Pie Number 23 - Butterfinger Pie

 The Year of Pie

Pie# 23 - Butterfinger Pie

    This recipe comes from the first cookbook I've ever had one of my recipes published in. In 2006, I randomly started listening to the Derek & Romaine Show (Derek Hartley and Romaine Patterson) on Sirius OutQ (a former channel on SiriusXM). Derek and Romaine's show concentrated on their own out and proud lives as a gay man and lesbian woman, as well as those of their listeners (open to all!). Derek and Romaine also were there for listeners who needed guidance, love, support and humor in navigating coming out (or not) to family and friends. Derek and Romaine were also there for those listeners like me, who were not LGBT, but were or wanted to be allies.  They gave much of themselves in helping their listeners. Derek and Romaine are the biggest reason why I am the LGBT ally that I am. I am 100% sure they've made a huge impact on so many others. 

    Years ago, SiriusXM dropped their show, along with so many others and Derek and Romaine eventually started their own show (DNR 2.0) which can be found at www.derekandromaine.com. They continue to be a support to their listeners, the LGBT community and allies. To learn more about them, go to their site. 

    This year I submitted my McGregor Cake recipe to them to be included in their Derek and Romaine's Fan Favorite Cookbook - Volume 1 and it was printed. So exciting!!! As I got my copy a few weeks ago, I selected a fan favorite recipe from the book to be included in my Year of Pie. This Butterfinger Pie recipe was submitted by Robin Autio. I've got my modifications/notes in italics for this very, easy recipe. I had to modify it because I didn't have the right amount of Butterfinger candy bars or whipped cream. I added some chopped, mini chocolate chips. It was delicious. 

    So, a quick "Thank You" to Derek and Romaine, for being the people you are and for bringing so much love and light to others. 

Ingredients:

6 (2 1/8 oz) Butterfinger candy bars, crushed (Like a doof I hadn't paid attention and only picked up a 12 pack of minis, so I added about 3/4 cup of chopped mini chocolate chips)

1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

1 8 oz container of Cool Whip (I also was only able to get a 6 oz container from the store I was at)

1 graham cracker crust (Buy a pre-made crust or make your own like I did)

whipped cream for decoration

chocolate for shaving

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, blend the candy bars, cream cheese and Cool Whip. Use an electric hand mixer to get fluffiness. Gently spoon the mixture into your crust, sprinkle some extra crushed Butterfinger candy on top and chill for a few hours. Serve with a dollop or shot of whipped cream and a shaving of chocolate on top. This pie is sooooo good. It's rich, so you don't need a big slice.  Serves at least 8.

Optional: Try using a different kind of candy, like toffee or peanut butter cups. 

Graham Cracker Crust: 

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers

1/3 cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

Graham Cracker Crust Directions:

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar and press into a 9 inch pie pan. Press down and up the sides of the pie pan. 

Butterfinger Pie

Butterfinger Pie

Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake

 Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake

    I made this simple cake for a Friendsgiving lunch at work last week. It was easy to make and it would be very, easy to swap out flavors. Use your favorite flavor cake mix and a pudding flavor which will go with that cake mix flavor. The cake I made used chocolate (like it says in the title) and vanilla cake mix. It was moist and tasty.  This was a Kraft/Heinz recipe. 

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (2 layer size)

    You will also need the ingredients that your cake mix calls for; mine had 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp water, 1/4 cup vegetable (I used canola) oil and two eggs)    

2 packages (3.4 oz) Jell-O Cook & Serve Pudding

1 cup powdered sugar

4 cups milk (I used skim milk)

2 tbsp butter or margarine 

Directions

Make cake according to directions, using a 9x13 pan. While the cake is baking, combine the dry pudding mix and powdered sugar in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in milk until blended. Add butter and bring to a rolling boil on medium heat. Stir constantly and remove from heat when the pudding gets to that rolling boil stage.  When done, remove the cake from the oven (you can check that it is done by using a knife or toothpick and poking the cake to make sure the knife/toothpick comes out clean).  Poke holes throughout the cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon.  Pour the pudding mix over the cake. Cool for a short time and then refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve chilled.

I forgot to take a picture of my cake; this picture is from the Kraft/Heinz site. 

