Bourbon Apple Pie

Made this lovely, boozy pie for my family and friends over Christmas. Kicked it up a bit, as usual. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup craizins
* 1/2 cup Cherry Bourbon
* 3 pounds Granny Smith apples, about 4-5 apples
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
* Pie pastry
* 1 tablespoon buttermilk or evaporated milk
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 cups Orange Juice
* 1 cup flour
* 1 cup oats
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* Butter


Preparation:
Peel apples; cut into 1/2-inch slices. Heat orange juice in microwave for 2 minutes. Combine craizins and apples in OJ and cover for 15 minutes while you make the crust. Strain juice. Add bourbon to apples and craizins.

Combine 3/4 cup sugar, the flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl; add apple mixture stirring well to combine.

Fit 1 pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Spoon apple filling mixture into pie crust.

Mix up a cup of flour, the pecans, a cup of oats, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Sprinkle over the top of pie until covered. Then take frozen butter and slice it into very tiny pieces. Cover the top of the pie with them evenly.

Bake at 450° on lower rack of oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer. Cover with foil if browning too much.

Cranberry Sauce with Pears & Cardamom

"Cranberry Bog Farm" Gina M. Cormier

This was also a Thanksgiving treat. Cardamom adds an awesome flavor. Got this from Bon Appétit.

Ingredients

* 1 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 3 cups chopped peeled firm but ripe Bartlett pears (1/3-inch pieces)
* 1 12-ounce package cranberries
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
* 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder or Cinnamon

Directions

Combine cranberry juice concentrate and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Mix in remaining ingredients. Simmer until pears are tender and cranberries burst, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool completely. Chill thoroughly. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Maple-Glazed Turkey with Bourbon-Pecan Gravy

Got this from Food & Wine and made it for Thanksgiving. Total hit.


Ingredients

1. One 18- to 20-pound turkey--neck and giblets reserved for another use
2. 1 1/2 cups Kentucky bourbon
3. 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
4. 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
5. 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
6. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
8. Water
9. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
10. 4 cups Rich Turkey Stock
11. 1/2 pound pecans (about 2 cups), lightly toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs; try not to tear the skin. Set a large oven roasting bag in a very large bowl. Put the turkey in the bag, cavity end up.

2. In a bowl, mix the bourbon with the orange juice, maple syrup, thyme and 1 1/2 teaspoons each of salt and pepper. Slowly pour the mixture under the turkey skin and press to distribute it evenly over the breast and thighs. Wrap the turkey tightly in the bag and seal with a twist tie. Refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°. Remove the turkey from the bag and set it in a large roasting pan. Pour the marinade into a large measuring cup. Rub 6 tablespoons of the butter under the breast skin and rub the remaining 2 tablespoons over the skin. Tie the turkey legs together with twine.

4. Pour 1/2 cup of the reserved marinade into the roasting pan and roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Baste the turkey with the pan juices and add 1 cup of water to the pan. Roast the turkey for 1 hour longer, basting it every half hour. Add the remaining marinade to the pan. Cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil and roast for about 2 hours longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°.

5. Carefully transfer the turkey to a carving board, allowing the juices in the cavity to run into the pan. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes.

6. Pour the pan juices into a bowl and skim the fat: reserve 6 tablespoons of the fat. In a large saucepan, mix the fat with the flour to form a paste. In a medium saucepan, warm the Rich Turkey Stock and slowly whisk it into the flour paste. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Whisk in the reserved pan juices and simmer over low heat, whisking frequently, until thickened and flavorful, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the pecans; transfer to a large gravy boat. Carve the turkey, arrange on a platter and serve with the pecan gravy.

Summer Tea Party Essentials (minus the tea)

I just had friends over for a Jane Austen evening and I figured I should put up some recipes.

The first is typical tea sandwiches. I made three kinds. Mint/Cucumber, Olive Tapenade, and Dill/Salmon.

Mint/Cucumber:

* 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rinsed, spun dry, and chopped fine
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 cup cream cheese
* 6 slices of white bread
* a 3-inch length of seedless cucumber, cut into thin slices

Directions: In a small bowl combine the mint, the butter, and the cream cheese and stir the mixture until it is combined well. Spread the bread slices with the butter mixture, top 3 of them with the cucumber, distributing the cucumber evenly and seasoning it with salt, and top the cucumber with the remaining bread slices. Cut off and discard the crusts and cut each sandwich diagonally into quarters.

