Pie Number Seven - To Die For Chocolate Chip Pie

 The Year of Pie

Pie #7 - To Die For Chocolate Chip Pie

    What did I think of this pie? In one word? "Delicious". This recipe comes from Texas Sampler: Handmade, Homemade....Recipes You're Bound To Love. Published by the Junior League of Richardson (Texas) in 1995, it was submitted by Connie Baird (Thank you, Connie!). This pie was really good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but you could certainly use a good dollop of whipped cream.  I gave out samples to a few friends and they all liked it. In fact one of my male co-workers I gave a sample to, said as he was wiping crumbs from his face, that I could make that again. Try this pie. It was really good.  

Ingredients:

1 prepared 10-inch pie crust

2 eggs

1/2 cup margarine, melted and cooled

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

1 cup chopped pecan pieces

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the eggs, margarine (make sure the margarine is cooled when you mix with the eggs, or you'll cook the eggs and you don't want that), sugar, flour and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in your chocolate chips and pecan pieces. Pour into your pie crust and bake for 55 minutes to an hour.  Yield: 6 to 8 servings.  

To Die For Chocolate Chip Pie w/a larger scoop of ice cream than I'd planned. 

To Die For Chocolate Chip Pie (Just in to bake)

To Die For Chocolate Chip Pie (Fresh from the oven)

Pie Number Six: Jack's Apple Pie

 The Year of Pie 

Pie #6 - Jack's Apple Pie

    Jack's Apple Pie is a recipe by Jack Jadkowski. Jack's recipe is in the Kalamazoo County Fair section of The County Fair Coobook, published in 1994. Jack has won numerous blue ribbons and won a Best In Show ribbon in 1992.  So, my crust didn't turn out great. Rolling dough is not my forte and while the top crust ended up with a nice texture, I did not like how the bottom crust was kind of soft.  I think if it had been thicker, it might have been better.  I also wasn't sure about the 4 tablespoons of butter in the filling. Overall though, and even with the crust problem(s), with the finished product tasted good. Modifications/What I did, in Italics.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

 2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 to 6 tablespoons very, cold water

Filling:

6 to 8 McIntosh or Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 7 Granny Smith apples)

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 generous teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter, softened

Optional Serving Toppings:

whipped cream

vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Make your crust - Combine flour and salt, cut in shortening until the mix resembles course meal. Stir in water a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Wrap in plastic wrap (I had wax paper) and refrigerate while you make the filling. Make your filling - Mix together in a large bowl, the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss the apples in this mixture, making sure to coat all of the apple. Finish your crust and assemble - Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out bottom crust and place it in a 9-inch pie pan. Spread two tablespoons of the softened butter, evenly over the crust. Pour in apples and dot the remaining butter over top. Roll out your top crust. Cover the filling, crimp edges and cut vents for steam. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.  

Jack's Apple Pie

Side View

The piece I had for dinner. It didn't come out of the pan nicely, but it tasted good.
Topped with whipped cream. 

Pizza Sandwich

 Pizza Sandwich

    I mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters and this past Sunday, I had my Little Sister (she's eight years old) over to my house.  She has enjoyed baking with me, so I had planned for us to be in the kitchen. I chose a recipe called "Pizza Sandwich" from my Laurel Centennial Cook Book (1881-1981).  This is a community cookbook in which members of the community, mostly women, submitted recipes. This recipe was submitted by Judy Atcher. Modifications in italics. My Little Sister and I didn't layer the ingredients correctly in our dish, but it sure ended up pretty tasty. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef/turkey/pork (I used turkey)

sliced pepperoni (optional)

2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce. 

