Category: Pies

Desserts · Fruit · Pies · Uncategorized

Blueberry-Banana Creme Pie

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Why I don’t make this more often, I cannot tell you…wait a minute, yes I can. IF I made it very often, I would weight 50 lbs more than I do now. This is one of Randy’s favorite desserts. So because he has requested something different than cookies I have  been making all week, I decided to surprise him this evening with this. It is really simple to make and is such a crowd pleaser. If you like blueberries and bananas, you are going to love this.

1 package Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies

2 medium banans

1 can of blueberry pie filling

1 recipe of vanilla pudding (I make mine, but if you are in a hurry and don’t want to make your own, buy the small size of french vanilla instant pudding and make it according to the directions.

1/2 pint of whipping cream or Cool Whip (if you have followed my blog for any length of time, you will know that Cool Whip is WAY down on my list of toppings, but for calories sake or ease, I know that lots of folks use it. And when my dr tells me to either quit using real whipped cream and butter, or have heart surgery, I guess I will start using Cool Whip also)

Instructions

If you make your own pudding, do it first and set it aside while preparing the other steps.

This is recipe I use for the pudding

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup plus 1 table flour

1/2 cup plus1 tables sugar

2 egg yolks

tiny pinch of salt

1 teas vanilla

1 tables butter

Combine all ingredients except vanilla and butter. Using a whisk, whisk the ingredients all together in a medium saucepan until all lumps are gone over medium heat. Continue using the whisk as you cook the pudding until pudding is thick. When it is thick, remove from the heat and add the vanilla and butter and stir until butter is melted. Set aside and let cool for about 30 minutes.

Line a dish with about 12 of the chessman cookies.  Pour the cooled pudding mix over them. Set this in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Remove from fridge and slice two banana over the pudding mix. Spoon the blueberry pie filling over the top of the bananas. Set in fridge for about an hour to finish cooling. Add the whipped cream that you have whipped with sugar or the Cool Whip Sprinkle about 4 or 5 of the Chessman cookies which you have crushed with a rollin pin in a bag over the top of the cream.

Set in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cover leftovers or if you aren’t planning to serve it now, keep covered in the fridge until serving time.  Snack on the remaining Chessman cookies while you make dinner or keep for another day when you don’t have any of this dessert left and you are wanting a buttery cookie to go with coffee or tea.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Pies · Uncategorized

Baked Apple Pie Cheesecake

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Years ago when I lived in Corpus Christ, TX, one of my favorite dessert memories was from Luby’s Cafeteria. Sometimes, when we would go, they would have a cinnamon apple topped cheesecake. It was delicious and so different from other cheesecakes. Very creamy and the flavor combination of apple, cinnamon with the cream cheese was just awesome. On the back cover of Nov 2016 Taste of Home I found a recipe that resembled that wonderful memory.

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 teas cinnamon, divided
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup old fashioned oats or quick cooking oats
2 tables butter, melted
4 packages (8 oz ea so total 32 oz) softened cream cheese
1 teas vanilla
4 eggs

Cook apples with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teas cinnamon in saucepan until apple slices are tender. cool
Heat oven to 325. Combine graham cracker crumbs, oats, butter, remaining cinnamon and 2 tables of the sugar, press onto bottom of a 9″ springform pan.
Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each, just until blended.
Spread half the apples over bottom crumb crust to within 1/2″ of edge. Cover the slices with the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate remaining apples until ready to serve.
Bake cheesecake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 min, or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Place in fridge for 4 hours.
Drain remaining apples that you had placed in the refrigerator, just before serving. Arrange apples on top of cake as shown in photo.

Thank you Taste of Home for another trip down memory lane and a great recipe.

Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Pies · Uncategorized

Old Fashioned Banana Pudding with a Twist (actually several twists)

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This weekend we were invited to a dinner party, where I had volunteered to bring the dessert. It has come to my attention that we aren’t that well liked, they just invite us so I will bring the dessert, as folks know that I love to bake and use any opportunity for a reason to do so. Also, Jodi had invited some of their friends over on Saturday night and of course, and I had volunteered to make her dessert for her gathering as well. When given her choice of what she wanted me to make she choose banana pudding. Being that that is not one of my favorite desserts with the vanilla wafers, I quickly remembered Paula Deens banana pudding which steps up traditional banana pudding about 10 notches. That was my deciding factor, remembering standing in our kitchen, licking the bowl of Paula Deens banana pudding several years back. She uses Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies instead of vanilla wafers and adds several ingredients making this a most richly flavored dessert. By the time I got to the store, I decided to just make a double batch, one for the Duprees and one to take to our dinner party. Walking through the grocery store I started thinking about the chessman cookies and decided that I would use a crust that is so easy and yet so delicious instead of the Chessman cookies! It is the crust which is used for Texas Panhandler Yum Yum’s. Now, it was all coming together. That would be the crust, and Paula Deens filling for the pudding. All that to say…….here is the version that was made and devoured Saturday night.
When Jodi called this morning she told me that her company ask what the crust was because it was just delicious. Trust me on this, you will love the combination of the flavors and the ease of which it is made.

