Buttermilk pie...who knew?!?!?

For Christmas we had the good fortune of going to the Burke's house for a fabulous turkey with all the trimmings. I offered to make pies...and they actually didn't suck. Since Kristie's meals are always fabulous, I couldn't bring just run-of-the-mill pies...so I opted for one of my personal favorites--Chocolate Pecan Pie (thanks for the recipe Dawn!). To round out the duet, Matthew suggested a Buttermilk Pie...which he discovered at the Baylor University Medical Center's cafeteria (yes, a hospital cafeteria...of all places) when Grace was born. I got one recipe from my mom, then searched the internet & cookbooks for others...combined a little of this with a pinch of that...and this is the recipe I came up with...yummy!

Buttermilk Pie
3 eggs, well beaten
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus**
9" pie crust

Mix butter, sugar & flour. Add eggs. Add buttermilk, vanilla & Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus. Mix well. Pour into 9" pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes (or until knife inserted near center of pie comes out clean).

**Note: You can substitute nutmeg if you don't happen to have the Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus Blend, but I really think this is my secret ingredient!

Gotta love a man who lets you take pictures of this...

I feel pretty...

Oh so pretty...

I feel pretty and witty and...

hey...

Credits: Dave Beaman's Ethereal Glow Action (www.atncentral.com) to give these photos just the right touch; Leopard-trimmed coat appears courtesy of Miss Emma.

Okay...so it's been a while...

Well, I started with grand intentions of actually keeping up with my blog on a regular basis...I guess I'm going for the once-a-quarter-posting approach. Anyway, "Happy New Year" to all...here is my January calendar page. {Mama, you'll be getting your copy in the mail soon...}

These photos were taken during our freak, early snowfall the week after Thanksgiving. Talk about some strange weather since we arrived in Western Washington...record 3-day heat wave (not too bad by Texas standards...unless your house does NOT have a/c...which ours, of course, does not); record November rainfall; early snowstorm (actually closed school for 2 days...but made for an excellent photo op); and...oh yeah...that once-in-a-decade windstorm that knocked our power out for 39 hours (I said it was in honor of my best friend Kristi's 39th bday since it started at midnight on her bday, Dec. 15th) and left us without phone/internet/cable for almost a week. Try explaining to a 2 year old that we can't watch Dora (even downstairs) over & over & over again...I did.

So...without further rambling...um, I mean ado...I ring in the new year with this...

Credits: "Winter Chic" digital kit by Shabby Princess (www.theshabbyshoppe.com); Snowflake brushes by Michelle Coleman (www.scrapartist.com); January calendar by Katie Pertiet (www.designerdigitals.com).