 

Grasshopper Cocktail

 Grasshopper Cocktail

Recipe 52 of 52

Drink #7

    The final recipe of Fifty-two In Twenty-two is the last drink recipe. This recipe was made on NYE 2022, the 32nd anniversary of my mother's passing at only forty-eight years old. My mom didn't drink alcohol much, but she liked these and when I was thinking of a recipe to make for the last drink, I could think of nothing better than to make a drink which she liked. And, mom liked Grasshoppers. Granted, since I was a kid, I don't have a clear memory of these. All I remember is the Creme de Menthe. Like maybe she just made milkshakes with Creme de Menthe and called it a Grasshopper? However she made them, this one was for my mom and I drank it during my watching of the movie Beaches (my tradition is to watch this movie an this anniversary date). This Grasshopper recipe comes from the Pocket Guide To Cocktails - The Essential Pocket Book of Cocktail Recipes, published in 2006.  This is a great little book. It has 216 cocktail recipes. There is a great introduction at the beginning and the recipes are sorted into Sophisticated Classics, Contemporary Favorites, Sparkling Cocktails, Liqueur Cocktails and Mocktini's. In the index, the cocktails are helpfully sorted by type of liquor/ingredient (Brandy, Champagne/Sparkling Wine, Cider, Gin, Liqueurs, Non-Alcoholic, Rum, Tequila, Vodka, Wine/Sherry/Fortified Wines and Whiskey.  I highly recommend this book!

    I used a tall glass (a pilsner glass is the best I can come up with, that my glass looked like) and one complete recipe only filled the glass half-way, so I made another, just to fill up the glass.  I used green sugar sprinkles to "frost" the rim and shaved chocolate sprinkles to decorate. If you like mint, you should try this out. 

Ingredients:

2 measures green creme de menthe

2 measures white creme de cacao

2 measures single cream  (I used the only cream I could find, which was a heavy whipping cream and it worked great)

4-6 cracked ice cubes (I just used regular ice cubes in my cocktail shaker)

Green sugar sprinkles (optional)

Shaved chocolate (Honestly, I just used a Hershey's kiss)

Directions:

Into a cocktail shaker, pour all ingredients over ice cubes and shake until a froth forms (I just shook for about a minute). Strain into a chilled goblet (or really, whatever glass you have). You can "frost" the rim of your glass by wetting the rim of your glass and running it through a plate with the sugar sprinkles on it. Decorate your drink with chocolate shavings are additional green sugar sprinkled on top.

Grasshopper Cocktail

Week 35 - Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

 Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

Week 35 of 52

Dessert #5

    This Summer I traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first time. My oldest, friend, moved there after retiring, so I stayed with her, while another good friend was there to celebrate her 40th birthday. Being able to travel to help one friend celebrate her birthday, and to see another, was pretty awesome.  We all live in different parts of the country and I don't get to see either of them very, often. A bonus was that two of my best friends got to meet each other for the first time. 

    One of the fun things we did together, was visit The Mob Museum - National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement. That was a fun museum to visit. It was fun and educational. For an additional cost, you can add on one of three experiences to your tour and I can't remember off-hand, what they all are, but the one I did was the "Speak Easy Experience". You have to be 21 or older for that add-on experience. You learn about Prohibition in this "experience" and get to sample moonshines that the museum makes, sells and enters into competitions. You also have the opportunity to enjoy their Underground bar/speak-easy and to purchase keepsake bottles of moonshine. I bought the tiniest jar of moonshine they had, although I hadn't actually finished any of my samples (there were two 100 proof and one 90 proof samples and I just couldn't do it). Anyhow, I digress. In the museum's gift shop, I bought a copy of Henry Hill and Priscilla Davis' The Wiseguy Cookbook. The recipe are Henry Hill's favorites from his life as a "GoodFella" and on the run. The movie "GoodFellas" was based on Henry's life. This delicious Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte is the first recipe I've made from this book. It was not difficult to make and it turned out good. I liked the walnuts and the hint of orange from the zest. You should try it! If you do, let me know what you think. My notes in italics.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened and more for greasing pan

3/4 cup flour and 1/8 cup for pan

10 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate (1 3/4 cups) (I used a combination of dark chocolate chips and chocolate bar)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

7 eggs, separated (You'll use both the yolks and the whites)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest (I used a little less than a tablespoon, because I'd gotten one orange and it's zest did not quite fill up a tablespoon)

1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

whipped cream (optional)

shaved chocolate (optional for decoration)

fresh mint leaves (optional for decoration)

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan. Cut out a circle of waxed paper or parchment paper and place in the bottom of the pan. Butter the paper and then lightly coat the bottom and sides with flour, shaking/tapping the pan upside down, to remove excess flour. Melt your chocolate (If you're using a chocolate bar, break it into smaller pieces)  in a double boiler, or small bowl over water. Myself, I actually just melted the chocolate in a pan, on the lowest setting, on my stove; stirring to ensure that it melted evenly and did not burn. Cool the melted chocolate to room temperature. 

