Pie Birds~

Amazon and I have something going on.  They allow me to buy stuff and I agree to pay. It is a wonderful arrangement and one that suits. I also have something going on with the delivery men.  They can't seem to stay away from my driveway.  Several times a week they bring me gifts and today was no exception.

I expect your grandmother had some pie birds.  When I was dealing, I would find these delightful creatures in England and brought many home, some to keep, some to sell to collectors.  I don't see them used much any more, but it is still a good workable idea.  When a pie is ready to go in the oven, fit one of these birds in the center and their open mouths allow the steam to escape so that the pie isn't flying all over the oven.

My gifts today, one of which I have used already, centers around books.  I adore the one I just received ...the Southern Pie Book by Jan Moon.  I was so inspired I made the coconut pie crust this morning filling it with luscious coconut cream filling.  It is cooling in the frig as I write.  Southern Living is one of those magazines that has not lost its touch.  It is still elegant and well presented.  I hope it knows when to bow out, unlike Ladies Home Journal that hung on until it became pathetic. I hope aunt Faustie in heaven is looking down with pride at my attempt to make a pie of any sort. It is a difficult task for some reason but the coconut crust has inspired me and also, look at this, who would have thought.  Rather than fight the crust, cut it in disks and with fingers form it into the tart pan.  DUH!

Now look at these little individual beauties!  4" iron skillets to bake individual servings for your family and friends--place a big dollop of ice cream on top and bring the skillet to the table for each of your guests. You can also bake your brownie in this little skillet and serve it with ice cream as well.  (I will be contacting Amazon yet again today to order my little iron skillets.) I will be harping pies for the next few blogs but first let me mention my other items in the Amazon box:  The French House by Don Wallace. And, of course more Stuart Woods books. I am obsessed with these books for some reason.  I guess they remind me of Lee Child's Reacher books.  I have a busy week ahead but reading time and baking time are scheduled in.  Unfortunately, we are not having the Cincinnati family here for the 4th.  Glenda has her third major operation in as many months tomorrow.  I can't have her missing another event so as soon as she can get in a car, the event will be on.

In case you don't read David Lebovitz's. blog from Paris, here is a simple dish that I want to try. ( His recipe, his picture.)

Chickpea, Lemon, and Mint Salad
4 servings, as a side course
This is a fine salad to serve as part of a meal along with other salads, so people can graze around, taking a bit of what they want, when they want. As mentioned, it’s pretty important to use good quality dried chickpeas; I’ve noted some sources below. Although we don’t get them in Paris, fresh green chickpeas are showing up at markets in the United States, and are available in other parts of the world, and it might be interesting to try this salad with them.
To cook dried chickpeas, rinse them and remove any stones or other debris. Put them in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, and cover with plenty of water. If you live in a place with hard water, you might want to add about 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the water, which aids in softening of the chickpeas. Cook at a gentle boil until the chickpeas are tender; it will take about 1 to 2 hours. Once cooked, remove from the heat and drain. Soaking the beans in water overnight will speed up the process, and dried chickpeas double in volume when cooked.
In certain parts of Italy, red pepper is a lot more common to use than black pepper. So if you want to add some of either, feel free to do so.

• 3 cups (150g) drained, cooked chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• optional: red or freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, toss the chickpeas in the olive oil, with the salt, mint, lemon zest and juice, and pepper, if using.
2. Taste, and adjust seasonings to you liking. Depending on the type of mint used, you might want to add more.
Serving and storage: The chickpeas should be served at room temperature. They can be made and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.

Easy breakfast:

*Quick and Easy Bacon and Egg Tarts*

Serves 6

2 cans of refrigerator crescent rolls

6 large  eggs

12 slices of  bacon, partially cooked

3 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and black pepper to taste

chopped fresh parsley and more Parmesan.

I made a coconut cream pie yesterday and used this recipe which needs repeating because the crust is incredibly easy and delicious.  There is only one piece of pie left in the frig from yesterday, so somebody liked it pretty well. Today I am trying the cream cheese crust for beginners from my new Southern Living pie book.

Coconut Pie Crust

Stir together the following:
1 1/2 cups of Baker's sweet coconut (It's the best.)
6 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Then once that is mixed together pour 4 tablespoons of melted butter over the above mixture and stir again.
Press the mixture into a pie plate forming a crust.
 Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes or until golden