pie

Treacle Tart

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Happy Halloween week everyone!

If you’ve followed along with Sew You Think You Can Cook over the past three years (Thank you) you’ll know that I love having a theme for the week leading up to Halloween. If you’re new here, I hope you’ll be excited about this year’s theme and stick with me all week!

We’ve celebrated candy corn, ghosts, and homemade candy. This year, we’re exploring the wizarding world of Harry Potter!

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To some (okay, most) of my friends I’m the biggest Harry Potter fan they know. But in this worldwide web I’ve quickly discovered that I have menial fan status compared to many!

Growing up my closet doors were plastered with Harry Potter pictures. Photos from those page-a-day calendars, movie posters, newspaper articles, soundtrack CD jackets, birthday cards, movie tickets, etc. I went to every midnight movie release (dressed up as Hermione) beginning with Prisoner of Azkaban and never settled for only seeing it once. It became the norm for me to leave the movie theater at 2 in the morning feeling let down by the screen play’s adaptation to the books I’d so adored that I came to expect and accept it. Knowing that I’d simply have to “adjust” to the movie version and simply see it again!

I own two copies of each book (hardcover and soft) as well as the new illustrated version of The Sorcerer’s Stone. I have read each book more times than I can count and have the audio books on CD in my car on constant repeat. (I’m currently near the end of book 6 if anyone wants to listen along.) I’m also already looking forward to delving into The Cursed Child again, too.

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For our 1 year anniversary 5 years ago (wow that makes me feel a little old) we went to Orlando to experience Harry’s world first hand. We returned the following year for my birthday, too. hp-collectiblesDuring that birthday trip I was chosen by Ollivander to get my own personal wand. (Minute 1:20 of this vacation video.) Unfortunately, I never got the chance to experience the Diagon Alley expansion having delivered Firecracker opening week and moving to Ohio less than two months later. We do have plans to explore California’s Hogsmede and Hogwarts soon, though!

My Ollivander’s wand joined my collection of Harry Potter collectibles including a replica of Hermione’s wand and Time Turner.

As you can see… I’m easily distracted when it comes to Harry Potter…

To kick off the week I’m starting with Harry’s favorite dessert: Treacle Tart.

Esther of Why’d You Eat That? has a beautiful post describing the history of treacle – I highly recommend you read it!

This dessert is sticky, sweet, and tart. I found myself doing a lot of recipe searching and found large discrepancies for the amount of bread crumbs used in the filling but always the one cup of golden syrup. Some recipes included ginger while some stuck with just lemon. The tart crust was also a recipe that varied, as was what to do with the topping. The only consistencies were the use of golden syrup and fresh (not packaged) breadcrumbs.

Treacle Tart | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com (2)

Treacle Tart

Ingredients for crust:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 sticks cold butter, cubed
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 – 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 whole egg, divided

Ingredients for filling:

  • 6 slices white bread
  • 1 C golden syrup
  • zest 1 lemon
  • juice 1/2 lemon
  • pinch ground ginger

Steps:

  1. Make the crust: Put flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with the dough blade and pulse to mix. Add in the cold cubed butter a little at a time pulsing to create crumbs.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 C heavy cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour into the food processor and blend until the dough comes together. Add up to another 1/4 C heavy cream one tablespoon at a time if needed.
  3. Divide dough into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate 2 hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread on a baking sheet. Toast 10-15 minutes. Remove crusts and pulse, in batches if needed, in a food process until small crumbs. (Do not fill processor bowl more than half way.)
  5. Roll out one disk of dough on a heavily floured surface. Brush off excess flour before transferring to a tart or pie pan. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  7. Place golden syrup in a glass bowl over a double boiler. Heat until easily stirrable then add the bread crumbs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ginger.
  8. Brush the tart crust with egg white before pouring in the filling.
  9. If using a top crust, roll out the second disk of dough and cut strips. Brush with an egg wash mixture of egg yolk and 1 tbsp heavy cream and create a lattice top to the tart.
  10. Bake 20-25 minutes until set. Allow tart to cool before serving with whipped cream or ice cream.