    Mix together your flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in your orange zest and chopped walnuts. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until a little fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until they are a pale yellow. Add your cooled chocolate and beat for about a minute, until it is well mixed. Mix in your flour mixture and thoroughly combine. 

    Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the cake batter mixture. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for one hour. Cool to room temperature on the counter (which will take longer) or on a wire rack. Loosen sides, place a plate over the pan, turn it over and tap the bottom of the pan to remove the cake. Turn your plate right side up, and using a small sieve, shake powdered sugar on top of the cake. Shave extra chocolate bar over the confectioner's sugar for an extra little decoration and add fresh mint leaves for decoration. Serve with whipped cream or even a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.  

Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte - Side View

 

Fudge

 Fudge

    Yep, so I did a poll a few weeks ago to see what I should make.  Would it be Fudge, or would it be Peanut Brittle? The winner was Fudge and I finally made it today.  It was delayed partially due to the snow & ice storm we had in Texas. The weather to me wasn't the main issue, it was the power outages and living without power and heat in below freezing temperatures.  It sure is a reminder of and gives me (and others also) an appreciation for all that I have.  

    Anyhow, so this Fudge recipe comes from the 1949 The American Woman's Cook Book. I made it as is, using the option of light corn syrup instead of cream of tartar.  The first thing I did was grate my two squares of unsweetened chocolate into a medium sauce pan, using a zester. Next I added sugar and mixed before adding my liquid ingredients of milk and corn syrup and making sure all ingredients were well incorporated. I cooked on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the mixture boiled and reached 'soft ball' stage. Once the chocolate mixture reaches the 'soft ball' stage, you remove your pan from heat, plop your butter on top and let the mixture cool to lukewarm *Do not stir the butter in*.  When your mixture is lukewarm, add your vanilla and stir that all together with the butter and chocolate.  Beat the mixture until "it creams". The recipe says this is when it's no longer shiny and a bit of the chocolate will hold it's shaped when dropped from a spoon.  That's how I tested, because I felt it stayed pretty shiny.  Pour your mixture into a buttered pan. I used a glass 8x8 pan and was happy with the thickness of the pieces when I cut them.  I cut my squares when it was completely cooled.  The recipe says "when it hardens" is when you "mark it into squares".  I thought it was still fairly soft, but I was able to remove my squares and put in a Tupperware container to help maintain freshness. 

The verdict? I thought it turned out really tasty.  It's pretty much pure sugar, so you don't need big pieces. Although I thought the finished fudge was soft, I liked it.  If it was chilled, I'm sure it would maintain shape really well. I would definitely make this recipe and it would be fun to try so many of the obvious additions: nuts, marshmallows, peanut butter, etc. But what about cayenne, cinnamon or chipotle? A little bit of surprise heat, would be exciting. And, what about trying almond, coffee or mint flavor extract instead of vanilla?? Mix it up. Make it yours. 

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think.  

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 or two squares chocolate (I used 2 squares unsweetened)

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or 2 tablespoons corn syrup (I used corn syrup)

2/3 cup milk (I used 2%)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter (I used unsalted)

Mom's Chocolate Cream Pie w/Merinque

 Mom's Chocolate Pie

        This is a special post. I baked this pie yesterday (12/23/2020) on the 2nd anniversary of my father's passing. My dad did most of the cooking growing up, but my mom would cook on her days off and would make this chocolate pie for my dad on special occasions.  She used the same recipe every time. The recipe she used for the pie crust (I can only assume) and the filling are in the 1960 Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cook Book of which I have a 1965 fifth printing copy. My mother passed away 30 years ago this coming NYE and I don't know for sure what happened to her copy of this cookbook. I'd looked for one since I started collecting cookbooks and found my copy years ago at either an estate sale or an antique store. I recognized it and knew it was the right book.  

