Recipe Question and Support Stacie update
I've got an update posted over at supportstacie regarding the auction coming up on Thanksgiving weekend. All of y'all who, like me, normally go out on Black Friday: Don't forget to add the auctions into your shopping estimates! :-) Personally, I'm hoping to grab one of the GORGEOUS Angel ornaments as a gift for my in-laws. The pictures really don't do them justice. Those are being sold at a set price of $15 each instead of being auctioned, btw. Everything else in the auction is up for bid. The same glass artist made these beautiful fairies, too, with glass wings which shimmer iridescently. *drools* More auctions are being posted all the time, so keep checking back!
My mother-in-law has me baking all the desserts for Thanksgiving, a project I greatly enjoy - especially as she's being awesome and buying all the ingredients for me! ;-) Among the desserts, she requested a plain custard pie. I've baked custard pies before, but I've never before baked a plain one. I found some recipes on line and will probably go with This One, but I wanted to check first to see if any of you has a tried-and-true recipe for an easy custard pie. Easy is the operative word here.
Also, I have a technical question: Most of the recipes I see for custard pie stipulate that the milk must be scalded in order for the pie to "set." However, I found one recipe that suggested boiling the milk in the microwave so that I don't have to stand over the stove and stir the pot constantly for 5-8 minutes like this recipe says. Do any of y'all have thoughts on this? The chemistry behind baking is very intriguing, but I won't claim to be an expert on it, LOL. I know that there is something happening on a chemical level when milk is scalded, and I gather that simply boiling the milk = scalding it. But I'm hoping one of y'all might be a little better educated in this regard. Any suggestions?
One last thing: as you're doing your shopping during the holidays, please take the time to think about donating to your local food pantries (click here to find a food bank anywhere in the world) and to organizations which give gifts to needy families. If you're able to clean out your kitchen cabinets or pick up extra food at the stores, focus on items that are commonly used. (I once got a jug of "food thickner" at a food pantry, lol!) There are wonderful programs like Angel Tree which allow you to pick a child in your area to assist. It doesn't take a lot to make a huge difference in someone's life. Stop by This Thread to post information about charities you support!
My mother-in-law has me baking all the desserts for Thanksgiving, a project I greatly enjoy - especially as she's being awesome and buying all the ingredients for me! ;-) Among the desserts, she requested a plain custard pie. I've baked custard pies before, but I've never before baked a plain one. I found some recipes on line and will probably go with This One, but I wanted to check first to see if any of you has a tried-and-true recipe for an easy custard pie. Easy is the operative word here.
Also, I have a technical question: Most of the recipes I see for custard pie stipulate that the milk must be scalded in order for the pie to "set." However, I found one recipe that suggested boiling the milk in the microwave so that I don't have to stand over the stove and stir the pot constantly for 5-8 minutes like this recipe says. Do any of y'all have thoughts on this? The chemistry behind baking is very intriguing, but I won't claim to be an expert on it, LOL. I know that there is something happening on a chemical level when milk is scalded, and I gather that simply boiling the milk = scalding it. But I'm hoping one of y'all might be a little better educated in this regard. Any suggestions?
One last thing: as you're doing your shopping during the holidays, please take the time to think about donating to your local food pantries (click here to find a food bank anywhere in the world) and to organizations which give gifts to needy families. If you're able to clean out your kitchen cabinets or pick up extra food at the stores, focus on items that are commonly used. (I once got a jug of "food thickner" at a food pantry, lol!) There are wonderful programs like Angel Tree which allow you to pick a child in your area to assist. It doesn't take a lot to make a huge difference in someone's life. Stop by This Thread to post information about charities you support!