No Bake Coconut Cream Pie - slightly tweaked!

Well it seems like it has been forever since my last post and pie but in reality it has just been a week.  I guess it is because I have been home on Christmas Break.  Before I start with the pie I want to share two things I bought myself.

First is a new rolling pin.  My other one was a cheap one from the dollar store which Jason shoved in the bottom drawer and got stuck.  I broke both the drawer and pin trying to get it loose.  So I bought myself a new marble pin.

My second gift is sort of a just for fun gift.  I bought myself an apron.  I have found when making pie crust flour gets everywhere especially on my clothes.  So I got the cutest apron ever.  I really love dachshunds!

And now on to the pie!  This recipe is from my Taste of Home Best-Loved Pies recipe book.  On page 49.  I did however tweak the recipe a bit. 

The first major change is the crust.  I am not a big fan of graham cracker crust so I put this pie in a regular flour shell made from my recipe which I posted in an earlieer post.  Second instead of getting vanilla pudding with coconut extract I just bought coconut cream pudding.  The cost was better for me and you still get the same flavor.

I mixed the pudding and milk then folded in the whipped topping, I used cool whip.

Then I put that mixture in the refrigerator to keep cold until the crust was cool enough.
Next I toasted the coconut for the top.  I found out the hard way you have to watch this very close or it will burn.

After the shell cooled I put the pudding mixture in and sprinkled the toasted coconut!  I can't wait to try it but that will have to wait until tonight!  I will post the results tomorrow.  Until then Happy New Years to everyone.  Be safe, be smart!

Next weeks pie will be "Cherry-Apple Lattice Pie"

Grandma's Banana Pudding - better than pie? Almost!

Ok so this week is Christmas!  I love Christmas, I love seeing my family and giving them gifts.  Jason has been known to get upset with me over the gift giving part.  He says I spend too much on everyone.  I can't help it I love giving people presents!  Don't get me wrong I love getting them too but I think I like giving much more.

This week I decided to do my Grandma's Banana Pudding instead of a pie.  I did make a pumpkin pie but I just used the recipe from the pumpkin can, which is very good.  I always loved going to my Grandma's during the holidays because of all the wonderful foods she would make.  Before she died I had her teach me how to make two things:  blackberry jelly and banana pudding.  I am sure there are other things she taught me to make but these are the two best.  So here is my grandma's banana pudding.

6 bananas
3 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/3 c sugar
dash salt
3 large eggs seperated
3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
vanilla wafers

Meringue
1/4 c sugar
2 tbsp sugar

I decided I was going to enlist the help of my 8 year old son, Lucas for this job so I had him slice the banana's.  He did a wonderful job and was very focused.

I cooked the pudding while he sliced.  Combine flour, sugar and salt in heavy sauce pan.  Beat egg yolks and add milk, stir.  Slowly add milk and eggs to flour mixture.  Cook over med. heat until smooth and thick stirring constantly.  I do mean stir constantly otherwise your pudding will stick and scortch. 

After Lucas sliced the bananas he put the vanilla wafers in the baking dishes.  I have to make a small batch for Jason because he does not like meringue.

Next put a layer of bananas then 1/3 of pudding.  Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used.  Please note I doubled my pudding recipe because I like a lot of the pudding over the bananas and cookies.

Since I am making this for Christmas dinner I will wait until tomorrow morning to make the meringue.  But here are the steps to make it.

Beat egg whites until foamy gradually add 1/4 c plus 2 tbsp sugar to eggs 1 tbsp at a time.  Beat until stiff peaks form.  Add 1 tsp vanilla and beat until blended.  Spread over custard sealing the edges of your baking dish bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.  Watch it closely.

I will post pics of the finished produce tomorrow morning.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, I am sure it will become a family favorite just like it is in my family.

Next week I will be making a Coconut Cream Pie!

Chocolate Silk Pie - the results

Ok so my rating of this pie is a 3.  I like the flavor of the filling and I like the homemade whipped topping.  I think I may have overbaked the crust before filling it.  The crust was a bit too "crackery" for me.  I will have to figure that part out for the next no bake pie. 

I was not able to be at work when my friends tried the pie but I did get some texts that said it was awesome and great. 

All in all I think it was a pretty good pie and I would make it again.

Don't forget next weeks pie is pumpkin and I will also be blogging about my grandma's banana pudding.

Chocolate Silk Pie

For this weeks pie I have made a Chocolate Silk Pie from my Taste of Home Best Loved Pies book, page 47. 

I remember when I was little and my mom and dad took us to my Grandpa Dixon's house he would always have a chocolate pie waiting for me.  This was always my favorite.  I am pretty sure he just filled a pie crust with chocolate pudding but it tasted wonderful to me. 

This pie was a little more work than the pie my grandpa made but I believe it is well worth it.

