Blueberry Pie Bars

 If you love blueberries, and you love pie you will be thrilled with this yummy recipe for Blueberry Pie Bars. The blueberries are in a creamy filling and surrounded by a crumb style crust. When I saw the recipe last week, I knew I had to make them immediately. The bottom crust is pretty sturdy to hold the filling and there is a thin layer of crust on top also. These blueberry treats are a definite winner in our household. I hope you give these delicious treats a try.

Blueberry Pie Bars
Adapted from a wonderful blog, Annie's Eats. She used blackberries instead of blueberries.

Ingredients:
For crust and topping-
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
zest of half a lemon
3/4 cup (12 tbsp.) unsalted butter

For the filling-
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream- I used vanilla Greek yogurt
6 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla-I omitted since I used vanilla yogurt
15-16 ounces fresh blueberries (can use frozen if they have been thawed and drained of excess juices)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and zest. Add the cold butte and process pulse in short bursts until the mixture is crumbly.

2. Reserve 3/4 of the mixture to use as topping. Add the rest of the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and press to form an even layer of crust on bottom of pan. Bake 12-15 minutes until light golden. Let cool 10 minutes before proceeding.

3. In a medium bowl. make the filling. Combine eggs, sugar, yogurt (or sour cream), flour, salt lemon juice and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Gently stir in the blueberries. Spread the filling over the pre-baked crust. Crumble the reserved topping evenly over the filling.

4. Bake until the top is beginning to brown and the bars are just set, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Chill to firm up the bars before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Cinnamon, how I love thee, especially in a homemade Cinnamon Apple Pie with a Crumb topping! My house smelled so delicious with the fragrance of apples and cinnamon while this yummy pie baked. I made this pie for Thanksgiving and then made it again last week because it is just so good, and because I forgot to take pictures of it earlier. The things we do for pictures! I've made variations of this Cinnamon Apple Pie with Crumb Topping for several years, but this last time I decided to use some oatmeal in the crumb topping. It was delicious, but not much more than just using flour. I love making a pie like this because I only need to make a bottom crust. I'm not a perfect pie crust maker, but the crust did turn out nice and flaky this time. You could use refrigerated pie crust, if desired, or a frozen deep-dish crust from your supermarket.

Peeling and slicing the apples consumes most of the time it takes to get this pie ready to bake. After you toss all the apples and filling ingredients together, you place the filling in the pie crust. While you don't have to arrange the apples, you do need to make sure there are no air pockets or gaps among the apples. Press them down slightly to fit, but heaping them up higher in the middle of the pie.

Then after mixing the topping together, it is just sprinkled over the apples. It may seem like there is too much topping, but use it all. It cooks down into a thin, buttery, crisp layer on top.

Let the pie cool, if you can, and then enjoy the fruits of your labor. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream if desired. I hope you enjoy.

Cinnamon Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
Adapted from here
I used a 10 inch pie plate for this pie with apples piled high. I like to mix tart and sweet apples in my pie, so I used about half Granny Smiths(tart), and half Galas(sweet). Golden delicious or other baking apples of your choice are fine. If you use all tart apples, you may need more sugar in the filling.
Purchased pie crust can be used if preferred. If using a frozen crust, buy deep-dish.

Crust: (my recipe)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) chilled, unsalted butter
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) chilled shortening
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
7-71/2 cups of sliced apples. I used half Granny Smiths, and half Galas.
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon-I used Saigon cinnamon, but regular will work fine
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Topping:
1 cup all purpose flour- (or use 1/2 c. flour and 1/2 cup oatmeal)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

Preparation:
For crust:
In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add butter and shortening and use a pastry blender to cut them into the flour. Mix until it looks like a coarse meal, with butter being no larger than small peas. Drizzle ice water over the mixture; stir with a fork until moist clups form. Add more water if dough is too dry. Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to about a 12 inch round. Transfer to a pie plate. Press dough into pan; trim overhang to 1/2 inch.. Turn edge under and crimp. Place crust in the fridge while preparing the filling.

For Filling:
Peel and core apples.Slice thin, about 1/4 inch. Sprinkle with a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice. Drizzle with butter. Mix the flour, sugar and cinnamon in the apples. Set aside and mix the topping.

For Topping:
Mix flour, salt, sugars and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times. Add chilled, cubed butter and pulse until mixture looks like sand.

