Mom's Pecan Pie

We love pecan pie around here. Pec (ah) n or pec (short a) n - however you want to say it. It's just plain old good! This is my dad's birthday request every year (for the last 31 years that I know of) and we make it for Thanksgiving and for any other festive occasion we can think of. This is the time of year for me that I always wish I were home with family. We live as far as we ever have from everyone this year and are spending the Christmas season with just our little family (and lots of wonderful friends). I'm coping with the no family party sadness by baking lots of yummy stuff that reminds me of home and family. This is THE pie! (and it's "easy peasy" - my 6 year old's newest coined phrase.)

(I cheated and used a purchased pie crust...)

1 c sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 c corn syrup (light or dark)
1/4 c melted butter
1 cup pecan halves

Mix the above ingredients in a mixing bowl until blended. Pour into unbaked pie crust and bake in 400* preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to 350* and cover pie crust edges with foil. Bake an additional 30-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean-ish. It can have pieces stuck to it, just not be goopy. Let it cool a bit and then eat it up!

Did I mention I LOVE this pie? YUM!

Ham, Leek, Pea, and Gruyere Tart.

HAM, LEEK, PEA, AND GRUYERE TART: I am absolutely IN LOVE with spring produce! There is something so rejuvinating about the acidic, tartness of early greens with the sweet and salty flavors of ham and cheese. Several wonderful items are in season right now, asparagus, rhubarb, green onions, chives, leeks, and peas, with many more to come in the following weeks. Try this spring-flavor infused tart to wake-up your dinner routine. (Forgot to take a picture...use your imagination...;-)

Ingredients:

-Puff pastry (homemade, or store bought)

-gruyere cheese, about 2 cups, shredded

-fresh or thawed from frozen peas (if using frozen, make sure they are completely dry before using.)

-One leek, white and light green parts, only

-about 6 ounces ham off bone, or you can use sliced from the deli as well.You can shred it or leave it in slices and set on tart like a lasagna noodle. Also- prosciutto works nicely for this.

-salt, pepper

-1 tbsp olive oil

-lemon zest, 3 tsp from one lemon rind

Directions:

-Pre-heat oven to recommended temperature on package (if using store bought), or 400 degrees for homemade, Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Saute leeks and peas in olive oil. Salt and pepper and saute until until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Set pastry dough on sheet. Make sure it is still cold and work quickly. Personally, I love to pre-bake the pastry dough a bit to ensure that the cheese doesn't make it soggy in the center. Pre-bake for about eight minutes, or just until set- but not quite golden. Remove and top with shredded cheese, leeks, ham, peas, and sprinkle with lemon zest. Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is light golden brown. Serve with a dollup of creme fresh if desired.

Irish Beef Handpies

IRISH BEEF HANDPIES- These were amazing. You can make them in bulk and freeze them, too.

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

-1/4 head green cabbage

-3 carrots, sliced into rounds

-1/2 pound red pratties (potatoes), scrubbed and diced

-1 lb ground beef sirloin

-3 tbsp tomato paste

-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

-1/2 tsp dried thyme

-coarse salt and ground pepper

-all purpose flour (for rolling)

-two 9 inch pie crusts, or pastry dough. You can use store bought or easily make your own. Store-bought saves a lot of time, though.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium; add cabbage and potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add beef; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, and 1 cup water. Cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly mash mixture with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll each crust into a 14-inch square; cut each into 4 equal squares. Place 1/2 cup filling on one half of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the filling. Brush borders with water; fold dough over filling to enclose. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. With a paring knife or scissors, cut 3 small vents in each.Transfer pies to 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets; bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

To Freeze: Prepare through step 2. Arrange unbaked pies on a baking sheet (they should not touch); freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Wrap each pie in foil. Place in a resealable plastic bag; freeze up to 2 months.

To Bake from Frozen: Proceed with step 3, increasing baking time to 28 to 30 minutes.

I adapted this recipe from: Everyday Food Magazine, Issue 60. This dish is great because you can really add any veggie that you have. We have added parsnips, peas, and green beans before, too.

Blackberry Sour Cream Tarts

photo by Madeline L.

These are a very tempting tart that I can only make on special occasions so that I won't eat the whole batch. It is not my recipe, it was given to my by my friend Kristin.

Blackberry Sour Cream Tarts
by Kristin Reed

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen blackberries
1 box of ready-made pie crust
1 cup of sour cream
1 egg
4 Tablespoons of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

• Lay out pie crust and cut into sizes you want for your tarts. I use a small Mason lid. Place cut out dough into tart pan slots (or a mini cupcake pan) and press to form a cup shape.
• Place one blackberry into the center of the dough cup. 
• Mix sour cream, egg, flour, sugar and vanilla together and pour over blueberry almost filling the top of the tart.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven set @ 350 degrees for 8 mintues. 

