Buttermilk Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

Preheat the oven to 350^F.

Mix the sugar and flour in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix on high speed until well combined.  Pour into the pie shell.

Bake at 350^F for about 40 minutes or until set.  (Mine actually took about 65-70 minutes!)

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It's allegedly over 100 years old and I can understand why it's been around for so long.  This is really GOOD!

Peanut Butter Crumb Apple Pie

Peanut Butter Crumb Apple Pie

1 pastry shell (9-inch), baked
1 can (21-oz) apple pie filling
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons cold butter

 In a small bowl, combine the pie filling and lemon juice; spoon into pastry shell. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Cut the butter and peanut butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over the apple filling. Bake at 400^F for 20-22 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 6-8 servings. From Taste of Home.

Good.  But, honestly, I'd have preferred this without the peanut butter.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ham and Cheese Quiche

1 (9-inch) frozen pie shell, thawed
1 cup (4-oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups cooked ham chunks
1 cup (4-oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 pint heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350^F.

Place the Swiss cheese in the pie shell; top it with ham, then the shredded Cheddar.  In a small bowl, beat the eggs and cream until well mixed and then pour it evenly over the ham and cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until center is set.  Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Mr. Food.  The flavor was good, but it took closer to 1 hour for the thing to "set" and even then it was "softer" than I would have liked.

Chocolate Kahlua Pecan Pie

Chocolate Kahlua Pecan Pie

1 (9-inch) pie shell
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp Kahlua
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

In a small saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter.  Cook over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325^F.

Spread the milk chocolate chips in the bottom of the pie shell and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, Kahlua, vanilla and salt.  Beat well.  Slowly pour the sugar mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly.  Stir in the pecans.  Pour gently into the pie shell over the chocolate chips.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until set and golden brown. Serve warm or chilled with a dollop of whipped cream.

Very good...but I guess I'm a purist.  I like my Pecan Pie without the chocolate.  :-)

Adapted from the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe at allrecipes.com

Fudge Pie

Fudge Pie

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325^F.

Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, butter, eggs and vanilla and beat until well mixed. Spoon into the crust and bake for 25-30 minutes or until set.  Cool to room temperature and serve with whipped topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Hmmm...this was a big disappointment.  First of all, it took closer to 45 minutes for it to set, which made the crust really hard.  There wasn't enough filling to fill up the pie crust and it did not taste "fudgy" in the least. The crust issue could be my fault, because the original recipe called for a regular pie shell, but I had this graham crust from Christmas that I needed to use up, so I substituted it.  I would not recommend doing that. I wouldn't recommend the filling either though, because it just didn't taste that great, no matter what kind of crust you put it in.  Oh well...live and learn.  I didn't need to eat this pie anyway!  :-)

Original recipe from allrecipes.com

Sweet Potato Pie 2012

2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 5 - 3"x 5" potatoes)
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 heaping tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Dash allspice
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Drizzle of pure maple syrup (maybe 1 Tbsp)
1/4 cup Praline liqueur
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 pie shells, thawed

Preheat oven to 425^F. 

Prick the bottom and sides of the the thawed crusts with a fork and bake for about 6 minutes.  Let cool.

Combine the potatoes, butter, sugars, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until well combined.  Add evaporated milk, maple syrup, liqueur, eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Pour into the pie shells and swirl the top with a spatula (it's just not a good pie without those little peaks on top!)

Bake at 425^F for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350^F (don't open the oven!) and bake another 45 minutes or until the pie is set in the middle. 

Remove from the oven and cool. 

Yum!!!

KAF's Smooth and Spicy Pumpkin Pie

I decided to experiment with a Pumpkin Pie today.  I've never personally made one in all my years of baking!  My family prefers Sweet Potato Pie (at least for the last 4 generations!) so that's what we always have for Thanksgiving.  When I impulsively decided to mix this one up, I have to admit I was worried at the amount of milk in the recipe.  It looks more like soup than a pie filling!  My husband, who grew up on Pumpkin Pies, even looked a little concerned when he wandered into the kitchen for a glass of iced tea.  He became a convert to Sweet Potato Pie the first year we were together and he LOVES them!  He said, "I hope it tastes like your Sweet Potato Pie", cocked his eyebrow doubtfully at the bowl, and then wandered back out of the kitchen.  He's cute. 

KAF's Smooth and Spicy Pumpkin Pie

a single 9" pie crust (I used a deep dish pie shell from the freezer)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (the whole 15-oz can!)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
12-ounce can evaporated milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Thaw the pie crust if you don't make your own. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves nutmeg, ginger, salt, and brown sugar. Mix in the pumpkin, corn syrup and evaporated milk.  Let stand for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.  Never heard of  doing this for a pie before, but I'm game.  Actually, the recipe said you could allow it meld overnight in the fridge but that just won't work for impulsive pie makers!  I decided to give it 45 minutes. 

While the pumpkin mixture is melding, make sure you have one oven rack in the lowest position and another in the middle.  Preheat the oven to 450^ F. 

