Cape Cod Chronicles

Our own lovely Sandiquiz inspired this blog! When my husband and I were experiencing some very grim times, many of you here helped us to keep our chins up, but Sandi's way of helping to keep our focus on the good things was to tell us to look for the silver lining. There's always something to appreciate; watching a flock of Canada geese winging determinedly through the chilly air, honking vigorously as they go, seeing the season's first snowflakes waft earthward, settling on the frozen ground like a dusting of sugar, gazing on the evening stars as they appear one by one on a black velvet sky. Having a nice gentleman run to beat me to the grocery store's door, so he can hold it open for me when I enter, or getting an impulsive hug and "I love you" from my grand-daughter. Even in the hardest times, I revel in these moments that are so easy to miss unless you look for them.



Now that Thanksgiving is just a few days away, we are hopeful that the worst has passed for us - as long as our new jobs survive the roller coaster economy- and that better days are ahead. I will be baking shoo-fly pie pies and beer bread in preparation for the holiday dinner, which will be held at a relative's house, who is bravely hosting about 30 people! We are all contributing something to the meal, so it will make for a broad mixture of folks and foods; and I hope we have good weather that day, as we will surely need a long walk after a feast like that!



But, returning to my silver lining theme, I am very thankful to be able to enjoy the little things that life graces us with and I am very grateful to have met many friends here on these blogs. You have been kind, supportive, generous and so much fun!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
~ with love, from Beth, Lorne, Sammy & Triton



Recipes:

Shoo – Fly Pie (makes two pies)
2 unbaked pie crusts in pie pans (see pie crust recipe below)

Crumbs:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter flavor shortening

Stir together the dry ingredients and then work in the shortening with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Pudding Layer:
1 cup molasses
2 egg yokes
1 teaspoon soda, dissolved in 1 ½ cups boiling water

Mix well.
Pour a deep layer of liquid layer into the pie crusts, using a little more than half between both pies. Sprinkle a layer of crumbs over the liquid. Gently pour in the rest of the liquid and finish with a heavy layer of crumbs, being sure to cover entire surface of pie. (If you cover the whole top, it helps seal the pudding layer and keep it from bubbling over the sides of the crust.)
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees for the final 20 minutes. It helps to place a large cookie sheet on the oven rack under the one the pies bake on, to catch any drips.

Pie Crusts
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 table spoon sugar
2/3 cup butter flavored shortening (plain shortening okay)
5 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
Mix the flour, salt and sugar together and then cut in the shortening, 1/3 cup at a time, until you’ve created lumps the size of small peas. Blend the ice water and lemon juice OR vinegar and sprinkle them over the flour mixture. Stir until just moist enough to form a ball of dough and chill for about an hour. Divide dough in half and rolls out your pie crusts on a floured surface to at least 1 inch larger than your pie pans.

Beer Bread
1/4 cup of water
3/4cup of beer
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 table spoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces of Velveeta Cheese
1 package dry yeast
2-1/2 cups flour
Mix the first six ingredients in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Cool ‘til luke warm. Mix the yeast and flour in a large bowl and add beer & cheese mixture – blend until the dough forms a ball. Knead on a floured surface for about 3 minutes and then place dough in a greased bowl (turn it over in the greased bowl so that all sides are lightly coated with the oil) and cover with a damp linen towel. Let rise until double in bulk and then put the dough on a floured surface again, punch it down to squeeze out air bubbles and form into a rectangle. Cut the rectangle into three long, equal strips and braid. Let rise 30 minutes. For a softer crust, brush with eggwhite. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.





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