Author: homesbyholly

The Best thing about this pie is that I made it with Swerve so it is sugar free and still it is the best pumpkin pie recipe that you will find. The original recipe came from the Paula Dean network and I made a few adaptations to make it more appealing to those of us counting those carbs. I should have decorated it with the whipped cream before taking the picture and the next time I make it I will be sure to include an improved picture to the edit. LOL At any rate here is the scoop:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Gather together the following ingredients

1 pie crust – either home made or store bought

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

1 cup Swerve

1/4 t. salt

1 egg and 2 egg yolks

1 cup whole cream

1/4 cup melted butter

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground ginger

2 cups whole cream for topping plus 1/3 cup swerve

Place pre-made pie dough in the 9 inch pie plate and smooth down the sides and bottom. Create a nice trim by pinching the edges in a roll. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Or line with foil and fill with pie weights or dry white beans and bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. This gives a nice crisp to the crust and it will not be a gooey mess when baked with the filling.

In a large mixing bowl best the cream cheese until smooth, adding the pumpkin to beat until combined. Add the Swerve and salt until combined. Mix the eggs and yolks together and add them to the pumpkin mixture along with the cup of whole cream and melted butter. Beat until all combined. Lastly add the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and mix evenly until combined.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes or until the pie is set in the center. (My oven is slow so it took an extra 10 minutes to firm in the center). Place the pie on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Serve with whipped cream recipe below.

Just before serving whip the 2 cups whole cream until frothy and slowly add in 1/3 cup Swerve beating well and until stiff peaks form. Serve on each slice of pie and enjoy!

TA DA!

 

This version of the popular recipe for parties is very simple:

2 Cups Cherrios

2 Cups Wheat Chex

2 Cups Rice Chex

2 Cups Pretzels of Any Shape

1 Cup Roasted Peanuts

1 Cup Pecans

1 Bag of Candy Corn

1 Package of Candy Melt

Mix all the ingredients except for the Candy Melt in a Large Bowl

Melt the Candy Melt in the Microwave and pour over the mixture, mix well being sure that each piece of ingredient is covered.

Spread out on wax paper or aluminum foil to dry

Store in zip lock bags or air tight container until served.

You can also use seasonal colored M&M’s.

Yumfest!

 

 

 

There is no other holiday like Halloween where one can become anything the imagination will allow. Decorations and costumes are all meant in fun and jest. Do they become offensive? Probably if one goes too far into the political arena and so it is best to stay away unless you are among like-minded individuals who get what you are doing. This year I have decided to host Witches Night Out which is an idea gleaned from an event hosted by my childhood hometown. Women only attend the event where tickets are sold to enter the community (it’s a very small town/hamlet) and the shops, restaurants and vendors cater to their wine-loving needs. Music is provided and contests are produced. On the small scale of my home we will have wine, punch, beer, soda and tidbits along with white chili and games. Prizes will be awarded for best broom, best hat and best costume. It is hoped that everyone will have fun, play ghostly games and enjoy a ladies night out away from kids, schedules and responsibilities. It’s all in fun.

On the next several posts will be the recipes for the tidbits and some information on games and conversation starters that make the cut to be used for this occasion. Life is short- have some fun!

 

 

This may seem like a lot of work to do but trust me, it’s not. I have a friend who all her married life has hung most of their laundry in the basement or laundry room to dry. It seemed like a lot of work to me but I understood the reasoning. Clothing fades with heat applied and can get worn, tangled and dried up in the dryer. She said that their clothing seemed softer and jeans lasted longer with hanging them to dry. They also keep their shape better. So this summer I went and bought two drying racks and began hanging my clothing on them to dry. When I have more laundry to do at once I use hangers to hang the shirts and dresses from the racks on the garage doors. Things dry pretty quickly in the summer so it’s not a days long wait to fold and put them away. I live out in the country where no one can see my house and drive so sometimes I placed the racks in the driveway and in no time, things were dry. My clothing seems softer and the few wrinkles shook out, ironed out or I put them in the dryer for five minutes to get a little heat. Shorts and jeans for the most part did not require this service but sometimes I added them to the load just because.

Yesterday I received my electric bill and it was Seventy Dollars less! That reflects the first full month of savings. Amazing to save money on an electric bill in the summer too! I wish that I had thought to do this years ago! Just think of the savings we would have had while raising a family! In a year’s time at this rate the savings will be $840.00 on a total electric home. Well worth the small effort of hanging the clothes to dry and savings on the clothing that lasts longer too!  Also, there is the whole carbon footprint that is reduced by using less electricity. This last six weeks has been my only change in that direction as far as electric use and my total consumption was down by almost 5KW compared to last month where I was doing this for only two of the five weeks of June. Consumption over last year in the same period was down by 10 KW. So the challenge is out there for you. How much can you save?

Until tomorrow! Happy savings,

Holly