Of birds, and also pie

[pensnest]

There was a pheasant strutting about in the back garden yesterday morning. I entertained visions of returning to a very smug Princess Fluffykins with a giant tail feather in her mouth, but there was no scene of carnage and no pheasant, either. Considering the stupidity of pheasants, I suspect my cats just didn't notice it was there. Too busy snoozing.

There were a couple of robins in the front garden, nomming Grandpa's cereal waste (the dusty stuff from the bottom of the packet, which he puts outside). They were somewhat larger than I'd expected them to be, and close to spherical. I'm assuming a mated pair.

*

Today, I made a pumpkin pie with apple sauce instead of eggs. By the time I realised I was going to need eggs it was a bit late to trot up to Aldi for some, but the internet provided me with an alternative and it seemed to work out quite well. I used the recipe on the tin, instead of my trusty Good Housekeeping book recipe which involves whisking egg whites. Spice is the best thing about pumpkin pie anyway, and I suspect that as long as it contains plenty of spice and sugar, you can do all sorts of terrible things to the basic recipe and still end up with something nommable.

Comments

[chalcopyrite]

On the bright side, she probably can't get a pheasant through the catflap.

Probably.

Mmm, pumpkin pie. I hope it turned out well!

[pensnest]

Oh, lawd, I do hope not!

The pie was very good. I'll probably never be able to reproduce it, but it worked out.

[rikes]

Spices with sugar is my favourite dessert, really.

[pensnest]

I have become *extremely* partial to little cubes of crystallized ginger, with sugar on the outside. Om nom.

[turlough]

Pheasants always look so snooty! Snoozing is Serious Business when you're a cat :-)

Robins are always cute but I imagine almost spherical ones are even cuter.

I'd no idea you could use apple sauce instead of eggs! I completely agree with rikes, spices and sugar are the best bit of a dessert.

[pensnest]

I have an idea I'd read about using apple sauce somewhere before, but I'm very glad to have found the suggested substitution. Plus, it means I can have applesauce on my breakfast instead of milk or yogurt.

[ephemera]

pheasants are just -- if they're not kitty food it's not because they outsmarted them!

pretty, though!

[pensnest]

How true! If the cats had been on the qui vive instead of on the sofa, that pheasant would have had a very taxing time.

[frausorge]

I'm glad the pheasant (presumably) lived to visit other gardens.

The pie sounds delicious! Yay for flexibility.

[pensnest]

It may, of course, have happened upon a more savvy Norfolk resident with quick hands and a hook outside the back door...

[brandywine28]

I've never actually seen a live pheasant, and now that I know how stupid they are, I think I might -- love them?? Poor things. :(

Pumpkin pie!! You're right about the spices; a spiceless pumpkin pie is just a big, ol' nothing.

[pensnest]

They are very handsome, and exceedingly thick, as befits something that has basically been bred for generations to be shot for fun.

Cinnamon is *the* best thing about pumpkin pie. I believe I could do without the actual pumpkin....