Topping Ingredients:
1/4 cup of butter
1/3 cup of flour
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 tespoon of cinnamon

* Mix together into a crumbled mixture with a fork or food processor. Not too long or it will go mushy.

Sprinkle topping over tarts and place back in the oven set @ 400 degress for an additional 8 minutes.



photo by Madeline L.

1st Food Challenge of the Year: Light Lemonade Cheesecake

Happy New Year Everyone! Yes, we are off to a slow start but, we have a great schedule ahead of us. This month (and year) marks a new start for everyone who wants to renew and refresh. With that comes our 1st challenge of the year:

This month make something you love on the Lighter side!

I for one, love cheesecake and there is nothing I like better than whipping something like this up with little to no effort. This recipe was given to me by a friend years ago and it wasn't until recently that I found it was actually a recipe from Kraft foods. I've made this for a few of you out there already (tell us what you think!). Not only is it easy, it's lightly sweetened creaminess just makes you want to eat the whole thing (Not that you should ;).

Light Lemonade Cheesecake

by Kraft Foods

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened

1 tsp.  CRYSTAL LIGHT Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix

1/4 cup cold fat-free milk

1 tub  (8 oz.) COOL WHIP FREE Whipped Topping, thawed

1 ready-to-use reduced-fat graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.)

Fruit for Garnishing

A few alterations that I like to do:

• Use Crystal Light Pure Fitness because it has no other artificial sweeteners.(made with Stevia)
• I use 1% milk (Just a little fat never hurt anybody)
• Sometimes, I will use real whipped cream or buy the Light Real whipped cream in a can
• Of course, you can always make your own Graham cracker crust but ready made is a lot faster

Directions:

BEAT cream cheese and drink mix in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually add milk, mixing until well blended.

STIR in Cool Whip; spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm.

Fruits I recommend:

Mandarin Oranges, Kiwi, Bananas, Strawberries, Raspberries, Peaches, Mango, and coconut.
Fresh Mint is also a favorite garnish thanks to Salinda!

Enjoy!

Nun Puffs

These are one of my favorite things to make for breakfast. They are a lot like German pancakes/puffed pancakes, but I think they are way better!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:

Melt butter and add milk

Add flour all at once

Remove from heat, mix in eggs, one at a time



sprinkle sugar on top

Pre- heat oven to 375. Cook for 30 mins.

(I made these with whole wheat flour, they are still really good just dont cook as long)

We eat them with jam and whipped cream.

They are especially good with peach jam. Yum!



Peach Crostata

Photo Taken by Sally Anderson

For the pastry:
2 -3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1- 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
grated zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder salt and lemon zest in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender as you would when you are making pie crust.

In a small bowl, whisk whole egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Pour into flour mixture and stir until the dough is evenly moist and begins to come together(if the mixture seems dry, add a tsp or so of cold water). Transfer the dough to a work surfaceand divide the doughinto 2 discsone slightly larger than the other. Wrap separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to overnight.

For the filling:
2 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced peaches
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. To make the filling, in a bowl, toss together the peach slices, granulated sugar, and flour. Set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger dough disk into a 12 inch round. Carefully roll the dough around the pin, position the pin over a 10 inch (or 12 inch, but double peaches if using a 12 inch tart pan) tart pan with a removable bottom, and unroll the dough, pressing it gently but firmly against the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim the edges of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch overhand. Fold the overhang over against the inside of the rim of the pan. Pour the peaches into the pastry-lined tart pan, spreading them into an even layer.

Roll out the second dough disk into a 10-inch round. using a pastry wheel or a knife, cut the dough round into 10 strips each 1/2 inch wide. Arrange half of the strips across the top of the tart, spacing them evenly. Give the pan a quarter turn and place the remaining dough strips across the top to form a lattice pattern. If the strips break, patch them together with a drop of water. Press the ends of the strips against the sides of the tart shell to seal.

For the Topping:
1 large egg
Demerara, turbinado, or other coarse sugar for sprinkling

to make the topping, in a bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the dough strips with the egg mixture. Sprinkle the strips generously with the course sugar. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the outer ring and cool until warm or room temperature. Cut into wedges and serve.

Photo Taken by Sally Anderson

This recipe was obtained from the Willams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian cookbook. We love the recipes in this book. I have become a big fan of italian food through cooking the recipes in this book.

Photos of Madelin's Peach Tart






 Baked today and beautful.

Meyer Lemon Raspberry Tart

The Crust
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Preparation:

1. Put the flour and sugar into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough is just combined. Turn dough onto a floured cutting board and knead to form a ball.

