North Georgia Candy Roaster Pie

Every year I try to grow something unusual.  But since I don't have BOTH my gardening legs in use, I decided to grow an oldie but goodie ~ the North Georgia Candy Roaster squash.

This is a winter squash which means that you actually grow it in the summer and it keeps through the year to eat in the winter.  If you imagine that a pumpkin and a sweet potato had a baby, that's what it tastes like.  They are huge, great for months of storage, and delicious!

To make this pie, you'll start by cutting the squash open and scooping out the seeds.  Place the cut ends on a roasting pan with a lip (these things tend to be a bit "juicy").  Cook at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes depending on the size.  

The squash should be fork tender.

Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash with a fork.  Like I said, these tend to hold some water so I choose to drain the squash, but you certainly don't have to.  You'll need 2 cups of squash for the pie recipe, any extra can be frozen in two cup portions.  From these two squash, I got six cups of flesh!

NORTH GEORGIA CANDY ROASTER PIE

2 C. Candy Roaster squash puree

1/2 C. Sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 C. Evaporated milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 Tbs. melted butter

2 tsp. Cinnamon

Your favorite pie crust

Combine all ingredients (except the crust, duh) into a large bowl and beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth.  Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust and bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Now if you can't get your hands on a Candy Roaster, no problem!  You can use ANY sweet-ish squash like pumpkin or acorn, 

or you can use sweet potato or yam. 

Candy Roasters are super easy to grow,

and even easier to eat!

 

Now will somebody please pass me the whipped cream?

Five Things

I’m in a cast and can’t do much right now, but life isn’t all bad. 

Here are five things that I’m loving right now. 

1.  Day trips to the beach.

We live about 40 minutes from Matagorda beach so it’s super easy to pack a bag and take off for the day. There is no better therapy than to sit with your toes in the sand, close your eyes, and listen to the waves crashing.  It restores my soul. 

2.  DouglasCreamerPhotography.com

My husband is resurrecting his photography business.  

It allows him to be creative, make extra money for our family, and we’ve met so many wonderful people through this venture. 

If you’re in need of a photographer, give him a call,

3.  Lunch dates with my husband.

At least once a week we have to leave our small town and travel to Houston for doctor appointments, shopping, or any host of errands.  We’ve decided to turn those days into dates, no kids allowed!  

Now while my dream date doesn’t include walking the aisles of Costco or Tractor Supply, we can at least do it hand in hand.  We have lunch, talk, or just be quiet and enjoy each other’s company.

4.  Tea

If you follow me on Facebook or IG, you know I’m a sucker for iced tea (Buc-ee’s iced tea in particular!). But I’m branching out, y’all!  

I am currently LOVING fresh teas from my garden and exotic dried teas.  Whatever mood I’m in, I have a tea that suits me!

5.  The Fall garden.

My summer vegetable garden is spent so now it’s time to get ready for fall planting. Seed starting begins in August for October planting. I should be out of this cast and walking well by then and I’m so ready to get my hands back in the dirt.  I’ve ordered sturdy new seed starting trays (from Bootstrap Farmer) and lots of new varieties of seeds. I’m really loving sketching out my garden plans for the fall, so many possibilities!

In this crazy time that we are living in, 

it’s important to find things that make you happy. 

Be it food and drink, people, things or places...

what are you loving right now?

At One Month Post Op...

I am exactly four weeks post op from having a Triple Arthrodesis Revision.  And according to my surgeon, it was a crazy difficult surgery to perform with lots of manipulation to my foot and bones.  This same time with my last surgery I was still in bed praying for death!  

But this time....

We are hitting the beach!

Doing double header baseball games!

Heading to church for this girl's 

First Holy Communion!

And I'm in the kitchen processing the garden peppers and tomatoes into gallons 

(literally gallons!) of salsa!

I have little to no pain at all, and simply can't remember the last time I had to take any medication for pain.  I have another six weeks, at least, in this cast but I cannot wait to get it off and get walking again.

And when I do...y'all better watch out!

Ice Cream

Who doesn’t love ice cream?  

It’s just one of those summer time staples, like eating watermelon on the back porch and spitting the seeds into the grass.  Traditionally, making ice cream involves churning, buckets of ice and salt, and lots of time.  But I’ve discovered a way to make some pretty rich and decadent ice cream with just a few ingredients and a little time. 

I wish I could take credit for the recipe, but I found it on a wonderful YouTube channel called Mary’s Nest. 

Here’s her simple process:

Beat two cups of heavy cream into stiff peaks using a stand or hand held mixer, then add one can of sweetened condensed milk and mix until just blended. 

That’s it!  That is the basic recipe. 

You can freeze this mixture as a sweet cream ice cream or add in other flavors.  We added one cup of cocoa powder for a rich chocolate, spooned it into a freezer safe container, and freeze for four hours. 

So many possibilities 

So much deliciousness!

ENJOY!