Tag: pies

Desserts · Fruit

When Words Fail You, Pies Never Do

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I just saw those words in a Taste of Home magazine over an advertisement for Lucky Leaf Blueberry Pie filling. As I sat there and pondered (and yes, I know, I need to get a life more than dissecting and trying to find meaning through recipes)

that statement, I remembered that all the years growing up, the nights when I got stood up (thankfully there weren’t TOO many of those), or didn’t make the grade I wanted, or having a bad hair day,( which there were so many of those, living in a humid windy city) walking into the kitchen and finding a homemade chocolate, cherry or buttermilk pie…well, I didn’t need to hear any words from my Mom or Dad, I just had to sit down with a great big glass of sweet tea and a piece of pie. It just made everything seem a little better. Pies just always seem to say, Welcome Home, I’m glad you are here.

When I was leafing through this old Taste of Home magazine, I came across this cream cheese stuffed blueberry pie. It sounds delish so think I will make it this weekend, you know, just in case I miss the 12 hour sale at Stein Mart or find that after stepping on the scale, that I have obtained a muffin top on top of the one I already have. I don’t know why I keep gaining a few pounds every year! Must be all the carrot sticks I keep munching on; note to self…give up the carrots so I will have more tummy space for pie!

Blue Ribbon Stuffed Crust Blueberry Pie (substitute cherry or apple, if you like)*If you use the apple, omit the almond extract)

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 teas grated lime peel

1 teas lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teas almond extract

2 (9″) pie crusts (if using refrigerated crusts, let them get to room temp)

1/4 cup slice almonds

1 (21 oz) can Lucky Leaf Premium Blueberry Pie Filling or Cherry

Preheat oven to 425. Beat cream cheese, lime peel, lime juice, sugar and almond extract until creamy. set aside.

Unroll one pie crust and press into sides and bottom of the pie pan. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and press them lightly into the crusts. Top with 3/4 of cream cheese filling.

Unroll second crust; place on filling. Flute edges to form double crusts; pierce with fork. Spread Pie Filling on top of crust.

Add remaining cream cheese filling over the fruit filling and swirl with a spoon, being careful not to disturb the crust underneath.

Bake at 425 for 15 min; reduce oven to 375 and bake 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden around the edges. Cool and refrigerate before serving.

Desserts

Old Fashioned Cherry Pie

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Some of our kids are coming to dinner tonight so of course, Cameron already texted to see what we were having around 10 this morning. I texted back that we were having the beans & brisket that I posted a few days ago and cherry pie, which is one of his favorites. As the pie process began to get underway, it reminded me that several friends have ask about some of the pies that I make. Figuring that this might be just as good a time as any, here is a couple of secrets that will make your homemade pies extraordinary.

Even if you use the store bought Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, these simply little tricks will make the crusts taste better and seem a little more less “store bought”.

!. After you have placed your pie filling, whether it be cherry, peach, apple, sprinkle about 3 tables of sugar over the fruit. Then dab cubes of butter (not margarine) over the pie filling before covering with the top crust. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top crust to give it a sugary exterior.

2. If you are making apple or peach pies, substitute light brown sugar over the fruit filling and sprinkle some cinnamon, as per your liking, over the filling. Just sprinkle regular granulated sugar over the top crusts, just like you would cherry or blackberry, etc.

3. If you like a little more homemade flavor, use the boxed Betty Crocker Pie Crust mix. Sells for $2.09 and makes 2 crusts. All you do is add cold water and roll them out. So easy, but so much better than the refrigerated.   2015-04-28 11.19.02

Butter cubes placed over pie filling!

2015-04-28 16.35.38

Finished and ready to enjoy!

Much flakier and so much better tasting.

Breads · Desserts

Quick Crusts Ideas

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The last day of March? Really snuck up on me. It has been such beautiful weather here that all I have wanted to do is sit outside (you notice I don’t say, walk or run) and think about what I might want to bake next. When I was going through several baskets of recipes the other night, I came across this sheet I had torn out of some cooking magazine, but I don’t know which one.