When your melding time is up, beat 2 eggs and whisk them into the pumpkin mixture.  Pour into the pie shell (you definitely need a deep dish shell!  or maybe a 10" crust!)  Cover the edges with foil or those handy dandy crust shields and place the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, then move the pie to the middle shelf and reduce the heat to 350^F.  Continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out moist, but clean.  The temperature in the center should be 175^ if you want to test it. 

Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature (or chill it) until you're ready to serve. 

My opinion:  This is a very tasty pie, not too sweet, maybe a little too much nutmeg.  However, it's not as good as a Sweet Potato Pie.  John agrees.  It's not as dense or flavorful as Sweet Potato. 

Trisha's Pecan Pie

Trisha's Pecan Pie

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 9-inch deep dish pie shell, thawed (or homemade pastry)
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 325^F.

In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs until creamy.  Add the chopped pecans, melted butter, milk, flour and vanilla and stir to combine.  Pour into the pie shell.  Arrange the pecan halves on top of the pie in a circular pattern.

Bake the pie for 55 minutes.  Check for doneness by shaking the pan slightly.  The pie should be firm with only a slight jiggle in the center.  It will set more as it cools. 

Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

I saw this recipe on the Thanksgiving section of foodnetwork.com and since I've always been a Trisha Yearwood fan, I could not resist trying it!  This pie is fabulous!

Lemon Supreme Pie

1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish pie shell

LEMON FILLING:
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp grated lemon peel
4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
11-oz cream cheese
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip

Line unpricked pie shell with a double thickness of heavy duty foil Bake at 450^F. for 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on wire rack.

In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar cornstarch and salt. Stir in water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and add remaining sugar. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in butter, lemon peel and food coloring. Gently stir in lemon juice (do not overmix). Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Do not stir.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and fold in Cool Whip until well combined. Refrigerate 1/2 cup for garnish. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture in pie shell. Top with lemon filling. Chill overnight.

Place reserved cream cheese mixture in a pastry bag with a #21 start tip. Pipe stars onto pie. Store in refrigerator.

From Taste of Home magazine.

Swiss Chicken Quiche

Swiss Chicken Quiche

1 (9-inch) unbaked pastry shell, pricked
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 cup (4 oz) shredded swiss cheese
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp instant chicken bouillon
1 cup milk
3 eggs, well beaten
1 Tbsp dehydrated minced onions
2 Tbsp minced green bell pepper
2 Tbsp chopped pimiento

Preheat oven to 450^F. Bake pastry shell 8 minutes; remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350^F.

In small bowl, toss cheese with flour and bouillon. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add cheese and remaining ingredients until well mixed. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until set.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

From Borden's Holiday Recipe Collection, 1987. This is a very tasty Quiche!

Lime Cream Pie

Lime Cream Pie

1 graham cracker crust
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
Zest from 1 lime
1/2 cup lime juice
Up to 1/3 cup sugar, depending on the tartness of your limes

Beat the cream until soft peaks form and set aside.

Combine cream cheese, condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice and beat until smooth and well blended. Taste and add sugar, if necessary, to suit your taste. Fold in whipped cream and spoon into graham crust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Really good flavor, but next time I'd only use about 3/4 cup of the heavy cream. I thought this was too...er, "fluffy" for lack of a better word. John loved it though! Nice and light and cool. Perfect for a hot weather dessert.

Not My Usual Sweet Potato Pie

Not My Usual Sweet Potato Pie

2 lbs sweet potatoes, baked until tender and peeled (about 6-2.5"x5" potatoes)
3/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup half & half
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 pie shells, thawed

Preheat the oven to 424^F. Combine the potatoes, butter, sugars, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Add half and half, eggs and vanilla and beat well. Pour into pie shells and bake at 425^ for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350^ and bake about 45 minutes or until pie is set in the middle.

This Sweet Potato Pie is BETTER than mine! John very tactfully said "it's as good as yours" but I know...it's definitely better. This is the best Sweet Potato Pie I've ever eaten!!!

Adapted from allrecipe.com's "Sweet Potato Pie I".

Lemon Chess Pie

Lemon Chess Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

Heat oven to 350°F. In 1-quart saucepan, mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Set aside; cool.

Make pie crust as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie plate. In small bowl, whisk 1 egg, the egg yolk and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture in saucepan. Stir in lemon juice and peel. Pour into crust-lined plate.

Top with second crust and flute; cut slits in several places. Brush beaten egg over top crust. Cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with whipped cream. Store covered in refrigerator.

Matt Rossi of Ada, Michigan, took 1st Place with this recipe at the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts Pie Baking Championship, 2009 Michigan State Fair. This was OK, but I wouldn't have guessed it was a prize winner - I didn't like the flour in the filling and it tasted kind of salty to me.

Apple Pie

John's been whimpering for an Apple Pie for a couple of months now, so I figured, being it's Father's Day, I'd make him one. He's currently hovering in the kitchen, sniffing the air like an old Bloodhound and drooling. (OK, he's not REALLY drooling...but this pie does smell awesome baking!)

