Beef & Guinness Pot Pies

I must really love my family and subjected myself to a St. Paddy's meal at church for our monthly Food, Fun, & Fellowship night.

I am not Irish and don't celebrate the holiday and I really do not like boiled meat.  So I found a recipe that I would make and eat instead.  The original recipe was from Food Network, but I tweaked it.

For the dough:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup grated Irish cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces)
6 to 7 tablespoons stout beer
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the Filling
2 1/4 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup stout beer
2 cups Beef Stock (Kitchen Basic is the best)
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch
pieces
1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

Make the dough: Pulse the flour and fine salt in a food processor to combine. Add the
butter and cheese and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons beer and pulse to combine.  Squeeze the dough between your fingers; if
it does not hold its shape, pulse in up to 1 more tablespoon beer. Pat the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Toss the beef, flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 7 minutes. Add the beer and 2 cups stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover, transfer to the oven and braise, 1 hour. Add the leeks, carrots and celery to the pot and continue braising, 1 more hour.  If it is looking a bit dry add a bit more stout.

Meanwhile, put six 10-ounce ramekins on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll out the dough between 2 lightly floured sheets of parchment into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle; cut into six 5-inch squares. Make a few slits in the middle of each square to let steam escape. Remove the filling from the oven and increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Season the filling with salt and pepper and divide among the ramekins (there may be some filling left over). Top each with a square of dough,
pressing the edges into the ramekin. Brush with the beaten egg. Bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest about 10 minutes before serving.

These came out fantastic!!!!  I would definitely make them again.  The filling is so good and almost like a stew that it would be good by itself or over mashed potatoes.

Mini Shepherd's Pies

Since it was Spring Break, and didn't have to worry about keeping something hot while I picked up Miss V from school I found this little recipe for Alpha dinner.

The original can be found at Tablespoon.

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling:  (I doubled this so that I could make some later)

1 bag of frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
2/3  to 1 cup beef broth
1 envelope of brown gravy
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 cups of mashed potatoes

Heat oven to 400°F.

Unroll pie crusts. Roll each crust to 12 inches in diameter. Using 4-inch round cutter, cut 6 rounds from each crust. Firmly press each round in bottom and up side of each of 12 ungreased regular-size muffin cups.

Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Reduce heat to 350°F.

In skillet, heat butter over medium heat until melted and hot. Add onion to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef to skillet; cook 5 to 7 minutes longer, stirring to break up any large pieces; drain. Place meat mixture back into the skillet and add the broth and brown gravy mix and cook on medium until thick and bubble.  Add the peas and carrots, salt and pepper.  Cook until veggies are hot.

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup beef mixture. Top each pie with about 1/4 cup of the warm mashed potatoes. Bake at 350°F 25 to 30 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mashed potatoes are lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes in pan before serving. Run knife around outside of each pie to loosen before removing.

These tasted great, but were really hard to get out of the pan.  Next time I make them, I will definitely spray the sides of the muffin cups with cooking spray.

Let the leftover filling cool and store in the refrigerator.

Mini Apple Pies with Streusel Topping

This also came from Pinterest and the original can be found at Center Cut Cook.

For the pies
1 refrigerated pie crust (or make your own)
2 cups Granny Smith Apples, finely chopped (about 2 cups apples)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar – packed
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees.
Unroll 1 refrigerated pie crust onto work surface. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out 12 rounds.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Place each round into the bottom of a muffin cup. The dough should just start to slightly go up the side of the muffin cup.

In a large bowl, combine finely chopped apples with 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Divide this apple mixture evenly among the 12 mini pies.

With your food processor, a fork, or using your fingers, combine all of the ingredients for the streusel topping until crumbly. Divide this mixture evenly among the 12 mini pies.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Allow the mini pies to cool for 15-20 minutes before carefully removing them from the pan.

I did not get a good picture of this one.  I did have a couple around the edge of the pans that the streusel did start to burn, so watch the baking time.

Other than that, they came out great!