To assemble  and bake the pie:
Toss the filling to redistribute the juices. Transfer the filling to the crust, mounding higher in the center of pie. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pie. Bake pie at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then REDUCE the temperature to 350. If pie browns too much, lay a piece of foil over the pie. Bake for another 40 minutes or more, until the top is golden, the filling is bubbling thickly at the edges, and a paring knife inserted in the center of the pie goes easily through the apples. It could take as long as 1 hour and 20 minutes to fully bake. When done, remove from oven and cool. Enjoy!

"Key" Lime Pie

 Cool, creamy, tart and extremely delicious; that's how I describe this wonderful pie. But don't be deceived, I didn't use real Key limes, because I couldn't get them. Every time I've looked for them lately, the supermarkets in my town were out. So I gave in and bought Persian limes. I have no patience is what it boils down to. If I can't find what I want, I find a substitute.

 However, this pie was still awesome. From the crisp graham cracker crust to the cool filling, I slowly savored each bite. My husband, on the other hand, wasn't as enamored with this pie as I was. That just left more for me! This pie was more tart than a real Key Lime Pie, so I'm going to continue my search for the real thing. Real Key Limes are a bit sweeter I think, than the Persian limes. I'll update this post after I've made the "real" thing.

"Key" Lime Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons sugar

Filling:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice- Key limes if you can find them
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon sugar- won't need this if using Key limes

Topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into a 9 inch pie plate, and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack and cool completely.
2. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, sugar, if using, and the lime juice. Pour into cooled, prepared crust.
3. Return the pie to the oven, and bake until the center is set but still quivers when the pan is nudged, about 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool completely.
4. Before serving, combine the cream and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Serve with the pie.
Note: The pie cuts more cleanly if it is cooled in the refrigerator.
 Enjoy!

Classic Coconut Cream Pie

If you love pie and coconut, then this creamy Coconut Cream Pie is for you. The creamy filling is chock full of toasted coconut, and then the pie is topped with fluffy golden meringue. I almost swooned the first time I tasted it two or three years ago. My husband loves it as much as I  do.

If meringue isn't your thing, then just top the pie with some homemade whipped cream and sprinkle on some more toasted coconut. Delicious! The filling is sweet, creamy and holds together well. Sometimes the filling in cream pies will be runny, but not this one. I have reduced the coconut used in the filling just a bit. I don't make this wonderful pie very often, because of it's addictive nature. So, it's best made when you can share with others. Hope you'll give it a try.

Coconut Cream Pie

Slightly adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Notes: Be sure to bake the pie shell in advance, so that it will be completely cool when you are ready to add the filling. I baked my own pie crust, but you are free to use purchased pie crust.

Ingredients:

1 blind baked 9 inch pie shell- cooled completely

2 1/4 cups whole milk, separated

3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup used in meringue

3 eggs separated-egg yolks used in filling, whites in meringue

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups lightly toasted coconut*

1 tablespoon butter- I use salted butter

pinch if cream of tarter

* To Toast the coconut: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place coconut on baking sheet in thin layer. Bake in the oven, stirring every minute until coconut is lightly golden in color. Will take 4-5 minutes. Cool completely before adding to the pie filling.

Directions:

In a large saucepan, stir 2 cups of milk with the sugar. Place pan over medium heat and bring up to a simmer, stirring constantly. Whisk the egg yolks together. Temper the hot milk into the egg yolks. Here's what I do. Add about 1/4 cup of hot milk to the yolks, whisking continuously so the yolks won't cook. Then, add about the same amount of milk again, still whisking. Repeat again, then add the egg and milk mixture into the saucepan, while whisking. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup milk with the cornstarch, making a slurry. Whisk this mixture into the pudding and simmer, stirring constantly, until pie filling is very thick. Directions say 4-6 minutes, but mine is done before then. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the toasted coconut, vanilla and butter. Poor filling into cooled pie crust and smooth over the top. Cool completely. Prepare meringue, if using.

Meringue: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the pinch of cream of tarter. Mix egg whites until stiff peaks form. Spread the egg whites over top of pie. I use the back of a spoon to create peaks or swirls in the meringue to look pretty. Be sure to bring the meringue up to the pie crust, making sure the meringue overlaps the crust a little, so it won't shrink back after baking. Sprinkle with a little more coconut if desired.

Bake for 3-4 minutes until meringue is golden. Cool. Enjoy!

NOTE: If you would like a higher meringue, just add 1 more egg white.

Butternut Squash Pie

I love baking in the fall. I love the spicy aromas and I guess the comfort foods that I just can't resist. And pie is hard to resist, especially Butternut Squash pie. It tastes like pumpkin pie, in case you've never had it. The first time I ate this delicious pie, my Mother-in-law made it for Thanksgiving. Our boys were confirmed squash haters. They wouldn't eat squash of any kind. So, my MIL made this Butternut Squash Pie, but didn't tell the boys what it was. As they were chowing down, our older son, who was about 9 at the time, said, "this pumpkin pie is sure good Grandma". "Thank you", replied my MIL, with a gleam in her eye. After we were done with dessert, Grandma told the boys they had just eaten squash pie. The look on their faces was priceless!

