Old Fashioned Pecan Pie

It doesn't matter how you say "pecan" but most people will admit it is a darn good pie. I really liked this one - better than most I've had and definitely better than the one I had last year. As I dished Mom a piece today, a bite of it happened to make it in my mouth. I think this recipe is out of Bon Appetit.

Refrigerated pie crust (with so much else to do in the holiday season, no reason to slave over a homemade dough)

6 T unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp orange zest (you couldn't really taste this in the pie)

3 eggs

2 cups pecans (chopped or halved)

Have dough thawed but still chilled.

Melt butter over medium heat, stir in sugar until melted. Remove from heat. Add in the rest until eggs and pecan. Lightly beat eggs and combine. Pour nuts into the bottom (pricked with fork) of the dough. Pour mixture over it - slowly, letting it sink down, then pouring more in till all is used (we used a deep dish and it worked well).

Bake for about an hour at 350 on a cookie sheet (to catch any spills) till done (not wobbly at all).

Enjoy with ice cream or cool whip.

Lemon Meringue Pie

I definitely come from a house of cooks. Even though Ty was brought into our home much later (7 years ago on Sunday - happy anniversary), she adds so much! I am proud and thankful and grateful to our God that she is my sister (in-law). She is beautiful, loves people, loves her profession, loves her husband, and loves her God. Right now, she and my brother are in Accra, Ghana serving there as missionaries.

My brother posted this picture. She is a great cook - I can't get meringue to do that! The only thing she said was Alan may have wanted the meringue a little sweeter. I don't know if meringue is supposed to be really sweet? Who knows?

Here is her recipe and the gorgeous, magazine worthy picture (well, photoshop out the stove). Thanks T!

Lemon Meringue Pie
Have Ready:
1 pre-baked prepared or home-made pie crust shell

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Filling:
7 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water, boiling
4 egg yolks, beaten
grated rind of two lemons
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unstrained lemon juice

Sift together cornstarch, flour, and sugar. Whisk in boiling water, continuing to stir until mixture becomes smooth.

Cook the mixture on top of a double boiler for five minutes. Be sure the water in the double boiler is simmering before the five-minute count begins.

Meanwhile, beat four egg yolks. Stir several tablespoons of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks (to temper), then slowly add the egg yolks to the hot mixture on the stove. Stir in grated lemon rind, butter, salt, and lemon juice, continuing to cook on the double boiler.

Stir constantly, continuing to cook until the egg yolks become smooth and thick like pudding. If they are not thickening enough using the double boiler, you can cook it on the stove. It will bubble and thicken.

Pour the filling into the baked pie shell. Chill in refrigerator. Cover with meringue (see below) while still warm, but not hot.

Meringue:
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt, scant
9 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pinch cream of tartar

Stir together sugar, salt, lemon juice, and egg whites in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of slowly simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved. Transfer to the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat on high speed until medium glossy peaks form, about 5-10 minutes.

Spread meringue on top of lemon filling.

Bake pie at 300°F until the meringue takes on a delicately golden color with lightly browned tops. Allow to cool before serving. Can garnish with thinly sliced rounds of lemon dipped into coarse sugar or a fresh sprig of mint.

Silky Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Cookie Topping

A friend had a birthday today and I celebrated it by making a pumpkin pie. I used a Foster's one found on her cafe www (www.fostersmarket.com) and added a ginger cookie crust to the top (just crumbled 1 one of her ginger cookies in a food processor). I like the change in texture.
Since I gave this pie away I do not know how the finished product tasted, but having a taste of the bowl was great - in Sara Foster fashion!

Foster Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Cookie Crumble Top

3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
15 oz can pumpkin
3 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 T flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp salt
1 unbaked piecrust

325. Combine through milk, add butter. Add all dry and spices. Pour in unbaked crust and put on cookie sheet in oven. Cook 45-50 minutes. Till it is firm to the touch and doesn't wiggle in the middle.
Enjoy!

Pear and Apple Crumble Pie (2009.2)

I don't know what it is about warm brown sugar - it can make probably even spam taste yummy. This is week two of the new year and that means week 2 of new recipes. I was a little skeptical about this one because I've had mixed results (ok, but not great) from the recipes I've made out of Get Togethers from Gooseberry Patch. But, when the crumble topping goes on - and its warm right out of the oven - every forkfull is yummy. This is fall and winter combined. It is for Community Group. I like it.

Pear and Apple Crumble Pie
1 deep dish frozen pie crust (set out when starting filling)
4 cups sliced apples (I used 2 cameo, 2 granny smith)
4 cups sliced pears (I used 4 bartlett I think)
1/2 cup white sugar
juice of one medium lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 T flour

Combine all and put into pie shell. Preheat oven to 400 and bake on cookie sheet for 35 minutes.

3/4 cup flour
1/2 packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 T unsalted chilled butter, diced

Put all in food processor and pulse till it resembles course crumbs. Take out and chill. Put on top of pie. Take oven down to 375 for another 30 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream or cool whip.

North Carolina Pecan Pie

My Mom's side of the family is pecan growers. Tons of pecan trees in south Georgia - loved tasting the pecans on family trips.

When I saw this recipe in my Farm Bureau Insurance magazine in October - I saved it to make for Thanksgiving. This would be my first pecan pie. We thought we had bought a pie shell, but didn't - so mom pulled together a great shortening crust (use one that you have or buy a regular crust). I also added chocolate chips to this one. It was great.

a crust of your choosing (9 in regular)

4 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup EACH light and dark corn syrup

1 1/2 T butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, arranged on top in a circular fashion

Beat eggs, add rest. Pour into pie pan. It will go almost to the top. Sprinkle chocolate chips. Arrange pecans on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350.