Olive Tapenade:

* 1 lb kalamata olives, pitted (about 2 cups)
* 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 large cloves garlic
* 1/2 cup packed fresh Italian parsley
* 1/4 cup drained capers
* 2 tbsp lemon juice
* 1 tbsp dried oregano
* 3/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled or cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes
* 6 slices white bread

Directions: Put the olives, feta, olive oil, garlic, parsley, capers, lemon juice, and oregano in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Turning the machine on and off rapidly, pulse the ingredients a few times, then scrape down the work bowl and process continuously until the mixture forms a coarse but uniform paste. Spread on bread, cut off crusts, and cut into squares. You can also just buy olive tapenade (like I did. No food processor).

Dill/Salmon:

* Fresh Dill
* 100 mg Salmon lox
* Whipped Cream Cheese
* White Bread

Directions: Simple enough, spread cream cheese on bread, sprinkle with chopped dill, lay salmon on top. Cut off bread crusts and cut into squares.

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Next I served a Victorian classic: Lavender Lemonade.

* 5 cups water
* 1 cups sugar
* 12 stems of fresh lavender
* 2 cups lemon juice (or the juice of 5 1/2 lemons)

1. Boil 2 cups of water with the sugar.
2. Add the lavender stems (mostly leaves) and remove from heat.
3. Place on the lid and let cool (smells amazing!).
4. When cool, add 4 cups of water and the lemon juice to a pitcher.
5. Strain out the lavender from the sugar water.
6. Add sugar mixture until the sour/sweetness is even.
7. Serve the lavender lemonade with crushed ice and garnish with lavender blossoms.

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And finally, something I've been reading out ALL summer in L.M. Montgomery's novels: Plum Puffs. These were a hit, but I think that next time I'll just make mini popovers to fill with plum jam and cream cheese. This pastry was kind of bland.

* 1 cup water
* 6 tbsp. butter
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tsp. granulated sugar
* 4 Eggs
* 2/3 cup plum jam (or any other fruit jam)
* 1/2 cup cream cheese OR whipped cream
* Sifted Icing Sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet lightly.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the water and butter until boiling. When the butter has melted, turn the heat to low, add the flour and sugar all at once and mix them in thoroughly (a wooden spoon seems to work best for this). Continue to beat the mixture over low heat until it leaves the sides of the pan, about 1 minute.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Add two eggs and beat (with an electric mixer!) the mixture until it is smooth. Add the next two eggs and beat again until smooth.
4. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet (The puffs will double in size as they bake.) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
5. Take the puffs out of the oven and turn the heat off. Close the oven door. With a toothpick or thin skewer, poke a tiny hole or two in each puff to let the steam out. Return the puffs to the turned-off but warm oven for about 5 more minutes to ensure that the insides are done. Remove the puffs from the oven and cool them on a rack.
6. When cool, gently split the puffs in half and fill each one with a spoonful of jam and a dab of cream cheese or whipped cream. When all the puffs are filled, arrange them on a platter and sift icing sugar over the top.

Salmonberry Pie

Vince and I went out to the woods last night to gather salmonberries, which are in the raspberry family but the colors range from bright orange to blackberry dark. They are not as sweet as raspberries but we had to try a pie with them. There is exactly one recipe on the internet for salmon berry pie and we had to tweak it a little because it was for a chilled pie and I had my heart set on baked. I don't know if my recipe worked yet because when I checked it this morning it hadn't set. I might put it back in the oven a little since I only put it in for 40 minutes. But here is what we did:

Salmonberry filling:

* 4 cups Salmonberries
* Water
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1 package goat cheese brie

Topping:

* 1 pint whipping cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the Salmonberry filling: Crush 2 cups of the Salmonberries through a sieve. This will take some time but it is essential to remove all of the seeds. Add water to Salmonberry juice to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Put the juice and water into a pan. Add sugar, cornstarch, cardamom, and salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 to10 minutes. Do not scorch. Remove from heat and let cool.

But slices of brie on the bottom of the pie crust (Mom's uncooked pie crust). Spread crushed berries over the cheese. Add remaining berries and pour cooked liquid mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40+ minutes. Let cool to set. Serve warmed up with ice cream or whipped cream.

