Halloween has always been my favourite holiday! It doesn’t get better than dressing up in a costume to go trick or treating. My Momma was a whiz with the needle and thread so we were lucky and donned some truly lovely costumes. One year I wanted to be tinker bell, so she spent weeks making a cute fairy outfit with gauzy wings that she fashioned out of coat hangers, tiny pearls and lots of glitter. Needless to say I was the envy of the Halloween parade. **Sigh**…never will understand the preoccupation with store bought costumes. My eldest son is obsessed with them. Sooooo my creativity has been squelched by his pleas for a scream mask and cap gun. His Dad is taking him this year so it’s his dream come true. Lots of blood and gore. I guess 8 year old boys just don’t want to be lions anymore 😉
Where I grew up in New Jersey, the night before Halloween was dubbed Mischief Night. Kids took control of the neighbourhood and were permitted to wreak havoc. Toilet paper covered trees, houses, cars and egg spattered windows faced parents Halloween morning! For a kid this was something to behold. My brother and I longed for a pass to go out on Mischief Night, but much to my 9 year old chagrin we were kept indoors! Crazy parents eh? 😉
To make up for the perceived slight my parents always made Halloween Day a super fun event. My Momma would whip up a special after dinner treat to fuel us for a long evening of candy collection. One of my faves was her oatmeal pie. Deeeelicious! She won a competition for this baby and once you taste a forkful you will understand why. It’s sugary, decadent and most definitely worthy of a place of honor on a special day.
Happy Halloween! Enjoy a night of ghouls, tricks, treats and witches! Bwhahahahahahaha. And while you at it have a slice of oatmeal pie with gingerbread crust:
Oatmeal Pie with Gingerbread Crust
Ingredients:
3 free range eggs
2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 quick oats
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
I have no idea where this recipe originally came from. It’s been sitting in my Momma’s recipe box for as long as I can remember. It made regular appearances at special events because it was so incredibly tasty. The pictures on MMH are for a pie made as a 10 inch tart (which would require you to add another 1/3 to all of the ingredients). The recipe above is for a regular 9 inch pie pan. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a small bowl mix the melted and cooled butter with the eggs and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients with the egg mixture and use an electric mixer on medium high to blend for one minute. Pour into prepared pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes. The top will be golden and filling set when the pie is ready. Beware the pie may crack. This is due to the delicate nature of the filling. Fear not! It will be just as tasty.
Gingerbread Crust as adapted from Epicurious.com:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
3 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp allspice
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold salted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg yolk
4 tbsp dark molasses
raw rice for weighting the crust
* Recipe is for a 10 inch tart pan. You will have extra dough left over.
Directions:
This crust is to die for. My Momma did not use gingerbread crust with her oatmeal pie, but I thought it would give a seasonal kick to an already amazing dessert – not to mention the fact that I LOVE gingerbread! In a small bowl whisk together eggs and molasses and set aside. In my kitchen aid mixer I combined the dry ingredients with the cold butter and pulsed the mixture until resembles course cornmeal. Whatever you do – do not overwork it and be sure your butter is cold. Blend the egg mixture with the dry ingredients until it just comes together. I continued to use my kitchen aid with a whisk to pulse the dough. Roll the dough out. Line a 9 inch pie pan and chill for 30 minutes. I then took the tines of a fork and poked holes in the crust. This kept it from bubbling. You can line crust w. foil and fill it with rice to provide added weight to keep the crust from puffing up, but I skipped this step. Bake crust blind at 350 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes. Cool and then add the oatmeal pie filling. You can use the extra crust for tarts at a later date!
It seems fitting to bid Lou Reed a fond farewell in a Halloween post. Your music will be missed!
