Amelia's Milk Pie (again)

  I've made my great-grandmother's Milk Pie twice before and found it an easy  and delicious dessert. And it's certainly one you never hear about. What happened to all the old-time recipes?

 The original recipe is posted here. And my second bake of this recipe is posted here.

 I've made two minor changes. 1. This recipe fits into ONE deep dish pie crust. It's much better to have one thicker slice of pie than thinner ones. 2. I left the pie in the full hour this time and found it perfectly done.

 I usually cut pies into six pieces but Tom and I are both trying to  watch calories (fat chance that's going to work). So I cut this one into 8 slices.

 I tasted it as I plated it. Absolutely exceptional!

Winter Flooding

  Winter is a drier time of year. And February is our driest month.

 But not this year. Yesterday we received 1.86" of rain. The normal for the entire month of February is 2.51".

 It started before sunrise and it kept up till late in the evening.

 Looking out towards the mailbox, it was standing in water (a day later that hasn't changed). Across the road (facing east), a wide stream of water can be seen coursing this way. I wonder about all the manure that was spread  there in the past couple of weeks? Has it been washed away?

 Behind Pinehaven, this field stands deep in water. This is a common occurrence in the spring but quite rare in the winter. Surely  several acres are underwater.

 Our log pile collapsed during the night. Yes, it was leaning a bit and needed restacking anyway. I don't know if it was the heavy rain or high wind or whether an animal upset it. I picked it up today and placed the logs back into place until the pile can be reworked when  the weather warms.

 The following three pictures were taken by Dan Miller of the Great Miami River at Franklin, a few miles south of here. They demonstrate the flooding we've experienced.

 And finally, here's some local rainfall readings as posted on  the  NWS website. Farmersville came in the third wettest:

Amish Cobblestone Coffee Cake (remake)

  I've made it before and I loved it so when I needed a baked good to repay some neighbors I made another Amish Cobblestone  Coffee Cake. Actually I've told everyone it's "Cherrystone" and that's even what I have written on my recipe.

 To see how I made it the first time click here. A link to the recipe is there also.

 I had one friend  tell me that more cherry would be good. Most of the 21 ounces is inside the cake so there's really quite a bit as is. We also talked about adding blueberry - or even only blueberry - but  both are experiments I haven't tried.

 There's no doubt where the cobblestone description  comes from. Half the  batter goes on the bottom, then all the cherry pie filling is spread atop it. Finally, the rest of the batter is spooned in clumps atop.

 I do think the icing recipe produces more than is needed. I may cut back on that in the future.

 Here's a side view of a slice showing  the cherry buried inside the cake.

  By the  way, I baked this the entire 35 minutes and I did use a metal pan. Unlike the recipe, I used a 9x13" pan and not the suggested 10x15".

 This is an easy treat. I'm not quite sure why they call is a coffee cake because it is just a standard cake batter. But it is certainly a delicious treat.

Other-wordly Sunrise

  Last evening I was reviewing the morning's sunrise and found there was an instant when the rising sun bathed the atmosphere is an unusual royal hue. I was making breakfast at the time and only remember the colors heightening outdoors (the kitchen looks north).

 The ice/sleet on the ground has resisted melting by the warmer days though the deep snow that was  atop it is mostly gone. It'll take a few more pleasant days to completely remove this winter scene.

 Anyway, as I reviewed the security cam video the colors intensified and the scene became bathed in a vivid purple. It is an unusual color for sunrise (or sunset for that matter). The scene did not last long - mere minutes - and the colors quickly became more traditional.

 This just points out how important it is to keep an eye on the world at all times. It may present these wonders to us that are short-lived and only to those aware enough to be on constant lookout. Of course even I didn't see this. Only the camera did. But it is a good stand-in when we are busy.

[Note: I believe now that purple sunrise was actually the IR night filter the camera uses in low light]

Blueberry Custard Pie

  I've been making various custard pies for years and Tom  enjoys them most with fresh blueberries added. This time I used a basic custard pie recipe from Allrecipes.com. It's posted here.

 I like the old-fashioned look and taste of custard. It's something my Aunt Belle (born just after the Civil War) would have made.

 It's just a matter of making the basic pie and adding the blueberries prior to baking. Because they're added fresh - and nothing is stirred afterwards - they don't break open and dye the mixture blue. I've watched one chef make this and he dusted the blueberries with flour prior to adding them but I don't see the point.

 Th pie tastes "light" to me ... but it isn't. It's close to 300 calories per slice. This recipe calls for half a dozen eggs.

 Still, today is cold and wintery and we needed a nice dessert for lunch. This one filled the bill.