Mini Pumpkin Pies

I pinned this a while ago too.  I made it for our Alpha Class.  The original recipe can be found at Home is Where the Boat Is.

Ingredients
1 package refrigerated pie crusts
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mix pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl until smooth. Pour into pastry lined muffin cups to the top. Top with a pastry leaf if desired.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake 20 - 25 minutes longer or until knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool 30 minutes in pan and remove to wire rack to cool for another  hour for pumpkin filling to set completely.

I did have a little filling leftover.

These came out great and of course I forgot to snap a good picture.  I quickly snapped this with my cellphone the night of class.

Wilton Apple Pocket Pie Press

See that cute little gadget?  Miss V convinced me to get it at Walmart.

There is no recipe in the box so I had to make one up as I went and didn't really measure anything.  I sliced up a couple Granny Smith Apples and put them in a sauce pan with granulated sugar, a dash of lemon juice, a tablespoon of butter, dash of salt, cinnamon and fresh nutmeg.  I cooked it until the apples were softened.

I opened and unrolled the pie dough.  This is the first time I have been disappointed with store bought dough from Publix.

 After cutting out only 8 pieces of dough, I quickly realized that the bottom doesn't fit so you need to stretch it a bit.

Then add a couple tablespoons of filling.  Egg wash the edges of the bottom dough.

 Then add the top layer.

 Crimp and press the dough together.  It was a PAIN to get the pies out of the press.  When done, poke a couple of holes into the dough and egg wash them.  I did sprinkle on some cinnamon/sugar mixture.

 Look at all this extra WASTED dough...

 Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.

They came out cute, but are a total waste of time and dough.

Pumpkin Pie

Next pie we made was Miss V and Daddy's favorite...Pumpkin Pie and this also came from my old Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Pastry (again I cheated and used a refrigerated pie crust)
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
Sugar

Filling
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Heat oven to 425ºF. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate. Cut scraps of rolled pastry with tiny leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Sprinkle cutouts with sugar; press on pastry edge. (Miss V said to skip that step)

In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in all remaining filling ingredients until well blended.

To prevent spilling, place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack. Pour filling into pie plate. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake about 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled. Store in refrigerator.

Apple Pie

Yes, I am so far behind in blogging.  "Real" life is beyond busy so I am taking a breather and catching up a bit.

So last Wednesday Miss V and I made our pies for Thanksgiving.  First up was this yummy Apple Pie from my old Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Pastry (I cheated and used a refrigerated pie crust)
2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (8 medium)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one pastry round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.

Roll other round of pastry into 10-inch round. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape. Unfold top pastry over filling; trim overhanging edge 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm if desired.

Jack O' Lantern Pie version 2

This is what I made last night for dinner. It came out really cute and yummy!

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® Niblets® frozen corn, thawed, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup of water
1 egg white and orange food color paste/gel

1 refrigerated pie crust

Heat oven to 450°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in corn, tomatoes, kidney beans, 2 tablespoons flour, the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder,salt and water. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently; boil and stir 1 minute. Keep warm over low heat.

Carve a Jack O'Lantern face into your pie crust.

Pour the meat mixture into a 9 inch pie dish and cover with your pie crust.  Brush on the orange wash.

Bake uncovered about 12 minutes or until crust is light brown.

Cute huh?  I did not have a pre made crust so I whipped up Martha Stewart's Favorite Pie Crust.  It rolled out pretty good, but when it came time to put it on the pie it ripped a bit and was a little sticky.  That happened probably because yesterday was a warm and very steamy day here in SW Florida.

Pie Crust

I am feeling to lazy to run to the store and buy a refrigerated pie crust, so I looked up recipes on Martha Stewart's site and found Our Favorite Pie Crust.  The recipe is for a single crust and that is all I need.

It was really easy to make.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons ice water, plus 2 more, if needed

In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar several times to combine. Add butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces remaining.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overprocess.

Turn dough out onto a work surface; form dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Before baking, unwrap dough; place on a large piece of floured waxed paper. Roll dough to a 14-inch round. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin (discarding paper); carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate.

