SIX EASY AS PIE CRUMB CRUSTS with No-Bake Fillings

Home Economics 101. Mrs. Rogers. Skyline High School. Dallas, Texas. 198....

Pie dough was the first thing I learned to make in the kitchen. As a child my mother always gave me bits of raw pie dough to eat.I loved being in the kitchen with her, both my sister and I did.  Fast forward 12 years and as I sit in Home-Ec class, Mrs. Rogers is teaching her class how to make a basic pie dough. And that simple pie dough has taken me to such great places.... with wonderful memories.

Our Favorite Cinnamon-y & Sugar-y Treats Round-Up

I've still got the cinnamon-sugar coated sopapillas on my mind after dinner last night. Are you in the baking mood? Do you love the cinnamon-sugar combo as much as me? Here is a list of some of our favorite cinnamon-y and sugar-y treats that would be perfect to bake for the holidays or any day! Follow the links and enjoy.

25 SLOW COOKER SOUP RECIPES

Fall is officially in full swing and soup is the name of the game around our house. With the weather changing, these 25 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes will make the upcoming cold season much more bearable! Fall brings busy packed schedules for all and this roundup of recipes will eliminate the stress of the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?”

Plan a Large Outdoor Cookout with FIX

The good people at FIX.com contacted me about their new party planning illustrations. Grilling expert and founder of Grilling 24X7, John Thomas, breaks down how to host a successful cookout for a crowd! I thought with Labor Day upon us, I'd play along and share their very informative illustrations and post. John makes planning and throwing an outdoor BBQ simple and fun. So call your friends and family, turn on your grills and get to grilling people -- and enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

How To Throw A Sunny Summer Picnic

Grab your family and friends and head to the backyard for a summer picnic! Picnics are the personification of summer fun with delicious food, refreshing drinks, and laid-back, warm sunshine. Turn it into a party with a few decor touches and picnic baskets for everyone! Below are my top tips for throwing a backyard summer picnic.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL!

Barbecue, fireworks, parades, hot dogs, picnics, lemonade, concerts, home-made ice cream, grilled burgers, swimming and baseball games!  WHEW! From small towns to big cities and all across this beautiful nation of ours, these are just a few of the ways we will celebrate the 4th of July, America’s Independence Day. Red, white, & blue will be the colors of the day, and being with the ones we love will surely be the highlight of our long weekend. It is fitting that we stop and take the time to celebrate the independence of our great nation! Below [each picture is linked to it's original source] is a collection of recipes, decor and easy entertaining tips for the birthday of our nation! Let's CELEBRATE!

10 WAYS WITH WATERMELON

June is upon us and our little family has already started eating our favorite Summer food –WATERMELON! Just one look at a watermelon and I begin to feel relaxed and stress-free. I'm sure many of you have great memories of watermelon – fireworks, parades, picnics, seed-spitting contests, thumps and such!

30 Easy Homemade Christmas Candy Recipes

Everyone loves a homemade gift, especially if that gift is edible and sweet like the following Christmas candy recipes from myself and a few other bloggers. Choose from easy recipes for fudge, chocolate bark, pralines, marshmallows, and more, and give this holiday season a personal touch that can't be beat.

10 Simple, Yet Elegant Small Bites For Easy Entertaining

Far from ordinary, these appetizers will help get your Christmas or New Year's Eve gathering off to a memorable start. Taking ten minutes or less to prepare, these appetizers will please even the most discerning guests. They will never guess you were in and out of the kitchen in a FLASH!

PONDERING PIES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

I don't know about your family traditions but in the Porter house Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without pie! If our dessert table isn't full of pies we would in fact have to check the calendar. Maybe it's NOT Thanksgiving! No need to look for cakes or cookies because you won't find any, however there WILL be pie. I'm not exactly clear on how it happens but our pies somehow seem to miraculously multiply on Thanksgiving Day. Every year I always end up with as much or more pie than I originally baked myself. Which in fact is fine by me since I am a lover of pie. I can bake cakes upon cakes, or cookies and candy by the dozen without taking a nibble, although pie.... well pie is a different story. Let's just say that I am lucky, Mr.P and Jared will have all of our pie eaten by the Saturday night following Thanksgiving, yes it's true. As a result, I don't have to exert too much self-control. I'm grateful, truly I am. 

Christmas Dinner and Family Memories

Like other families on Christmas, our family shares a wonderful and traditional dinner together...buffet style. Just as Christmas Day would not be the same without all of our family around the dinner table, Christmas dinner would not be the same without our time tested menu. Starting with a spiral cut Ham as the center piece of our meal each family member brings their own signature dishes to our Christmas table. I thought I would share with you the recipes that we use EVERY year at Christmastime and also introduce to you my little family. They are the precious individuals that make our dinning experience so special. It's more than just Christmas Dinner. It's the joyous wonder of family memories! Never forget, "It's not what's on the Plates that matter, It's the loved ones in the Chairs."