I think the worse part of making this pie was whipping the cream.  I used store bought for the Almond Cream pie but it went flat before we had the chance to eat it.  This time I used heavy whipping cream and whipped it myself. 

Jason does not care for chocolate pie so I am not sure if he will try it or not.  I might be able to convice him to at least taste it.  I will post results tomorrow after my friends from work try it. 

As usual if you would like the full recipe please email me.

With Christmas being next week I will be making a Pumpkin pie.  I am also going to be making my Grandma's banana pudding so I will be putting up an extra post on the blog.

Results of Cranberry Pear Crumb pie

Well the overall results of this pie were good.  Everyone liked it.  One said it was her favorite so far.  Another said she did not like pears but relly liked the pie.  Everyone also liked the crust on this pie better than the others. 

I will definately stick to the crust I know and trust.  And I will definately make this pie again.

Next weeks pie is Chocolate Silk pie.  Can't wait.

My Results

Well my results are in and so far with just my vote this is the best pie yet!  I love the flavors together.  The pears are soft and the cranberries are just tart enough.  The crust is also the best yet.  I am very happy with the taste of this pie.  I will of course let you all know what Jason and my friends have to say.

If you need a good pie for a family gathering you should really give this pie a try it is a great combination of flavors and will compliment any holiday dinner.

Pie Number 4 - Cranberry Pear Crisp Pie

So I had originally had picked the Out of this World pie for this week but I got some feedback from friends and they said they needed some fall type pies.  So I picked Cranberry Pear Crisp Pie.  This pie may not be one of my favorites because I do not really care for pears and I am not all that fond of cranberries, but I will try anything once.

The recipe is from my Taste of Home Best Loved Pies recipe book.  Shoot me an email if you would like the full recipe.

I also made my own crust for this pie.  I have been making one type of crust for years and Jason really likes it.  Last week I tried a Paula Deane recipe for my pie crust and Jason didn't really care for it so back to the original.

I used my slicer to slice the pears the same way I slice my apples for the apple pie and I really like the results.

After mixing all ingredients I put them into the unbaked crust and sprinkled on the topping.  The recipe says to cover the crust with foil.  I have to say I hate doing this because I can never get it to stay in place.  The pie is in the oven but I will be back later to post how it taste!

Next weeks pie will be a Chocolate Silk Pie.  This has always been a favorite of mine, also a good friend requested it!

Edit for Pie 4

I am changing the pie for number four.  Some of my friends tell me the pies I am choosing are more for summer time.  So pie number 4 will be a Cranberry Pear Crisp Pie.  Can't wait to try it and it is a more fall type pie!

Pie Number 3- Almond Cream

This weeks pie is an almond cream pie.  Jason picked it because his grandma used to make it for him when he was little.  There was no recipe except to make it like a coconut cream without the coconut.  I thought about this and if I omit the coconut it would just be a vanilla cream pie with almonds in it.  So I decided to try a recipe I found on the Internet.  I used a recipe for the crust from Ms. Paula Dean who I believe is one of the best chefs out there.

  If you would like the full recipe just email me and I will be glad to send it to you.

I think the hardest part is the filling for this pie.  I am not sure if it will set or not.  I cooked and stirred for long after the one minute in the recipe said too, I even added a bit more corn starch.  I have it in the refrigerator now cooling hoping it will set up.  I am going to use whipped cream on the top of this pie and I am going to sprinkle some almonds on top as well.  I will let you know how he likes it.

Pie number 4 is from my Taste of Home best-loved pies book.
Page 29, Out-Of-This-World Pie. 

Lobster Bisque, kind of!

This is a little different than pie but it is a favorite in my house.  This is especially good on a cold winter night. 

This is my take on lobster bisque with the difference being I use crab meat instead of lobster.  This is the easiest recipe for bisque I have found and it is very fast to make.

I chop the onion pretty small because I like the flavor but I don't want the big chuncks.

Next saute the onion in the butter until tender, then slowly add the flour and cook for about a minute.

Next you need to slowly add the broth.  You need to do this slowly so the mixture has a chance to sort of melt.  Cook until thickened then add the water and crab meat.

Cover and simmer about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.  Then add the tomato paste and half and half.  I add the tomato paste first and stir it until it dissolves then add the half and half.

What you have is a wonder pink tinted, creamy hot soup!  I serve with french bread or another crusty bread!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Florida Pie - The Results Are In

The Florida Pie was a toss up.  I think this would be a really good summer pie.  I like the flavor or oranges but not the pulpy texture so I think if I left out the chopped oranges I would have liked it better.  I did not care for the regular crust but I think a shortbread crust would have been nice.  Jason did not like it and all and Lucas spit out the one bite he tried.

I took the leftovers to work and my work friends said they thought it was good.  A few said they also did not care for the orange pieces and agreed a different type of crust would have been better.

A few things to think about if I make the pie again is to leave out the orange peices and use a short bread pie crust.  I would also consider putting whipped cream on top instead of the meringue.  My overall score is a 2. 

