Everyone in my family loves this pie...except me. I'm not in to the gooey real sweet things like they are. If we didn't have this for Thanksgiving...they probably wouldn't come back the following year! LOL SANDY'S CHOCOLATE-CHIP PECAN PIE 1 9 in. unbaked pie shell, my recipe 1 full cup chopped pecans 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 3 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 3/4 cup dark corn syrup 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. salt Put pie shell in freezer to chill. In a small bowl, combine pecans and chocolate chips, toss and set aside. In a med. bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Add the butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Whisk 1 min., blending. Place half of chocolate-pecan micture on bottom of chilled pie shell. Pour in half of the filling. Scatter remaining pecan mixture into crust and top with remaining filling. Bake at 350° until the filling has set and the top has browned...about 1 hr. Cool on wire rack 1 hr. before serving. ************************************************************ MOM'S PIE CRUST This comes from the 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook I was given as a going-away gift when I moved from Worcester, Mass. to Cape Cod when I was 12 yrs. old.. I have never seen it anywhere else. It makes the best pie crust I have ever had...and it's the easiest to make. "Stir-N-Roll" pastry. Tender, flaky, golden brown pastry that stays crisp and fresh. Never crumbly. Never tough. Wonderful for fruit, berry, cream and meat pies" Two-Crust Pie Mix together: 2 cups sifted flour 1 tsp. salt Pour into measuring cup (but don't stir together): 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup cold milk Pour all at once into flour. Stir lightly until mixed. Round up, divide in halves. Flatten each half slightly. ````````````````````````````````` For bottom crust: Place one half of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper (12 in. square). Roll out gently until circle reaches edges of paper. If bottom paper begins to wrinkle, turn and roll on other side. Peel off top paper. If dough cracks or breaks, easily mend by pressing edges together or by pressing a scrap of dough lightly over tear. Don't moisten. Pick up bottom paper at top corneres; dough will stick to paper. Place paper-side up in 8 or 9 in. pie plate. Carefully peel off paper. Gently ease and fit pastry into pan. Trim even with rim. ````````````````````````````````````````````` For top crust: Roll other half of dough for top crust as above. Place over desired filling. Trim to rim, or tuck edges under edges of bottom crust and seal using fingers or the tines of a fork. Bake until golden brown. Temperature: 425° (hot oven) Time: Bake about 40 min. `````````````````````````````````````` Pie Shell 1 1/3 cup sifted flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 tbs. milk Roll out as for bottom crust above. After placing rolled dough in pie pan, prick bottom and sides very thoroughly with fork. Bake until golden brown. Temperature: 475° (very hot oven) Time: Bake 8 to 10 min. ************************************************************ And...Angel Pie is to die for! I've been making this one for years! It's a great one for Christmas! ANGEL PIE 4 egg whites 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup confectionary sugar 2 large pkg. frozen strawberries, defrosted & drained 1 pint heavy cream 4 tbs. sugar Beat egg whites until stiff and then add, gradually, alternating first the granulated and then the confectionary sugar, beating slowly all the time. Put mixture into a buttered and floured (large, deep) pie plate . Bake at 325° for 45 min. The center of the pie will drop as it cools. Beat heavy cream until almost ready. Add 4 tbs. sugar and beat until ready. Fold in the drained strawberries. Pour mixture into the pie shell. Chill for at least 4 to 6 hours before serving.

Hah, yes the Stapelia stinks, LOL. From three feet you smell nothing, from 3 inches you smell rotten fried chicken, sweaty adolescent gym socks, and maybe a bit of cat poop, hah! The agave pics are just wonderful, GermanStar and DLG that barrel cactus is wonderful. The blooms are gorgeous! This has been one of the best monsoons ever for my little garden, with over 7 full, real inches of rain since June 1st (I have several rain gauges and compare with friends in the neighborhood too (N. Scottsdale)). Sorry others haven't had as much good, soaking rain. My 75 gallon rain barrel is absolutely full and it only catches rain from 20% of the roofline. Anyway, great fun pics everyone, keep them coming! Here's nothing fancy, but still pretty, a flower on my 'Golden' variety of pomegranate. I've gone overboard with pomegranates in this garden (thank you AZ Rare Fruit Grower's club, hah!) and really glad I have. My friends are calling my house Casa Granada now (pomegranate house in Spanish). I think I have seven different varieties now, oink oink oink. Happy gardening all! Here is a link that might be useful: Pics from my garden August 2013

Daniella poor little naked suckers. I have removed some but not all yet. It really is going to look like starting over. I worked so hard to get all those leaves, lol. The canna I am not sure about. I ordered a box of assorted things so I would have more stuff to give in the secret santa boxes. I haven't divided mine yet but will have more in the spring if you want some more let me know. Those were just labeled assorted cannas. They may just be small. The crinum bulbs were really small also. I am so bad at wanting one of everything that its a problem when it comes to trading because I give away everything but the one I kept for myself, lol. Then I have to wait on the stuff I kept to get big enough to share. I am always giving away plants. If someone likes it I say oh, here I have another one take it. It makes me feel good to share flowers.

Thanks El & Rigo! I can't sleep..see this is what happens when I dont work in the yard..full of energy at midnight.argh! Neighbors are fighting very loudly, & Now DH is out on OT so I def won't fall asleep. El, I Wish we had a place like that around here! I wanted to buy DD a couple venus fly traps, she's been wanting them for a few months, but HD wants $8 for a teeny tiny lil one. I remember when I bought mine ..o geez, I was gonna say a few yrs back, but its more than that.. More like 15 maybe 16, o lordy, lol..I only paid $2.99, if that. My cats ate them though. DH who was BF at the time bought me a bunch more, and the cats ate them again. So what did she get last Sunday instead? Mice...both the older kids got 2 mice each, I made them get females, and it turns out one of DD's is prego. greeaaaat!!! yes, that was sarcastic, lol. Venus Fly Traps woulda been cheaper. Rigo, I like that ponytail palm! I have been tempted to get one myself every time I see them at HD, but I know my cat and the puppy will destroy it. Thanks for sharing..if I can't have one at least I can look at yours! :) Daniella