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp Italian seasoning (I may have actually used 2 tsps) and a little extra to sprinkle on top

2 cups Bisquick (or other brand) baking mix

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

8 slices American cheese (we used sharp cheddar)

1 small can mushrooms (I didn't use this)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

red chili pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook your ground beef/turkey/pork in a large skillet and drain. Stir in one can of tomato sauce and desired seasonings. Simmer for ten minutes. In a separate bowl, combine Bisquick, egg and milk. Grease a 9x9 inch pan (I used a round dish) and spread half of the batter into the pan. Poor the second can of tomato sauce over the first layer of batter, then add four slices of cheese, followed by the meat mixture, pepperoni if desired, mushrooms and the rest of the cheese. Spread the rest of the batter over top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

    I somehow got mixed up and layered the meat, second can of sauce and cheeses, followed by all of the batter. I still baked for about 23 minutes. We were a little rushed, or I would have given it a few more minutes. The batter wasn't cooked all the way through (the part closest to the meat, sauce and cheese wasn't a bit raw), but it tasted really good. I don't believe the problem was with the bake time; it was with my not layering the batter.  My Little Sister did great and she liked the way it tasted, so it was an all around success. I definitely recommend this dish and if you forget to layer the batter, just cook it longer.  

My Little Sister!

Pizza Sandwich

Pizza Sandwich (would have looked more sandwich-y if I'd layed the dough like I was supposed to)

Pie Number Five: Coconut Cream Pie (FAILED)

The Year of Pie

Pie #5 - Coconut Cream Pie

    I am writing about this pie, even though it was a "Failure". I thought I followed the directions and while the filling tasted good in the end, it didn't set up.  I also tried to be fancy and make a specialty crust (Chocolate-Coconut), which also did not turn out.  *I can't remember which cookbook that recipe was in, but when I find it, I'll update this post.* I mean it looked pretty, but I quickly realized when I took it out of the refrigerator to fill, that it was not going to work.  It had melted, unsweetened chocolate, sugar and coconut as the main ingredients, so was just solid chocolate and coconut. In the long run, I scraped the hardened coconut mixture out of the pan and sprinkled on top of a large bowl of the filling and served it as "Deconstructed Coconut Cream Pie" over pound cake.  While it did not look real appetizing, at least it tasted really good. Think "German Chocolate" or Mounds candy bars.  I do believe I will try again later.  You are welcome to try this recipe. which is from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. My copy is a thirteenth edition of this book which was originally published in 1896.  I hope it turns out for you and if you have any suggestions on why my filling may not have "set up", I'd love to hear them. 

Ingredients:

Baked 9-inch pie shell

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk

3 egg yolks, slightly beaton

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Combine sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan, stirring the in the milk slowly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add egg yolks and cook for about three minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Cool for about fifteen minutes, then pour into pie shell. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

*Since my filling didn't thicken and the fancy crust didn't turn out, I mixed some of the hardened chocolate and coconut into the cream filling and spooned it over sliced poundcake, making "Deconstructed Coconut Cream Pie". 

Deconstructed Coconut Cream Pie

    

Lemonchick's Fried Rice

 Lemonchick's Fried Rice

    I created this healthier fried rice because I'm doing Weight Watchers and wanted to have a side to go with a tuna steak.  It turned out really good and the Weight Watchers app calculated it at only three Weight Watchers points. Add more or less of any veggie or seasoning/sauce, as you desire. 

Ingredients:

2 eggs, whisked 

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 cup uncooked carrots, shredded

2 stalks of green onions, sliced finely

1/2 cup cooked green peas (I used frozen, because the texture of canned wouldn't be right)

2 cups cooked white rice

3 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

Cook snow peas in a small amount of boiling water until softened and remove to a plate. Drain excess water. Pour whisked eggs into pan. Tilt the pan around, so the egg spreads out and use a large spoon to break up the egg into smaller bits. Add snow peas and other veggies one at a time and mix well. Mix in rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and sriracha. Stir in cooked rice and stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cook over low heat until all ingredients are heated through. Eat just the rice or add as a side to chicken or fish. Mixing in cooked chunks of chicken, fish, tofu or shrimp is also a great option! Makes approximately 5 to 6 1 cup servings.