*This recipe is modified from Kathryn at http://www.instructables.com/id/Harry-Potters-Favorite-Treacle-Tart/?ALLSTEPS*

Treacle Tart | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

 

#SundaySupper: Pies, Sweet and Savory

~ lk529 ~ 20 Comments

Did you know that February is Pie Month? Well, if you followed along with my #FoodieExtravaganza post at the beginning of the month you probably did!

Today’s Sunday Supper is all about pies. Any kind of pie is fair game, too! Normally I’d be hopping on the savory side of the fence in events like this one, but not this time! Gasp! Today I am sharing a sweet pie. And it’s very sweet at that!

There are over 60 pies so be sure to scroll past my recipe. Thank you to Erica of The Crumby Cupcake for hosting today.

Cherry Chocolate Brownie Pie, to be exact. This pie is made in a spring form pan for easy serving. The base of the pie is a rich and chocolaty brownie, it is then studded with cherries, and topped with a luscious ganache.

I used frozen, pitted cherries which I halved and laid along the top of the batter in concentric circles. There’s almond extract in the batter, too, which compliments the cherry flavor beautifully! And that ganache! It definitely takes this pie over the top. Any extra ganache pairs beautifully with some fresh strawberries, too.

Cherry Chocolate Brownie Pie

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 C butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 C corn syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 C flour
  • 1/2 C cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 2 C cherries, pitted and halved (thawed if using frozen)
  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a spring form pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the corn syrup. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add in the almond extract.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
  4. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the batter followed by 1 tbsp milk. Repeat the process until the dry ingredients and the milk are incorporated.
  5. Pour batter into prepared spring form pan. Top with cherries. Bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool completely. Remove the pie from the pan.
  6. Make the ganache: bring heavy cream to a low simmer, remove from the heat, and pour over the chocolate chips. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour over the pie base, allowing the ganache to drip down the sides of the pie.
  7. Refrigerate until set.

*This recipe is adapted from Danelle at http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/2014/08/chocolate-cherry-brownie-pie.html*

Cherry Chocolate Brownie Pie for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook
Sweet As Pie

Mealtime Pie

Plus

8387592742_f6164fd5a8_oJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

#FoodieExtravaganza: American Pie

~ lk529 ~ 22 Comments

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It’s the first Wednesday of February and I’m taking a quick break from the #FreshTastyValentines event to celebrate “American Pies” with the #FoodieExtravaganza crew. My blogging friend Wendy over at A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting today.

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t even look at what an “American” pie would be. All that comes to mind is apple, or maybe cherry. Pies aren’t my favorite dessert. I have an issue with warm fruit. My number one pie is Key Lime – cool and tart! Instead, I decided to go the savory route today and make a side dish that could work nicely with a brunch spread.

Yet another confession: I wasn’t happy with the photography. I struggle immensely with photographing cheese. AND the recipe actually called for gruyere, not cheddar. I accidentally deleted gruyere from my grocery list (it was part of this shopping fiasco) so I had to use what I had – cheddar. Which worked quite well, (Hey, cheddar is more American so maybe my dish does qualify after all!) but provided that yellow/orange tint. I was going to “give up” and try a different pie. But that was an even bigger fail! The only pie dish I have wasn’t large enough for the recipe I was making and everything had to be tossed into a dutch oven instead – delicious, but not pretty, and definitely not a pie. (Because it was a huge hit with Firecracker and myself, I will be trying it again with either a new pie dish or simply halving the recipe so it fits, so stay tuned for that one!)

So here I am sharing a fantastic recipe with mediocre pictures.

Cheddar Leek Potato Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1 bunch leeks, thinly sliced
  • 1 large Russet potato, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 C half-and-half
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pie dish with the thawed puff pastry. Trim and patch as needed to fit.
  2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the leeks until cooked.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and half-and-half.
  4. In another small bowl whisk together the thyme, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.
  5. Evenly layer 1/3 of the sliced potatoes in the pie crust, top with 1/3 of the leeks, 1/3 of the spice blend, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat. For the final layer: place potatoes, leeks, and spices, pour the half-and-half over top of the pie, and top with remaining cheese.
  6. Bake 60-70 minutes, or until golden, bubbly, and a knife can cut smoothly through the potatoes.

