Happy Fall Y'all

"Autumn is almost here, the first day of fall 2010 is officially weeks away; and depending on where you live in the U.S. and Canada it can feel like an autumn breeze is blowing (Vancouver) or like the high heat of summer like is for people in New York City. Officially, summer does not end until September 22 which marks the first day of fall 2010 at 11:09 EST. The September equinox is also known as the Autumnal Equinox. 'The sun crosses the celestial equator and moves southward in the northern hemisphere during the September equinox. The location on the earth where the sun is directly overhead at solar noon is known as the subsolar point. The subsolar point occurs on the equator during the September equinox and March equinox.'
Source: timeanddate.com"

So right, it's not fall yet, but I'm ready now.

Fall is such a lovely time of year in Tennessee and for the first time in months I'm excited about cooking again. Even with air conditioning you feel gross when it's 102 degrees outside and completly unmotivated to turn on anything that would make the air hotter or more humid! I especially love fall recipes, like breads, soups and PIES and was aghast the other day when half my YW didn't know what a chess pie was. WHAT!!!! How can you live in Tennessee and not eat chess pie? Well, this needs to be and will be addressed and I'm just the Amerikorean to do it. I make the best chess pie this side of the DMZ.

Here's a yummy recipe for you all to try if you'd like.

CHESS PIE from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla together. Mix in the eggs, then stir in the cornmeal, evaporated milk and vinegar until smooth.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 40 minutes. Let cool. Cut and top servings with whipped cream. You will think you have died and gone to heaven.

There are many different variations so I didn't post my own recipe which is for a buttermilk chess pie. I wanted to go for something more traditional. You can also make a lemon chess or chocolate chess pie. Those are both delicious as well!