 Elizabeth Morganne Porter

BAKED CORN

 This dish is one of E's favorites. Baked Corn is not new to our table, we have been baking and eating this for years. Elizabeth has now taken over the task of preparing our beloved corn.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can corn, drained 
• 1 can cream-style corn
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 stick of butter/margarine melted
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp. flour

• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients well, pour into a round baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes. We double this recipe when our whole family gets together. Pour into a 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Stand Back! This will soon become a favorite of your family's as well.  

STEPH'S GREEN BEANS

What my sister can do with a can of green beans is near to miraculous! My strictly no "green" eating child will even eat these green beans. 

INGREDIENTS

MY SISTER, STEPH
AND KRISTIN, HER DAUGHTER

• 6 cans of whole green beans
• 6 pieces of thick cut bacon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 6 chicken bouillon
• 3/4 stick of butter
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
•  salt to taste

Fry the bacon in a stock pot that is big enough to hold the green beans. Add onion and saute on medium-high heat until tender. Add garlic and saute, watch the pot...you do not want your garlic to brown. Add butter, bouillon, green beans, freshly cracked pepper to the stock pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn   heat to low and simmer for at least 2 hours, assuring that the green beans soak up all of that scrumptious broth!! 

MOM AND DAD, RON AND GLO CHESSER...SWEET!

MOM'S CARAMELIZED SWEET POTATOES

Mom and Dad bought  

sorghum syrup on the side of the road years ago. You know the kind...it comes in a silver looking paint can. The older the syrup became the better our sweet potatoes turned out! If all I had on Christmas Day was Mom's glazed Ham and candied sweet potatoes, I  would be one happy woman!

INGREDIENTS

• 8-9 good sized sweet potatoes,

yummy!

roasted until soft; peel off the skin

• 1 cup sorghum syrup
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 sticks of butter 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

WHAT TO DO

  Using a large shallow oven proof dish, arrange potatoes in a single layer. Combine all other ingredients in a jar or bowl. Microwave on high until bubbly; pour mixture over potatoes. Place in a 350 degree oven and cook for 45 minutes. We cook ours longer...the stickier the better! I must tell you when I think of a classic cook I think of women like my mother. She cooks by taste. You can't do that when you bake, but cooking is a whole other story. For her sweet potatoes she keeps throwing goodies in the jar until it taste wonderful! Between the two of us, this was the closest recipe we could figure out that would do her sweet potatoes justice. When we came to the honey and how much to add mom said, "Oh, I didn't have any honey in the pantry. I found 6 leftover packets of honey from Popeye's Chicken that I threw in the jar!" Now is that a cook or WHAT! 

STEWED SQUASH AND ZUCCHINI              

ME.....A FEW POUNDS AGO!

This recipe has been in our family longer than I would like to admit. Mainly because I am the only family member to have ever cooked this wonderful side dish! I have never had a recipe only "guesstimations". You need to know how many people you will be serving. I know for my little family of four I use 3 yellow crook-necked squash and one good size zucchini. When you go to purchase the squash/zucchini just keep in mind a 2 to 1 ratio. It doesn't have to be precise, believe me it will taste wonderful! This version of the recipe will serve 10-12 people.

INGREDIENTS

• 8-9 good sized yellow crook necked squash
• 4 large zucchini
• 1 white onion, sliced not diced
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
• 5 chicken bouillon squares

WHAT TO DO

Using a vegetable peeler lightly peel the squash and zucchini. Slice all, set aside. Slice the onion and place in a pot large enough to hold all of the veggies. Add the butter and bouillon. In an alternating fashion add the squash and zucchini to your pot, cover with lid. Cook over medium-high heat. Keep pot covered. When it begins to sizzle, around 5 minutes, stir well and re-cover pot with lid. Stir often. Make sure to re-cover the pot each time you stir. It takes very little time to cook, maybe an additional 10-15 minutes until very tender.

DEVILED EGGS

My grandmother, Little Gran was the Deviled Egg aficionado in our family. It didn't matter if we were eating Christmas dinner or hamburgers in the backyard, all of the kids...big and little alike ....demanded LG's Deviled Eggs. She passed away earlier this year at the age of 92 and the baton has been passed to Ann. 

MY AUNT, ANN. THE KIDS CALL HER 
'ANNIE BUGS'

INGREDIENTS

• 1 dozen eggs
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
• 1 good size spoonful of brown mustard
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Oscar Mayer real bacon bits
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• Kosher salt if needed, taste mixture before adding

WHAT TO DO

Place eggs in large stock pot, cover with cold water and lid. Place over high heat. As soon as you hear the eggs boiling remove from heat, keeping lid in place. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Drain; place them in cold water, adding a few handfuls of ice to keep the eggs from continuing to cook. When cool, peel, half and put yolks into mixing bowl. Mix in all other ingredients except the green top of the diced onions and salt. Mix well, taste for salt adding if needed. Fill a zip lock bag with yolk mixture, cut off the corner and pipe filling into egg halves. Using the tops of the chopped green onions, sprinkle over eggs. Refrigerate until dinner....YUM!

ME AND MR.P

JARED AND AMY

ELIZABETH AND BRADLEY

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

FROM THE PORTERS

ENJOY!

~THE DOMESTIC CURATOR~

RONDA