*This recipe is adapted from Karen at http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2015/03/potato-leek-pie.html*

cheddar potato leek pie for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out these other pies:

BLT Pie by Georgina of G’Gina’s Flavors Palatte

Cheeseburger Pie by Kathleen at Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Grapefruit Pie by Rebekah at Making Miracles

Ham and Broccoli Quiche by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm

Homegrown Blackberry Pie by Carlee of Cooking with Carlee

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie by Lauren of From Gate to Plate

Peaches and Cream Pie by Elaine at Cookin and Craftin

Penne Pie by Terri at Our Good Life

Red Velvet Pudding Pie by Teri of The Freshman Cook

Tar Heel Pie by Tara of Tara’s Multicultural Table

The Impossible Coconut Pie by Stacy of Food Lust People Love

Walnut Crumble-Topped Apple Tart by Caroline at Caroline’s Cooking

SRC: Cranberry Tart

~ lk529 ~ 18 Comments

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Good morning and welcome to another edition of The Secret Recipe Club. For a little “behind the scenes” information, The Secret Recipe Club (SRC) is divided into four group. Each group posts on a different Monday of the month. I am in Group D and always post on the 4th Monday of the month. This means that those special months with five Mondays there’s a week without any fun reveal day! That is all about to change, beginning with today. On the 5th Monday of the month there will now be a themed reveal and it’s a “free for all,” which means that there aren’t any group restrictions. I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the other bloggers in the club.

With Thanksgiving behind us it’s time to set our eyes on the holidays and that’s why our themed reveal this month is Holiday Treats. My assignment this month comes from Group A, Anna over at BCMom’s Kitchen. Anna views recipes as “suggestions,” something I’d always had a problem doing. As I’ve been blogging and cooking I’ve become more accustomed to this line of thought and can comfortably change recipes to suit the ingredients in my pantry (and budget).

Given the theme for the month I immediately went to Anna’s “sweets” index and searched with the holiday frame of mind. I found myself being pulled to anything and everything cranberry! Apple Cranberry Crisp, Cranberry Tart, and although not a dessert, Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip.

We had this “tart” for our Thanksgiving dessert. My Thanksgiving menu this year was a little unconventional because we had a small group (just us and my in-laws). Instead of turkey we had pork roasts, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, and green bean casserole. We had my Award Winning Chili on Saturday so we did get some turkey during the holiday weekend.

I chose the cranberry tart, but found it difficult to call this dessert a tart. I struggled with how to categorize it though. It’s not quite a tart because there isn’t a crust topped with a filling. It’s almost a pie with a crust going on top of the filling, but it’s not a crust, it’s a batter. It’s probably most like an upside down cake, but I didn’t photograph it upside down – I had to take the pictures Wednesday, before we ate it, while there was light. There was no way I’d risk turning the “tart” upside down in case it didn’t work that way. I’ve decided to call it a “pie cake.” Whatever you call it, it’s delicious – a perfect blend of sweet and tart with some texture.

I found this dessert best served warm alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Cranberry Tart

Ingredients:

  • 2 C fresh (or frozen) cranberries
  • 1/2 C chopped pecans
  • 1 1/2 C sugar, divided use
  • 1 C flour
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp almond extract

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9″ pie pan.
  2. Place cranberries, pecans, and 1/2 C sugar in the pie pan.
  3. In a bowl mix the flour, remaining sugar, melted butter, eggs, and extract. Pour over the cranberries.
  4. Bake 40-45 minutes until the tart has risen slightly, is set, and lightly golden.

