Pioneer Woman's Make You Cry Pecan Pie

In the spirit of Thanksgiving being a week away, I decided to test run a pecan pie receipe I borrowed from thepioneerwoman.com. She promised that this would be the pie that would make me cry, so I just had to attempt it. I changed a few things around due to time constraints, ingredient availability, and health (I didn't want to go into 100% sugar shock. 99% seemed ok for me).

So, here's the scoop: to see the original recipe and awesome pictures, check out

ThePioneerWoman.Com 's link:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/10/the-pie-thatll-make-you-cry/


My ingredients:
1 reduced fat graham cracker crust premade and on sale at the grocery store
1 cup White Sugar
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Corn Syrup (I used light, mostly because that was the only option)
3/4 teaspoons Vanilla
1/3 cup Melted Butter (salted)
3 whole Eggs Beaten
1 cup (heaping) Chopped Pecans

--Now, I did have extra sauce, so I'm wondering if all that butter is necessary. The Paula Deen in me wants to scream, "OF COURSE!" but my brain is not entirely convinced.

Anyway, mix everything together except the pecans.

Spill the pecans into the empty pie crust. Pour the liquid over.

I baked it for 30 minutes covered in foil, then 20 minutes uncovered, and then another 20 minutes covered again, all at 350 degrees. Came out PERFECT. It should not jiggle when you take it out of the oven. Let it set for a bit, and then prepare for an awesome sugar rush! Or, do as I did, and take it to work to share with the co-workers. Happy Thanksgiving! Now go run a turkey trot!

Blenders and Broccoli Soup

Picture does not do this amazingness justice.

I need a blender. But, even without one, we had a delectable, creamy, healthy broccoli soup. And the best part? Sans cream.

I took a recipe from wholeliving.com and changed it just a little bit. But, in general...

In a pan, saute 1 chopped yellow onion with 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tbsp olive oil until translucent.

Then, add 1 15 oz can of cannelloni beans and 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth. The recipe actually calls for chicken stock, but Stew Leonards had organic chicken broth on sale... So broth it is.

A little salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.

Steam one package of broccoli florets. Add to soup after it's simmering, remove from heat, and puree in something that works better than the sad excuse for a blender I own until Monday morning garbage takes it away. Even not pureed, it's still delicious though! The beans add a nice texture. And it's healthy! I recommend serving with one slice of sourdough bread. Yum.