Family Pie

I'm in between now. I'm old enough to remember ancestors past and young enough to see the family beyond my time. It's like I'm sitting in the middle of a big family dinner table too many decades long to see end to end. These days I feel like I am trying to find things that should be passed down from generation to generation and then I imagine that Katie says "please pass the pie."

Well, she really asked me what kind of birthday cake I wanted this year. But I was thinking about Granddaddy, Grandmother, Granddaddy Crocker, Mamaw, Aunt Opel and Uncle Click, Uncle George, Burrell and Burrell Russel, Len, Mr. and Mrs. Martin, Aunt Loise, Mamaw Bennett, Geraldine, Sterling, Howard and the comforting noises they all made at family gatherings - and we always had pie.

So, I'm stirring the pot a little here and am presenting a family dialog as is - it's our noise now and it's time to pass the pie.

My Email to Family on October 26, 2009.

Hi,

Do you have any family traditional recipes for chess, chocolate, chocolate chess, or pecan pies?

I'm thinking birthday pie this year!

Tad Crocker

The first reply:

Duh, let me think about it. I haven't cooked in so long I don't know where recipes are around here. I do remember one thing about making pecan pies: Be sure not to tear the pastry, because if it is torn, the good juicy Karo filling will go down under it.

If Beverly sends anything, forward it to me, too. Thanks.

Love,
Mom

Daddy plays on our Crocker name.

Well, I found a bunch of old Crocker family recipes. Betty Crocker that is.
Ha
Many variations.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/search/searchresults.aspx?terms=pecan+pie

love,
DAddy

Then Aunt Beverly replies.

Planning ahead, huh??

Yes, I have Mother's good pecan pie recipe that was from a friend in D'burg....it
may have come via Mary ann, I don't remember. It's not so sicky sweet.

LD has a great choc chess pie recipe.
I have Aunt Norma's chess pie recipe...

And of course you DO have Mother's apple pie recipe, right??

I'll send these sometime....

Beverly

Then she finds an answer for me that I actually used for my Birthday Pie. It wasn't from our family, but it's exactly what I was trying to make up from several of our recipes. Janie taught me to make great pie crust that night!

I searched the web.....maybe this is from somebody's family recipes

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Chocolate-Pecan-Chess-Pie-4504

Beverly

And Len Dow speaks up too with a recipe from Winnie.

Chocolate Chess pie

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
3 1/2 TBL cocoa
1 small can evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 unbaked pastry shell

Mix ingredients together, bomcining (Maybe I had a little too much wine!
I think that is MIXING! Or maybe blending :-) thoroughly (by hand). Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

:-)

love ya

ld

I plan to update this post as I find more family recipes for pie, cobbler, and such.

In the mean time, smile and listen carefully to your family's noises - like mine here. Those are the ingredients never to be listed in the recipes.

I sure hope you have leftovers!