I thought it would be convenient to post all of these different crusts on one posts, so you could print them up and tape them inside one of the cookbooks you use often. There are 6 different crusts. I will give several suggestions of which type of pie you might like to use the appropriate crust for. But be daring and experiment with them and let me know what you are using the crusts for.  It’s exciting to learn different recipes for friends.

Basic Crust Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, combine all crust ingredients, stirring to combine. Press crust into bottom and up sides of a 9″ pie plate. Cook for times specified below. Cool completely before adding your fillings.

Macaroon Crust

3 cups crumbled macaroons (about 9 cookies)

1/4 cup butter, melted

Cook for 10 min.

Use for:

chocolate pies, coconut pies, lemon pie, pineapple pie

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (isn’t it wonderful you can buy them already crushed now)

1/4 cup ground nut of choice *opt

3 tables sugar

5 tables melted butter

Cook for 6-8 min or until lightly browned.

Use with:

Any type of cheesecake filling, chocolate, lemon, strawberry ice box pie

Gingersnap Crust

1 1/2 cups gingerbread crumbs

2 tables firmly packed light brown sugar

4 tables melted butter

Cook for 6-8 min or until lightly browned.

Use for:

Any pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake filling, caramel, banana cream, possibly apple filling

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust

2 cups peanut butter sandwich cookie crumbs (about 16 cookies)

2 tables sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

Cook for 6-8 min, or until lightly browned.

Use for:

chocolate filling, peanut butter pies, apple pies

Chocolate · Desserts

Fudge Spoon Pie

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I noticed that I have a new follower on Twitter, Kennbuck Inn and want to say welcome. This dessert would be fabulous served after dinner at any B&B. It is taken from Southern Living Desserts and would be a great ending to any meal. To gooey to slice like a pie, but served as a cobbler with whipping cream or ice cream…I know I would come back to anyplace that served it.
1/2 cup butter
1 (1 oz) sq unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teas vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Ice Cream or Whipping Cream
Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar and next 3 ingredients.
Pour batter into a greased 8″ square pan. Bake at preheated 325 oven for about 22 minutes. (Do not overbake) Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Desserts · Fruit

Valentines Strawberry Pie

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Strawberry Pie
Taken from Frisco Style Magazine

When I saw the picture of this recipe I knew that I would be making it today.
Besides February signaling thoughts of love, it also brings strawberries to mind. Strawberries dipped in chocolate, strawberry pie, strawberry cakes and scones. But this pie sounded so different, yet so simple.
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teas salt
1 1/2 teas sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 table milk
Set oven to 425. Put ingredients for the crust into a bowl and mix ingredients with your fingers or a pastry blended until crumbly. Pat the mixture firmly into a 9 or 10″ pie plate. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let it cool on a rack for 5 min. Then place in freezer while you prepare the filling.
Filling
10 oz frozen strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 tables lemon juice
2 egg whites
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 teas almond extract

Thaw the strawberries. In a bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, egg whites, lemon juice and salt. Beat ingredients for 15 min or until stiff. Whip the cream with the almond extract. Fold into the berry mixture. Mound the filling into the pie shell. Freeze until pie is firm.
Actually we are going to eat Mexican food tomorrow night with friends, so this will be perfect for us to come home to for a cool dessert after all the hot sauce I know we will be having.

Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Skillet Apple Pie

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All I can say is this….it was the best apple pie we had ever had and our friends who share it said the same thing. The brown sugar-butter sauce in the bottom of the skillet under the crust just oozes the best buttery flavor and you just stand there and scrape all that sauce out with a spoon. My sister-in-law had us over for Christmas Eve breakfast, and as we were just standing there talking, she began to make this pie for their dinner, so I helped peel apples and began to read over the recipe. After taking a picture of it to bring home, I decided that afternoon that I was going to make it Christmas day for our dinner. I am so glad I did.

