Chocolate Rosemary Pie

 

I love rosemary and I love chocolate. I never thought to put the two together, but this pie proves you can. I've only used rosemary in savory cooking, so this was a walk on on the wild side for me and may be for you. It turned out delicious! I loved the creamy- meltyness of the pie with the cripsy crust (actually I think anything in a pie shell is wonderful - stay tuned for a end of summer zucchini pie recipe).

I will warn you when you serve this, tell people the name of the pie otherwise they will give you funny looks when they bite into what they suppose is just chocolate pie. I know, because this happened to me at a homeschool moms get together. That mild, almost piney flavor makes it's way slowly through the chocolate, but it's there. I suggest putting a spring of rosemary on the top of the pie. All you need is a small slice of this so it goes a long way. It's especially good with a glass of milk or a cup of bold coffee.

Rosemary Chocolate Pie
frozen pie crust
2 c good quality chopped chocolate (I prefer dark)
12 oz evaporated milk
2 large eggs
3 springs of fresh rosemary (or you could sub mint leaves)
whipped cream for garnish

Prebake pie crust according to directions, be sure to prick the bottom so it doesn't raise up. Cool.

In saucepan, put milk and eggs, whisking together over medium heat. Stir in rosemary. Heat for 8-10 minutes occaisionaly stirring until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat, remove the rosemary and slowly add in the chocolate. Stir into the chocolate is melted and completely smooth. Pour into the crust and refrigerate until firm (at least a couple of hours). Serve with whipped cream and a rosemary sprig. :)

Sweet Potatoes are....Wait for It...Potatoes

 

Happy Labor Day! Here are some of the fruits, well vegetables, of my labor this summer. I've never grown sweet potatoes and they were surprisingly easy. That is, once I figured out where to find them!

Lest you think I know a lot about gardening, let me prove you wrong. I had one of those really stupid moments and my friend Sandy was there to witness me, in all my moronic glory. She and I were out for dinner one night and I was talking about my sweet potato vines. I relayed how healthy and vigorous the vines were, but every flower just seemed to fade out without producing any veggies! I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. She looked at me incredulously, as if I had suddenly grown two heads. She very quietly asked me if I looked under ground (I'm sure inside her head she added, "you idiot"). Slowly the light bulb came on...of course...sweet potatoes are POTATOES!! They grow under ground because they are a root vegetable, it says so right there in the name. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew this fact, but not ever having grown them and having all my OTHER veggies above ground, I lost sight of this very important bit of information.

Sure enough, I went home and looked at the ground around my vines, instead of gazing at the green plants. It was practically exploding with potatoes. How could I have missed this??!! I carefully dig them up and was rewarded with some "big 'ol whoppers" as my three year old says. They are monstrous! As a thank you to my dear friend for not rapping me on the head in the middle of dinner, I gave her some sweet potatoes straight out of the ground, dirt and all. :)

Tomatoes!!

 

We had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. I was pretty consistent with the watering and I think that really helped. Last year I was too hot and hugely pregnant to go out and even turn on the hose, so we didn't get that many. This year we have eaten tomatoes, given them away, frozen them and feed the rejects to the dastardly chickens (lest you thought I was too mean last post).

This year we grew large tomatoes like Better Boy, roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. One of the plants we put in was a little whim. I just happened to be in Home Depot and picked up an orange cherry tomato plant. This turned out to be a VERY happy decision. They were the sweetest little things, like popping candy. I took a photo of the tag and I highly recommend getting this plant next year. I know I will be planting it again!

 

Be sure to try out what I like to call "Summer on a Fork" salad, Caprese Salad Appetizers or maybe Creamy Tomato Dip with the end of summer's bounty before it's gone.