SnowPie2K16 - 18

I'm just going to go ahead and say that this was NOT my favorite pie. There won't be anyone begging for the leftovers of this one. It was decent, but something just wasn't right. I think it was the random nutmeg, in a "cream" pie that wasn't really cream, but was... If you're a die-hard rhubarb person (I'm not talking about us strawberry/rhubarb people) then maybe this is the pie for you. But I'd still do something about the nutmeg, maybe leave it out, or at least add cinnamon to go with it. And serve with lots and lots of vanilla ice cream.

RHUBARB CREAM PIE

Pastry dough for a two-crust pie
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
4 cup rhubarb, diced
1 tbsp butter

Line pie plate with bottom crust.

To prepare filling, combine sugar, eggs, flour, nutmeg and rhubarb in a bowl. Pour mixture into prepared pie plate. Dot filling with small pieces of the butter.

Adjust top crust, seal and crimp edges. Cut slits to allow steam to escape. Cover edges with foil to prevent over browning. Bake pie at 400° for 15 minutes, then lower oven temp to 350° and bake for another 45-55 minutes or until filling is bubbly in the center. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

SnowPie2K16 - 17

It's fun to see the personalities of our family members as they request their pie on the week they're assigned. Savannah's been begging for ice cream pie every time. She wanted homemade ice cream in a pie...that didn't happen. But, I did come up with this super easy, and delicious, alternate.

SAVANNAH'S ICE CREAM PIE

1 pre-made Oreo pie crust
1 pint mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 pint chocolate ice cream
(or use your imagination, pick 2 pints of whatever ice cream  you want)
Hot fudge syrup

Soften ice cream, and layer in crust. Freeze, until firm. When serving drizzle with hot fudge.

SnowPie2K16 - 16

There are favorites emerging already, only 3 months into this pie extravaganza. This Triple Berry Pie, once a little soupy, but tried again by request this week, is a winner. It will be on the Thanksgiving menu. And perhaps a few other menus throughout the year. This time it turned out PERFECT!

I didn't use frozen fruit, even though the recipe said you could. Totally not recommended. And I used strawberries (instead of blackberries), blueberries and raspberries. Amazing.

TRIPLE BERRY PIE (for the win)

2 pie crusts
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups fresh chopped strawberries
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp sugar

Heat oven to 450°. Make pie crusts and place in 9-in pie pan.

In large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups sugar, the cornstarch, tapioca and salt; gently toss with berries. Let stand 15 minutes. Spoon into crust-lined pan. Cover with lattice top, trim and seal edges. Brush crust with milk; sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar.

Place pie on middle oven rack; place large cookie sheet on rack below pie pan in case of spillover. Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake about 40-45 minutes longer, or until top crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let stand for 1-2 hours before serving. (I didn't do this, because who has time for that??? It still worked fine, see above picture)

SnowPie2K16 - 15

This week's pie is again brought to you from the Ann Romney cookbook. I loved the Simple Apple Pie recipe so much I decided to try her Strawberry Pie as well. My family loves strawberries. A lot. If I could successfully grow plants I would have a yard full of strawberries, but alas I can't even keep an aloe plant alive (though with renewed effort I have plants all over my yard/house right now that I'm really trying to keep alive).

This pie would be perfect for a spring or summer dinner. It's really tasty, nice and light. Sorry for the picture, we were hungry for pie, this is what you get.

Ann Romney's Strawberry Pie

1 - 10 in pastry shell, baked and cooled
3 pints strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Whipped cream or ice cream for serving (I didn't think it needed anything else...)

Clean and hull the strawberries. Thoroughly mash 2 pints of the strawberries. Stir in sugar and flour; set aside until they begin to gather their own juices. Place macerated strawberries into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil gently 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm.

Beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread the softened cream cheese on top of the prepared pastry shell. Spread cooled strawberry mixture over the top. Using the remaining pint of strawberries, arrange whole berries neatly (around the rim) on the pie. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Top with whipped cream or ice cream to serve.

SnowPie2K16 - 14

It's Springtime and it's gorgeous here in West Texas. The pollen count is abnormally high, and so are the temperatures. I'm loving it, but it's looking like it may be a really hot summer.

This pie is one of my kids favorites. They've requested in place of birthday cake several times, and because I'm a fan they've gotten no complaints from me. 