Ingredients:

1 large iron skillet

2 pounds of Granny Smith apples

2 pounds of Braeburn apples

1 tables flour

2 teas cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used all light brown)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup firmly brown sugar

1 (14 oz) package refrigerated pie crusts (I used Betty Crocker box pie crust mix that you add water and roll out, I love the flakiness of this brand instead of the refrigerated ones)

2 tables granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Peel apples and cut into 1/2″ slices. Toss apples with cinnamon, flour and the 3/4 cup sugar (be it granulated or brown sugar, your choice, but use the brown, it is so good). Set aside.

Melt butter in a 10″ cast iron over medium heat; add the 1 cup of brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and place 1 piecrust in skillet over brown sugar mixture. Spoon apples onto crust and top with remaining crust. Sprinkle the 2 tables granulated sugar over the piecrust and cut 4 to 5 slits in top pie crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hr and 10 min or until golden brown and bubbly.* (sometimes it might be necessary to place strips of aluminum foil around edges of pie crust to prevent over browning) I placed the skillet on a sheet of aluminum foil before placing in oven to avoid spills going over bottom of oven. Cool on a wire rack for about 30 min before serving with ice cream.

Desserts

Luby’s Millionaire Pie

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  Yesterday at the craft show, a friend ask me if I ever saw the recipe for her favorite pie at Luby’s Cafeteria. I told her I would find it and send it to her. So here it is, Betty Jo, enjoy and save one of the pies just for yourself…..
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
  • 2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts
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Directions

  1. Blend together the cream cheese and condensed milk; gently fold in the whipped topping.
  2. Stir in the crushed pineapple and pecans; pour into pie crusts and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
Beef · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Meats

Bacon-Cheddar-Ranch Meat Loaf

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What a great morning. My new Paula Deen magazine just arrived and thumbing through it, I immediately spotted a recipe that I am making for dinner this week. Last night, we had family over for pork roast with mashed potatoes and carrots, gravy, salad and green beans. It was a late invite so when I went to Trader Joes to pick up the roast, I looked through the desserts there and found a frozen box of miniature little pies which we had. They are Trader Jo’s Brand and the box simply says, Mini Pie Medley! Oh my gosh, we all just sat there and wished we had about 6 each. They come in a box of 6 and there are 2 strawberry, 2 peach and 2 blueberry. Bake at 325 for 8 minutes and you have a fantastic little pie which of course, we topped with Blue Bell..so when you are looking for something quick and delicious but do not have energy or time to whip up something, you can serve these little pies with great confidence. 

Back to the meat loaf. I love having individual loaf pans to serve company. If they have any left over, I simply wrap them up and send it home with them. You can buy the paper individual loaf pans now at several places, Michales, Hobby Lobby and Container Store for example.

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin

1 1/2 pounds ground pork

2 cups crushed French-fried onions

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3/4 cup barbeque sauce, divided

2 large eggs, beaten

1 ( 3 oz) package real bacon pieces

1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing (dry) mix

2 tables Worcestershire sauce

1 teas ground pepper

1/2 teas salt

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tables Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 5 (5×3″) loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray

In a large bowl, stir together both meats, onions, cheese, 1/4 cup barbeque sauce and next 6 ingredients. Spoon mixture into prepared pans, packing down lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes. in a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, mustard and remaining 1/2 cup barbeque sauce and spread over the meat loaves. Bake an addition 10-15 mins or until meat is done in center (about 165 degrees in center). Let stand for 10 min before serving.

Desserts · Fruit

Cherry Pie

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We are  here visiting friends here in LA LA land where Randy is getting treated to his favorite cherry pie. The friends house where we stay is home to her famous cherry pie. Last night, Bonnie went to the kitchen to make the pie so we would have it for dessert tonight so I followed her into the kitchen to see what her secret was. I learned that she uses tapioca instead of cornstarch to thicken. So now I have the secret ingredient which I will share with you. It makes so much difference. Between the 4 of us, in the past, we have just cut it into 4 slices and have eaten the whole pie in one sitting. It is that good. Thanks Bonnie and Arnie for the great meals, the hospitality and especially the pie. Randy is exited that he is getting his fruit for the month tonight as he downs the cherry pie.