Trim overhang to 1 inch; fold overhang under itself. Pinch between thumb and forefinger to make a uniform edge around the rim. Crimp edge; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

This is a repost with pictures.  This is a family favorite in our house.  I like to serve this with plain white rice on the side.  I made this for dinner and there are plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.  I love meals like that!

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I am in the process of making this for dinner tonight. I made a roast chicken for dinner last night and steaming up the carcass now for the chicken.  It is from my Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casserole magazine.  I do like to add a bit more flavor from a little poultry seasoning.

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or more to taste

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chocolate Pie

For our Cars dinner & movie night I made this yummy pie.  No real recipe.

Oreo Pie Crust
1 (5oz box) Chocolate Jell-o cook & serve pudding prepared as directed on box
Fresh whipped cream

This does need plenty of time to chill and thicken.  So I made it early in the morning and made the whipped cream right before serving.

Pumpkin Pie with picture

I have made this many times in the past, but this time I had about 3/4 cup to much filling that I ended up tossing.

1 Unbaked pie shell
15 ounces Pumpkin Puree
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Set separate racks in the center and lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil over the pie shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack until the dough is set, about 20 minutes.

2. Remove from the oven and lift sides of the parchment paper to remove the beans. Continue baking until the pie shell is lightly golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Cool on a rack.

3. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F

4. While the pie shell is cooling make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, half-and-half, spices, and salt until smooth. Return the pie shell to the baking sheet and pour in the filling.

5. Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges of the filling are set but the center is still slightly loose, about 50 to 60 minutes. (If the edges get very dark, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack. Serve room temperature or slightly warm.

Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies

I am another baking sort of mood this morning.  I thought I would find some sort of mini pumpkin pie to make and found a recipe on Food Network for Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies from Sunny Anderson.  I did have to make a substitution or two. 

For the dough:

1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for shaping dough
6 tablespoons butter, ice cold
2 to 3 tablespoons ice cold water

For the filling:

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup dark corn syrup (I didn't have any so I subbed 1/4 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 cup molasses)
1 tablespoon sugar (I used light brown sugar)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin filling (I used canned pumpkin and added 3/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup pecans, chopped plus 24 halves for garnish

Special equipment: 2 (12-cup) mini muffin tins
 
Directions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray the bottoms and sides of the mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

For the dough:

In a food processor, pulse pecans with the sugar, salt, and flour, until the nuts are ground and the ingredients are combined. Add in butter and pulse until dough resembles coarse meal. Slowly pour in ice water through the feed tube, pulsing, until the dough comes together. Remove from processor bowl onto clean work surface sprinkled with flour.

Form dough into a ball and divide evenly into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and evenly press into each cup, until the bottom is covered. If the dough is sticky, dip your finger in flour first.

Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until the crusts are very golden. Check periodically to make sure they don't get too brown.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and yolk with the corn syrup, sugar, pumpkin filling and vanilla. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Remove dough from oven and spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into each cup. Top each with 1 pretty pecan half. Return the pans to the oven and continue baking, for 12 to 15 minutes more, until the pumpkin filling is set. Allow to cool before removing from the pans.

My notes:  The shells puffed up a bit in the oven during the first baking period.  When the came out, I used the end of a wooden spoon and gently tapped around the center a bit before I filled them.

They are seriously YUMMY!!!!  The crust is nice and nutty.

Ground Beef Pot Pie

Yum this is what I made for dinner.  It also comes from the Pillsbury Pot Pies and Casseroles magazine.

Crust

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes (from 32-oz bag), thawed

3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)

1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy

Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic salt and pepper over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.

Stir cornstarch into beef mixture until mixed. Stir in potatoes, carrots and gravy. Cook 5 to 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until hot. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust; cover edge of crust with foil.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Margarita Pie

It's time to celebrate!!! Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups of crushed pretzels (crush them into small bits, you don't want large pieces)

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon tequila (can leave out if kids will be eating it)
1 tablespoon Cointreau

Zest of 1 lime
1 cup whipped cream or cool whip

Melt unsalted butter and combine with sugar and pretzel pieces. Press into buttered 9 inch pie pan. Put into the freezer while you make the filling.