It's an ice cream pie, so obviously it can be made in advance, if you've got the freezer room to store it, but the downside is you've got to let it freeze, so it can't really be a last minute dessert choice.

The original recipe came with regular lemonade, but we've done variations with pink lemonade, and my daughter's favorite, Strawberry Lemonade, which is what I get to share with you today. Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE PIE

1/3 cup Strawberry lemonade powdered mix (pre-sugared, not the packets)

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups vanilla ice cream (so glad Blue Bell is back!!!), softened

1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping (ie, Cool Whip), thawed

1 prepared (6 oz) graham cracker crust

Place drink mix in a large bowl. Add water and stir until mix is dissolved. Add ice cream. Beat with mixer until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Freeze at least 4 hours until firm.

SnowPie2K16 - 13

Pi Day Second Edition

So we had Chicken Pot Pie for dinner, but what would Monday be without pie for dessert too? I went simple, Apple Pie, and it was sooo good! This is probably my favorite apple pie recipe, and it's my simplest. I found it in Ann Romney's cookbook, and it's definitely a keeper.

ANN ROMNEY'S APPLE PIE

Pastry dough for double crust pie
6 granny smith apples (I used Fuji)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
(I also added 1 tbsp cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a 9-inch pi plate with half of the pastry dough. Peel and core apples. Slice into pie plate over unbaked crust. Add sugar, dot the butter on top, sprinkle on flour, and mix it all together with your hands. (I mixed everything, including the apples in a large bowl before putting it into the crust, much, much easier and less messy...). Ann writes, "I like mine plain, so I don't add any seasonings", but I added the cinnamon and loved it. Roll out remaining pastry dough and lay gently on top of pie. Cut a few slits in top of the dough.

Bake pie at 425° for 10 minutes to set the crust, then reduce heat to 375° and bake until bubbly and brown, another 35 minutes.

SnowPie2K16 - 12

Last week was Spring Break. Thank goodness! We traveled to the Houston area, enjoyed rain and fun with family and didn't think about pie all week. It was kind of a nice break before heading into our Pi Day 2016 extravaganza.

Normally we just have pie for dessert on March 14th, but this year because we've been having pie every week I decided to do Chicken Pot Pie instead. I've never made it, my husband is picky about it, and I'm pretty sure my kids have never eaten it. We'll do it again, this was definitely a winner!

Seriously, this was comfort food all wrapped up in a delicious pie crust, filled with healthy veggies, and chicken, served in the best little package ever!

I got the recipe idea from Our Best Bites. (I own all of their cookbooks, they're my go to place for recipes). I adapted a little bit, but for the most part stayed true to their recipe, because "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

CHICKEN POT PIE

pie crust - here's the trick, if you're making these in ramekins/mugs, like I did you only need crust on the top, if you're making it in a pie dish, you'll need two crusts. Unless you're making a ton, like I did, and then you'll need a lot of crust to cover all of the pies...I made 10 ramekins full and used 2 pie crusts because I rolled it thin.

1 lb chicken (it's really good with chopped up rotisserie chicken...
1 bag frozen mixed veggies, thawed
1 onion, minced
butter
5 medium red potatoes, diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°.

1 - Boil potatoes until tender.
2 - Meanwhile saute onion in butter until it's translucent.
3 - Combine soup, chicken, veggies, onion and potatoes in a mixing bowl and season to taste.
4 - Fill pie crust (or ramekins/mugs) with chicken mixture, top with crust, crimp edges, cut some vent holes, place on a cooking sheet, then bake for 40-45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

SnowPie2K16 - 11

My husband had a friend in college who had diabetes. He had an insulin pump and loved his "external pancreas" but didn't really take care of it... for example, he loved (LOVED) chess cake. For those not familiar with chess cake, it's basically a little bit of flour, a little bit of lemon, some eggs, and a big bag of powdered sugar... This roommate would make the cake, crank up his pancreas, and go to town. 

Not to chase you off, but this week's pie is Chess Pie. A first cousin to Chess Cake. This recipe has a lot (A LOT) less sugar than the cake version, but if you're on a diet you might want to move on. There's really not a great way to make this one healthier. This is a "I-had-a-bad-day-and-desperately-need-comforting-food-in-the-form-of-lemony-sugary-pie" pie.

