Friday, September 18, 2009

"Easy as Pie"!



Sometimes the yummiest things to eat
are the simplest to make!


I really enjoy this time of the year because it means PIE time. We have been enjoying all of the plentiful fruits of the season by making up pies!

I think if I were to list what my favorite dessert is it would definitely be homemade PIE!
There is just something about the flaky crust and biting into berries that burst in your mouth or succulent apples, peaches, cherries, etc...
I love them all!
There is also something about the thrift of pie. I SO enjoy thinking about Pioneer times and how they would take what fruit they had, mix in a handful of staple ingredients, put it in a pie crust, bake it and they would have a yummy dessert that used what they had and was simple and easy to make!

And then there's my romantic heart that likes to think about Caroline Ingalls and how she might have responded to Charles when he walked in the door after a long day of working...telling him how she was able to collect enough berries to make him a pie for dinner!

Today
I thought I'd share 3 yummy pie recipes we have enjoyed over the past month and I am here to tell you that it is
"Easy as Pie"
you can whip your family up a pie for dinner
and they will be loving you for it!
Enjoy!!

Fresh Peach Pie

1 baked 9” pie crust (recipe below)
1 small package peach jello
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¾ cups cold water
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
5-6 medium peaches sliced

Combine sugar, salt, cornstarch and water.
Cook and stir mixture until it thickens and becomes clear.
Remove from heat and stir in jello till dissolved.
Add vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
Spread a little glaze in bottom of shell, then begin layering glaze with peach slices. Fill pie full by stacking more slices in center. Pour glaze slowly over all.
Chill at least 2 hours before serving with REAL whipping cream.
Enjoy!

Berry Pie

5 cups
Berries Frozen OR Fresh (any berry works GREAT!)
(I used 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup huckleberries and 3 cups Boysenberries)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
Pastry for double pie crust
sprinkling of sugar for the top

Combine 4-1/2 cups berries with the sugar and flour.
Spoon the berry mixture into an unbaked pie shell.
Spread the remaining berries on top of the sweetened berries and cover with top crust.
Seal and crimp edges and poke holes in the top of crust.
(I use a fork)
Sprinkle with sugar.
Cover with foil and make in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for 30 more minutes or till crust is golden brown.

Enjoy!


Cherry Pie

(step one)

Bring 5 cups tart cherries and 2 cups water to boil. Boil for 5 minutes. After done boiling drain juice off cherries reserving 1 cup of liquid.

1-1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
dash salt
1 Tbsp. butter
3 or 4 drops almond extract
Pastry for double pie crust

(step two)
In a medium saucepan combine 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt and the 1 cup cherry liquid.
Cook and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly.
Cook and stir 1 minute more.

Remove from heat.
Stir in remaining 3/4 cup sugar, cherries, butter and almond extract.

Line pie plate with pie crust. Spoon in cherry mixture and put on top crust.
Seal and crimp edges and poke holes in the top of crust. (I use a fork)
Cover with foil and make in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for 30 more minutes or till crust is golden brown.

Enjoy!

*********************
Pie Crust
½ cup REAL butter
2/3 cup shortening
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
1-teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon dry milk
3 cups flour
½ cup cold water
Mix butter and shortening together.
Add half the flour and all of the dry ingredients.
Mix.
Add the rest of flour and water. (Makes 2 double crusts)
Roll out very thin with plenty of flour.
Carefully put in pie plates and prick with fork all over.
Bake 400 degrees for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.
*****(OR you can use ALL butter instead of butter and shortening)

7 comments:

Connie said...

You make it look easy! If I didn't have to make the pie crust, I'd make pies much more often. I haven't used butter in the pie crust before but by the looks of your crust, I need to start using it!
They all look delicious but that berry pie....wow!

I'm planning on posting my bottled tomato soup but I have always used the water bath.

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

I feel a pie coming on today....what diet?
LOVE your blog, always so interesting and fun.

JENNIFRO said...

Hi!! I just wanted to thank you for the sweet email you sent me. I will give you a real response when I get back home to my computer. Until then thank you so much for thinking of me...very thoughtful and appreciated!

Awesome pies!!!

Camille said...

I agree with you - there's just something about a pie - especially fresh fruit! :) I love it! Thanks for your recipes... looks like I'll be baking this weekend! ;)

Sondra said...

What??? Making a pie without purchasing a can? Wait a minute. Can that be done??? *giggle.
You are soooo good. Those look so yummy! Just another thing to add to my recipe book... Maybe one day I'll make it from scratch and not a can... Who knows... I'm becoming a better cook everyday. Great goals to be just like you :-D

Brady won't let me touch his hair. I tried to talk him into letting me do it - because I used to highlight my own hair.

Have a great weekend!

Candace said...

I'm going to try the berry one--Thanks for sharing!

CB said...

OK that was REALLY weird I just finished reaading all about your wonderful trip with the snow and the fog and Battleship mountain and when I went to comment it just disappeared!!
Anyway, It was a wonderful post and the pictures are so gorgeous. I love the purple fringe flowers too and they seem to be so prominent in Idaho.
That trip was definately quite an adventure with all the weather changes but looked SO FUN!!!
I LOVE your view out of the tent!!

Just Awesome!!!!!

Have a Wonderful Sunday.