Ryan worked a lot this weekend, and so aside from going out with friends (yummy Chinese at our favorite restaurant, and then pie from Betty’s Pies, and then dinner with Ryan and his coworker (also Ryan) and his wife (Tricia)…because apparently we just couldn’t stop eating), I had a lot of free time. So, I decided to make a couple pies. It is almost Thanksgiving, after all. I made a pumkin pie and then a pecan pie. And you know what? It was pretty easy. Mostly I have the kitchenaid mixer we got for our wedding to thank for that one, along with the store bought pie crust (WHAT? I don’t have enough counter space to roll out pie crust, and our table has gaps that would leave weird lines in the crust. Also, I’m lazy!). Anyway, both recipes are the custard type of pie, and they were both out of the How to Cook Everything cookbook I got from my aunt for a graduation present (I believe…correct me if I’m totally wrong on that one). They are both pretty good, I have to say. Especially for my first attempt at pecan pie. I was kind of scared of that one.

Also, if you like to cook but you need LOTS of instruction, including color pictures and funny commentary, you should go here: The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Because she is awesome. And funny. And every recipe I’ve tried from there has turned out great. Especially the AWESOME pumpkin cake I’ve made a couple times recently (once with the whiskey once without – it’s great both ways). You should try it. It’s also good with cream cheese frosting, if you aren’t a whipped cream fan or you want to bring it to work (that’s what I did with the last one I made).

So yah. I baked this weekend, and I scrubbed our kitchen floor on my hands and knees. Like I told some friends this morning, I think I’ve been possessed by an alien. But at least we have pie and a clean kitchen, right? It’s a small price to pay for alien possession.

I’m getting back to work now. I apologize if I sound a little scatterbrained today. Must be all the sugar. Or the aliens.