Pecan Pie

For the record, it is pronounced "Peh Conn", not "peecan." At least, in Texasspeak!

This is just about as good as it gets. Wonderful served with whipped topping, vanilla ice cream or plain. It's best when it's warm, but it's still good cold. Not that it ever lasts long enough in my house to actually get cold. It's also not really healthy, real butter is best for this one so I don't make it often.

Pecan Pie

1 cup corn syrup (I usually use Karo brand, light syrup)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted (it really does need to be melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans (I usually use halves but you can use pieces)
1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust (I usually use frozen)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla. Add pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. The pecans will rise to the top.

Bake on center rack of oven for 60 minutes, I usually check about 50 minutes into the cooking time to see how brown the pecans are. I usually cook it closer to 50 minutes than 60, but that is my oven and yours may be different. But always remember: you can add more cooking time if you need it, but you can't subtract if it's already overcooked. If you are using a frozen crust, it does not need to be baked beforehand. I suggest placing the pie on a cookie sheet to cook, it will help keep your oven clean because sometimes it does bubble over the sides. It's sticky and would be a big mess to clean. Cool for about 2 hours before serving.

Good luck on having leftovers, Bill always makes sure that I don't!

Chocolate (or Carob) Syrup

Otter is mildly allergic to chocolate, so we use carob powder in place of cocoa. It tastes very close to the same, although it's not quite as sweet. It's pretty much interchangeable with cocoa. It can be hard to find, although it is most likely to be found at natural foods stores such as Whole Foods which are nationwide. It can probably also be found on the internet.

1/2 cup cocoa or carob powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

Combine cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Add water and mix until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for one minute, be carefull this does not over boil - it can boil over very easily so you need to be stirring constantly. Remove from heat. When it cools, add the vanilla. It makes about 2 cups. It needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Before using, give it a good shake! Especially if you are using carob, as it tends to seperate slightly.