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Quinoa is a protein-packed grain. It really easy to cook and tastes great with pretty much anything. I took this with me for lunch a lot this past year.

Ingredients:
* 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
* 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 2 medium tomatoes, diced
* 4 scallions, chopped
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Quinoa usually comes in a box or a bag. Just read the cooking instructions.

Add cooked quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Yogurt Pancakes

"Green Apples" Paul Cézanne

I eat these at least once a week. I'm totally in love with them. The recipe is so simple and there's actually some nutritional benefit! I have even begun mixing it up with strawberries instead of apples and vanilla instead of cinnamon. Yum!

INGREDIENTS

* 2 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups milk
* 1 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 apples - peeled, cored and shredded (cheese grater)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, yogurt and oil until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the milk mixture until smooth. Fold in chopped apple.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each cake. Cook until bubbles form in the cakes and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook the other side. Serve warm with syrup or jam.

Mom's Pie Crust

Directions

Melt 1 Tblsp. butter in one cup measuring cup

Fill up to the 2/3 mark with canola oil

Fill to the 1 cup mark with water

In bowl mix 2 cups flour with 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt

Add the contents of the measuring cup

Roll out dough between 2 pieces of wax paper, invert into pie shell

Pink Princess Delight Pie

I call this my Pink Princess Delight pie because your average six year old girl would be totally in love with it. I was mostly just playing around and I've since tweaked the recipe so the filling solidifies better. At the time I thought the apples added something but now I think they may not be necessary. It's up to personal taste, I guess.

Ingredients:

* Mom's pie dough
* 3 apples peeled and sliced
* 1 can light coconut milk
* 1 tablespoon coconut extract
* 1/2 cup sweetened shaved coconut
* 1 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup corn starch
* 1/4 water

Directions:

Prepare pie crust (see recipe). Arrange apple slices in a decorative manor on bottom of pie crust (unlike the above picture). In a saucepan mix together coconut extract, raspberries, sugar, vanilla, water, and corn starch. Turn on high heat and whisk until bubbling. Remove from heat and continue stirring until bubbles settle and mixture is syrupy. Pour packet of gelatin over coconut milk and let sit for 1 minute. Mix coconut milk and raspberry mixture together, pour over apples into crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, cover with foil and continue baking at 350 degrees for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on towel in freezer. Let sit for 2 hours. Remove to fridge. Serve when filling has solidified.

Mountain Berry Camembert Pie

Ingredients:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
* Dash salt
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 cup fresh blueberries
* 1 cup fresh strawberries
* 3/4 cup fresh blackberries
* 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
* 1 Package of Camembert Cheese
* Mom's Dough for a double-crust pie (9 inches)
* 2 tablespoons butter

Topping

* 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1 cup old-fashioned oats
* 3/4 cup all purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions: In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon if desired and salt. Stir in the water and lemon juice. Add berries. Cook and gently stir over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil. Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust; trim pastry even with edge. Slice Camembert with a water-warmed knife and lay evenly on the bottom. Fill with berry filling and dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry. Combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt in large bowl; toss to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture comes together in moist clumps. Cover; chill while preparing filling. (Topping can be prepared 1 day ahead; keep chilled.) Sprinkle on top of filling. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8 servings.

One-Pot White Bean Chili

This is my easy camping dinner. Especially after all the fresh and cold food has been used up. I put the chopped onions, butter, and cumin in a Tupperware container to make it easy and everything else is in cans.

Ingredients:

* 1 can cooked chicken
* 1 can white corn
* 1 can white beans (great northern or navy)
* 1 can chicken broth
* 1 can diced green chilies
* 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin

Optional:

(* 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese)
(* 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro)

Preparation:
In large saucepan, melt butter, onion, and cumin over medium heat, saute 2-3 minutes. Put in chicken, corn, beans, chilies, and broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and heat thoroughly. Serve with cheese, cilantro, and sour cream as toppings. Goes well with tortilla chips or warmed flour tortillas.

Southwestern Corn Chowder With Chicken and Cilantro

glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

I totally stole this recipe from Gluten Free Goddess, but only because I love it and hopefully this will lead people to Karina's blog (even though she's far more popular than I ever could be).

