Maple Pumpkin Pie with Salted Pecan Brittle

Pumpkin pie is a holiday favorite.  I love traditional pumpkin pie, but I'm always happy to find a new twist to it.  The filling of this pumpkin pie has a touch of maple flavor and is a lighter filling, more like a chiffon.  I've already made it twice for two different parties, and everyone was asking for the recipe.  It's a winner!!!  (The bonus . . . you'll also love the recipe for the Salted Pecan Brittle.  Yum, yum!)

Tomato Pie Fresh from the Garden

I still have lots of tomatoes in my Kitchen Garden.  I've canned them diced, in sauces and salsas, we've had slices in salads and soups and on sandwiches, and we've still got tomatoes coming. So for a change of pace, today I made a tomato pie.

Mom's Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

I'm an old-fashioned gal, with an old-fashioned heart, an old-fashioned kitchen, and a desire to make the best old-fashioned pies ever.  I have many vivid memories and images of my Mom rolling out pastry on the flour-dusted kitchen table and pinching the edges to make a decorative crust.  Her pies were always so scrumptious! 

When I got married, my first few attempts at making pies didn't turn out very good.  So I asked my Mom to teach me. Mom gave me her recipe and her tips as she demonstrated her art.  I learned quickly, and from then on people raved about my pies, especially the flaky crusts.  Nowadays, it is so easy to use the refrigerator pie crusts that you can buy in a grocery store.  I guess they're OK in a pinch if you're in a major hurry.  But, truth be told, they are just not the same as old-fashioned, homemade pie crusts.  Unless time is of the utmost essence, there is really no need to forgo this timeless treasure--not when you have the right recipe and know-how.  So I gladly share with you lessons I learned at my Mom's side.