Pies are not my forte, but this recipe has so many thousands of rave reviews on allrecipes.com I had to give it a try. Thankfully I didn't have to make the crust from scratch...I used the Pillsbury refrigerated ones instead.

Grandma Ople's Apple Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced and tossed with 2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Add water, white sugar,brown sugar, and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pie pan. Pour all but about 1/4 cup of the sugar syrup over the apples and stir until they are well coated. Mound the apples in the pie crust. Cover with the second crust and cut a few slits in the top. Gently pour the remaining sugar syrup over the crust and spread around the top.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Please note that I made some changes in this recipe. The original calls for a lattice top (I Don't Do Lattice!) and no spices at all. I can't see the point in an apple pie without any cinnamon so I added that and some cloves and nutmeg just for the heck of it. The original also says to use Granny Smith apples, which I didn't have, so I added some lemon juice to my plain old whatever-kind-of-apples-these-are as they seemed a little sweet to me. I probably ate at least half of one of those 8 apples while I was cutting them up, so there's less in my pie than called for. And, last but not least, I was supposed to pour ALL of the sugar syrup over the top of the lattice covered pie, but that sounded like a mess waiting to happen!

This was good, but not as great as all the reviews led me to believe it would be.

Easy Lemon Pie

Easy Lemon Pie

3-oz pkg lemon jello
1 cup boiling water
8-oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
8-oz carton Cool Whip, thawed
1 graham cracker crust

Stir lemon jello and boiling water until jello is dissolved. Set aside to cool. Combine cooled jello, cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a mixer bowl on medium speed until smooth. Pour into graham crust and refrigerate until filling is firm. Spread Cool Whip over top of pie and refrigerate until serving time.

Good and easy!

Caramel Pecan Pie

Caramel Pecan Pie

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
36 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) In a saucepan over low heat, combine caramels, butter and milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool until filling is firm.

From allrecipes.com. This is Really Good!

Italian Midnight Sandwich, Cuban Style and Cheddar Pear Pie

Italian Midnight Sandwich, Cuban Style

1 cup mayonnaise
5 tbsp Italian dressing
4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise
4 tbsp prepared mustard
1/2 lb thinly sliced deli turkey (I like Boar's Head Oven Gold)
1/2 lb thinly slice cooked ham (Publix Sweet Ham)
1/2 lb thinly sliced Swiss cheese
1 cup dill pickle slices
Olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and Italian dressing. Spread mixture on hoagie rolls. Spread each roll with mustard. On each roll, arrange layers of turkey, ham, and cheese. Top each with dill pickle slices. Close sandwiches, and brush tops and bottoms with olive oil.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Place sandwiches in skillet. Cook sandwiches for 2 minutes, pressing down with a plate covered with aluminum foil (I used a cast iron bacon press). Flip, and cook for 2 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from heat, place on plates, and cut in half diagonally.

These were delicious! I halved the recipe. This makes more mayo sauce than you really need and no way would you use that many dill pickles! I'll definitely make these again though! The original recipe at allrecipes.com is called a Cuban Midnight Sandwich...but I changed the name because Cuban sandwiches don't have turkey or Italian dressing on them!



Cheddar Pear Pie

FOR THE CRUMBLE
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter

FOR THE PIE
6 cups peeled and sliced pears
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
unbaked pie crust

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Combine the flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and Cheddar cheese. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Toss the sliced pears with the lemon juice. Combine the 1/2 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add the sugar mixture to the pears and toss to coat. Transfer the pears to the pie crust and top with the crumble mixture. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

This pie has a great flavor and I would make it again...but I'd leave out the cheese. It gave the topping a weird, chewy texture instead of the crispy, crumbly one I expected. From allrecipes.com

Beef Pot Pie

Beef Pot Pie

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb lean beef sirloin, cut into small cubes
Garlic salt and pepper
2 tsp celery flakes
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
Water
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 heaping cup frozen peas and carrots
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 box Pillsbury Piecrust Allready

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions until translucent and soft. Add the beef cubes and brown well, stirring occasionally. Season with garlic salt, pepper and celery flakes. Stir in wine, beef base and enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until very tender, about an hour and a half. Add more water to keep the meat covered if needed. Stir in the potato cubes and cook until potato is just barely tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the peas and carrots. Mix the sour cream and flour in a small bowl until smooth and then whisk it into the beef mixture, stirring constantly until smooth. Cook until slightly thickened.

Heat oven to 425^ F. Following instruction on piecrust box, use one of the crusts to line a deep dish pie plate. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef and vegetables to the pie plate. Pour enough gravy over the beef mixture to just cover it. Place the second pie crust over the beef and tuck the edges under the bottom crust. Crimp to seal. Cut 4 small slits into the top pie crust. Place the pie dish on a large cookie sheet lined with foil to catch any drips. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Very good dinner.