More in our National Wednesdays: today is not only National Simplicity Day, it’s also National Pecan Pie Day!
Wickeds, share your favorite pecan pie recipe or memory. And let us know what you do to incorporate simplicity into your life. Readers, please do the same in the Comments.
Jessie: Since I am allergic to nuts I don’t have any positive memories about pecan pies or recipes for them. I am not allergic to simplicity however and am trying to incorporate more of it into my life whenever possible. I think one of the places I manage it best is when I travel. I have gotten the art of packing down to a single backpack for trips as long as 11 days by simplifying my wardrobe and being really choosy. It makes travel so much more fun not to have to be responsible for lugging around excess.
Sherry: Jessie, even though you’ve shown me your magic packing techniques, I don’t think I could ever manage. I remember the first time I ever tried making a pecan pie. I had to cook it for hours. The recipe is so simple but the darn thing wouldn’t set up. So I guess my simplicity is to buy the pie or eat one out instead of trying to make one. And I also buy the pie crust already made.
Edith: Well, heck. I make a pecan pie every year for Thanksgiving but don’t seem to have a recipe anywhere. One year I made the pie with bourbon in it, and another year added chocolate somewhere. I confess most of the time I use the recipe on either the pecan bag or the bottle of molasses – but always with homemade crust. As for simplicity, it’s kind of a big thing with Quakers. It’s also tough to manage in our busy lives. I envy Jessie that packing thing! And isn’t it nice when you go to a vacation home or a hotel room and you realize all the stuff you don’t actually need? Here’s a picture of the ultra-simple – and beautiful – Amesbury Friends Meetinghouse. Yeah, that.
Barb: I love pecan pie. Our Thanksgiving dessert table groans with choices, especially pies. I bring the mincemeat and apple. I love pumpkin, but favor it for day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast. On the day, lots of people go the little bit of this, little bit of that route, but I give what room I have left entirely to the pecan. As for simplicity, I try to avoid unnecessary drama in my life. I think that counts, right?
Julie: Jessie is walking me through her packing techniques, and I am going to try and use them for a 2 week vacation in August. Even if I use a smaller suitcase it makes life easier. We shall see. Regarding simplicity–I aspire to it, but will confess, I have complicated systems that are simple for me. But then again, I’m a Virgo, so there’s that. Regarding pecan pie, my niece has nut allergies, so I haven’t made it recently, but one of my favorite recipes is Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. It is very decadent, but so is pecan pie.
Readers: Pecan pie recipes? How you keep your own life simple?
I love pecan pie–warm, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream–but can’t bake to save my life, so I’m strictly a buy-a-pie person.
Simplicity eludes me. I was born into a big messy family and think that’s how my life is meant to be.
Hey, at least you know yourself, Ramona!
I married into a big, messy family. Umm, wonder what that means?
Jesse, my favorite pie is tarte au sucre, a Quebec holiday staple. It’s the best part of the pecan pie without the pecans or any other nuts. This recipe is one of my favorites, because it’s simple and traditional. Tastes like my great-grandmother’s from Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.
http://www.food.com/recipe/tarte-au-sucre-francaise-french-canadian-sugar-pie-418149
Simplicity is something I cherish. It works well with my introverted self. Quaker meeting is my favorite form of group worship, but I am happiest at home writing, taking pictures, and making prints. I love my family but like to work alone.
You have spoken of that pie before, Reine. I must try it this year!
I hope you like it!
I shall have to give it a try, Reine! I would love to enjoy the best parts without the allergens!
LIke Jesse, I can pack everything I need in a backpack and still come home with at least one item un-worn. (This presumes access to a laundromat and an iron at destination place.) I limit color combinations to make everything match. For general simplicity, Mama’s saying from depression days. “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do, or do without.”
That’s such a valuable skill, Carol.
I agree, limited color combos make it all work! I usually choose black and red. What are your favorites?
Love pecan pie-the Karo Syrup recipe! Also love pumpkin, mincemeat, apple. cherry, squash, custard…guess there isn’t one I don’t like!
Simplicity? I never seem to get to it! Life is complicated no matter how hard I try to make it less so!
I know what you mean about complicated, Doris.
