Chocolate Meringue Pie

This is my Memaw's Chocolate pie recipe that has been a family favorite for years. (She has to make two at Christmas so that nobody argues over it, it is that good)

Custard
1 Cup Sugar
5 Tbs Cocoa
3/4 Cup Flour
1 3/4 Cup Milk
3 Egg Yolks
2 Tbs Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Meringue
3 Egg Whites
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

Custard
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and bake crust until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool while making custard. (Do not turn off oven)
2. In a sauce pan, mix sugar, flour, and cocoa together in a sauce pan.  Over medium heat, add milk, stirring constantly to avoid scalding. Stir until mixture starts to thicken.
3. Take off heat and add yolks, stirring quickly. 
4. Add vanilla and butter, stirring until well mixed
5. Pour custard into crust

Meringue
1. In a medium sized bowl, blend cream of tartar and egg whites until mixture is frothy. (For a higher volume meringue, use room temperature egg whites)
2. Add sugar in a little at a time until egg whites are glossy and firm.
3. Pour over custard and mold into shape you want, put in oven until tips are golden

Making a Fascinator

I love fascinators! They are so fun! But, they can get a little expensive and they don't always have what I like so I decided to make my own.

Here is what you'll need

Craft Felt
Fabric stiffener spray (I used
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Lace
A fascinator comb (you can find these in the hair accessories section at any store)
a needle and thread of a color that matches the felt
Wax paper and saran wrap (to catch the overspray)
Anything you would like to use to decorate your fascinator
Wide mesh tulle (if you want a veil)

1. Cut out the shape of the hat from the felt. I used the fascinator I already had as a pattern (If you are using a form, wrap it in saran wrap and lay a piece of wax paper on top of it.) Lay the felt on top of the wax paper and spray with the fabric stiffener. Let dry

2. Sew the comb to the bottom of the felt. (Don't worry about your stitches being seen, they will be covered up later.)

3. Cover the felt with the lace, making sure that there is enough overlap to secure the lace underneath the felt. I used ribbon lace, so it took three pieces to cover the entire hat. You can use a piece of lace fabric, just make sure there is an overlap.

4. Glue the lace to the underneath of the felt. (Don't worry, nobody will see this part, so it doesn't have to be perfect.) Make sure to fold as you glue so that the lace is flush around the hat so you don't get any uneven parts

5.  To make the veil, take a piece of the mesh and fold it into a triangle, fold it in half again and again until you have a narrow triangle. Cut an arc across the outside edge of the triangle, when you unfold it all, it will be a large circle.

6. Put down a line of glue across the top edge of the hat and tack down the veil, gather it a little bit as you glue it down. (You can put it anywhere you like, this is just where I chose.

7. Glue on the decorations to cover where the veil is tacked down.

8. Voila!