~Fun Food Friday...Chocolate Chess Pie~

By Guest Blogger...Martha...I mean...Moma again! =)

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How this busy daughter keeps up with her schedule and produces all the art from her kitchen to delight her family and all of us is beyond me.  Besides the regular chores of a household I accompanied her and Kimberly today to do the shopping for food.  After walking two miles and stopping by the mall, we again walked the blocks to the modern super market.  When Heather finished moving the foods on her list from the shelf to her cart she showed me her hands, they were literally black with the dust that covered the food packages.  The list for the fresh food market was not yet to be filled so we walked the distance to shop there.   I do not have the words to tell you of our walk home, while some of our path was over some modern walks many steps had to be cautiously taken taken over jagged stones and  patches of mud.  Thankfully the two very filled carts of groceries and supplies for the lunches for the students of the Bible Class were all piled and tied on one cart and pushed for us by an untiring young man, the two plus miles home.  I have visited and shared on many mission fields, going with them on their mission of hardships but, remember none of them were my little girl! =)

Observing the impossible feat of this Mommy of five I suggested that I do her fun Food Friday again for her. So before following her on this too full day we put the following pie in the oven.  The Lord willing next week she will not have “guests” and will be free for all of you . . . well almost.  After putting way all the purchases, making dinner, helping to rid the dinning room and kitchen of the soiled dishes  I was taken aback to see this busy homemaker grab a broom, sweep and mop those tile floors before stopping for family devotions and Gramp's story time!  We hurried up to make this post and I am writing with the “music” of Mommy and her five helpers folding the laundry with one little man trying to ward off an attack of the croup.  I CAN HARDLY THINK! 

 ~Us after we got back from our shopping excursion!~

 So while counting your blessing of a Walmart Supercenter, go to your kitchen and try a recipe that has become on of my favorites! (Now here comes Daddy and Gramp to add to this excitement of “my office” (their pretty master bedroom that also serves as Daddy’s study, family room, play room, laundry room, computer room, nursery and library. Now the sweeper starts to pick up Baby Mary’s spill of Daddy’s  Argentine “mate” tea leaves!  You may never get this recipe! Smile!)

 ~(Before the evening was finished...Heather had to take over typing this recipe for me...while I rocked baby Mary and sang to her the same Lullaby song that I had sung to Heather. =)~

 Several years ago when our daughter, Laura and family were on deputation to share their Daddy’s mission vision in Europe, he suggested a game to entertain the little weary travelers; that they make a list of the best cooks that shared their homes with them.  Among the several, was my friend Paula Sproles, today we made a recipe from her:

Chocolate Chess Pie

~Here's a picture of the filling~

 ~Me...making the crust!~

~CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE~

YIELDS TWO 9” PIES

For the crust see last“Fun Food Friday…Moma’s apple pie”.

Mix in a bowl with whisk: 

3 cups sugar, 

½ cup cocoa, 

3 Tablespoons flour,

1 cup milk, 

4 beaten eggs, 

1 stick melted butter, 

and 2 teaspoons vanilla.  

Place in two 9” pie shells and bake in 325 oven   ((I start the pie on 375 for ten minutes and then reduce it to 325 for about 35 minutes more) until pie seems solid when shaken.  THIS IS THE CORRECT TEMP NOT THE PREVIOUSLY POSTED 275 temp.! 
Someone left a comment asking about her pie not getting done at the previously posted 275 temp., so here's my Moma's response back to them.
Dear Friend,  Thank you for catching this error.  I am home now with my recipe and a oven that speaks English! :-) (Heather's oven dials are in Celcius).
The 325 is correct but it can also depend on your oven.  I bake the choc. chess pie until the crust is well browned and the pie feels solid in the middle with a slight touch of my finger.

Make sure the pie is cool before serving as it sets more when cool. Note: You will find that the taste is wonderful, even if the pie does not set completely, making it similar to a Lava Cake.

Heather's Moma, Martha  

 ~Our Chess pie we made today!~

 This pie is so easy as the pastry does not have to be pre-baked nor does it have a custard that's pre-cooked.  Just make the pastry and add the hand-whisked filling and bake them together.  This pie is simple to make yet takes on the look of elegance when garnished to compliment your menu or fit the season.  

I suggest topping the dollop of whipped cream with:

~a fanned fresh strawberry,

~stemmed Marciano cherry,

~a small block of a Hershey bar or shaved curl of chocolate;

~to give a touch of the seasons, try stabbing the cream with a small candy cane or making the cream into a nest to hold the robin eggs of spring. (Jelly beans or malted milk eggs.)

       --M. S. B....(Heather's Moma!)
~Everyone around our table enjoyed each bite of this YUMMY Pie!~  =)

 Thank you, Moma, for sharing!
And as always...ENJOY!
Please PRAY for the Pastoral classes that my Daddy is teaching and Phillip is translating!  They can do the teaching, but it's the Holy Spirit that does the applying!   Thank you!