I’ve used Martha’s pecan pie recipe and it’s wonderful! If you’re gonna go, go big! As for simplicity, I’m trying hard to pare down my belongings and am sharing a consignment booth with a friend at a local shop to clear out some collectibles– and the owner sells my mysteries! It’s a win/win. Edith, enjoyed that photo of the meeting house~
That IS a win-win! I think the Martha recipe is the one I used one year with bourbon and chocolate. And now you know where I am every Sunday morning at 10. ;^)
I love pecan pie, and I don’t bake. I have a younger daughter who makes it occasionally and an adopted son who is a C.I.A. graduate baker. I ask, he bakes. He also takes care of my Key Lime Pie addiction.
I read CIA and thought, the CIA has bakers? Then I parsed the initials. ;^) Lucky you!
Growing up in Vacaville, I had a friend who had a walnut orchard. She made crazy pecan pie with walnuts. I couldn’t tell the difference, but I was after the sugar high anyway.
I know Vacaville! My great-auntie Helen used to live there.
Pie sales are a major contributor to the budgets of our tiny local libraries in Orford NH. (We have two, because the inland side of town and the river side each insist on their identity and autonomy. Do you wonder I love this place?) For each sale, I make two pecan pies, one from the Karo bottle recipe, the other a “Maida Heater’s Chocolate Pecan Pie.” I give the latter to the sale because the name sells best. My husband and I eat the other, because it tastes best.
Who is Maida Heater, or should I know? Glad you eat the one you like the best!
Maida Heater is the author of Maida Heater’s Big Book of Chocolate Desserts. Long out of print, and unless I misspelled something, no longer known even to Abe Books. Some, not all, of her recipes are to die for, especially The World’s Best Hot Fudge Sauce.
Like Jessie, I’m allergic to tree nuts, so pecan pie is out for me. It’s a shame because I used to love it.
Simplicity. I need to try to make my life more simple, and I’m failing out it miserably.
Maybe one little thing at a time would work, Mark? Anyway, I sympathize.
I haven’t had pecan pie in years. Now I want a slice. Thanks! One way I try to keep things simple is by using my planner. It’s my lifeline.
Yeah. My google calendar has helped me, if not simplify, at least stay on top!
One Thanksgiving, I hosted a group of friends (“orphans” we called ourselves because we did not have family in the area). One friend brought a Chocolate Pecan Pie. OMG, one of the best pies I’ve ever eaten! Who would think to add chocolate to pecan pie? As for keeping it simple, my favorite days are the ones I never turn on the TV. Like today 🙂
We’ve had orphan turkey days, too! I guess 6 out of 7 of my days are simple, then. I only watch TV on Sunday nights!
If I had to stick to one TV day, Sunday would be it. I live very simply these days and find the quiet helps me focus on the things I need to do as well as touch peace and sometimes carry it throughout the day.
I’ve never made a pecan pie but I love them, so I buy them. I make a fantastic pumpkin pie. My daughter swears she wouldn’t come to visit if I didn’t make one for her! It’s a lot of work because my yummy crust is a pain to make, but I only have to do it once a year. (I’d be happy to make a lot more of them if she could come more often.)
I believe my OCD really helps with simplifying. I put things away immediately so I never have to waste time looking for stuff. I also declutter on a regular basis so that helps a lot, too. My husband says I can get 3 cubic feet of stuff into 1 cubic foot whenever I pack anything. I mostly just keep the wardrobe as simple as possible. That means only two pairs of shoes – the one I’m wearing and one other appropriate for the occasion of the traveling. And we don’t even have TV. Wow, does that ever free up a lot of time.
Per TV – agree! (Unfortunately for me, a lot of that time gets used up on FB…)
I made a pecan pie once at the request of my brother-in-law. I think it was for Christmas. I used the recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook with a homemade crust. They are too sweet for me, but it disappeared pretty fast so it must have been good!
I have simplicity in my work space. A desk, the computer, a chair, maybe a pen and pad if I need it. Phone nearby in case someone calls. Oh, and a little figurine of Marvin the Martian to watch over me. Anything I take out during the day must be put back when work is done. The chair next to my bed is overflowing with clothes, but the work space must be clean, simple, and organized!
Good for you on the work space. I decluttered mine (well, halfway) yesterday and it already feels better.