Lemonchick's Fried Rice and Seared Tuna

Pie Number Three: Pork and Tater Pie

The Year of Pie

Pie #3 - Pork and Tater

     Pork and Tater Pie.  I wasn't sure what to expect from this recipe which comes from the Favorite Recipes From Southern Kitchens - Meats: Including Seafood and Poultry, published in 1967, but it turned out really well. This recipe was submitted to Southern Kitchens by Mrs. A. Tschoepe Jr, of San Antonio, Texas. I adjusted some of the seasoning, because I didn't have any "savory" seasoning and also because I wanted to. Also, I added nutmeg. It is a two crust pie and although I still struggle with making pretty circles when I roll out my dough, but overall, I am doing good with crusts.  I brushed melted butter on the top crust, before baking and it gave it a nice, golden brown color.  Modifications in italics. Note that the original recipe only calls for salt, savory (1/2 tsp), sage (1/4 tsp), cinnamon, cloves (1/8 tsp) and pepper. The original recipe does not include thyme, Italian seaoning or nutmeg. I really liked this pie. I served with a nice garden salad and it was perfect. So, try this pie!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening

1 lb ground pork, browned

2 cups diced potato, cooked

2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp oregano

1/8tsp thyme

1/8 tsp Italian seasoning

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp pepper

parsley (optional)

Directions:

Sift flour and salt together and cut in shortening until pea-size crumbles form. Sprinkle 6 or 7 tablespoons cold water over the pea-sized crumbles and mix until dough forms (I used my hands to form the dough ball after mixing with the fork). Separate dough into two halves. Roll out one half of dough until about 10 inches round. Loosely lay dough over a 9 inch round pie pan. Cook pork in skillet and drain off fat. Add seasonings and 1/2 cup water. Mix thoroughly until heated through. Pour the meat & potato mixture into the pie pan. Set aside and roll out the second half of dough. Place over the filling. Crimp top and bottom crust together and trim any excess dough. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush top crust with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve with sprinkling of parsley flakes. The original recipe says four to six servings. You can get six to eight servings. 

Pork and Tater Pie

Pork and Tater Pie

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

 Pineapple Upside Down Cake

    I used my favorite cookbook today and made Pineapple Upside Down Cake! The top got a little wonky, when I transferred it out of the pan and into my cake carrier, but it looks good.  I took it to my church ladies group potluck dinner/meeting tonight and I'm happy to say that I got a number of compliments on it. I really receiving compliments (I mean, really, who doesn't?).  My favorite cookbook is my The Pillsbury Family Cookbook, published originally in 1963. My copy is a sixth printing from 1970. I didn't use as many pineapple slices as called for, but I used more cherries than called for. I listed it as optional below, but try adding some flaked coconut also for a little bit more coconut flair. Maybe even use coconut extract instead of vanilla. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1-pound 4-ounce can sliced pineapple, drained (I used 6 slices, not the whole can)

8 maraschino cherries (I used 13) and/or nut halves

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract (or coconut extract)

1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Into a good sized bowl, sift flour with sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening with a fork and add milk. Stir well or use a hand mixer for 1 1/2 minutes at medium speed (I stirred with a wooden spoon and it worked fine). Stir in the egg and vanilla and continue beating for about 1 1/2 minutes or until well incorporated. Melt butter or margarine in an 8 or 9 inch cake pan (I used a 9 inch round cake pan). Remove when completely melted and stir in brown sugar. Lay out your pineapple slices and any of the other toppings (cherries, nuts, coconut) over the brown sugar and butter/margarine mixture. Finally, pour the cake batter over top, smooth it out with the back of a spoon and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (I did 45 minutes). Remove from oven and cool for at least five minutes. Loosen sides with a butter knife or spatula, place a plate upside down over top of the finished cake. Holding the plate and pan together, turn the plate and cake pan over (invert) and gently remove the cake pan. Cut into wedges for serving. You can serve this as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or even a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.  

Pineapple Upside Down Cake