Oh well better luck on the next one - Almond Cream.

Florida Pie

So the second pie in my year long journey is called a Florida Pie.  I have never had a Florida pie before but I must say it looks fabulous.  It was pretty easy to make but you have to really watch the custard while cooking because it firms up very fast.  The recipe is from Taste of HOme Best-Loved Pies page 11.

I always like to gather my ingredients so everything is ready.  I also need to remember to read through the recipe before I begin.  I didn't realize until after the custard was finished cooking that you need to add the oranges right away.  I was still chopping the oranges long after the custard was cooked.

The recipe calls for two large oranges but my store only had smaller ones so I used three.  Also since I had some crust left over from Thanksgiving I went ahead and used a store bought crust.  The box said to bake the crust on 450 for about 10 minutes.  Here is a before picture and after picture of the crust.  You can also see the custard in the second picture.

Once you complete the custard just pour into the pre-baked crust.  Then I made the meringue.  I have found in the past I am not very good at making meringue but it was worth a shot.  I won't win any awards on presentation but you can see from the pictures my final product.  The first is the pie without meringue the second is after baking.

Again after it cools we will try a piece and let you know the results.  If you would like the full recipe please comment below and I will email it to you.

2 down 50 to go - Next weeks pie is Almond Cream which is going to be an attemp at one of Jason's favorite childhood pies.

Follow-Up on Mom's Apple Pie

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful and it was great seeing my family.  All of the pies were wonderful; I had a slice of each.  I saved the apple for later in the evening.  The apples held up very good and the taste was sweet.  I prefer my homemade crust but when baking several pies I choose to go for the quickness of the store bought crust.  My husband said the filling was one of the best but he thought the crust lacked flakiness.  He gave it a 4 out of 5.  Thanks Jason!  I wanted to put a picture of a slice so you could see the inside using the slicing method.  If you want a great apple pie this is the one.

I randomly selected the next pie for next week and the winner is the Florida Pie.  I have never had this pie but I can't wait to give it a try.

Mom's Apple Pie

This is probably the best apple pie recipe I have ever used.  It also happens to be Jason's favorite.  One other ingredient not listed is butter.

I have used several different types of apples in this pie but I find the best is a firm apple that holds it's shape while cooking.  For this pie I used Roma apples.  They were big, red and looked absolutely gorgeous.  I know the recipe calles for 6 but these beauties were so big I only needed 5.

Next you will need to wash, core and peel your apples.  I saw a special on pies on the FoodNetwork one time where the person used a vegetable slicer to make thin slices instead of thick chunks.  I decided to try this a few months ago and I will never go back.

Once you finish this you will have thin rings of apples.  These not only cook through better but they also lay in the shell nicer.

Next I added the remaining ingredients (except the butter) then tossed everything together.  I use apple pie spice and a little extra cinnamon in my filling.  I also use 1 cup of sugar instead of 3/4 just because I like my apple pie sweet.  If you like it tart use 3/4 cup of sugar.

Next I layered the apples in the crust.  I used a store bought crust for this pie.  I do love to make my own crust, but today I had to make 4 pies and store bought crust is much faster and they taste pretty good.  You can see from the picture the rings make it easy to layer the apples in the crust.  Make sure you pour any dry ingredients from the bowl on top of the apples so you get all the yummy goodness.  After I layer the apples I dot the top with butter.

Next I put the top crust on.  You need to remember to vent the top so steam does not build up.  I like to use a small cookie cutter to cut out shapes.  I used a snowflake for this pie.  After I cut out four snowflakes I put the crust on top and pinched the edges.  I then used an egg with about a teaspoon of water mixed together and brushed on the top.  You can lay the cut outs on top of the pie for decoration.  I also sprinkle some sugar over the top.  Some people like to sprinkle salt but again I like my pie sweet!  Then bake at 375 degrees for about an hour.

Be sure to let your pie cool before eating!  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

I'll let you all know how it tastes tomorrow!!  Happy Thanksgiving.

1 down 51 to go!

In the beginning...

So I am making an early New Years Resolution of sorts.  I absolutely love pie.  I love making pie.  It makes my mind stop reeling from all the things that are going through it.  When I am in that pie making mode I only think of the task of making a pie.  Sure I am aware of what is going on around me but for that brief moment I am concentrating on measuring ingredients, rolling out dough and  getting the crust just right. 

I recently bought a book, "Taste of Home Best Loved Pies" which includes 185 delicious delights!  I plan on picking pies from that book and making one each week.  I will also be making pies that are not in the book like my mom's apple pie or my grandpa's chocolate pie. 

I hope you will follow my journey into the world of pies.  By the way I have my first one in the oven right now baking for our Thanksgiving celebration.  This one is my mom's apple pie which happens to be my husbands favorite.  Wish you could smell what I smell!