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry or chili powder or paste, mild or hot, to taste
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 can of unsweetened, no salt corn
1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 14-oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
1 cup seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes
4 oz. chopped roasted green chiles
1 quart vegetable broth
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 rounded cups cooked chicken pieces
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

To serve:

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Fresh lime juice from 2 limes

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and stir in the cumin and curry or chili powder; cook for one minute to infuse the oil with spice.

Add the chopped garlic and onion. Stir and cook for five minutes. Add the corn, sweet potato, canned fire roasted tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, green chiles; stir for a minute. Add in the broth.

Cover and bring to a high simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about twenty minutes or so.

Add the coconut milk and cooked chicken pieces. Stir and season with sea salt and ground pepper; and add a drizzle of organic raw agave to taste. Heat through gently- please don't boil it.

Just before serving, add the chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Stir. Taste test. Adjust seasoning.

Garnish with a lime wedge and pass out the spoons.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Positano Lemons: Positively the Best

I was perusing cookbooks at a local bookstore and there was this recipe from a BC B&B, Ivy Cottage Bed & Breakfast. This was their contribution:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup (4 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 large eggs - separated
1 1/3 cup milk
Grated peel of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Butter for the griddle

Directions:

1. Whip egg whites.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with a fork until blended, do not over-mix.

3. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Lightly grease griddle with butter. As soon as the butter is melted, pour pancake batter onto griddle. Cook until batter begins to bubble or pancakes are golden. Flip and finish the other side. Serve pancakes warm with pure maple syrup

Chickpea, Chicken, Tomato Tarts

I found this recipe online. They used eggplant instead of chicken but I kind of hate eggplant. Try mixing it up!

Ingredients:

* 2 boiled and chopped chicken breasts
* 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 (14 1/2- to 16-oz) can stewed tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and coarsely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika (not hot)
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 (15- to 19-oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 6 (17- by 12-inch) phyllo sheets (from a 1-lb package), thawed if frozen
* Feta cheese


* Garnish: fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, torn into pieces

Directions:

Make filling:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion with bay leaf, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil, chicken, and garlic and cook, stirring, until slightly browned. Add tomatoes (without juice), paprika, and cumin and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add reserved tomato juice, chickpeas, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until filling is thickened and most of liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, then discard bay leaf.

Make tarts:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

Unroll phyllo and cover stack with plastic wrap and a dampened kitchen towel. Keeping remaining phyllo covered, lightly brush 1 phyllo sheet with some of remaining oil and top with 2 more sheets, brushing each with oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then cut stack in half crosswise with a sharp knife. Spoon 1 cup filling into center of each half. Crumple edges of phyllo and shape into a crescent, leaving filling exposed, sprinkle with feta, then transfer to baking sheet using a spatula. Make 2 more tarts in same manner, arranging about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet.

Bake, rotating baking sheet 180 degrees after 10 minutes, until edges of tarts are golden, 15 to 20 minutes total. Serve immediately.

Glazed Pineapple Pie

Chris and I made this amazing pie together. It was his idea to add lemon zest to the crust. Yum! I know the picture is a total cop out but we ate the pie too fast to take a picture.

Ingredients:

* 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple
* Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
* 3/4 cup flaked coconut
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted



Glaze:
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon rum or vanilla extract

Directions:
Drain pineapple, reserving 2 tablespoons juice (discard remaining juice or refrigerate for another use); set pineapple aside. When making the dough use mom's recipe but add the zest of two lemons to the mix. Line a 9-in. pie plate with pie dough; trim dough even with edge of plate. Sprinkle with coconut.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt, lemon juice, butter and pineapple. Spread over coconut. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut sits in pastry. Add decorative cutouts if desired.
Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, extract and enough of the reserved pineapple juice to achieve glaze consistency. Drizzle over warm pie. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Easter Berry Salad

This was my 2009 Easter salad. I ended up burning the candied nuts because I had my second date with the man who would become my boyfriend and he kissed for for the first time while I was stirring. I'll never forget this salad now.


Salad:

* 1 package (10 ounces) ready-to-serve salad greens
* 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
* 1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
* 1/4 cup chopped red onion
* 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
* 1 cup candied pecans

Creamy Raspberry Dressing:

* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
* 1 tablespoon milk
* 2-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
* 2-1/2 teaspoons seedless raspberry jam

Directions:
In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, strawberries, kiwi, onion, feta cheese and almonds. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Drizzle desired amount over salad and toss to coat.