Thank you Paula for sharing more of the Southern dishes that make our lives a little more heavenly with each bite.

Preheat oven to 350.
Crust

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup butter

Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. When completely melted, add the flour and the nuts. Stir to combine and place in either a 9×13 or a 11×7″ pan. If using the 11×7, the crust of course will be a little thicker. I was making it for 6, so I used that size. I made Jodi’s in 9×13 because she was serving 9. Either works fine.
Spread crust ingredients in pan using your fingers until dough is spread evenly in pan and bake in preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. IF using the 9×13 it won’t take as long to bake. Cool crust completely. Set aside.

Filling
2-3 bananas
1 (3 oz) package of french vanilla instant pudding *see below
1 (3 oz) package of white chocolate instant pudding
1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese)
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (Eagle Brand)
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, thawed

Topping * See Below
1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whip softened cream cheese with the Eagle Brand milk until well combined. Add the Cool Whip and beat just until well mixed. Set aside in fridge while making pudding.

Beat both packages with 3 cups of cold milk until thick. (recipe on box will say use 2 cups for each box, but do not do this, just use the 3 cups for the 2 boxes combined) When thickened, add to the cream cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Slice 2-3 banana over cooled crust. Spoon pudding mixture over the sliced bananas. Place in fridge, covered with plastic wrap.

Whipped topping

It is very important to use a very clean, grease free bowl to whip cream. any grease will cause the whipping cream not to thicken. Using 1 1/2 cups very cold heavy whipping cream, add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and whip until whipping cream is thick and holds its shape, about 3-4 minutes. Spoon over chilled pudding mixture and keep covered in fridge until ready to serve.
Cut into squares and serve with more sliced bananas on top if desired.

*I use French vanilla instead of the banana instant pudding, just because I don’t like so much banana flavor. But you can use banana instant pudding if you like a more banana flavor.
*if you don’t like or want to use whipped cream for topping buy an extra Cool Whip and use instead.

Breads · Casseroles · Chicken · Daily Thoughts · Holiday Fare · Meats · Pies · Starches · Uncategorized

Old Fashion Chicken Pot Pie (Minus the Peas)

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One of the most dear to my heart comfort foods is chicken pot pie. But, because one cannot ever find it without peas, I am forced to make my own. Actually, it is such a great dish to make. For some reason, it makes me feel like autumn is in the air, even though it is over 100. It brings back memories of sitting by a fireplace while the pot pie is in the oven and the apple crisp is sitting over on the counter waiting to bring about a wonderful closure to our meal. Yesterday I could not wait any longer. Chicken pot pie was on the menu. I didn’t care if there was no fire in the fireplace, or that the thermostat was turned down to 64 so the oven could be on. Because we had had the kids over for dinner on Sunday evening for barbecued chicken and hash brown casserole, there was still some of the potatoes left over so I began to think, “hum, the hash brown casserole could be used in my pot pie and give it a wonderful cheesy flavor. And flavor it did have. The pie was absolutely wonderful and we ate unit there would have been no room for apple crisp (ok, not for a couple of hours anyway, but we had pumpkin cookies and cherry pie so didn’t need to make anything else). The only thing I will change when I make it again is that I will homemake the biscuits to place on the top. Last night I used canned biscuits because I was in a hurry to get to game night at a girlfriends house. But it was still really really good.