Combine condensed milk, lime juice, alcohol and lime zest.

Fold in whipped cream/cool whip.

Pour into pie crust and freeze for 4 hours.

Deep Dish Steak and Vegetable Pie

Victoria picked the recipe out of a Better Homes and Garden, Ultimate Casserole magazine a little while ago. I just need to stop by Sweetbay and pick up a couple things for it so it can be dinner tonight.

1/2 of a 15oz package rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crust (1 crust)
3/4 cup beef broth
1 tsp dried marjoram, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 small carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 17 oz packages refrigerated cooked beef roast au jus
1 cup half and half or light cream
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup frozen peas

Let refrigerated pie crust stand according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 400. In a large saucepan, combine broth, marjoram, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to boiling. Stir in parsnips, carrots and onion; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Remove meat from containers, reserving juices. Cut meat into 3/4 inch pieces; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup half and half and flour; gradually stir into vegetable mixture. cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in meat, meat juices, and peas; heat through. Remove from heat; cover and keep warm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll pie crust into a circle 2 inches larger than the diameter of the top of a 10 inch deep dish pie plate or 2 quart casserole. Transfer meat mixture to the ungreased pie plate. Center pastry on top of the meat mixture. Trim pastry 1 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Turn pasty under and flute to edge of pie plate. Cut small slits in top of pastry to allow steam to escape.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Ham and Swiss Pie (with picture)

I make this Ham & Swiss Pie every Christmas break, OK well maybe three or four times over break. It is so good!!

I made one for breakfast this morning and had to take a picture of it. It is definitely a family favorite!

Caramel Apple Pie

I also made this pie for Thanksgiving.

2 (9 inch) prepared pie crusts
8 granny smith apples
lemon juice
1 small jar of Caramel Ice Cream topping

Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples, store in a bowl with some lemon juice to keep from turning brown until needed.

Preheat Oven to 425°F.

Pour approximately 3/4 of caramel mixture over apples and toss to coat.

Place bottom crust in a deep dish pie pan.

Fill with apple slices (it may seem like a lot, so mound them up).

Cover with a lattice top crust and pour remaining caramel over the top, pouring carefully so it doesn't spill out. Or toss all caramel with apples and cover with a vented top crust. (I went with the second option and used a small heart cookie cutter to vent the crust with)

Place on a cookie sheet (for runoff) and bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 350F and cover pie crust and continue baking for 35-45 minutes or until apples are soft.

Pumpkin Praline Pie

I made this one this morning for Thanksgiving.

9 inches pastry crust, unbaked (my glass pie dishes are actually 9 1/2 inch)
1/3 cup finely toasted and chopped pecans
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup half and half

Directions

Preheat oven to 450.

Fit pastry crust into 9" pie plate. Prick crust all over with fork.

Combine pecans, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and butter in a small bowl, and press firmly into bottom of pie crust.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Stir together eggs, pumpkin, 2/3 cup brown sugar, flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually blend in half and half until mixture is smooth a creamy. Pour into partially baked shell.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake an additional 40-45 minutes. At about 20 minutes into the baking I wrapped the pie crust edges with aluminum foil so it wouldn't burn.

French Apple Pie

I had a single pie crust left over from last week and looked through my favorite old cookbook. It is Betty Crocker's New Cookbook. I found a recipe that called for a single crust, woo hoo!

One pie crust, can be homemade or premade

For the pie:

1/3 to 2/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, fresh is best!

dash of salt

8 cup thinly sliced, peeled tart apples (I used granny smith)

For the crumb topping

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (I melted it)

Mix the topping ingredients in a large bowl until crumbly.

Heat oven to 425.

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into a pastry lined pie plate.

Sprinkle topping mixture over the apple mixture and bake for 50 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking cover with foil to prevent the crumb topping from getting to browned or burnt. The top of mine had a few spots that got a little to done. But is smells great!!!