Candied Pecans:
In a medium frying pan heat 2 tablespoons canola oil with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Add halved pecans when mixed. Heat til liquid is absorbed.

Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftover dressing. Yield: 8 servings.

Week Pie: Lime Pie

I made this for Easter and walked miles around the city searching for key limes with no luck, so this is just a lime pie and it tasted lovely anyway. For fun, I separated out some of the filling and dyed it green with food coloring and then polka-dotted the top with it. Looked awesome. And of course I forgot to take a picture. I made two. The other had whipped cream on the top with zested lime rind and sliced limes on top.

For crust:

* 7 (5-by 2 1/2-inch) graham crackers, broken into small pieces
* 3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted


For filling:

* 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
* Grated zest of 2 Key limes
* 1 cup fresh or organic lime juice (from about 2 pounds fresh limes)
* 4 large egg yolks

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch pie plate.

Pulse together graham crackers, almonds, and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely. (Leave oven on.) Or you could just but a pre-made graham cracker crust like I did. Some things should be made from scratch but graham cracker crusts are a pain.

Make filling and bake pie:
Gently whisk together filling ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth and pour into crust. Bake until just set in center, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool completely (filling will set as it cools). Chill pie, loosely covered, at least 8 hours.

* Accompaniment: sweetened whipped cream

Mom's Banana Bread With A Twist

I have never met a boy who doesn't love banana bread. Hint hint.

Ingredients:
*2 1/2 cups flour
*1 cup sugar
*3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
*1 tsp salt
*3 tbsp salad oil
*1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*3/4 cups milk
*1 cup ripe mashed banana
*1 egg
*1 cup finely chopped pecans

Glaze:
*1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
*1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 tablespoon milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Measure all
ingredients into large mixing bowl; beat together.
I mix moist ingredients and sugar in one bowl, then add the dry
ingredients that have been mixed together.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake 55-65 minutes or until tooth pick comes
out clean. Cool somewhat before removing. Pour glaze over loaves while still warm.

Wild Rice Soup

I started making this back when I was a vegan, and even when I reduced all the ingredients to vegan-friendly ones, it was still amazing.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked wild rice
2 Tblsp. butter
1 Tblsp. minced onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup flour (or wheat flour)
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup cream (or cow/soy milk)
1 can mushrooms, drained (only if you really want them)
1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)
Parsley or chives (a must)


Melt butter in pan and saute onion and celery. Blend in flour
gradually. Add broth, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in rice
and salt and simmer 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; blend in cream and
sherry. Heat to serving temperature. Garnish with parsley or chives.

Week Pie: Pear Raspberry Camembert Pie

This pie was amazing! I got the idea from the now defunct TV show Pushing Daisies, which was about a pie maker. They talked about baking gruyere into the crust and I started to think about how I love brie and fruit together so I picked two favorite fruits (pears and raspberries) and sort of worked out a way to bake cheese into the crust. I ended up using camembert instead of brie because I bought it accidentally instead of brie (they look totally the same!). I think I like it even better now. I had some leftover phyllo dough, so I but a layer of that between the filling and the cheese. It worked fine, but if anyone has a better idea I'd love to hear it!

Ingredients:

4 c. peeled, sliced fresh Bartlett pears
1/3 c. honey
2 tbsp. cornstarch
4 tsp. lemon juice (go easy on it. I think I used too much)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (I didn't use this)
Pastry for 2 crust (9 inch) pie (I used mom's again)
1 pound of raspberries, frozen
Half a wheel of Camembert
Phyllo dough

Toss pears with honey, cornstarch, lemon juice, peel and ginger. Turn mixture into pastry-lined 9-inch pie plate; cover with mashed raspberries. Place a sheet of phyllo dough over the filling. Cut slices of camembert with a knife heated with hot water and layer over phyllo. Cover with top crust. Seal and flute edges; cut vents into crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until pears are tender and crust is golden.

Week Pie: Maple Buttermilk Pie

"Maple Trees" Thierry Hennequin

I totally forgot to write about the last two pies! This one turned out alright. It was just supposed to be a maple buttermilk pie, but I like apples so I used them, and I used brown sugar instead of maple sugar (because I have no idea what that is!). I wish it would have tasted more maple-y. Maybe the maple sugar would have done that...


