• Originally published November 16, 2009 at midnight, updated November 17, 2009 at 3:10 p.m.

• PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE(This pie has a crème brulee crust)

  Pie filling:

  1 (15-oz.) can pure pumpkin

  3/4 cup, plus 4 Tbsp. sugar

  3 large eggs

  11/4 cups whipping cream

  1 tsp. ground cinnamon

  1 tsp. ...

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PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE(This pie has a crème brulee crust)

Pie filling:

1 (15-oz.) can pure pumpkin

3/4 cup, plus 4 Tbsp. sugar

3 large eggs

11/4 cups whipping cream

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to soften. Roll onto floured surface into a 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under and crimp decoratively. Pierce dough with a fork. Freeze dough for 15 minutes in freezer and then remove. Place foil inside crust and fill with dried beans. This will cause the crust to flatten as it cooks. Bake until sides are set, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Whisk pumpkin and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Whisk in eggs, then cream, spices and salt. Pour filling into warm crust. Bake pie until filling is set in center, about 60 minutes. Transfer pie to rack; cool 30 minutes. Chill until cold or about 1 hour. At this point you can leave in refrigerator for one day. The chilling process will allow the pie to set.

Preheat broiler. Sprinkle pie evenly with 2 Tbsp. sugar. Broil until sugar melts and begins to caramelize, turning pie for even browning, about 1 minute. Let pie stand until topping hardens, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle pie again with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar. Broil again until sugar browns, about 1 minute. Refrigerate pie until topping hardens, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

FLAKY PIE CRUST

11/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch)

2 Tbsp. (or more) ice water

Whisk flour and salt in bowl. Add butter and shortening and cut in until coarse meal forms. Add 2 Tbsp. water. Toss until moist clumps form. You can sprinkle with more water if mixture is too dry. Roll into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before using.

After using dough for pie crust:

Reroll scraps and cut into leaf shapes for garnish. Brush with butter and dust with cinnamon sugar. Bake on cookie sheet. Use for garnish.

I don't feel old enough to have a daughter of marrying age. Our daughter, Hannah, is getting married next summer. It seems like just yesterday we made "forts" with sheets in her room and had tea parties. I don't know how the time in our lives passed so quickly.

Last weekend, Hannah and I met in Austin to shop for a wedding dress. She is a senior at Baylor. We decided on a location in between Victoria and Waco, so neither one of us would have too far to travel.

I love to listen to books on tape when I travel, but I had forgotten to put one in the car and did not realize it until I was too far to turn back. I fumbled with the CD player and one of my favorite discs began to play. The soundtrack to "Mama Mia" filled the car with lively lyrics and made my heart instantly light.

I should have known that nestled in those Broadway songs would be one to tear at my heart. I had reached the outskirts of Cuero when the song began to play. "Slipping through my fingers all the time. Do I really see what's in her mind. Each time I think I'm close to knowing. She keeps on growing. Slipping through my fingers all the time." The song is about a daughter getting married and the regrets the mother has about not spending more time with her. I knew what was coming, and I could not hold back my tears.

Tears streamed down my face, and I had to pull over on the side of the road to blow my nose. I reasoned that it was just a song, but somehow it was truth for me. I pulled myself together, but had to turn off the songs. Images of Hannah's life whirled inside my mind and unanswered questions hung in mid-air. Have I taught her everything she needs to know? Did I spend enough time with her when she was young? Does she know how much I love her? At the time, I believed I was doing the best I could, but was it enough? The phone rang and Hannah's voice was on the line.

"Mom, I am so excited for today," she said. "I can't wait to spend the day with you." Tears once again welled up in my eyes as I answered. "Hannah, I love you so much. This is going to be a very special day."

She talked excitedly of the places we would search for dresses. I told her I would be there soon and then we hung up. I placed my cell phone back on the seat next to me and thanked God for the blessing of life and my children.

I am unsure what can prepare a mom for the first time they see their daughter in a wedding dress. Both of us arrived at the wedding shop close to the same time. I introduced Hannah to the lady who would help us. One of Hannah's friends bought her dress at that shop, so Hannah wanted to stop and see their options.

The wedding dress experience goes something like this: Mom and daughter enter a shop and immediately fill out paperwork about the wedding. The salesperson shows you to a comfortable couch, and she asks you questions about your gown preferences: Trumpet, sheath, sweetheart or other?

Fortunately, Hannah had all the answers, and I meekly smiled, letting her take the lead. I suppose she has read bridal magazines. We then walked around the store and were shown dresses. I chimed in that we had a budget and she smiled. I guess she is used to me mentioning this at some point.

She filled a dressing room with beautiful white and ivory gowns. I sat quietly in the corner. This all happened so fast. My head spun. Hannah tried on dresses as we "oohed" and "aahed" over lace and fabrics and veils. After more than an hour, Hannah settled on two finalists. Hannah set several appointments for us that day and the next, so I felt we should pace ourselves. I asked the saleswoman to write down all the information, so we could remember which dresses she loved.

As we left the shop I asked if she wanted to grab a quick bite at a fast food restaurant, so we could go to the next shop early. She quickly answered that she had picked out a restaurant on South Congress Street, which had great Italian food. She wanted to savor our lunch, not gobble and go.

After lunch, we continued our bridal trail down I-35 to another shop in New Braunfels. A wedding planner told me about that place. Hannah dutifully tried on several dresses, but was not wowed by any. All of these wedding boutiques are filled with mirrors and I noticed that Hannah and I began to look harried. Shopping for wedding dresses can be very hard work.

A bride wants everything about the wedding, including her dress, to be perfect. On the wedding day, all eyes are on the bride. A bride does not plan to ever repeat the event. It is her dream that the union will be "until death do us part." A guy may dress in a tuxedo for many times in his life, but the bride only wants to wear that special wedding gown once.

I should stop and mention that I married Taylor immediately after I graduated from Baylor. My mother planned my wedding from start to finish with very little input from me. I selected a dress, along with my two sisters, and we all tried the dress on. My father said we could have any dress we wanted, as long as we all agreed to wear it for our weddings. My father is a very smart man. We agreed and he saved a lot of money.

Hannah and I continued our shopping for the perfect dress on Saturday in San Antonio. I asked one of the saleswomen at that store if brides ever tried on just one dress. She politely smiled and shook her head from side to side. As Hannah tried on several dresses, I marveled at the young woman she has become. Taylor joined us so he could share in the dress experience, too. We sat on a couch together as Hannah stepped on the carpeted platform and looked at her reflection in the mirror. I saw her tilt her head from side to side, peering at her reflection. I wondered if she thought she was as beautiful as we knew her to be.

Thanksgiving is next week and our children and families will gather to give thanks to God for all our blessings. I am so grateful for all I have been given. And I am especially thankful at this moment to be able to share this blessed event with my only daughter.

Myra Starkey lives in Victoria. Write her in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901, or e-mail myra@vicad.com.

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