*This recipe is adapted from Anna at http://recipes.alwaysbcmom.com/2011/06/cranberry-tart.html*

Cranberry Tart for #SRCHolidayTreats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the themed Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Thankful for Friends and Bloggers

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Last month my wonderful friend Tara of Tara’s Multicultural Table threw me a surprise virtual baby shower for my baby boy. The theme behind this blogging event was Thanksgiving.

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With a Fall baby, I couldn’t have picked a more perfect theme. Especially when Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I definitely have so much to be thankful for this year.

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Tara gathered together a wonderful group of bloggers willing to share a Thanksgiving recipe in honor of my baby boy.

Thank you again to all of the bloggers who came to my shower and a huge thank you to Tara for hosting. I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving surrounded by those you love.

Vegetable Pot Pie

~ lk529 ~ 20 Comments

Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 by math fans around the world – and also bakers and pastry chefs. Pi is an non-repeating, infinite number represented by the Greek letter π, and used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Today, March 14, 2015, is an extra special Pi Day, because at 9:26:53 AM it creates the “Pi Moment of the Century”. The first ten digits of Pi are 3.141592653 (3/14/15, 9:26 AM and 53 seconds). This exact date and time happens once every hundred years – a once in a lifetime moment for most of us. How cool is that?

march-14-2015-will-be-epic-pi

This year I’m happy to be celebrating this nerdy, foodie holiday with a collection of 20 other fantastic bloggers. Hooray for not stuffing my face with pie all by myself!

Last year I made a quick pie at the last minute with only three ingredients.

There have been a lot of sweets happening in the Sew You Think You Can Cook kitchen lately and while I’ve discovered a new love for almost anything chocolate I needed to step away from the sugar and try my hand at a savory pie.

I’ve had my eyes on this easy veggie pot pie from Mom’s Test Kitchen ever since she was my assignment for Secret Recipe Club 11 months ago. With it being Lent AND pi(e) day, I finally had the perfect excuse to whip up this easy dinner.

If you feel cheated out of pie day by my savory direction, be sure to check out the list of more traditional pies (and not so traditional ones) at the end of this post.

A big thank you to Terri of Love and Confections for gathering us all together for some nerdy deliciousness.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • 2 tsp seasoning blend, divided use (I used Penzey’s Frozen Pizza Seasoning)
  • 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of celery soup
  • 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of potato soup
  • 1/3 C milk
  • 1/2 C frozen peas
  • 1/2 C frozen corn
  • 1/2 C diced carrots

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Arrange 1 can of crescent rolls on the bottom of a lightly greased 9″ pie dish, points of the triangles in the center. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of your seasoning blend. Bake 6 minutes.
  3. In a saucepan over medium-high heat combine soups, milk, veggies, and remaining seasoning blend. Season to taste with S+P. Pour pie filling into the partially baked crust.
  4. Top pie with second can of crescent rolls, arranging the triangles so the the points meet in the center. Lightly spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, sprinkle with a little bit of Kosher salt and more seasoning blend (optional). Bake 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden and cooked through.

*This recipe is adapted from Jaime at http://momstestkitchen.com/2014/03/easy-vegetable-pot-pie.html*

Veggie Pot Pie | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Enjoy a slice of one of these fantastic pies today:

Apple Pear Pie with Crumble Topping from Baking and Creating with Avril

Apple Rhubarb Strawberry Pie from Food Lust People Love

Buffalo Chicken Shepherd’s Pie from Healthy. Delicious.

Chocolate Mousse Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Chocolate Silk Pie from Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Coconut-Pistachio Pie from The Spiffy Cookie

Curried Lamb Potpie from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Fresh Strawberry Pie from Taste Cook Sip

Hillbilly Apple Pie from My Catholic Kitchen

Kentucky Derby Pie from Kelli’s Kitchen

Mixed Berry Slab Pie from Making Miracles

Peach-Blueberry Pie from The Redhead Baker

Salted Honey Pie from girlichef

Sicilian Ricotta Pie from Cake Duchess

S’Mores Brownie Pie from Cheese Curd in Paradise

Strawberry Daiquiri Pie from Love and Confections

Thin Mint Pie from Amy’s Cooking Adventures

Top Secret Derby Pie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Triple Berry Pot Pie from {i love} my disorganized life

Pie Day 02

SRC: Turkey Pie

~ lk529 ~ 33 Comments

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Today’s Secret Recipe Club post kicks off Thanksgiving week. This year I want to celebrate everyone’s second favorite part of the holiday – leftovers! I knew that in my search through my assigned blog, Chocolate & Chillies, I knew I would be on the search for turkey friendly recipes.