Ingredients:
* 1 (9-inch) baked pie shell (I used mom's)
* 6 Apples
* 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
* 2/3 cup Grade B maple syrup
* 6 large egg yolks
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons maple sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Put pie shell (in pie plate) in a shallow baking pan.

Whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl until just combined and pour three fourths of custard and apples into shell. Carefully put pan in middle of oven and pour in remaining custard with a cup.

Bake until just set in center, about 55 minutes, then transfer pie to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream

Week Pie: Coconut, Peaches & Cream Pie

I messed around with this pie a little, which was supposed to be just a Peaches & Cream pie, but I was walking around an Asian market and kept seeing coconut, coconut, coconut (and I love coconut), so I coconuted it up.

I kind of messed up by adding about 1/2 cup coconut milk (not light) to the filling and it made the pie way too soupy when it was still warm, but after sitting overnight in the fridge it solidified perfectly and it tasted way better cold anyway. I also should have listened when they said "ripe" peaches. Mine were not and never got soft soft. USE RIPE PEACHES.

Ingredients:

* 6 medium ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
* 1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell (I used mom's recipe again)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
* Small can of coconut milk
* Flaked coconut

Directions:
Arrange peaches in the pastry shell. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt; stir in cream until smooth. Pour over peaches. Sprinkle flaked coconut on top.
Cover with foil and bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until filling is almost set. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Week Pie: Makes Its Own Crust Coconut Pie

I didn't get a chance to write about last Sunday's pie, so I'll add it now. I made mom's famous Makes-Its-Own-Crust Coconut Pie. I had a paper due and this is a super easy pie so it worked out perfectly.


Ingredients:
4eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Mix in order given into large bowl. Pour into a 9" buttered pie pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Put a pan under the pie as it tends to run over;
my suggestion would be to pour a small amount into a small (1/2 cup) container and cook as well.
The flour floats to the bottom to makes the crust and coconut float to the top.

Week Pie: Popover Apple-Cranberry Pie

So trying to do metric conversions in a country that doesn't like to stock as much sugar free products as I'm used is more than a little annoying. Had some issues with the pie this week but instead of completely ruining everything I got two wonderful pies out of my six Golden Delicious apples.

I started out attempting to make a Popover Apple Pie, which is made by baking a one big popover (or Manka's Babies) in a skillet or pie pan. And making the filling in the microwave. The problem was that the apples and stuff are supposed to be mixed with sugar free cook-and-serve vanilla pudding, and they don't have sugar free pudding at my grocery store, so I got regular cook-and-serve, and then the measurements were off because of grams and ounces, ugh. So! I added 7 tablespoons of the dry pudding mix to the filling instead of a .8 oz package and used the rest to make pudding on the stove. The popover turned out to be way smaller than I expected, so I put the pudding on the base of the popover and poured a much as I could of the apple filling on top of that, and then sprinkled with toasted walnuts and powdered sugar. It was delicious! Try it. Then because the popover was so small I had so much extra filling, so I made mom's pie crust again (note 1) and put it in there.

So here's the original recipe for Popover Apple Pie:

TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 30 min.
Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 2 egg whites
* 3/4 cup 1% milk
* 1 cup cold orange juice
* 1 package (.8 ounce) sugar-free cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix
* 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
* 6 large peeled tart apples, sliced
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
* 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar

Directions:
In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Combine the eggs, egg whites and milk; whisk into the dry ingredients just until blended. Pour into a 10-in. ovenproof skillet coated with butter-flavored cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° (do not open oven door). Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until deep golden brown (do not underbake).

In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk the orange juice, pudding mix and apple pie spice. Stir in apple and cranberries. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes, stirring once. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes longer or until apples are tender, stirring once. Spoon hot apple mixture into crust. Sprinkle with walnuts. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.

