sunday dinners

I love Sundays. Brunch, football, food; something about them just feels different, more relaxing. When Jacob has off we try to spend the day doing something together. This usually means cooking, bloody marys in hand, while football plays in the background. He's also a bit of a beer geek and likes to get together with beer buddies to taste some special bottles. So yesterday we did all of these things.

We have a jalapeno plant in the backyard that I swear to you is on steroids and has produced like six or seven batches in the last couple of months. We couldn't figure out how to use them all up. We've pickled some and made guacamole and chile with others, but we needed something that would use up a larger number. So yesterday we made jalapeno poppers stuffed with cheddar and cream cheese. They were delicious and we were so happy that all those little guys didn't go to waste.

We found green tomatoes at the farmer's market saturday and fried those up too. A little bit of homemade ranch dressing and the fried stuff was good to go. Jacob spent the day smoking two whole chickens after coating in spices and man, they were so good and tender.

I play helper when Jacob cooks, but I'm a much better baker, so that's usually my big contribution. I made two pies, an apple custard and a buttermilk. Buttermilk pies are a southern thing, but even in the south they're not that common. They're amazing though. Light and lemony , perfect with a little bit of homemade whipped cream. yum.

Buttermilk Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 baked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine butter and sugar until sugar is completely incorporated. Add egg yolks and mix well to combine. Add flour, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer running, slowly add buttermilk. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Pour a small amount of the buttermilk mixture into the whites. Fold gently to combine. Gently fold egg white mixture into remaining buttermilk mixture until just combined.

Pour custard into baked pie shell. Bake in the middle of the oven until filling is lightly browned and barely moves when the pie is jiggled, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Maybe you can make it next sunday! :)