2. To roll or press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

* If you want to roll the dough, chill it for about 2 hours before rolling (unless you’ve used frozen butter and the dough comes out of the processor firm and cold, in which case you can roll it immediately).
* If you want to use the press-in method, you can work with the dough as soon as it’s processed. Just press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don’t be too heavy-handed – press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but don’t press so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture.

3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

4. To fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

5. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon (or prick it with the tip of a small knife). Bake the crust for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden.




The filling
2 medium meyer lemons
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup half and half
2 cups raspberries

Preparation:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Finely grate the zest of both lemons; set aside. With a small knife, cut off the top and bottom of each lemon and then carefully cut away the cottony white pith and a tiny bit of flesh from each lemon–the juicy sections of lemon should now be completely exposed. Lay the lemons on their sides and cut each lemon crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; remove the seeds.

3. Place the lemon slices, eggs, yolks and sugar in the container of a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the reserved zest and the half and half. Give the bowl a good rap against the kitchen counter to de-bubble it–if there are bubbles in the mixture now, there will be bubbles in your tart later.


4. Scatter the berries over the bottom of the crust and pour over the filling. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set in the center. Transfer the tart to a rack and cool to room temperature.


To serve: Cut the tart into 8 wedges and serve.

Perfect Pie Crust and Chicken Pot Pie

I've found it. The most PERFECT pie crust. hands down. ever. And its all thanks to Julia Child. It turns out she really is a culinary genius though the woman did NOT know the meaning of low fat or heart healthy (though, seriously, she lived to be 92....not bad for a woman who's every recipe contains 3 lbs of butter....ok a little exaggeration there, but still :)). The recipe is following, though I'm sorry to say there is no picture to encourage you to try it. The chicken pot pie it was used for (meant to serve 6 to 8) was eaten straight out of the oven by two apparently hungry missionaries, my husb and I, with not a scrap left. It truly was a thing of beauty, however...golden, flaky beyond your wildest dreams (who doesn't dream of pie crust) and so tender....did i mention completely delicious as well? With out further ado, here's the holy grail of pie crusts and the chicken pot pie filling as well, just for kicks.

Julia Child's Pie Crust from the Art of French Cooking Vol 1

2 c flour (scooped and leveled)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 sticks chilled butter cut into 1/2 inch bits

4 Tbsp chilled shortening

a scant 1/2 c iced water plus droplets as needed.

Mix together dry ingredients. Add fat and with your finger tips only (or a food processor if you are lucky enough to have one) quickly rub the flour and fat together until the fat is broken into pieces the size of oatmeal flakes. (Mine were a little larger. You mix it a little later so don't be too worried--the idea here is to do this quickly.)

Add the water and blend quickly with your fingers held together and slightly cupped to gather dough into a mass. Sprinkle up to 1 Tbsp more water droplets if needed to get any stragglers into the main body. Then press dough together firmly--it should just hold together and not be sticky. Then, on a lightly floured surface, place the dough ball and with the heel of one hand, rapidly press the dough away from you by two spoonful bits. The smear should be 6 inches or so. This finishes blending the fat and the flour.

Gather the dough together into a disk, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thick and 2 in larger then your pan. Follow baking directions for the dish you are making

If you need a baked crust, bake crust, weighted with pie weights, for 15 to 20 min in 400 degree oven.

Loni's Chicken Pot Pie Filling

4 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 celerys, chopped

1/3 c flour

4 c chicken broth (give or take)

1/2 c cream

1/2 tsp thyme

3 c chicken, diced (I usually use left-over rotisserie chicken but you can also just boil chicken breasts and chop them up!)

2 to 3 c vegetables, diced (I like to use 2 or so cups of Costco's Normandy Vegetable blend, heated for 3 or 4 minutes in the micro)

Cooked potatoes, diced (optional)

3/4 c peas

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

Over medium-high heat melt butter and cook onion, carrot, and celery 10 min, moderating the heat so butter doesn't burn. Whisk in the flour, allow to cook for 1 min more. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, reduce heat to low and let cook 10 min or until desired consistency. Add cream and thyme and let cook a few minutes longer, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat.

In oval casserole dish put chicken, veggies, peas, parsley, and potatoes (if using). Pour sauce over all and stir. Place pie crust over casserole, letting the edges drape over the side. Pinch the pie crust around the edge of the casserole to seal. Cut three air holes in crust and brush on a wash of beaten egg.

Bake pot pie in 400 degree oven for 50-60 min. Be ready for some seriously delicious food!