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups finely chopped chicken
1 cup chicken broth
1 can Campbells cream of chicken with herbs (not ever store has this but if you can find it, get it, it is a great addition) I find it at Walmart
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
2/3 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup of finely chopped cooked potato
(If Randy would not have been here, I would have added 1 cup of sliced mushrooms and cooked them along with the onion, celery, chicken mixture)
1/2 teas poultry seasoning
1/2 teas thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Biscuits to cover the top of casserole

To a medium size saucepan, place carrots and potato in a little water to cook for about 3-4 minutes after bringing to a boil. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet (If you use an iron skillet, you could actually complete the baking in the skillet and would not need to pour mixture into a different baking dish), melt the butter and add the chopped chicken, onion and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper until veggies are tender and chicken is done. Add the can of cream of chicken to the mixture. Stir. Slowly add the chicken broth (you might not need to add the full cup, so after adding about 1/2 cup, stir and add to thin mixture until it is still creamy, but not to runny) to this mixture along with the poultry seasoning and thyme. Stir in the drained carrots and potatoes. (Yes, if you are a pea lover, you can add those also, but be are and drain them well before adding.) Stir until mixture is well combined. If leaving in iron skillet, you an top with enough biscuits to cover the top and bake at 350 until mixture is bubbly and biscuits are done. (I cut each biscuit in 4th’s, but I think if I did use canned biscuits in the future, I would slice them in half horizontally making each biscuit into two. That way the biscuit isn’t so think on top.
If you are not using an iron skillet, pour into a greased 9×9 baking dish, top with biscuits or corn bread stuffing and bake until bubbly and biscuits are thoroughly cooked.
This pot pie reminded me so much of Thanksgiving that I think next time i make it, I am going to top it with corn bread dressing. The sauce in the pie using the cream of chicken with herbs was outstanding.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Pies · Uncategorized

Paula Deen Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake

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Yesterday, Peter Pumpkin began bringing in boxes of Fall Decorations. Of course, all I could think about was Pumpkin Cakes, Pumpkin Pies and Pumpkin Lattes. So I got the cream cheese out of the fridge and took out a can of pumpkin and remembered the recipe I had seen in Paula Deens cookbook and after making it, decided that this will be one of our “go to” recipes during this upcoming Fall Season. Thanks again, Paula for all the yumminess you have given to us! We owe our growing waist lines and added pounds to you, but very thankful for you sharing your love of great cooking with us.

Combine for Bottom Crust:

1 Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 egg
1 (8 oz) stick unsalted butter, melted

Stir until all ingredients are combined. Press dough into bottom of a lightly greased 9×13″ baking pan.

Combine
1 can pumpkin puree
1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese
3 eggs
1 (8 oz) stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled a little
2 teas vanilla
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice seasoning
1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar

Combine the pumpkin and cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the 3 eggs, the 1 stick of melted (cooled) butter and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie seasonings and mix well.
Pour over cake mix batter. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey. Cool before serving.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream.

Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Pies · Uncategorized

Banana Caramel Cheesecake Pie

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Paula Deen has just hit a home run with me. Just received my new PD magazine and every page is filled with either recipes for fried green tomato recipes, which included a BLT with the FGT or amazing summer ice box pies. If she had not been my favorite cook, she would be now. Every one of the recipes in this magazine are summer perfect! .It just makes me want to head out to the closet Farmer’s Market buy fresh corn (yes, this month she had fabulous recipes with fresh corn also), berries, green tomatoes and whipped cream by the gallon! The ice box pie I’m posting today sounds like it will become a favorite of mine. Thank you Paula for these wonderful summer recipes which should truly assure me that I won’t be fitting in my bathing suit for quite some time. But oh my goodness, the reruns on TV will be so much better with a piece of this luscious pie in front of me.

Banana Caramel Cheesecake Pie

1 (8.8 oz) package BiscottCookies, crushed

6 tables unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teas salt

1 1/2 (8 oz) packages (so 12 ounces in all) of cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup sliced banana

1/2 cup caramel topping

Garnish: sliced bananas

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9″ deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, butter and granulated sugar and salt. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of prepared pan.

Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add cream and sour cream and beat until very thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in sliced banana. Spread into crust.  Dollop caramel sauce onto pie and gently swirl together, being careful not to disturb the bottom crust. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Garnish with more banana slices if desired. Serve immediately.  Thanks, Paula, this one is a keeper!

Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Pies · Uncategorized

Spring & Summer Peach Pie

Chocolate Castles4 Comments

IMG_4568A new friend who is my neighbor brought me this recipe. Her grandmother use to make it and she said it is just delicious and perfect for those spring and summer luncheons or just dessert when you are sitting out on the front porch enjoying the summer breeze. As soon as I read the recipe, I ran (well, actually I drove) to the store and bought peaches and orange jello and it is now sitting in my fridge, just waiting to be sliced onto a plate for our enjoyment. Seeing it sit there this afternoon, I couldn’t stand it, so I took a spoon and went in for the taste. It is so refreshing and so light, it is just a great recipe to cool you down after a barbecue or heavy dinner. Thanks so much Patti for sharing it. Think Dreamcicle! in a pie!