 

~Sight-seeing in Bogota, and Christmas #2~

~Here Phillip is presenting Daddy and Moma to our church their first Thursday night here!  Daddy didn't speak that night, but the Lord really helped him as he spoke on Sunday. (pics coming soon.)~

~Daddy had requested that we take them to see the house of Simon Bolivar...which is who liberated Colombia.  Here we are walking to that house and Moma is enjoying some FRESH YUMMY MANGO!~

~Here we are in front of that house.  They used cow bones (possibly of their spine) to fill in the cracks between the tiles on the walk where we are standing.  The tree to the right of the picture is around 300 years old.~

~My Sweet Daddy and Mom~

~Our sweet Mary wearing a fun gray hat and a "new to her" jumper from her friend Allyssa Fish from IN. =)~

~These are the cable cars we were fixin' to get on to go up the mountain.~

~At Simon Bolivar's house they were celebrating 100 years of Colombia and Bolivia being friends!~

~Our family with the Colombian flag.  (Elijah got his own "socks" and shoes on that day, and his hat had his hair going every-which-way.  But, we LOVE our little "Dennis the Menace" to pieces!  =)~

~Some beautiful flowers growing in the neat garden there.~

~The cable car coming down right before we got on one.~

~Phillip snapped this of us waiting in line to get on the cable car.~

~And here's hatless Mary who got cut out of the picture above.~

~Daddy requested we take a picnic up to the mountain.  It was raining when we got there, but we found a little ledge to be under, and the Lord helped it to quit soon! =)~

~I snapped this fun picture of our delightful picnic (plus other sweet things not pictured) with the beautiful city of Bogota below!~

~It was such a very SPECIAL time together with Daddy and Moma!~

~The pretty mountains and clouds around us.~

~Having fun together after our meal.~

~Kimberly took this and had to include her COKE in the left-hand corner!~

~A fun bell and restaurant up there on the mountain.~

~Kimberly had fun snapping these pictures trying to get cute little Mary in her sweet little gray hat!~

~Love this picture...love this little girl!~ =)

~Mary slipped and SAT DOWN in a puddle, so we had to remove her jean jumper and "hang it to dry" on her stroller, and wrap her up in blankets.  (Sound familiar Daryl and Brittany?  Remember Elijah falling into the fountain last time?! =)~

~Then we crowded into the big red bus to go home.~

~We had some very excited kids on that bus...for when we got home we were going to have CHRISTMAS from Gramp and Gram. =)~

~Here comes santa claus Gramp and Gram with Christmas for our family! =)~

~Since they had to bring our kids' schoolwork for next year, they were running out of room in their suitcases.  So, knowing that gift bags would weigh more and be bulky...Gram brought vanilla scented plastic bags in which to put our Christmas gifts. =)  Here's little Mary receiving her little doll from Gramp and Gram.~

~Gram with Kimberly and Sarah's gifts.~

~Mary's doll was a hit!~

~Enjoying opening all of our gifts!~

~Me opening up my gift.  Moma told me that she also has a lovely set of flannel sheets for me back in the USA...that were too heavy to bring!~

~Phillip opening his nice winter shirt.~

~Here I'm giving Daddy and Moma an Argentine "Mate" cup and straw from us for their collection of things from various countries on their red desk at home!~

~Mary and Elijah in their new little sleepers that Gramp and Gram gave them.  We all enjoyed our Christmas gifts from Gramp and Gram.~ 

~Then we settled back to hear some more of the very interesting book The Magic Garden that Gram was reading to us!~

 Up soon our Lord's day together!
 

~Christmas #1 ...in March!~

I told you earlier that we have had 2 Christmases since Daddy and Moma had arrived.  =)  Here's the first one.  The Nelsonville Women of Worth ladies were SO VERY KIND and sent us birthday/Christmas gifts!  There's no way I could capture all of it on camera.   (My parents ran out of room and couldn't bring all of our gifts from them...due to them having to bring our kid's schooling for NEXT year.  But they have the rest of our gifts safely packed away back in the USA for us to get later!)
We were all THRILLED with the fun and yummy things that they sent to our family!
THANK YOU, LADIES!
~Here is Sarah playing with her newest Littlest Pet Shop animals and accessories she received from the Ladies.  She LOVES these and her Little Ponies the Ladies sent her too!!~

~A dear friend, Miss Linda, got this coat for Kimberly.  Thank you, Miss Linda, for thinking of Kimberly.  She likes her new coat!~

~The WOW group sent a fun football along for our boys.  Our boys dug through their room and FOUND all the clothes on hand for their "uniform" (using our towels for "padding.") 
Daddy made them their fun T-shirts with their numbers on the front and names and numbers on the back...they just lacked a football to throw.   =)  So they are so HAPPY to have an American football!
We had fun taking these pics of them.
I think Norman Rockwell couldn't have painted a cuter picture...than my 2 boys...all dressed up to play "football" in the house.   =)~

~Our boys were delighted with their cars, football, toys, etc. that the WOW group sent them! 
I just learned that my sweet Uncle and Aunt from TN gave the boys some of these cars as well!  Thank you, A. Carole and U. Dan...our boys LOVE everything they received!!  =) ~

~Little Mary surrounded by lots of YUMMY DELICIOUS-NESS...called Hersheys and Reeses!!  She and Kimberly love their things from the WOW group.  I love my gifts too.  One gift that I am really looking forward to reading is the book that I have wanted to read for some time, Bringing up Boys by James Dobson.~

~Everyone opening "Christmas" in our room.  My niece Brittany and her family and Gram went shopping for some clothes for some of us.  Lil' Allyssa Fish shared some of her fun clothes with her lil' Bogota Friend...our Mary.   So we had fun looking through all of the clothes sent to us!~

~Phillip took this picture of Noah's "traffic jam" using some of his new cars he had received.~

THANK YOU, DEAR NELSONVILLE LADIES and to everyone...who sent us our NICE cards and gifts!!  You made some HAPPY Children as well as 2 HAPPY parents!  =)  

May God RICHLY bless y'all for your kindnesses to our family!