    I don't believe I've ever tried making her pie, but as part of how I honor my parents on the anniversaries of their passing, I make things they liked to eat or used to make. I have memories of baking this pie with my mom and sister, but no clear memories of the ingredients or the process.  I just remember as kids, my sister or I were the ones who had to do the stirring. 

    I started with combining the first three ingredients (sugar, salt and I used cornstarch instead of flour for my thickener) in a saucepan, followed by slowly adding the milk which I had pre-heated in the microwave and two one ounce squares of un-sweetened baking chocolate, chopped. I stirred this mixture continuously and after this mixture boiled, I cooked it for two more minutes and removed the pan from the heat. I stirred a small bit into my slightly beaten egg yolks and then stirred that into the chocolate mixture, stirring for two minutes and removing from the heat. After removing from the heat, I added vanilla and the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of butter; I forgot to add the butter for some reason, even though it was on the counter right next to the stove; in the long run, it did not seem to affect the pie. The recipe says to let the mixture cool to room temperature. 

    While the chocolate mixture was cooling, I made the pie crust (it did not look pretty) and baked it in my pre-heated oven. The recipe says 450 degrees! However, my oven is ancient and doesn't go that high, so I do my best, like I normally do. I baked it at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes I believe. I am pretty good at "eye-balling" doneness, so I just watched it.  Anyhow, once the shell was ready, I poured the chocolate filling into the pie crust and smoothed it out. 

    I beat egg whites, cream of tartar and half a teaspoon of vanilla for the meringue. I don't think it formed soft peaks like it really was supposed to before adding the sugar, but I've been having a problem with my shoulder and it was hurting from holding the mixer over the bowl. I slowly added six tablespoons of sugar until the mixture was a bit stiffer. It wasn't perfect, but it spread nicely over the filling and I was able to make some little peaks on top, before putting the pie in my oven at 350 degrees (I'd lowered the temperature after doing the crust) for 15 minutes. 

    I was pretty pleased with how the pie looked when it came out of the oven. After cooling for quite awhile, I cut myself a little piece and the filling hadn't held up as well as I'd hoped (pictured below), but it sure tasted good. It was just as good as I'd remembered.  Once the pie was completely cooled, I put it into my new Tupperware pie container and then into the refrigerator.  I declare this a tasty success, because although I forgot the butter, the piecrust wasn't super pretty and the meringue wasn't the best, it tasted like my mom's. That and that it was for my dad, were what was important. 

Hershey Bar Pie

 HERSHEY BAR PIE

    Here's a super short post about the pie I made for Thanksgiving. It was just me and I'd decided I wanted to cook all the food, just for me! At the last minute I also decided I wanted to make pie. Hershey Bar Pie is so easy. It's just three ingredients, plus anything you decide you might want to top it with . Unfortunately, I did not write down the weight/amount of the chocolate, but I used three packages of mini Hershey bars. There is 8 mini bars in each package. They were $1.50 each at my local Kroger grocery store. I bought whipped topping for under a $1 and a graham cracker pie crust for about $2. I added chocolate chips I had at home, so this cost me less than $5!!! 

    What you do, is make sure your Cool-Whip or the generic brand whipped topping like I used, is thawed and softened. If your whipped topping is too cool, when you mix it with the chocolate, it might make little "chippy" type bits.  This happened to me before and it wasn't bad. So as far as mistakes go, it's okay if that happens. It is not the end of the World. Unwrap the chocolate bars and melt them in a saucepan on low.  You can break them up into smaller pieces first, if you like. Take the saucepan off the stove. Use a large spoon or spatula to scoop the whipped topping into the chocolate.  I used a metal whisk to incorporate the topping with the chocolate. You can use a wooden spoon, but the whisk helps make sure it is completely combined. Spoon the chocolate mixture into your pie crust and sprinkle any toppings you like on top, before chilling the pie in the refrigerator. 

    I cut fairly big slices and I got 6 pieces from mine.  You can do smaller pieces, because this pie is pretty rich. I think it would be great with a nice hot, cup of coffee or tea. 

Ingredients:

Hershey Bars - About 3 or 4 large or 3 packages of 8 mini bars

Whipped Topping (aka Cool Whip)

Graham Cracker Crust

Toppings can be chocolate chips, toffee bar, nuts, coconut, etc... Be creative!