If you don’t yet know, in the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day!

And last month, Asiya was assigned my blog! She made Pumpkin Zucchini Bread inspired by my Pumpkin Broccoli Bread. Asiya left the workforce as an analyst seven to stay home with her first son. I can relate as I too just left my job as an engineer after having my first child. She started her blog as a way to branch out in the kitchen, and she has a husband who happily supports her endeavor. Her family is Indian and her husband Pakistani, so her blog is heavily influenced by these two cultures.

Using dishes from other cultures is a wonderful way to use up those turkey leftovers without getting bored, so I must thank the Secret Recipe Club for helping me to think outside of the box! If you usually make soup with your leftovers give her homemade oyster crackers a try; they’re on my bucket list.

I pulled two recipes off of Chocolate & Chilles, Mummy’s Chicken Pie and Chicken Biryani. As I am posting a rice skillet dish tomorrow I opted for her chicken pie. Because I used precooked roasted turkey instead of cooking chicken for use in this dish, I added extra garlic and ginger paste. Normally I’d shy away from the eggs in the pie filling, but it’s Secret Recipe Club so I left the ingredient, and I’m glad I did! I’d also never worked with phyllo dough before, mostly because I’m too impatient to brush each layer with melted butter, but also because I don’t want to be using that much butter. I’m glad that Asiya used a milk and olive oil wash instead!

Stuart and I both loved this Thanksgiving leftover solution. I served it with the leftover twice baked sweet potatoes from my “Thanksgiving for Two” menu.

Turkey Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb cubed cooked turkey breast
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, diced
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 3/4 C + 6 tbsp milk, divided use
  • 1 roll frozen phyllo dough, thawed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

  1. In a saucepan heat canola oil over medium heat. When hot add the ginger and garlic pastes, reduce heat – it will splatter. After 30 seconds whisk in the flour and return heat to medium. Slowly whisk in 3/4 C milk, whisk over medium heat until thickened slightly and free from lumps. Mix cubed turkey and diced hard boiled eggs. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  3. Whisk together 6 tbsp milk and 2 tbsp olive oil. Brush mixture on bottom of a 7×11″ casserole dish.
  4. Slice phyllo dough in half, place one half in the fridge until ready to use. Place one sheet of phyllo in casserole dish, brush with milk and oil mixture, repeat until all of the sheets have been used.
  5. Top phyllo with turkey pie filling.
  6. Top the filling with the second half of the phyllo dough – repeating the process of brushing with the milk and oil mixture. Brush the top of the pie with the milk and oil.
  7. Bake 20 – 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and inside is hot.

*This recipe is adapted from Asiya at http://www.chocolateandchillies.com/2011/06/mummys-chicken-pie.html*

Turkey Pie FG1

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Grandpa Ray’s Grapefruit Pie

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

Today marks Grandpa Ray’s 90th year (aka it’s his 89th birthday). Grandpa Ray married Busia in 1999 and fell into place with our family. He learned our card games, and introduced us to new games. He joined Busia in being a “snow bird” and absolutely loved spending time at the Lake. He would spend all day, every day, working in the garden. And he enjoyed Busia’s cooking and accepted our Polish traditions.

This recipe is one of his! It’s the dessert he would bring to any gathering, and might be the only thing he knew how to make. It’s a unique pie that’s become a family favorite – it’s usually the one my brother requests at holidays. Many people are surprised this is a grapefruit pie – they think it is a key lime or similar pie. The “secret ingredient” of grapefruit isn’t often revealed until after they’ve tried it.

