Pecan Pie

Thanks to getting Election Day off from school, I was able to have a relaxing and fun 4-day weekend up at Dusty's parents farm up north. The main purpose of the trip was to go "hunting".... but after 2 mornings of getting up before sunrise in the freezing cold and hiking 5 miles a day. I was over it.

Luckily, Dusty and his dad didn't care if I was there or not, because they were obsessed with getting a huge buck that was hanging out on the farm. He was a very fat and happy buck from eating all the grain, his antlers were so huge that they were wider than his whole body!

Lucky for the fat/happy buck, he got away. Sadly, for a smaller buck, he didn't. When Dusty called to say he shot the buck, I cried....I cried hard. It was my first time seeing an animal get dissected that wasn't living in a jar of formaldehyde in a lab. Let's just say that Haley will not be going on a hunting trip any time soon!

The best part of the trip however, was that I was taught Dusty's moms' famous and secret pie crust recipe! His mom has forever ruined me because now I am obsessed with pie! I have never made a pie crust before because I've been so terrified to make it because Dusty holds such high standards for pie from his mom. Let me tell you what, his mom definitely raises the bar high. IT IS SO GOOD! I'd tell you the recipe, but then I would have to kill you. So unfortunately in this post I will not be sharing the pie crust recipe....but hopefully talking about the pecan pie filling will be satisfying enough.
I'm sorry! I'd really like to tell you....but I can't.

So this is what you need for awesome Pecan Pie:
-9 in unbaked Pie Crust
-1-1/4 cup Pecan Halves
-1 cup Corn Syrup
-1 cup White Sugar
-3 tbsp Brown Sugar
-1/2 tsp Salt
-1 tsp Vanilla
-1/3 cup melted Butter
-3 large Eggs-beaten

Place the unbaked pie shell into your pie pan and form the crust so that it looks pretty. I like using the "Pinch Method" which is using my thumb and pointer finger with my other pointer finger to form the crinkled crust. It's what Dusty's mom taught me and I like it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of the pie crust with the pecans and spread them out evenly.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and pour them over the top of the pecans.

Look how the pecans float to the top!  It makes for a really nice crusty topping.

Then you need to cover the crust with aluminum foil so it doesn't burn and place the pie in the oven.

Bake the pie for 30 minutes and then remove the foil. Bake the pie for 20 more minutes. If the pie filling isn't too jiggly, then it is good to go. Otherwise if there is still jiggle, cover the whole pie with foil and bake for an addition 10-20 minutes. Don't burn the crust and the pecans!

Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before serving. It is very important to let the pie set up, otherwise it will have a funky texture. I know because I got excited and cut into it too early last night. But this morning the pie was absolutely perfect!

Enjoy!