Crust:

Combine 1 cup flour

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine the ingredients, except the pecans and cut with pastry cutter until butter is like small peas and well incorporated in with the flour and brown sugar. Then add the pecans.

Pat into a 9×13 baking dish and bake in a preheated 400 oven for about 12-15 minutes or until crust is a light golden color. Remove from oven and crumble with fork. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumbs and pat remaining crumbled mixture into a 9″ pie pan. Place in fridge to cool while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

2 cups of fresh peaches, peeled and sliced

1 cup hot water

3 oz box of orange jello (or you could use peach jello if you can find it in your area)

1 pint vanilla ice cream (Randy was so excited that we found Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla to use)

Add hot water (almost boiling) to jello. Stir until jello is dissolved. Add the ice cream and peaches. Stir and pour into chilled pie crust. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until it is set. Serve alone or topped with whipped cream.

Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Pies · Uncategorized

Southern Pecan Pie

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Before you pass this up thinking that you have hundreds of pecan pie recipes, let me assure you that this one is absolutely awesome and different. Last Fall I had mentioned that I had bought a little Holiday Celebrations cookbook for $1 on a clearance table. It has such great recipes which have become some of my favorite. Two weeks ago while looking for a pecan pie recipe for Thanksgiving, I remembered this little book and started looking through it and there on page 106 was a recipe for Southern Pecan Pie. As I read it, I noticed that it used light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. Well, folks, both Frosty and I agree that this pecan pie is the best we have ever had. I just put a mini one in the oven as we were already craving it again and didn’t want to wait for Christmas. At this age, we figure that even if having way too much pecan pie shortens our life span by a year or two, it was worth it and we will go with a smile on our faces, knowing that we went out having the best pecan pie EVER!.  So push away the old traditional recipe and venture out of your comfort zone. Whether you pronounce it PEE Can or PeCAN, your in for a treat!

1 unbaked pie crust (if you want points in your Heavenly Crown, make it homemade)

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup light corn syrup

4 eggs

2 tables melted butter

1/8 teas salt ( I don’t even bother with this as it just doesn’t make a difference)

1/2 teas vanilla

1 cup pecans

Mix all filling ingredients together and whisk until well combined. Pour into unbaked pie shell and place in preheated oven. Bake at 375 for about 40-45 minutes.

Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Holiday Fare · Pies · Uncategorized

Pumpkin-Chess Pie

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Can I share with you how excited I got to see this recipe in Fall Baking? oh my gosh, my favorite pie, chess, combined with pumpkin! I simply cannot believe this. A new way to have chess pie with beloved pumpkin, sent me over the top.  No more boring plain ole pumpkin pie. This will be the best Thanksgiving meal EVER…oh and yes, I’m excited about our kids coming also….BUT back to the pie! Oh, ok, and the grandkids, but seriously, pumpkin-chess pie, who would have thought!!!

Ingredients

2 pie crusts (and if Paula Deen is not your absolute fav  person in the whole wide world, you can use bought, but if you do use bought, please make sure it is a good one) If you want to make your own, you are well on your way to becoming the next great  American baker!

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 tables all purpose flour

4 large eggs, divided

1/2 cup whole buttermilk

1 3/4 teas vanilla (what the heck, go wild and use 2 teas, it is the holidays after all)

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (such as Eagle Brand)

1/2 teas ground cloves

1/2 teas ground nutmeg

1/2 teas ground ginger

1/2 teas cinnamon

*(or you could use 1 1/2 teas pumpkin pie seasoning in place of the cloves, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 pie plates with the pie crusts and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat sugar, butter and flour together until fluffy. Add 2 eggs, buttermilk and 3/4 teas vanilla (I will use 1 teas instead of 3/4). Beat well to combine. Pour into prepared pie crusts, dividing between the two, evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes.

IN a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, condensed milk, remaining 2 eggs, remaining 1 teas vanilla, and seasonings.. Stir until well blended. Pour over cooked buttermilk layer.

Bake for 35 minutes or until set. Let cool and serve with whipped cream.

Cakes · Pies · Uncategorized

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

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I have deleted this recipe from the blog. Made if for company, following the instructions to a “T” and the pecan pie filling part was so hard that it was hard to cut or to eat. In the future, I feel it would work better if you made the cheesecake without the pecan pie part, (as not to bake the pecan pie filling) and after the cheesecake comes out of the oven, pour the pecan filling over the top of the baked cheesecake.