“There is some magic in it, ... How else are we going to turn a pumpkin into a coach?”

This is going to be a short and sweet post because I'm going gleaning in a bit. If you're wondering Gleaning is where you go to a farm after farmers have taken their pick and you get the leftovers for free. Ill make a post about that tomorrow when i have time because I'm going to be working all night tonight. ANYWAY, i made up another pumpkin recipe, well pumpkin and sweet potato recipe. Maple Pumpkin Sweet Potato Pie. This came about because we could either make a sweet potato pie or a pumpkin pie at Tech Center last week--I combined the two instead. I also remembered reading a post on Eat The Love a while back about his Maple pumpkin pie and decided I wanted to try the maple idea out on my creation too. The results were delectable and my friends seemed to enjoy it too.
[I'm sorry this post is so lame :)]

Pumpkin King Pie:
-8 oz. pumpkin [canned, unfortunately]
-1 large sweet potato, roasted until soft
-1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1 tsp. nutmeg
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. ginger, fresh is better than ground--trust me
-1/4 tsp. cloves
-1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
-2 eggs
-1/4 c. maple syrup
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
-12 oz. evaporated milk
-1 9" pie shell [recipe follows]

Preheat the hotbox to 375 F

In a large bowl beat together the pumpkin, sweet potato, brown sugar, and spices until smooth. Next whisk in the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.Finally stir in the evaporated milk until smooth and homogeneous in apperance.

Pour into a 9" pie shell and bake for 40 to 50 min--until a knife comes out clean in the center.

Pie Dough:
[makes 2 pie shells]
-2 1/4 c. sifted all-purpose or cake flour
-2 tbs. granulated sugar
-1 tsp. baking powder
-3/4 tsp. salt
-3/4 c. shortening
-5 tbs. cold or ice water

Sift a heap of all-purpose flour onto a piece of wax paper. Set the flour sifter into the mixing bowl. Then measure 2 1/4 c. of the sifted flour back into sifter[sifted flour is not the same as flour, sifted.] add the 3/4 tsp salt, sugar, and baking powder; sift into the bowl.Drop the shortening into the flour, then cut it in with two table knives:hold one in each hand; cut crosswise [that's in opposite directions] through mixture until the flour coated particles are the size of peas.
Sprinkle 1 tbs of water over a small portion of the flour mixture, lightly pressing moistened particles together with a fork. Toss this dough aside in the bowl. Repeat until all flour is moistened, being careful to add water each time to undampened spot. Use only enough of the water to make the dough stick together when gently pressed. now lightly form one pastry ball, wrap in waked paper and chill for 30 mins.
Now the pastry is ready to roll out into two 9" single pie shells.

[Paolo Montalban Quote For Title]

Praise The Sky For Spinach Pie

I rolled of my Papa's futon this morning, futons are stuffed with hate, and i felt the urge not to move for quite some time. Eventually i got up and got ready to go out for a nice bike ride with my daddy. The weather has been amazing recently, like the dragons of summers heat is flying away making room for autumn coming in the next month or so. Before I went on the ride i had myself a glass of chia seeds, lemon juice, sugar, and water. It takes like slimy lemonade, but in a good way, and it's pack full of omega-3's and omega-6's, not to mention gives you quite the energy boost. Chia seeds are amazing fuel. It was a beautiful 22 mile ride, This one part we were going down this winding road and all i could focus on was the gorgeous trees with sun permeating through the gaps and the forest surrounding the street. I happen to love nature quite a bit. That's for another post though.

This post is about what i was supposed to make yesterday, Albanian Spinach Pie.

Now Albania is located in South-Western Europe, with the Mediterranean on its Western border, Serbia to the North, Macedonia to the East, and Greece to the South. For obvious reasons, Albanian cuisine is influenced by Greek, Italian, and Turkish cuisines. There are many dishes with Lamb or Veal, not to mention many dishes contain nuts or yogurt.

I took it upon myself to make a popular dish, Spinach Pie.

Byrek Me Spinaq [Spinach Pie] :

-1 c. olive oil

- 3/4 lb. Filo Dough, about 30 sheets

-1 1/2 lb. spianch leaves, chopped [raw, not frozen]

-6-8 oz. crumbled feta, or 1 c. diced

-5 green onions [scallions], chopped, about 1/2 c.

-2 eggs, beaten

-1/2 tsp salt

preheat the hotbox to 350 degrees F.

Get a medium sized round casserole dish, or pie dish; brush with a little of the oil. Layer the sheets of Filo two at a time, then sprinkle with a little of the oil. Repeat until half of the Filo is used. Mix the Spinach and salt together in a medium bowl. Add in the Feta, onions, and eggs. Cover with the remaining Filo using the same technique as before. Dizzle a samll amount of oil over the top. Bake for 30-45 mins, or until golden brown.

The edges of mine got Burnt >.< , but it was still delicious. There is something about Spinach Pie that kind of warms your heart. Its a humble dish, but it still knows its good. This Albanian dish is a close relative to the Greek dish called Spanakopita, which is also super yummy...

LATER.

Meat Is Neat

A very low-key day indeed. I actually don't quite remember what i did...rode my bike, swam? I'm uber wiped out so im gonna keep this short and sweet.

I made an Australian meat pie. Which was yumminess to the max! I didn't have any ground beef so i had to mince a boneless steak i had. It took forever, but it tasted just the same, if not even better.

Now Australia is the smallest Continent, so its the 'country' of the day. The English were the first to establish settlements, however, agriculture there was a mega fail. So the depend on a lot of food from England. The Irish and some Asian countries migrated down under and had an influence on their cuisine as well.

I made a meat pie because it's the national dish of Australia. More than 260 million pies are eaten every year there.

Australian Meat Pie:
-3 tbs. of olive oil
-1 medium vidallia onion, finely chopped

-1 lb. of ground, lean beef [80% meat to 20% fat is preferred]

-1 tsp oregano

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp black pepper

- 1 tsp paprika

-1 tbs. corn starch

-3/4 c. beef stock

-1/3 cup tomato paste

-1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
-1 tsp Vegemite or 1 vegetable stock cube

-2, 8" pie crusts [homemade is always better]

-1/2 tbs butter, melted

Preheat hot box to 430 degrees F ; 220 C.

In a medium skillet heat the oil, add in the onions and fry until translucent, 3-4 mins. Toss in the spices and beef, cook until browned. Combine 1 tbs of the stock and the cornstarch in a small cup or bowl. set aside. Now add the remaining beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and Vegemite. Bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, and simmer for 10 mins, or until thickened. Pour the beef mixture into one of the pie shells, now cover with the remaining crust. Brush with the beaten egg. Then make slits in the middle of the pie to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 20 mins.

Take out and enjoy. yum diddly dum dum.