2 cans cherries (not cherry pie filling), drained, reserving juice

1 teas almond extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tables tapioca pearls

1/3 cup of the cherry juice from can

2 unbaked pie crusts (she uses the Box of Betty Crocker pie crusts which I have started using. Great pie crusts. Much better than the frozen ones. Flakier and has more flavor.  Follow directions on the box for using two crusts.

In a large bowl, combine the cherries, tapioca and sugar. Stir until well combined. Stir in almond extract. (tapioca pearls will dissolve when pie is baking)

Pour the cherry juice in and stir before pouring into unbaked pie shell. Top with top unbaked pie crust. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Thanks Bonnie and Arnie for your friendship, hospitality, and especially the cherry pie.

*She sprinkled a little granulated sugar over the top crust before baking, It makes it so good. 

Uncategorized

Mississippi Mud S’Mores Fudge Pie

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Things are returning to normal. The pictures are pretty much hung on the wall in our new place and we even had friends over for dessert last night after going out for Mexican food. We have been in our new home for a week now and I am feeling a little more settled. Of course, the first thing I want to do after the boxes are unpacked is bake. Last night, because I haven’t totally restocked the panty yet, I just made the easy chocolate cake on the back of the Hershey cocoa can. To dress it up a bit, I baked it in 3 layers instead of 2 and frosted it with vanilla  buttercream frosting (which is on the blog) between the layers. Then I added 3 sq of semisweet chocolate to the remaining vanilla buttercream and frosting the whole thing with the chocolate buttercream, drizzling a little leftover vanilla buttercream over the top. They thought I had sent all day in the kitchen. I fooled them, it took only abut an hour to do hat, but it looked really pretty. I have figured out that just putting your desserts on a fancy cake plate can make even the plainest cakes take on a fancy look.

 For the last couple of months, traveling around from state to state, I collected quite a few new recipes from different places and one of those was this amazing looking pie. As soon as I can get to the store, this will be my next dessert.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 1/4 cups sugar, divided

1 1/2 cups finely chopped toasted pecans, divided

1 (4 oz) bar semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

4 large eggs

1 teas vanilla

3/4 teas salt

3 cups marshmallows, cut in half horizontally (spray scissors with Pam before trying to cut, makes it so much easier)

2 cups miniature marshmallows

Chocolate Frosting

Stir together first 2 ingredients then add 1/4 cup sugar; press on bottom and up 2″ of side of 9″ spring form pan. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of pecans over crust..

Microwave chopped chocolate with 1 cup butter in microwave glass bowl until chocolate and butter is melted.

Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients and then the remaining 2 cups sugar into the chocolate mixture. Whisk until blended and pour into prepared crust.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 1 hr to 1 hr an 15 min.. Remove from oven to cool for 20 minutes.

Preheat broiler with oven rack on lowest level from heat. Place the pan on a jellyroll pan. Toss together, both sizes of marshmallows

and mound on top of chocolate filling, leaving about 1″ edge. Broil 30 seconds to 1 minute or until marshmallows are golden brown and have begun to melt. Remove from oven and immediately remove sides .o pan. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Prepare chocolate frosting and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Drizzle chocolate frosting over the pie.

Frosting:

 1/4 cup butter

3 tables unsweetened cocoa

3 tables milk (I like to use half & half or whipping cream for a creamier taste)

Combine the above 3 ingredients in  small saucepan and stir until combined. Whisk together over the heat for about 3 minutes, then remove from heat and pour over 2 cups powdered sugar. Add 1 teas vanilla. When well blended drizzle over pie.