Plus I live in the South, this is a standard. Down here people eat Pecan, Pumpkin, Buttermilk and Chess pies. I'm pretty sure that's it. 

LEMONY CHESS PIE (adapted from about 3 different recipes to make it as yummy and healthy as possible...

1 - 9 inch pie crust

2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

5 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp cornmeal

1/4 cup lemon juice

grated rind of 3 lemons

Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs, then milk. Mix in flour, cornmeal, lemon juice and rind. Pour into crust and bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. 

SnowPie2K16 - 10

There's nothing like the classic pumpkin pie to make you feel at peace. It's really hard to mess up a good pumpkin pie recipe, and I've stolen my mother-in-laws, so it's just about perfect. Put a dollop of freshly whipped cream on top and you'll be in heaven!

CREAMY PUMPKIN PIE

2 - 9 inch pastry shells
1 large can pumpkin
2 - 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
4 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and spices. mix well and turn into pie shells. Bake 15 minutes, reduce oven to 350° and continue to bake 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool before cutting. Garnish with whipped cream.

SnowPie2K16 - 9

I'll be honest, we're 9 weeks into this challenge and I'm still all in, but my husband is getting a little tired of pie...and it was his week to pick. He wanted molten lava cake, one of my specialties, and I needed pie. So we compromised.

MOLTEN LAVA PIE

Not my favorite, but everyone else ate it up. I'd rather have my flowing chocolate in a ramekin, with no crust.

But, it was chocolate-y and molten-y, so at least the recipe was a success!

I based this off of THIS RECIPE from Chef Carla Hall. 

MOLTEN LAVA PIE

1 pie crust - baked

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butter

5 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1 - Preheat oven to 350°, bake pie shell and allow to cool.

2 - In a glass bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Don't over heat. Let mixture cool slightly.

3 - In a separate bowl, use a mixer to whisk eggs and sugar until thickened, mix in flour and salt, then blend into the chocolate mixture until just mixed.

4 - Pour into baked pie shell and bake for 20-25 minutes. Will be slightly dry on top and look a little jiggly in the center.

5 - Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes (we didn't have time to wait, so mine was a little runnier than if we'd waited).

6 - Garnish with chopped nuts. (optional)

SnowPie2k16 - 8

Sometimes I ad-lib recipes. Like 93.7% of the time I don't follow a recipe completely. 89.2% of the time this works out for me. And yes, totally pulling numbers out of the sky, (those numbers are likely inflated slightly).

However, I'd never made a meringue pie, or a lemon pie. I didn't deviate on the recipe at all. I did, however, have to rush as soon as it came out of the oven to take my daughter 2 hours away to a Dr appt and may not have cooled the pie as requested...it sweated. Other than that this pie was easier than I imagined, and as delicious as the one I bought from their restaurant. (Better, actually, because I didn't make the meringue sky high...another story for another day)

Lemon Meringue Pie - Blue Bonnet Cafe
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp flour
Dash of salt
1 1/2 cup water
3 eggs
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
Pie crust
Meringue for pie - recipe follows

Prepare and roll out pastry. Line a 9-in pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2-in beyond edge of pie plate. Flute edge; prick pastry. Bake in 450 oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

For Filling: in a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Separate egg yolks from whites; set whites aside for meringue. Best eggs yolks slightly. Stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten yolks. Return mixture to saucepan. Bring mixture to gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and lemon peel. Gradually stir in lemon juice, mixing well. Turn filling into baked pastry shell. Make meringue for pie using the reserved egg whites. Spread meringue over hot filling; seal to edge. Bake in 350 oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Cook completely before serving. For Lemon Cream Pie to with whipped cream instead of meringue.

For 3-egg meringue:
3 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 tbsp sugar

In a medium mixer bowl beat the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar at medium speed of mixer for about 1 minute or until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, about 1 tbsp at a time, beating at high speed about 4 minutes more or until mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks and sugar is dissolved. Immediately spread meringue over pie, carefully sealing edge of pastry to prevent shrinkage (any Seinfeld fans out there, hello?) Bake as directed above.

SnowPie2K16 - 7

I think I've figured out my dilemma with soupy berry pies... Practice makes perfect better.

