Pecan Pie July 15, 2009

Ingredients:  9-inch unbaked pie crust (I used Pillsbury’s) 1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1/3 cup butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 heaping cup pecan halves (I used a few more)

Directions:  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla; mix well. Pour into unbaked pie crust; sprinkle with pecan halves. 3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is set. (Toothpick inserted in center will come out clean when pie is done.) Cool. If crust or pie appears to be getting too brown, cover with foil for the remaining baking time. You can top it with a bit of whipped cream, but even plain, nothing tops this! TIP: The original recipe stated that the pie should be baked 45 to 50 minutes in a preheated 350-degree gas oven. If an electric oven is used, it may be necessary to add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time. (Begin testing the pie with a toothpick after 45 minutes.)

Buttermilk Pie July 15, 2009

Most people I talk to about this pie aren’t too interested in it… but it’s Scott’s favorite so I’ve made it several times! I keep asking him for pie suggestions so I can get more experience making pies but this is all he ever requests.  The kids like it, too.

Ingredients: 3 eggs 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/8 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg (I use cinnamon instead)  1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (I use a graham cracker pie crust)

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Beat eggs until frothy; add butter, sugar and flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice and nutmeg; pour into pie shell. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until center is firm. Serve warm and top with whipped cream.

 From: All Recipes

Thanksgiving Desserts November 28, 2008

This year, I made three desserts to take to my in law’s house for Thanksgiving: lemon cake, chocolate pie, and apple pie.  I am especially excited about the apple pie because it was my first one! It was so easy, I don’t know what took me so long. But I have to admit that I planned to make the crust from scratch and ended up using a Pillsbury crust… so I still need to conquer that goal!

Lemon Cake

I usually make this lemon cake in a bundt pan and top it with glaze but I wanted to decorate it for the holiday so I used Wilton’s decorator frosting. My plan was to make a really big turkey that took up the top half of the cake but I realized that I didn’t have enough frosting so I settled for a small one in the middle of the cake. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted but I was satisfied with my first attempt at drawing a turkey on a cake.

Chocolate Pie

This is literally the easiest pie ever. Three filling ingredients: chocolate pudding mix (1 large box), milk ( 2 cups), and whipped cream (1 cup).  Whisk them together and throw them into a large graham cracker crust and top with more whipped cream.  Set in the refridgerator for a at least a few hours.  I made this a couple years ago for Thanksgiving and everyone liked it so my mother in law asked me to make it again.

Apple Pie

I did a lot of searching for the perfect apple pie recipe.  My mom is the queen of pies.  So, when she suggested this Paula Deen recipe, I stopped looking for one.  It calls for a crumb topping but I didn’t make it. Instead I brushed the top with milk and sprinkled sugar over it, which is what my mom does. It came out beautifully! It browned nicely and was done in about 55 minutes.

Ingredients

• two 9 inch pie crusts
• 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash salt
• 3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples (I used Granny Smith and Fuji apples) 
• 1 (16-ounce) jar applesauce (I used chunky applesauce)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of dough. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the apples, applesauce, and lemon juice. Spoon the apple mixture into pie pan and dot with butter. Cut remaining crust into strips; arrange in a lattice design over top of pie. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust and topping are golden brown.

From: Food Network