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This past week I had the delight of spending time with my dear friend Peggi. Her daughter Kimmy is married to my son Dusty (the fabulous designer of Sugar Pie Farmhouse!) Her home is in Austin Texas (don’t mess with Texas y’all!). Well, everytime she comes to town, she always arrives with recipes in hand to share! Yes, she actually brings her recipes! How cute is that!  She loves to cook and bake and I love to watch her and take notes. So I just tell her to make herself at home in my kitchen and get-to-fixin’ somethin’ yummy!

(In case you were wondering, I got my my vintage style “Farm-girl Choretime” apron from one of my Sugar Pie Sistas, Michelle on Etsy! Check her out at Birds Of The Air etsy shop! And her blog! I love it, thanks Michelle!)

( Also notice the bracelet on my right wrist….it’s actually a vintage spoon that has been flattened and hand stamped with “Aunt Ruthie’s Sugar Pie Farmhouse”. Adorable!! A wonderful gift  from one of my Sugar Pie Sista’s…Sherri Boyce. Her web site is Paisley Sun Designs…check out her too-cute things!

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Thanks Sherri…I’m lovin’ it!

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That adorable Peggi, always filled with joy, decided to make an old family favorite…Jam Tarts. Little pockets of pastry filled with yummy  jam.

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Any basic pie dough will do….

Here’s mine:

Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

1. In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer,( or you can mix by hand) combine flour and sugar. Add cold butter, and mix until the mixture is coarse with small chunks of butter.

2. With mixer running, slowly add ice water. Stop as soon as the dough comes together in a ball. Do not overmix. To test, squeeze a small amount together: ( If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time).

3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Store in the refrigerator until needed. Dough may be frozen, up to 1 month.

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Roll and cut out with a biscuit cutter or even a heart shaped cookie cutter would be darling!

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Add a dollop of your favorite jam in the center…( we used Raspberry and Blackberry. I think Apricot and Peach would be yummy too. For that matter, you could add a spoonful of apple or cherry pie filling!). Parchment paper is a must, because the jam will leak out and the paper makes it much easier to clean up.

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Top it with another layer and seal the edge with a fork…dsc05905

Hey, I can do that!

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Well, we started getting a little silly….that’s not hard to do with Peggi around!

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Peggi thought we ought to put a dab of flour on our noses…in honor of Beulah, a character in one of my short stories…read about Miss Beulah here… this way it would look like we were hard at work… ‘cuz makin’ jam tarts is hard work don’t-cha-know….and somebody’s got to do it!

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Alright….calm down. (That’s what we say in our family when things start to get a little out of control….actually being goofy is a good thing!)

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One time, my two girls were in the kitchen cooking and Summer started getting very silly, so big sister Ashley made her eyes REAL BIG, I mean TEXAS BIG, and in a pretentious stern, southern accent, she said “sista….you need to CAAALM DOWN!”  bobbing her head to emphasize each word.  Summer’s playful southern comback was, ” Well…. your EYES need to CAAAALM DOWN!”. Then everyone got the giggles!  They re-enact this tease each time they’re together! I love those girls!

A good laugh is sunshine in a house. ~Thackeray

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Brush on a little melted butter…

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Sprinkle with granulated sugar…

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And that’s it! Easy Peasy!

(My sister Sherry from Glamarella Junk made my necklace! She starts with vintage pieces and re-creates them into one of a kind necklaces…this is one of my faves!)

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Bake at  375 for about 30 minutes…but do check on them at 20 minutes.

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Summer and Kimmy (my photographers) get ready to dig in!

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Simple. Sweet. Homey.

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At my request, Miss Peg made a batch of the most delicious Fried Potatoes! She made them one morning the last time she came with her hubby for Thanksgiving. It makes a wonderful accompaniment to scrambled eggs and bacon. It also works as a great dinnertime side dish. Actually it’s yummy any time of day!

It just takes two sweet onions and four Russet potatoes and salt and pepper to taste!

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Adjust the stove temperature to medium and heat  1/2 cup of vegetable oil in the pan….cast iron is perfect for this dish. Once the oil is  hot, then add the chopped onions first.

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Peggi says to give the onions a little head start….just a few minutes then add the potatoes…

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Make sure to  peel them ‘taters….

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And chop them in small bite size pieces…

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When you add the potatoes to the onions, give it one good stir to mix the two together, then let them sit without stirring for about 5 to 8 minutes so they begin to brown and get crispy. Then stir to turn them over and let them sit again to continue to caramelize. Repeat this process. In about 15 to 20 minutes they should have crunchy golden edges and be fork tender. Peg says at her home she cooks them in  a non-stick pan and uses less oil too. So next time when I make this recipe, I’ll try using the non-stick pan.img_0979

Peggi says to add your salt and pepper when they are almost done cooking.  I would say to start with 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add more if it needs it a little at a time.

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It’s Ready to serve!

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Steaming hot ‘taters with sweet Georgia onions comin’ right up!

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YUM! Miss Peg you done good!

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As you can see, I had a great time in the kitchen with Peggi! I hope through this post you did too! She is such a joy to be around! It’s because the joy of the Lord is her strength. Literally. For the past year her hubby has experienced some very serious health issues, but for the grace of God, she remains joyful and at peace knowing that our wonderful Jesus is in control. (If you know Jesus, please pray for Jim, we are believing for a complete healing!) Peggi is a gal whose heart bubbles over with the love of God….she can’t help but splash God’s goodness on everyone she meets. I am honored to be her friend.

The highest principle of the Christian life is not joy in  unbroken sunshine but absolute and undoubting trust in the love of God. ~A.W. Thorold

I love you Miss Peg! See you at Christmas!

I want to thank all of you who take the time to read my blog and  leave me such encouraging comments. There are so many wonderful blogs out there, and for you to stop here and then leave a sweet note means so much to me. Please know that I read each one and pray for you individually.

Sugar Pie blessings and hugs to y’all!

Aunt Ruthie

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