Week Pie: Raspberry Lime

So I went a little cavalier with this week's pie. I wanted something relatively light after last week's Pecan Date that was super fattening so I decided to make a cold pie. I found a raspberry pie recipe on Taste of Home's web site but I really wanted to do something with lime jello, and since the only recipes I found with raspberries and lime jello also had a ridiculous amount of whipped cream, I took Taste of Home's recipe, which called for raspberry jello and used lime instead. I also grated a little lime zest in the jello mix and a little bit of pulp too. We're having a "House" party tonight, so we'll see how it goes over. It looks a bit odd, and that's why I've decided to call it (and Tinka will get this joke) "The Marriage of Easy Bake Oven and Creepy Crawlers" (because it totally looks like Plasti-Goop) or "Happy Birthday, Slimer" (Ghostbusters). I have a feeling this pie would go over really well at a 10 year boy's birthday party (see picture).

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 cup water
* 1 package (3 ounces) raspberry (or lime!) gelatin
* 4 cups fresh raspberries (I used mostly frozen on the bottom layer, and fresh on the top)
* 1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin (and zest and pulp!) until dissolved. Cool for 15 minutes.

Place raspberries in the crust; slowly pour gelatin mixture over berries. Arrange fresh berries on the top of the jello. Chill until set, about 3 hours. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Week Pie: Pecan Date

So this week's pie was a Pecan Date. It turned out really well, but it is super RICH! (Which, on the plus side, means I will eat less of it). I am thinking of pulling a "Waitress" and start naming pies my way (or rather, her way). So this one will be called "Spent the Afternoon Exercising So I'm Not Going to Think Twice About That Cup of Corn Syrup Pie." Enjoy!


"The unexpected addition of dates to this classic pie gives the filling more body and a smooth sweetness. Don't use packaged chopped dates, which are rolled in sugar. Instead, use moist and sticky whole dates. Coat your knife with cooking spray for easy chopping."

Filling:

* 1/2 cup whole pitted dates, chopped
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup dark corn syrup
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 large eggs

Directions: Preheat oven to 325°. So I used Mom's crust recipe again from last week. See the other note for the how-to. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan. Fold edges under; flute.

To prepare filling, sprinkle dates and pecans evenly over bottom of crust. Combine corn syrup and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes (mine took well over an hour) or until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Week Pie: Pear/Apple, Walnut, and Maple Syrup Pie

My goal this year is to make a new pie every week and on top of that I plan to tell you all about them, recipes included.

My inaugural pie, my first in Canada, is Pear/Apple, Walnut, and Maple Syrup Pie. It was originally just supposed to have pears in it, but I'm not the biggest fan of pears, so apples it is!

I used my mom's wonderful pie crust instead of what the recipe said. Her instructions are:

Melt 1 Tblsp. butter in one cup measuring cup

Fill 2/3 with canola oil

Fill the rest with water and zap in microwave until butter melts

In bowl mix 2 cups flour with 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt

Add the contents of the measuring cup

Roll out dough between 2 pieces of wax paper, invert into pie shell.

Filling:

* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
* 3 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 4 large Comice pears (about 3 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 1/4 cup maple syrup
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Cooking spray
* 2 teaspoons water
* 1 large egg

Directions: Preheat oven to 450°.

To prepare filling, combine brown sugar, walnuts, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Combine lemon juice and pears in a medium bowl, and stir in syrup and vanilla. Stir pear mixture into sugar mixture. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap from the 12-inch circle, and fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, allowing dough to extend over edge of plate. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Combine 2 teaspoons water and egg in a small bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Spoon pear mixture into prepared crust, and brush edges of piecrust lightly with egg mixture. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap from the 11-inch circle, and place on top of pear mixture. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Press edges of dough together; fold edges under, and flute.

Place pie on a baking sheet; cut 5 (1-inch) slits into top of pastry using a sharp knife. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 45 (I did 30) minutes or until browned. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mom's Refried Bean Soup

This is a family favorite. Great in winter, especially when served with hush puppies!

Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion (for one cup chopped)
1 medium gr. pepper (for one cup chopped)
2 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1 can (14 1/2 oz) vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz) mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 can (15 1/2oz,) black beans
1 can (15 1/2 oz.) red kidney beans
1 can 16 oz.) fat-free refried beans
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Cilantro and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Chop onion , coarsely chop
pepper and add to oil. Raise heat to medium high and cook for 2-3
minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic, broth, and stewed
tomatoes, stir. Raise heat to high. Rinse and drain black and kidney
beans and add to soup pot. Stir in refried beans and cumin, stir well.
cover and let soup come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir
occasionally for 5-7minutes or until ready to serve. Add pepper as
desired and sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top.