The Country Club in my home town had a signature dessert, Buttermilk Pie. So sweet and rich that it was almost sinful to get to the end of a meal without room for “just a taste” if nothing else. Years after leaving home and starting my own family, I was working at a CPA firm and one day mentioned this pie in passing to one of our computer/key punch operators, Ernestine.

Ernestine volunteered that she had an old family recipe for a Buttermilk Pie, and wondered if it was the same pie. The next day, Ernestine brought in a punch card with the recipe hand written on the back, with the notation “makes two (2) pies” underscored heavily. This was followed by the verbal warning : “Do not try to cut this in half and only make one pie. It just doesn’t work”.

Knowing that you ignore Ernestine at your own risk, we tried the recipe and, damn, we had two pies that could have been delivered fresh from the Country Club. We were amazed, but also delighted. But, being young and worried about our figures, after a time or two, we cut the recipe in half and made one pie. Ernestine was right – it doesn’t work the same. So follow the recipe, make two pies, and take one to a neighbor.

Buttermilk Pie

6 eggs, beaten
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
3 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup flour
2 - 9" Pet-Ritz pie shells

Mix together. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

This is like a chess pie. It is sweet and oh so good

Simple musings

Boy, can you believe that summer is just around the corner? Don’t know about where you live, but our grandson (third grader) is out of school for the summer in exactly one week (May 23). In our family, the end of the school year is the official beginning of summer.

In our house, summer means a lot more grilling, lots of fresh vegetables, and trying to cut way down on time in the kitchen. Not that the kitchen is a bad place, but who wants to heat up the house or spend a lot of time sweating over a hot stove with temperatures hanging around the mid to upper 90’s and humidity almost as bad. We ARE located in Texas you know.

ME loves her fresh vegetable’s, and the old pressure cooker and the Dutch ovens historically get a lot of use with the black eyed peas, pink hulled peas, zipper peas, cream peas, crowder peas and lima beans. But we have discovered the wonders of fresh asparagus, Texas sweet or Vidalia onions, zucchini or yellow squash, mushrooms and new potatoes cooked in a wok on the grill.

And at least once a week, ME digs out the old cast iron skillet and fries up some okra. Even folks who NEVER eat okra beg for second helpings when ME is frying. She uses a very light (almost a dusting) batter which is the secret. Or so she says.