We made ours early Wednesday for eating on Thursday. I liked how it had plenty of time to completely set. It was yummy with cool whip!

Coconut Cream Pie

This was my first time making a coconut cream pie. The only reason I did was because I had leftover cream of coconut from the Coconut Cream cupcakes I had. This was really good. I took it to a dinner and baking session I went to - and we all ate a piece and it was yummy - sugar overload!

1 ready made graham cracker crust (this time of the year, short cuts are grand!)
1 block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese - softened
1 cup cream of coconut (NOT coconut milk) - this is found in the drink/mixer section
1 small pkg of cheesecake pudding mix
1 6 oz bag of coconut
1 8 oz container of Fat Free Cool Whip
1 cup heavy whipping cream
vanilla extract
sugar (both of these are optional if you wanted sweetened whipping cream, I don't like it plain)
coconut to garnish

Cream cheese and cream, then add in dry pudding mix, then add in coconut, fold in cool whip. Pour into crust. Let chill for 2 hours. Before serving whip heavy whipping cream till medium peaks form - add in 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 T sugar. Spread on top. Top with coconut for garnish if you want to.
Enjoy!

Birthday Pumpkin Pie

Tomorrow is one of my professor's birthdays, so he wanted Pumpkin Pie. Thankfully - I had everything in my cupboards so I wouldn't have to pick up things in NC. And I love pumkpin pies because they are fairly easy! Happy Birthday Dr. Richardson - thank you for your love for your students and your famed b-ball skills.
I got this recipe from the lovely and talented Tina Wright yesterday while I ate dinner at their home in Raleigh. Its very yummy, creamy, and not very heavy as some pumpkin pies are.

1 9-in pie shell - I just use a frozen one. Its easy!
1 14 oz can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (this recipe is one of their's)
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each nutmeg, ginger, salt

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Turn down oven to 350 and bake for 37-40 minutes or until done. Take out and cool - serve with Cool Whip.
I didn't let mine cool before putting foil on it to bring it to work this morning, so it sweated some - but still tastes yummy!

Chris' Apple Pie

Chris Flora turned 25 on Monday. I always joke with him about being so young - well...I guess not anymore. He is a life-saver to me in the office, because I pass off most students to him on questions that are not in my job description! :) He makes my life so much easier!
Chris - happy birthday - and I hope you and your wife enjoyed the pie and the caramel syrup!
Oh, and this is from a new cookbook given to me by Lindsay - Lindsay, great reviews.
Chris' thoughts on the pie: "Great crust (I can't take credit for it, I used pillsbury roll-out crusts), the apples were cooked just perfectly, tasted like a pie from the Pie Kitchen" - Thanks Chris.

Pie crust for 2 crusts (I used the Pillsbury rolled ones. I don't have room in my kitchen to roll out dough, and it is so much easier)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 T flour
7 cups apples (I used a mixture of granny smith, winesap, and baking gala apples) - peeled, sliced
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T cold unsalted butter
2 T heavy cream
1 T sugar

9 inch pie pan, roll one dough out for the bottom, pack into pie pan. Mix the sugars, flour, spices. Toss the apples and lemon juice. Mix together. Pour and arrange into pan. Chop up the butter into small chunks and place over top. Cover with other roll of dough. Cut off excess and crimp edges. Cut slits in the top. Glaze with cream and sugar.
Move rack to bottom of oven, bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Move to middle rack and cut hear to 375 for 35-45 minutes or until apples are done. Watch crust edges so they don't burn. Enjoy either ice cream, cool whip, or caramel syrup (or all the above). Let cool first for a couple of hours so the apples have time to set.

Fantabulous Strawberry Pie

About 5 years ago I tasted an incredible strawberry pie made by this girl - and I loved it. Even after all these years I remember this pie. Yes, I love Tonya for more than her pie - but this pie is one of her specialties! Thankfully she shared the recipe with me, and now I, with you.

Strawberry Pie

1 frozen deep dish pie shell (cooked according to directions)

1 lb strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and sliced

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

2 T corn starch

1 regular pkg strawberry jello (NOT sugar free)

Cool whip

Bake shell according to directions. Let cool. Prepare strawberries. Mix water and cornstarch, and heat on low with sugar until heated, thickened, and transparant. Take off heat and add in jello. Let cool in fridge for 15 minutes. Add berries to pie shell. Once filling is cooled pour on top. Then let chill (I allowed overnight). Eat with your fave cool whip!

Amazing strawberry flavor! :) Thanks Tonya! Its amazing! I loved it!

Slimmed-Down Pumpkin Pie

This is actuall pretty good. I definitely like pumkpin pie cold as to right out of the oven. I took it too work, after I gave some away to some girls, but I had some more and baked it in a custard dish - had 2 bites of it tonight. Yummy! This is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe:

Pumkpin Pie

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 can ff evaporated milk (12 oz)
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 can pumpkin

Mix all that together and pour it in a regular frozen pie shell. Bake on lowest position at 425 for 10 minutes, then change temp to 350 and bake for another 50 minutes or until pie is set. This is so easy! :) Serve with cool whip. Stephanie - I hope you liked it. 200 calories, 7 fat or less b/c I used ff and not reduced, and 3 grams fiber