Ellie & Elizabeth

A lady chats about hope, her house and the crazy crew that lives there

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Mom's Butterscotch Pie Recipe and Ellie's Halloween Costume

October 18, 2016 by Elizabeth in recipes

If you've been around here long enough, you'll remember that I went on a 21 day diet where you ate categories of foods in different sized boxes. You were allowed plenty of boxes of vegetables a day, but there was a TINY box for fats, including cheese, and you only got one of those a day. I did lose some weight, but really, I ask you, who can live long term with only a tiny box of cheese a day? (If you missed those episodes of fleeting nutritious eating, read Part I here and Part II here).

Most importantly, you know what they didn't even have a box for?

Pie. 

Really.

I can't live in a world without pie. 1) Pie makes me happy. 2) Happy people live longer. 3) There has to be a box for pie, people. And there's no better pie than my mother's butterscotch pie recipe, which obviously will lengthen my life, making me happy and all. 

Seriously. It's the bomb.

I can't give up my mom's recipe without a proper introduction...Some of you may remember I've mentioned my grandmother, MomB, and how she was a character? (If you missed it, read about her here). Well, my mother, Lana, doesn't fall far from the tree in that regard, although she's a character in different ways. She's fun, sassy, and is always on the go. 

Mom and I at a Mother/Daughter Banquet several years back. I know, isn't she pretty?

Mom and I at a Mother/Daughter Banquet several years back. I know, isn't she pretty?

When I say she's always on the go, I mean it. A few years back I called and said we were coming for a visit for spring break (she lives 12 hours from us). She paused and said, well, that'd be nice, honey, but I'll be in Spain. Most ladies her age are not dropping everything and running off to Spain. I don't have half her energy, but she keeps telling me she's just 29, so what do I know?

However, she does slow down long enough to cook when she's not jet setting off somewhere, and anything she makes is a treat. She is constantly entertaining and this is one of the favorites. Her cousin teases her that he's going to keep her locked up in a closet and only let her out to make this pie. (He's a little sassy, too, haha).

Here is her famous Butterscotch Pie Recipe, a perfect fall dessert. Delicious.

LANA'S BUTTERSCOTCH PIE RECIPE

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tsp. Cornstarch
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Cups milk
3 beaten eggs
3 tsp. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla extract.

1 unbaked pie shell

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. Sugar

In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, & salt; gradually stir in milk.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils & thickens. (Warning, if you don't thicken enough, pie will be runny!) Cook 2 mins. longer.  Remove from heat; in a separate bowl, stir small amount of hot mixture into beaten eggs; return eggs to hot mixture.  Cook 2 mins over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Add butter &vanilla.  Cool to room temp. You can pour directly into unbaked pie shell, or I like to bake my shell 10 mins. first, cover edges so it will be crisp.

Meringue: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar & vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff.  Layer meringue on top of pie filling and bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Hope y'all enjoy the pie!

Love,

Elizabeth

P.S. I need help choosing Ellie's Halloween costume...I'll show you the choices over the next few posts. Let me know what you think.  Choice #1:

Queen Ellie does have a nice ring to it. 

Queen Ellie does have a nice ring to it. 

And I couldn't resist posting a pic of Mom a few years ago on Halloween.

I told you she's a fun gal.  She says this year's costume is a surprise...I'm almost afraid to ask, haha

I told you she's a fun gal.  She says this year's costume is a surprise...I'm almost afraid to ask, haha

October 18, 2016 /Elizabeth
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recipes
13 Comments

Cheap Halloween Decor

October 11, 2016 by Elizabeth in decorating

Y'all.  

#1. I usually don't take on a crafty project if it takes more than 10 minutes. That's why for months now, I have only one curtain panel made for my bedroom. If you get a tour of that room, you may never see both windows at once, since I may have to take that one panel from window to window for the pictures, lol.

Okaaay, just kidding...I'll finish those curtains somehow...

#2. A 'cheap' project usually ends up costing me $50 because somehow I can't find what I need and it all goes to pot. I get frustrated and just go out and somehow end up buying all the wrong things. Over and over. Good times.

So no one was more shocked than me when I put together this Halloween ghost and bats for my mantel and porch for FREE! To make both it took less than 10 minutes! And they didn't fall apart!

I know! I can't believe it either!

A 'cool' ghost for the porch. We do just a little creepy decor here and there, but prefer to keep it light. Ellie gets scared easily. 

A 'cool' ghost for the porch. We do just a little creepy decor here and there, but prefer to keep it light. Ellie gets scared easily. 

The ghost ends up close to five feet tall and consists of four things: A tomato cage turned upside down (see pic below if you are garden-challenged like me, and don't know what a tomato cage is. I haven't known long), a dirty soccer ball from the yard placed on the top of the upside down cage, a sheet or tablecloth thrown over said cage and dirty soccer ball and the eyes were cut from black construction paper and taped onto the sheet.  Or, if your children have not put the tape back where it belongs and you can't find it like me, throw some sunglasses on him.

Here is my tomato cage who promises that next year he will help me grow a ton of tomatoes. He let me down big time this year, but has agreed to become a ghost for Halloween to make up for it.

Here is my tomato cage who promises that next year he will help me grow a ton of tomatoes. He let me down big time this year, but has agreed to become a ghost for Halloween to make up for it.

Place the soccer ball on top. 

Place the soccer ball on top. 

The paper bats taped onto the wall beside the ghost in the first picture were made using a template from Martha Stewart. I'd like to say that Martha and I are buds and we created that together, but I must give her full credit. Find the instructions and free template here. All you need is some black paper and you have bats!

Ok, so I do realize if you don't happen to have this stuff at your house, it's not going to be free. Ugh. BUT I'm hoping if you don't have a tomato cage and ball,  you can borrow them from someone who does. If you really want to make this project but have no way of getting a free tomato cage and you want to buy one, I saw some online from $3.99 - $7.99, so it could still be a cheap project even if you don't already have the cage. And that cage can also be wrapped in greenery and used on the porch at Christmas, so if you're like me, I tell Hubby that the cost is automatically cut in half because I'm using it twice. Right?

If I use it over three times, I think it's practically free! 

Hubby doesn't always agree with my logic. Sigh. He really didn't have a clue what he was getting himself into when we married, but I gave him ample time to escape...(8 YEARS! If you missed it, read about it here!). I love that guy.

Throw the sheet or tablecloth over the soccer ball and add glasses or eyes.

Throw the sheet or tablecloth over the soccer ball and add glasses or eyes.

Hope you have fun with some Halloween decorations this year! Tell me some of your free/cheap Halloween ideas in the comments!

Love,

Elizabeth

I'm not afraid of ghosts. Or bats. Unless I'm alone. At night. Or really close to them. Ok, I'm afraid. Of everything. Where did Elizabeth go??

I'm not afraid of ghosts. Or bats. Unless I'm alone. At night. Or really close to them. 

Ok, I'm afraid. Of everything. Where did Elizabeth go??

PIN IT FOR LATER!

October 11, 2016 /Elizabeth
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decorating
14 Comments

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HEARING YOUR COMMENTS! IT LET'S ME KNOW YOU ARE OUT THERE AND IT'S SO ENCOURAGING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY! 

Hi! I'm Elizabeth.  I'm all about laughing and living a positive life as I strive to be the most I can be.  Come join me!

Hi! I'm Elizabeth.  I'm all about laughing and living a positive life as I strive to be the most I can be.  Come join me!

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