Grandpa Ray’s Grapefruit Pie

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 grapefruit
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 1 graham cracker crust
  • 1 tub cool whip

Steps:

  1. Slice grapefruit. Use a strainer with a bowl beneath it and pull the “meat” or pulp from the rind and membranes. You will end up with less than a cup of “meat” – mix gently and break up larger pieces of grapefruit – do not press or you will lose the juice in the pulp. Pieces should be about the size of a corn kernel or smaller. (The juice in the bowl under the strainer is your treat – fresh grapefruit juice!)
  2. In another bowl, mix together the lemon juice and condensed milk.
  3. Pour grapefruit into this mixture dispersing the grapefruit evenly throughout the mixture.
  4. Pour into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  5. Top with cool whip before serving.

Grapefruit Pie

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Lemon Marshmallow Pie

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

As both a nerd and foodie there’s no day better than a “holiday” that celebrates both – Pi Day! March 14th is Pi Day. Why? Pi is an irrational constant with an infinite number of digits, the value of which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Rounding to the hundredth’s place, Pi = 3.14. Hence, March 14 (3/14) is Pi Day! (Fun fact, it’s also Albert Einstein’s birthday.)

That being said, pies are not my favorite form of dessert. Well, not the traditional pies. I have a liking issue with warm fruit, so I don’t partake in America’s favorite Apple or Berry.

As I’ve mentioned before, my favorite pie is Key Lime. It’s served chilled and has a perfect balance of tart and sweet. The same can be said for this lemon marshmallow pie. And only three ingredients (four if you count the fresh fruit for garnish) separate you from a bright dessert. A dessert that will make you forget about winter’s extended stay and think you’ve just experienced a perfect spring day. With only five minutes of prep work required there isn’t any excuse to not try this pie. True, you could always make your own pie crust and lemon curd and probably marshmallow creme but I prefer to take the lazy way out. 😉

Lemon Marshmallow Pie

Ingredients:

  • 2 jars (10 oz) lemon curd
  • 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme
  • 1 graham cracker pie crust

Steps:

  1. Using a hand mixer whip lemon curd and marshmallow creme until blended. Pour pie filling into pie crust.
  2. Refrigerate a few hours before serving with fresh berries.

*This recipe is adapted from Deborah at http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/lemon-marshmallow-tart/*

Lemon Marshmallow Pie

Pecan Pie

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

I had planned on providing you with a healthy shrimp and avocado pesto recipe to start your new year off right. But unfortunately the avocados at the grocery store weren’t anywhere near ripe and they were completely out of basil. So that recipe will have to wait for another day.

Instead I’m going to switch gears entirely and give you a sweet, rich dessert. Stuart’s holiday favorite. Pecan pie. My mom makes this pie just for him – and it amuses me greatly that the woman married to a man with nut allergies provides the only nutty dish of the holidays.

Pecan Pie Steps

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 C light corn syrup
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 C chopped pecans
  • 1 pie crust

Steps:

  1. Over medium heat combine corn syrup, butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Stir until the butter melts. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL. Remove from heat.
  2. In a small bowl beat the eggs. While constantly stirring the syrup mixture, slowly add in the eggs. Stir until smooth. Add in the vanilla and chopped pecans.
  3. Pour pecan pie filling into a ready-to-bake, thawed pie crust. If desired, place 5 halved pecans in a small circle/star in the center of the pie.
  4. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees until the filling no longer jiggles.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.mrfood.com/Pie/Perfect-Pecan-Pie-685/*

Pecan Pie

Update December 2016: I’ve been dying to re-photograph this pecan pie and every Christmas I say I’m going to. It’s taken three years for that to happen, but hey! My parents remodeled their home in 2016 and all of the yellow tones of the kitchen were replaced by modern and timeless whites, greys, and deep cherry. Even with the new open concept I was surprised at how little natural light penetrated the bright space. I had to take mom’s pie out to the lanai to snap the new photo. It’s amazing what natural lighting can do to the beauty of a pie!

Classic Pecan Pie | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com