This pie is a bit of work as I had to cook the squash first. I had 2 small butternut squash to use. To prepare the squash for baking, I first cut off the stem end. You will need a very sharp knife for this. Then the squash is split down the middle and the seeds and strings are scooped out of the squash and then baked on an oiled baking sheet in the oven until tender. Scoop out 1 3/4 cup of sweet, delicious orange flesh and you are ready to begin.

I pureed the squash in the blender, but you can use a food processor if you have one. Add the pie ingredients and pour into a prepared pie crust and bake. Let cool completely. Don't be tempted to cut the pie before it is cool. Top with some fresh whipped cream and you'll have a dessert that is hard to beat! Let me know if you try this pie. Here's how it's made.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIE

from Lynda's Recipe Box

Ingredients:

1- 9 inch pie crust- (I made a 9 inch deep dish crust.) or use a pre-made crust

1 3/4 cup of baked butternut squash

1 (12 ounce) can of milk

2 eggs

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

To prepare squash, Cut of the stem end of squash with a sturdy sharp knife. Cut the squash lengthwise in half, and scoop out the seeds and any strings around the seeds. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place squash cut side down on the pan.Place in a 400 degree oven and bake until the squash are tender. The small one took about 40minutes, but larger ones will take longer. When done, remove from the oven and let cool. Scoop out the pulp of the squash, 1 3/4 cup for the pie.The squash can be baked 1 or 2 days before you make the pie.

Place the squash pulp in a blender or food processor. I used a blender, so I added the eggs and pulsed it together. I ended up having to add some of the milk to blend it well. After it is purred, add the remaining ingredients and blend just until incorporated. Pour pie mixture into a prepared pie crust. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake until done, about another 30-40 minutes. Give the pie a shake and if the middle doesn't jiggle it is done. Or, you can test for doneness by sticking a knife in the middle of the pie. If it comes out clean it's done. There may be a few cracks on the surface. Let pie cool completely before cutting. Serve with whipped cream on the side and enjoy. Butternut Squash Pie is delicious! It's a perfect ending to a Thanksgiving meal, or any meal for that matter.

Hope you give it a try!

What's your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?

Peach Galette

I love fruit pies, but I don't like making them. Don't get me wrong, I do occasionally make a pie, but they can be rather time consuming, and I'm an impatient cook. But I love buttery, flaky crust and fresh, in season fruit together. This past week I purchased some humongous, juicy, Missouri peaches at the farmer's market, and knew I'd have to make a pie. They aren't the first peaches we've had, but the others have ended up sliced over ice cream, or just eaten out of hand. I wanted pie this time, but maybe a galette instead. A galette is less intensive to make since you only need the bottom crust. It is also known as a crostata, or a rustic fruit tart. There's even the option of using refrigerated pie crust from the store. But I wanted to make my own crust for these amazing, juicy peaches. And the peaches were so juicy that the crust on my galette leaked, a lot. Even then, there was still plenty of juice left in the pie. Actually, I've made two of these this week; one was peach and blueberry. Both were fantastic and my husband is practically begging for another. Hmmm, I think apple will be next!

Roll out the crust to about 13 inches in diameter. Top with sliced peaches that have been sweetened. Keep them in the center with about 3 inches of an edge all the way around.

Fold over the edges and just kind of pleat the crust and pinch the pleats together. Sprinkle with a little sugar if desired. Bake until the crust is golden. Let it cool! There is so much juice that you'll lose a lot if you cut it too soon. Here's the recipe.

PEACH GALETTE

from Lynda's Recipe Box

CRUST:

1 1/4 cup flour

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted, cold butter, cut into smaller cubes

1/4 teaspoon salt

4-6 tablespoons ice cold water

In a bowl mix the flour and salt together. Add the cold butter and cut into the flour with a pastry blender. If the butter gets warm, chill the flour mixture before adding the water. Add 4 tablespoons of ice water and quickly work into the crust to bring it together into a ball. Add more water if needed. Don't overwork the crust. Place crust on plastic wrap and flatten it into a round disk.Wrap tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. When ready to form the crust, take it out and let it set on the counter for about 20 minutes. Flour a work area and roll crust into a 13 inch circle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the crust to top the parchment paper.

