Dear Elder,
Let’s put first things first and talk about pumpkin pie, ha ha.
You can use the same recipe I sent you, but use 3 ½ cups fresh pumpkin instead of the canned pumpkin in the recipe.
First, you need to buy a pie pumpkin which is smaller and a bit darker than the ones we use for jack-o-lanterns. For even better flavor, you can use a butternut squash which may be easier to find anyway. One website says that butternut squash is translated to zapallo anco or calabaza sidra
Here’s an easy way to prepare pumpkin or squash for pie. (It takes about an hour, but you can cook it while you study, etc):
Cut the pumpkin or squash in half lengthwise; remove stem and scoop out the seeds. Place it, cut side down, on a foil-lined oiled baking pan; add about 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 400° for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the squash is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork (pumpkin might take less time than this). Let cool completely then peel and mash or puree it or put it through a food mill until there are NO lumps.
You will need 3 1/2 cups for the recipe I gave you last time, which makes 2 pies. If you want 1 pie, cut the pumpkin pie recipe I gave you in half.
Do you need a crust recipe? If you can buy one in the freezer section, it will be much easier, but in case you can’t, here’s one.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups shortening
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
1/2 cup water
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt. Blend together with a pastry cutter or clean fingers until crumbly.
In a small bowl, mix egg with water. Blend into flour mixture. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.
Place ball of dough on a clean, floured surface. Dust rolling pin and ball of dough with more flour. Roll from center of dough to edge until flat. Dough should be about 1/8” thick and will be much bigger than a pie pan. Fold rolled out dough in fourths, and place in pie pan with point of dough in center. Unfold. Mold to pan, trim excess dough (there should be lots of excess dough). Pinch dough up along edge so pumpkin mixture will stay in the pie. Pour in pumpkin mixture and bake according to recipe directions.
Hope this helps, Matt. Do you know how to make whipped cream? If you can buy it, do that. If not, here is a recipe. You need an electric mixer to make it. You can also make it with a wire whisk and lots of work, but you cant make it with a spoon.
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Directions
In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.
It was good to read about all of the people you are teaching, and I am praying for them that they will be receptive to your message. I like the idea of teaching the one family in a member’s house to lessen distractions. Really, I like that idea for all of you investigators because getting the members involved will strengthen the member’s love for the investigators and help them stay active.
I hope that your companion’s mom is okay. Is it a chronic illness or something she can get over soon? I will pray for her.
I imagine that Tanner’s email address is the same as yours except with his name instead. Try it and let me know. You can probably email any missionary you want as long as you know his first and last name, unless it is a very common name and then you may have problem. BTW, have you been getting Cassandra’s emails?
Ya, the house is empty often these days, so I really cherish the times we have together like this morning when we were all in the kitchen eating breakfast together. Those are really times to cherish. Yesterday we were also together for dinner which is nice. We heard that the all-you-can-eat pizza place had gluten free pizza, so we went there for grade rewards. It was fun to be together although I shouldn’t have eaten as much pizza as I did, ha ha.
Yesterday morning I had a nice time cleaning up the yard with Thomas. We cut down the holly hocks and the other big flower bushes we had growing along the shed, and got rid of the vines growing in the front of the house and the tomato bushes in the back. I even raked the front lawn. Dad was at the laundry, and Katrina was taking the ACT. I sure hope she got a good score. She probably did. When Dad got home, we loaded up all the stuff and Dad and I hauled it off. All in all, it was a pretty nice day.
The kids and Dad had Friday off school. Dad and I went out for lunch and also walked around the tabernacle. They are adding a big spire to the top right now. They have the steel supports for it in place. It is fun to watch the building of it. We also talked to four missionaries who had an awning set up for people who have questions about it. It was fun to visit with them for a second. The other temple is really coming along, too. The exterior is now done, and the Angel Moroni is on the spire.
After that, Dad and I went home to take a nap and then went to the temple and had a wonderful temple experience. We ate dinner together, too.
Yesterday Thomas hung out with a boy named Brandon and on Friday he hung out with a friend named Brian. He had his last game on Thursday, but didn’t play. He is probably going to do wrestling next, which should be nice.
Katrina has been doing play practice so much that she has cancelled her piano and voice lessons till December which is probably a good idea. She had a harder time in school this term and may have actually gotten a B. She sure hopes not! Thomas is hoping that he got all A’s, although things were looking a bit iffy by the end. The term ended Thurs, btw, which is why we had Friday off. Miriam says school and work are going well for her.
I haven’t heard much about Miriam going to DC lately, although I know she is still planning to do it. She doesn’t have a dress, yet. She’s ordered one, though, and I sure hope it’s the right size and that she likes it, because I think it will be to late to order another size by the time she gets it. Besides, she says she can return it, but I’m not so sure since stores do not typically let you return formal wear. We’ll see.
I’ve been sloth this week, and I feel bad about that. I didn’t do much that was productive. We did have a nice family home evening on Monday with a good lesson about integrity and the fact that anonymity should never cause us to ask differently from who we really are and who we want to be.
We got to talk to Jon quite a bit this last week, and he also came over a couple of times which was really nice. Last Sunday we got to Skype with Emerson, Cassandra, and Lily. We really had fun doing that. Emerson’s busy days got over sooner than expected which is good in that he can be with his family and also have a good rest, but bad because I wonder if it means that his work won’t give him any comp days that they could use to come see us. I really miss them!
I have gotten family pictures up on the wall, finally. I sent a picture of it. I did that last week, not this week when I was lazy. Do you like the tree branches I put up with the pictures? I’m planning to add leaves here and there as well. I don’t know how well you can see the picture of Cass and Em and Lily, but I had to photoshop 2 pictures together to get it. It turned out pretty well, eh?
Well, I only have a half hour to get showered and dressed for church, so I’d better go! I love you so much, Matt, and I’m so glad things have been going well for you.
Love,
Mom
PS Now it is Sunday night. I went to a nice meeting at 5, and have another one at 8:30. Our home teacher was over, and we had a fun time talking about movies and musicals and also about sharing the gospel.
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