S'Mores Pie.

I must prefix this post with a warning.  This pie is dangerous.  Maybe even lethal.  That is, if you are: trying to lose weight, trying not to eat sweets, home alone for any extended period of time...the list goes on and on.

That being said, make this pie!!

You may remember my love of all things s'mores with the exception of a "true" s'more.  Add this to the list!  This dessert is similar to the s'mores cookie bars, but in the shape of a pie.  Genius!  (As is pinterest which led me to this gold mine!

S'mores Pie.
(Recipe Adapted from Cookies & Cups)


Crust:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Beat butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla beating until combined.  Slowly add in dry ingredients - beating  until combined.  Press half of the crust into the bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate.  Save remaining crust for the top.

Filling:
1 container marshmallow creme (7 ounce)
5 Hershey's chocolate bars (broken into small pieces)

Evenly spread marshmallow creme on top of the pie crust.  Top with chocolate pieces.  Pat top crust into sections covering the top of the pie and pressing any seams together as you go.  Bake for 20 minutes in a oven heated to 350 degrees.

Allow to cool and serve!

Really, I can't imagine a more tasty pie.  I just can't decide if I prefer the pie room temperature or before the pie has cooled completely and the chocolate is still a little melty....

Mmmmm.

Strawberry Pie.

Over the weekend Heidi & I headed to Kamenick Farms to pick some strawberries.  The picking was good and the berries even better!


I picked about 25 pounds and had plans for freezer jam and whole frozen strawberries for future use, but how can you pick all those berries and not do anything delicious with them immediately!?  That's when I remembered a pie recipe I had seen on Sing for Your Supper recently.  And how lucky that Amy had just posted a selection of recipes perfect for the holiday weekend and her strawberry pie made the list.

I went to work preparing the pie...as I modified it to fit the ingredients I had on hand and took a quick trip to my parents to pick up a frozen pie crust (you may recall that I am not much for making pie crusts...I'll stick to bread!!)


Strawberry Pie.
(Slightly Adapted from Sing for Your Supper)



1 9-inch pie crust (baked)
2 pounds fresh strawberries (rinsed, hulled, and cut into quarters)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 envelope strawberry flavored powdered jello
2 tablespoons cold water


Crush 3 cups of prepared strawberries in a bowl using a potato masher.  Then place them in a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.  Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and stir occasionally for 7 minutes as the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat.


Soften the jello in the cold water and add to the berry mixture.  Stir until jello is dissolved.  Allow to cool.


Fold remaining strawberries into the cooked berry mixture.  Pour into the prepared pie shell.  Refrigerate until set.  

That's all there is to it!!  And the pie?  Full of strawberry flavor!  This pie went fast at our house.  And I just barely got the pictures taken!  Between my friends below and my husband I couldn't get the pie back to the table fast enough!

Head to your grocery store, farmer's market, garden, or local berry patch before the season is over and make this pie!

Chicken Pot Pie.

Growing up we would periodically get to have a "picnic" in the living room and watch a movie during dinner. It was usually for The Wizard of Oz during lent, but I'm sure it happened more often than that.  These "picnics" remind me of chicken pot pie.  And since I still needed to create one more meal from one of my cookbooks I sought out on a mission to find a recipe for chicken pot pie.

Chicken Pot Pie.
(Adapted from Gooseberry Patch Harvest Kitchen)


3 chicken breasts (cooked and cut into chunks or shredded)
1 small can cream of chicken soup
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
3 cups fresh or frozen vegetables (I used fresh carrots, frozen peas, frozen corn, and frozen green beans)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup soft butter
double pie crust (sorry, mine was store bought...ugh!  i know!)

Mix all ingredients (with the exception of the pie crust).  Place one of your pie crusts into the bottom of a pie pan.  Top with chicken mixture and remaining pie crust.  Use a fork to poke holes into the top pie crust.  Bake for 45 minutes (or until crust is golden) in a 350 degree oven.

Easy?  Yes!  Tasty?  Yes!  Definitely a keeper!  The only thing that I might change next time is making individual servings.  Serving it was messy and I think ramekin-sized servings would eliminate the messiness and keep it contained to each ramekin.

Banana Cream Pie.

This is the easiest banana cream pie out there. And if you were to ask, I'd tell you it was the best banana cream pie out there! Another great thing about this pie recipe - it makes two pies! You can make one for a friend and keep one for yourself. Although, I bet you friend wouldn't complain about having two!

Banana Cream Pie

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Crust:

2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup butter (melted)

Combine all ingredients and divide for two pies. Grease the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Press the mixture on the bottom and up the sides of prepared pie plate. Refrigerate while preparing the pie filling.

Filling:

1 small box of vanilla instant pudding

1 cup cold water

1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

Piles and piles of slices banana (about 4 small or 3 large)

1/2 pint whipping cream (whipped)

Combine vanilla pudding mix, water, and milk. Fold in whipped cream until well combined.

Remove pie crusts from the refrigerator and place banana slides evenly between the two pies. Top each with half of the prepared filling.

Topping:

1/2 pint whipping cream

1/3 cup powdered sugar

Whip cream and sugar until peaks from. Top each pie with half the topping.

Looking to make this easier? Buy a pre-made pie crust (graham, chocolate, etc). Buy cool whip instead of heavy whipping cream.

It will be enjoyed any way you decide to make it. So go ahead, enjoy some dessert in this steamy heat without turning the oven on!

Apple Pie

Apple Pie

This pie is the second pie I have ever made, and my first one with a homemade crust! We haven't tried it yet but it smells absolutely delicious and looks pretty darn good also. We're getting together tomorrow to have apple pie a la mode - so I'll update you with the results! :)

I started off by searching for a pie crust recipe and adapted my recipe from one listed on SimplyRecipes.com.

Perfect Pie Crust

2 1/2 cup flour, plus additional flour for rolling out dough
2 sticks butter, frozen and cubed
1 teaspoon sugar
4-8 Tablespoons ice water

Combine flour and sugar in food processor; process to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture forms pea-sized pieces of butter. Add 1 Tablespoon of water at at a time (not exceeding 8 Tablespoons), until it begins to clump together. If you can pinch a small amount of mixture together and it holds, it is ready. It should resemble the image below.


Separate the mixture into two equal mounds on a clean service. Gently knead the mixture into two formed discs - do not over-knead. You should see small chunks of butter, these chunks of butter are what helps the crust flake. Sprinkle these disks with a little flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour (can sit for up to two days). Remove one disc from fridge and allow to get to room temperature - 5-10 minutes to make rolling easier. Sprinkle surface with flour and roll out pie crust. Carefully place into 9 inch pie plate. After adding filling, repeat with the second disc.

Apple Pie Filling

3-5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/4 cup apple pie liquor
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour in crust and sprinkle with additional brown sugar, if desired. Cover pie with top crust; press crusts together, trim the edges and press fork around the outside edge. Cut 3-4 slices or designs on top crust to allow the steam out while baking. Bake 45 minutes. After removing from oven, cover with glaze.

Apple Pie Glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tablespoons water
pinch of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients, mix well and place on top crust. Enjoy!