1 - fresh berries are better than frozen to guarantee consistency

2 - directions are to be followed with exactness or pies turn soupy

Maybe rule #2 only applies to people like me who don't pay attention.

Either way, this week Landry picked blueberry pie. I used fresh berries. I followed instructions. Pie was perfect.

Elaine's Blueberry Pie - Bluebonnet Cafe Cookbook

2 pie crusts
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter, cut into small chunks

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the blueberries to the dry mixture, stirring gently. Spray pie pan with non-stick spray. Place the dough on the bottom of the pan. Pour the berry mixture into the pan. Sprinkle the berry mixture with lemon juice and butter chunks. Cover the mixture with the 2nd pie crust and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Make a slit in the middle for steam to escape. Bake for 35-45 minutes.

SnowPie2K16 - 6

I promise this pie was made last week. It was a little crazy up in here and I'm just getting around to posting the recipe. It was delicious, but I'm struggling with the soupiness of some of my pies. It's user error, not the recipe, so go ahead and try this one. Kids thought it was a keeper.

Quadruple Berry Pie
2 pie crusts
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blackberries
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) raspberries
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blueberries
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) cranberries
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp sugar

Heat oven to 450. Last one prepared pee crust in 9-in pie pan.

Stir together sugar, cornstarch, tapioca,  and salt; gently stir in berries. Let stand 15 minutes (I forgot this step, probably makes a big difference).

Spoon into crust lined pan. Top pie with lattice top. Brush with milk, sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar.

Bake in oven with cookie sheet on the rack below in case it bubbles over.  Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 375 and cover crust with foil. Bake 40-45 minutes longer. Let stand for 2 hours before serving.

SnowPie2K16 - 5

This week we finally got around to Cael's choice... Key Lime pie. He's a boy after my own heart. He wears sweaters and pants most of the year and chooses fruity pies over chocolate.

I used the Blue Bonnet Cafe cook book again this week, but exchanged their nutty, shortbread crust with a prepared Graham cracker crust. I also made a coconut whipped cream to top instead of regular whipped cream and berries.

It was delicious, but I can't wrap my head around uncooked eggs. I have a baked key lime pie recipe that I've made before that is just as good without the rush of salmonella. (Totally kidding).

KEY LIME PIE - adapted from Blue Bonnet Cafe

Crust: Graham cracker crust

Pie:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. grated lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice

Topping:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1-2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp coconut extract

For the pie: Combine the condensed milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Mix until blended. Add the cream cheese and lime zest. Process until smooth. Add the lime juice slowly, mixing until well blended. Spoon into prepared crust. Chill, covered, for 8-10 hours, or overnight. Whip cream cream, sugar and extract until stiff. Spread over chilled pie just before serving.

SnowPie2K16 - 4

Bonus edition...

Nope, it's not Monday. Surprise! Guess who had a little extra time and an extra assignment for pie for the husband's business partner?

We posed him the question, which pie would you like for Christmas? Cherry, peach, apple, chocolate, lemon, key lime.... No. Pecan? No, and we live in the South, for crying out loud.

His answer... Buttermilk pie. I'd never even heard of it, which means I'm not even a Southern girl yet. I've only made a couple of pecan pies. Now I've made a Buttermilk pie. I'm earning my stripes.

I found this recipe on BunsInMyOven.com. I looked at half a dozen recipes before settling on this one. It had a real crust, not a baked in one. I like crust. Pies deserve good crust.



Buns In My Oven Buttermilk Pie

2 9-inch pie crusts, unbaked
3 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange pie crusts in 2 9-inch plates.
2. Mix together the sugar, flour, and salt. Beat in the eggs, butter, buttermilk, and vanilla until well combined. Pour into the pie crusts. Bake for 1 hour or until no longer jiggly - check them after about 45 minutes. If the tops are getting too brown (mine were), cover them loosely with foil. Let cool one hour before serving. Good served cold.

**As done as mine look, the probably should have cooked another 5 minutes. It was still a little too jiggly/runny in the middle.

SnowPie2K16 - 3

For our pie this week we were back from the hospital, had a little extra time on our hands, and my daughter Savannah begged to make the Banana Cream Pie that we failed to make for Thanksgiving this year.

I'm not a pie snob, but I'm learning, and based on the abysmal performance of instant pudding the week before and the fact that homemade pudding just tastes SOOO much better we went with a "Made from scratch" banana cream pie rather than relying on Jello brand to save the day.

