and a few grinds of black pepper.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C to finish cooking the chicken.
We used the large Le Creuset pan and filled it one third full of sunflower oil. We tested it was hot enough by dropping a piece of rocket in which sizzled.
Sprinkle a little of the garlic granules, pepper and salt mix over the chicken pieces (you wont use it all so keep any that you don't use for seasoning something else). Dip the chicken in the egg mix and then coat well with the flour. Place in the hot oil, turning after a couple of minutes. After 5 minutes frying place in an ovenproof bowl and finish cooking in the oven for about 25 minutes. Test the chicken is cooked through before serving.

We saw a few recipes for this which called for hot red pepper sauce and various versions of the pepper and salt seasoning mix. We thought the hot sauce might be too hot for the boys so decided to use bbq sauce instead. It worked well. We served with fine green beans and boiled new potatoes picked fresh from the garden - YIPPPEEEE! Even better my husband cooked it all!

Cheat's Cherry Pie
1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry.
1 tin of Waitrose red cherry fruit filling.
1 jar of Ambrosia custard
Pre-heat oven to 180C
We used a medium size pyrex flan dish. Rolled the pastry over the dish and gently push around the sides. Sliced off any excess around the top of sides. Poured the tin of red cherry fruit filling over the pastry. We cut out little stars from the leftover pastry and placed on top of the fruit filling. Baked in the oven for approx 20-25 minutes, until the pastry was cooked. Served with Ambrosia custard....

Totally cheating, not as tasty as fresh cherries or homemade pastry but we had ready made pastry that needed using up and the tin of cherry filling in the cupboard so it had to be done.

Little Foodies America

This weekend we'll be heading to America, or atleast the kitchen will be. We've chosen America because it's July 4th on Wednesday and any excuse for a celebration is a good one in our minds... We only have one American cookbook so any ideas greatly received for typical American food.

Little has been getting in to the swing of things by speaking with an American accent. Small has been trying to join in too. I'm thinking maybe they watch too much tv!! Strange how with the first you have all these good intentions of 'I wont ever allow my child to watch tv, they will only play with wooden toys, we will only listen to classical music and we will speak several languages at home so they grow up to be...' To be what? It didn't last and all credit to those who manage to keep it up for the duration... Nowadays - the TV is our friend which is probably why our children can speak at will with American accents.. Not sure what food we'll be eating... Off to read my cookbook and surf for inspiration.