“I’m going to church where sweet bells call,

to ask our Heavenly Father to bless us all.” Ahh…the Old Country Church with it’s message of love, hope, mercy, and grace…. singing Hymns like Blessed Assurance…Softly And Tenderly…. and Amazing Grace brings such comfort to the soul!

Chatting on the church steps with sister Mary Grace and Effie and Clara, sharing with each other about how the Good Lord had blessed their hearts with such an uplifting sermon by the Reverend Honeycut. There was also a buzz in the air about the Church Supper and All Day Singing that afternoon. The ladies couldn’t wait to unload their boxes and baskets of fried chicken, green beans, potato salad, cornbread ‘n’ beans, ham ‘n’ biscuits, watermelon rind pickles, corn casserole, macaroni and cheese, not to mention all the delectable cakes, pies and cookies! Ice cold Lemonade, dipped from large crocks into jelly jars, offered a cooling refreshment under the shade of the old oak trees in the heat of the sun-baked afternoon.

Everyone kept an eye on Sister Liza Jane Honeycut (the Reverends wife) to watch where she would place her mouth watering, golden crusted Buttermilk pies, so they could be sure to snatch and savor a slice before the pans were left with just a few lonely crumbs. You didn’t dare wait until after you had your meal to get a piece of her pie, otherwise your sweet tooth would just have to go unsatisfied. The Reverends wife just seemed to have a knack for making the most tasty pies. Perhaps it was her tender loving care that she mixed into each one of them.

Sister Liza Jane would blush with humility whenever anyone asked her for her recipe. She was always happy and tickled-pink to oblige. Sweet Lizzie, as her dearest friends called her, did not believe in keeping Secret Recipes, “why, it would be like selfishly holding onto a blessing of the Lord, a joyful gift, that was meant to be shared by all. My heavenly days, why would anyone want to hoard joy for only themselves….if my recipes allow someone else to prepare a tasty treat, it will only spread more joy! It’s like scattering wild flower seeds, it will bring back to you a harvest of sweet, unspeakable delight, not to mention the blessing of knowing that you have pleased the good Lord! That is something I am not willing to miss out on.”

Verdeen Crumley, president of the Missionary Council, would beg to differ with Sister Liza Jane. Her lips were buttoned tight when it came to sharing the recipe for her moist and delicious Carrot Cake with the creamiest of cream cheese frosting. She was quoted as saying “I did not spend hours, by the sweat of my brow, concocting my prize winning secret recipe for someone else to take the glory!”

Well, sister Verdeen had a lot to learn about glory, and to whom it belongs. It was by God’s grace that she was able to do any concocting at all.

God Blesses us to be a blessing to others.

Blessed be His glorious name forever:

let the whole earth be filled with His glory!

Amen and Amen! Psalm 72:19

The Tabernacle

by Karla Worley and Brent Lamb

“Down by the Tabernacle oh,

where the June bugs danced

and the lemonade flowed,

and we prayed and we sang

’til the sun sank low,

laughing with our sisters and brothers,

Down by the tabernacle hey,

where you knew you were loved
and you wanted to stay,

though the summer heat was like judgment day

We always enjoyed each other

“We went to the river and some were baptized
Clapped our hands and testified
Then we passed around the chicken and the Buttermilk Pie
And nothing ever tasted better”
Song titled “The Tabernacle” by Karla Worley and Brent Lamb
Sister Liza Jane’s Southern Buttermilk Pie

Start with this simple,

Pat-in-the-Pan Crust:

  • 2 1/2 cups Flour (All Purpose Unbleached)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cold milk
  • 2/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola–make sure it is fresh!)

Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl until blended, add wet ingredients and stir gently until the dough forms a ball.( For a tender crust, do not over mix). Put dough into pie pan and pat it thin and flat to conform to the shape of the pan. Crimp the edges. You are now ready for the filling.

Whisk dry ingredients.

Add the milk…A note about the oil: Make sure the oil is fresh because if it has begun to turn rancid, your crust will taste bitter and that’s no fun! (I learned the hard way!) Stir until the dough forms a ball.

That’s it! See how simple!


Put dough in pie pan.Pat dough flat and even pressing up the sides of the pan.Crimp the edge by using your thumb on one hand to push the dough down into a “V” shape and your fingers on your other hand to support the dough on either side of your thumb. (I couldn’t show the whole technique since I was holding the camera.)

Now you are ready for the filling!
Sister Lizzie’s Southern Buttermilk Pie

 

 

 

Now, there are all kinds of recipes for Buttermilk Pie…some are as gooey and sweet as a candy bar….this custard-y pie is just “sweet enough” and has a refreshing hint of fresh lemon for those sultry summer days that are hotter than a fritter-in-a-fryin’ pan. It’s simple and homey and it’s a perfect Bake ‘n’ Take pie for your next Church Supper!
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 4 eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 stick butter, melted and cooled (1/2 cup of butter)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • pinch of grated Nutmeg
In your mixer, combine the flour and sugar. Stir in the eggs, and buttermilk . Add the cooled melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add a pinch or two of grated Nutmeg. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Put the pie in the center of the oven and bake at 425 in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes, then lower the temp to 350, and bake for 40 more minutes. Cool then keep chilled.

Mix flour and sugar…
Add Buttermilk…
Whisk eggs…

Stir in eggs…

 

 

Add cooled melted butter (make sure it is cool or it will cook the eggs)

Add the Vanilla…Add the lemon juice and zest…Grate a pinch or two of fresh nutmeg…Mix it all up!Pour into pie shell…and bake…It comes out looking like sunshine!

 

“This pie’s so good

it makes me mad at my mama.”~Glory Road

 

For those of you who asked about the lid for my cast iron pan, well I did some research and found it online…. click here, it’s made by Kitchen Collection, and sells for $9.99.

In my Hillbilly Spaghetti Pie post, there were a few gals who had a concern about cooking tomatoes in cast iron. The manufacturer of Lodge Cast Iron Company actually has recipes such as Chili (Click here) with tomatoes and this one for Skillet Steak alla Pizziaola. Perhaps the concern is that the acid in tomatoes would wear away the seasoning, but as long as you clean and re-oil your pan as soon as you are finished cooking, there should not be a problem. If the manufacturer encourages cooking with tomatoes, that’s good enough for me. I had one more thought on this…I’m pretty sure that cooking tomatoes in an aluminum pan can cause discoloration to the pan and give food a metalic taste, so maybe that is what caused the confusion. For anymore questions about cast iron care click HERE.

“Buttermilk Pie is the ultimate in Southern Pieness.”

~Terry Thorton

Well, I am so glad y’all stopped by for Sister Liza Jane’s Buttermilk pie! Once again I so appreciate your kind comments! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! I give God all the glory…so thankful for His grace and mercy!

Hugs!

Ruth Ann

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