About a year ago we ate at a great restaurant in Marble Falls, Texas. It's right by Lake LBJ and one of our favorite vacation spots. This restaurant is known for it's pies (which are delicious) especially if you're fond of meringue (which we aren't). Their meringues are sky high and beautiful, but I like a little more substance in my pie. When we were leaving the restaurant I snagged a copy of their cookbook for my collection. It's been well worth it. You'll find a lot of the pies we're going to test are going to be from here. It's not a fluke or a coincidence, the restaurant is that good!

This banana cream pie recipe is delicious. It's vanilla pudding with bananas, so it's a better blend than banana cream pudding with bananas.

BLUE BONNET'S BANANA CREAM PIE

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cup milk
4 eggs, separated
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 bananas, sliced

Separate the egg yolks from the whites; reserve whites for another use. (think delicious egg white omelet with cheese, green onions, and bacon...MMM) Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk. Cook mixture over medium to low heat, stirring constantly. After mixture bubbles up and thickens, cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into yolks. Return egg mixture to saucepan; bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla; stir until butter is melted. Pour mixture into a 9-inch cooked pie crust lined with banana slices. Top with whipped cream.

Whipped Cream:

1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream at high speed with an electric mixer. As it starts to thicken, add powdered sugar gradually. Add vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form, being careful not to overbeat.

SnowPie2K16 - 2

Did I assume I'd be able to post pictures of my pies every week, on time, accompanied by great posts? No. Did you? I'm so sorry!

I haven't stopped making pies, in fact I'm ahead, an over achiever, because I made a Christmas pie for a friend today! (it's only Wednesday!)

Last week my daughter, Landry, chose a chocolate mint pie. It was the day before her back surgery, we were desperately trying to get packed and prepared to head out of town for the surgery, and I made the pie... no pictures were taken, it wasn't really something we'd revisit... at least not without some variations to the recipe. It was a triple layer pie and it didn't set up right. I'd make it with homemade pudding instead of instant and I'd definitely take more time for it to set up.

Here's the recipe if you want to try. It tasted great, it was just kind of soupy...

TRIPLE LAYERED CHOCOLATE MUD PIE

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 OREO pie crust
1/2 cup Andes mint chips
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping (I used homemade) - divided

Mix chocolate chips and condensed milk until well blended. Pour into crust, sprinkle with mint chips.

Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. (Mixture needs to be thick). Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the pudding over mint chips in crust. Add half of the whipped topping to remaining pudding; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Spread over pudding layer in crust; top with remaining whipped topping.

Store in refrigerator.

Snowpie2k16

Hello? Anyone there?

The list of things keeping me from this blog is hilariously long, and getting longer. I've been cooking up a storm (hello 3 square meals a day...family of 6...you understand) but blogging hasn't been my priority for a LONG (really long) time. 

However, maybe a theme is what I needed to come back. A Pie theme. So, perhaps, if I can find the time, you'll be a welcome (and hopefully satisfied) guest on my journey for the next year. 

#SnowPie2k16

What?!?!

So I make pies. Every Thanksgiving that's my thing. But we don't ever have enough people to justify as many pies as I want to make/bake/take. So we usually have a pie per person, because who wants to go without their favorite pie, and we don't overlap on favorites.

Lincoln loves cherry, Mom-in-law has to have/make her pumpkin, Shane is the master of chocolate, dad-in-law loves his apple (I actually make him an apple/cranberry with a custard that's to die for), Savannah loves banana cream, the twins eat whatever they can get their hands on, and I like being adventurous (NOT mincemeat adventurous, I meant delicious adventurous). 

So....for the next year every Monday Family Night I'm making pie. We're going to try 50 (ish) different pies and really know the winners for next Thanksgiving.

Sounds like a good plan, eh?

This week's recipe hails from HERE. It was Lincoln's pick, but we wanted Cherry without being just cherry...