PEACH FILLING:

2/12 - 3 cups of fresh peaches, peeled and sliced- or other fruit or berries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Mix the cornstarch, cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl. In another bowl slice the peeled
peaches into large slices. Sprinkle the peaches with the sugar mixture and mix together. Spoon the peaches onto the center of the rolled out crust. Fold the crust over the fruit and pleat it together. You can sprinkle sugar on the crust, if desired. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 - 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Remove from oven and cool. Enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream!

NOTE: Be sure to measure your crust; if it is smaller than 12 inches, you'll need to use less fruit.

Gone to Heaven Chocolate Pie

This pie is rich, really rich, and so creamy and decadent, that it is not for the faint of heart. It's not for those who don't like intense chocolate. It's not a pie to serve after a heavy or rich meal. But, it is for those among us who crave a bit of rich, creamy chocolate at times. It's luscious with a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea. I made this chocolate pie last week for a church pot luck and it was gone in a flash. So quickly was it gone that we had nary a sliver. So I made it again this week so we could try it. If you're needing a serious chocolate fix, give this pie a try!

GONE TO HEAVEN CHOCOLATE PIE
slightly adapted from Hershey's Kitchens

1 9 inch pie shell

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch- original recipe calls for 1/3 cup

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 egg yolks

3 cups whole milk, divided

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened - recipe calls for 2 T.

1 tablespoon vanilla- yep, you read that right!

2 cups (12 ounce pkg.) Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips

whipped cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bake the pie shell; either your own recipe or the refrigerated pie crust from your grocer. Cool.

In a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan, mix 2 3/4 cups of the milk with the sugar.

2. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup of milk with the cornstarch. Whisk in the egg yolks until thoroughly combined.

3. Heat the sugar and milk mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the milk is scalded, but not boiling. To temper the egg yolk mixture, take about 1/4 cup of hot milk and quickly whisk into the yolks. Then add some more hot milk, a little at a time, whisking quickly with each addition., until the yolks are very warm. Now, slowly pour the yolks mixture into the milk, and again keep whisking so that the egg doesn't get clumpy. Bring the pudding to a boil, stirring constantly. Let cook about 2 minutes.

4. Remove pudding from heat and stir in the butter, the vanilla and 1 3/4 cup chocolate chips until incorporated. Pour the pudding into the cooled pie shell. Place plastic wrap over the pudding to seal. This will ensure that the pudding does not form a skin. Cool. Refrigerate for several hours, or until cold and firm. Remove the plastic wrap and top with whipped cream and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. I used some mini chocolate chips for topping instead. Enjoy!

Keep refrigerated. Supposed to serve 8, but it's so rich that I cut into 10 servings.

NOTE: By tempering the yolks this way, the pudding was smooth and creamy with no lumps.

My Daughter's Apple Pie- Her Thanksgiving Contribution

My little girl is growing up. Actually she's 21, a college student and works about 30 hours a week. But she likes to bake, so when she wanted to make apple pie for Thanksgiving, I wasn't going to stop her. This is her second time making Apple Pie and she even made homemade crust. I didn't try making crust until I was in my thirties, so I 'm impressed! She likes to arrange the apples in

a spiral pattern, adding sugar and cinnamon as she goes. It was pretty, and tasted divine, I tell you. Apple Pie happens to be my all time favorite dessert, so this was a real treat. I helped her

with peeling the apples as she had two pies to make, one for our house and she took one to her boyfriend's family dinner. I made a Pumpkin Pie also, so she made a crust recipe from Paula Deans website. One recipe was enough for our three pies. The crust was so flaky! I can't give you an exact recipe for the filling, but close to what she did.

For the Apple Pie Filling:

7 good sized Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cored

about 3/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1-2 tsp. lemon

2 tablespoons flour

about 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Pie crust from here

Roll out the dough for the bottom crust and place in pie pan. Mix apples and rest of ingredients together. Arrange mixture in pie crust. Cut up the butter into peices and dot all over the apples. Roll out dough for top crust and place on top of apples. Seal edges and flute. She brushed milk over the crust and sprinkled granulated sugar on top. The pies baked at 4oo for about 15 minutes and then she dropped the temperature to 350. Bake for another 30-40 minutes, until done.

Not only did we have delicious homemade pie for our Thanksgiving dinner, I had yet another opportunity to spend time with my lovely daughter, baking, laughing and totally making a disaster in the kitchen! What fun, the laughing that is, not the cleaning up. But we made memories!

NOTE: We have decided that we like using 2 different kinds of apples for pie;

Granny Smith's for sure, and Gala's. The mixture seem's to make a more flavorful filling.