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

I love to watch "Good Eats" with Alton Brown on the Food Network. One day he made this curry chicken pot pie that I just had to try. I think it's just really stinkin' good and perfect for this fall weather! Oh, and don't be scared off by the curry. It just adds a little hint of flavor.

You don't have to do this, but I enjoyed using cookie cutters to make shapes in the crust.

Ingredients
4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package puff pastry
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss frozen vegetables with canola oil and spread evenly onto a sheet pan. Place into oven and cook until golden brown.
In a saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and sweat the onion and celery. In another saucepan, heat the broth and milk. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the celery mix and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk mixture and cook until thickened. Add the parsley, salt and pepper. Toss the browned vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking pan, or a large terra cotta pot base, lined with foil, and top with 6 to 8 circles of puff pastry. Place into the oven and cook until puff pastry has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes

Mini Blueberry and Cherry Cheese Pies

It was supposed to rain yesterday and I had to cancel my picnic in the park mommy and me activity group. I was going to bring these as our little snack to share. Although, they are a little more than a snack. I was just experimenting one day and figured out that these make a cute treat to make for a group activity. They are easy to make and aren't as messy as you think (well, with children there is most likely a risk). I had some pre-made pie crust in my freezer and wanted to use it up and I really didn't want to just make a couple of pies so, I thought about making a bunch of little pies. Well, with a little experiments, I came up with these mini masterpieces.

Either make or buy some already made pie crust. Roll out and tear off small squares that could cover your muffin or mini-muffin pan holes. A two crust recipe is enough to make two batches of regular or mini- pie crusts.

Today I am using my min-muffin pan to make more cheese pies. Lay dough into holes and gently press around the sides of the holes. Don't forget to poke the bottom with a fork.


They should only need about 10 minutes to fully cook. Depending on your oven, check them after 8 minutes but, no longer than 15 if your oven cooks slow. They will shrink, but they still create a little bowl like crust that you need.

Take them out and place them in a flat container or a plate so they can cool. While they cool, blend together......

Cheese pie mix:

1 regular box of cream cheese (softened)

1 can of sweet and condensed milk

1/3 cup of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Spoon into mini pie crusts. If you are doing mini pies, a great trick is to put mix into a sandwich bag, snip a good sized hole at the end and squeeze into crusts. You will have some left over, either make more regular crusts or for a faster crust, make Graham cracker crusts.

The blueberry topping is actually a Blueberry Jello Salad recipe from another source. Only I put a little twist on this recipe to use it as a pie topping. It turned out fabulous.

Blueberry Jello Salad

Mix 2 cups hot water with 1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

Add 3 oz of cream cheese and mix well.

Let it set in the fridge.

According to her recipe, just before it sets, fold in 1 pint of whipped Cream. However, I decided to let it set and then put whipped cream on top. I spooned in some of the already set jello blueberry mix into a sandwich bag and squeezed a little on top of the cheese pies, then did the same with some whipped topping.

For other ideas to use for toppings: Any fruit, pie filling, Cookies, or chocolate.

*

Since this month celebrates both Cherry Cheesecake and Blueberry Pie, I would like to know which one do you like better?

Strawberry Lemon Cheese Pie

It is the end of February already. For National Strawberry Day, Berry Fresh Month, and National Great American Pie Month, I thought that my Strawberry Lemon Cheese Pie would be just the right thing for a sweet and tart desert to end the month. Strawberries have been cheap in California this month, anywhere from 99 cents to 1.99 a box. If you aren't able to get a good deal on strawberries, you can thaw some frozen ones and use them the same for this pie recipe.

I don't know if I should call it my pie recipe, I put it together from three different other recipes the weren't good enough for what I was looking for by themselves. Ever done that? With Strawberry pies, I like to use whole berries on top.

Cheese Pie Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) pack of Cream Cheese (better if softened)

1/3 cup of Lemon Juice

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 (14oz.) can of Sweet and Condensed Milk

Directions:

Beat cream cheese until fluffy, Gradually beat in sweet and condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour into a grahm cracker, Nilla cracker, or Shortbread crust. You can also use a regular pie crusts prebaked. Put into fridge while you make the Strawberry glaze topping.

Strawberry Glaze Ingredients:
2 cups of Strawberries (or more if you want to use whole berries)

3/4 cup of water

2 tablespoons Corn Starch

1/2 cup Sugar

Directions:

Crush 1 cup of strawberries. In a pot mix crushed berries, water, and sugar. Turn up heat and as it gets warm, shift in corn starch while stirring constantly. Heat until it starts to bubble (about 2 min while still stirring constantly). It will start to look clear and thick. Let it cool. Stir in the rest of the strawberries. Pour onto cooled cheese pie mixture.

What is the first food item you think of when you think of Strawberry?