CHEESECAKE CHERRY PIE

TOTAL TIME: 1:25

PREP: 0:15

SERVES: 12

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crusts
• ½ c. sugar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 bricks (8 oz each) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp. Almond Extract
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• White from 1 large egg, in a small bowl
• ⅓ c. Sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Have ready a 9-in. pie plate
2. Fit 1 crust into pie plate. Unroll or unfold remaining crust on a cutting board; cut in 1/2-in.-wide strips. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate
3. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Add cream cheese; beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth. On low speed, beat in egg and extract until just blended
4. Spread batter evenly in crust; spoon pie filling evenly over top. Beat egg white with a fork until foamy. Brush on pastry strips. Arrange about 8 strips evenly spaced across pie filing. Place 8 more strips diagonally over first strips to form a lattice (discard remaining strips). Trim and press ends to bottom crust. Brush rim with egg white; press on almonds
5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until crust is golden brown and cherries bubble. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

Pictures will get better throughout the year. We just really wanted to jump into this one. It was great! Maybe a little less cheesecake and a little more fruit next time. It did bubble over a little, but set up well. 

One down...many to go!

Healthy(ish) Cooking

Carrot Muffins

 

 

It is that time of the year! We are making/buying fudge, cookies, candy, and all the goodness of the holiday season. Normally I have no problem with nibbling chocolate chip cookies and drinking hot cocoa topped with heavenly whipped cream while watching Miracle on 34th Street but every now and again I need a break.  In order to keep up the energy for late night caroling and even later night present wrapping I make these:

 

Carrot Muffins!

 

Okay, so they are still a muffin which isn't exactly a spinach soy smoothie but with lots of modifications over time from a recipe I got 14 years ago they are a spiced filled yummy snack that won't send you into a sugar induced coma!

 

1 cup flour

1 cup wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 scant teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup oil

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup coconut

2 cups shredded carrot (or carrot pulp from your juicer!)

Optional -  1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup pineapple bits, or 1/2 cup nuts

 

Mix together flours, baking soda, baking soda, and spices. Make a well in the middle (my kids like that part)

Mix sugars, eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Add to the well and mix. Fold in coconut and carrot with a spatula.

 

Line 12 muffin tins and add 1/2 cup to each (we like big muffin tops)

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  These muffins are going to be denser then a cupcake (not awful, I can't eat these dense but you do get the feeling that you ate something)

 

This morning we juiced the about 6-8 carrots and saved the pulp for our recipe, then juiced 5 mushy apples that were not quite bad but no one was going to eat. We made the muffins, put pecans on top half so they would be toasty, drank our juice and felt like we were ready to conquer to day!

 

 

Lunch Ideas

Yesterday I posted my most tried and true breakfast ideas. Today let's talk about lunch.

I homeschool my three youngest kids. Lunch is really easy, most days it's leftovers pulled out of the fridge. But in case you need ideas (because seriously, who doesn't...I mean there are days leftovers just won't appease the 6-9 year old crowd) here is a list of ideas.

Sandwiches - duh. I have one child who would eat PBJ every day, every meal. I have another who won't touch PB with a ten foot pole. Seriously. Sandwiches are versatile like that, no one has to have the same thing as someone else. Our family favorites are roast beef with horseradish, PBJ and turkey, cheddar and ranch with veggies. I actually prefer a pita stuffed with sprouts, avocado, cream cheese and season salt...and maybe some turkey.

Macaroni and Cheese - blasphemy, I know. However, it is one of my kids favorite. I usually try to make it from scratch with cheddar cheese and noodles, but I'm not ashamed to admit I have boxed stuff in my pantry. I'm busy, people!

Ravioli's - not only Chef Boyardee...though the kids do like that stuff (natch), I like the refrigerator kind with my homemade marinara on it.

Quesadillas - Flour or corn tortillas, melted cheese and maybe some left over chicken or beef cut up inside. Preferably served with a side of homemade tomato soup...mmm, mmm, good.

Noodle stir-fry - Cook up some noodles, add some left over veggies from the fridge, a splash of something saucy...even my pickier ones will eat this.

Homemade Hot pockets - I make biscuits, fill them with cheese, meat and veggies and bake. These actually work really well for sack lunches for the oldest too. Very versatile and delicious.

Stromboli - (portable pizza) This one is usually what I make on Saturdays for our busy household. Roll out your pizza dough into a big rectangle, cover with your favorite toppings minus the sauce and then roll up (think cinnamon rolls) bake until dough is cooked, slice and serve with or without marinara sauce. When my kids are running around to different activities this is the ideal lunch!

Enjoy!