Caramel Apple Pie

Ahh I can't believe Thanksgiving is this week!! Obviously apple pie is a staple dessert on most American's Thanksgiving table but this ooey gooey twist on the traditional version is a must try. I do love Thanksgiving but I think I'm more excited this year because it means that Christmas is right around the corner. I think we are going to have more fun this year than ever before because Owen is excited for Santa and all the things that come with the holiday season.

Ingredients:

2 lbs or 6 Cups of Apples - Peeled, Cored & Diced Small

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Flour

1 Tsp Cinnamon

2 Tbsp Skim Milk

1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Squeezable Caramel Ice Cream Topping 

1 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter

Pre-made Roll out Pie Dough or a Pre-made Pie Crust

Adapted from: http://www.midwestliving.com/

Start by preheating your oven to 350. If you are using a pre-made pie shell take it out of the freezer, if you are using the roll out dough make sure it's close to room temperature before trying to put it in your 9in pie plate. In a large bowl stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour and cinnamon.

Peel, core, and dice your apples into small chunks. Toss them into the sugar mixture making sure they coat completely. Pour the apples into the prepared pie dish.

In a small bowl whisk the milk with 2 Tbsp of the caramel ice cream topping and drizzle it over top of the apples.

Now it's time to make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl combine the remaining cup of flour with brown sugar. Using the back of a fork or a pastry blender cut the butter into the dry mixture until coarse crumbles appear. Spread the topping out over top of the apples for a complete layer.

Lightly cover the pie with tin foil leaving the top open a little. Place the pie on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 30-35 minutes until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes at least before drizzling the remaining caramel ice cream topping over the entire pie. Just like every other apple pie this one tastes great warm with cold creamy vanilla ice cream and more caramel sauce. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Toasted Coconut Key Lime Pie

Yummm!! I can honestly say without any regret or guilt that I ate about half this pie myself and loved every bite. The toasted coconut on top of the bed of freshly whipped cream with the smooth tart filling and the sweet crumbly graham cracker crust makes for the perfect bite. It's not a very hard pie to make and it's a great dessert for a warm evening so give it a try before the summer is gone!! 

Ingredients for Pie:

14 oz can Sweetened Fat Free Condensed Milk

14 oz can Unsweetened Lite Coconut Milk

3 -5 Limes (1/3 Cup Fresh Juiced and 1 Tsp Zest)

7 Large Egg Yolks

Ingredients for Topping:

1 Pint Cold Heavy Cream

2 Tbsp Sugar

1/4 Cup Toasted Coconut

Adapted from: http://www.marthastewart.com/

Ingredients for Crust:

1 1/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/3 Cup I Can't Believe it's Not Butter - Melted

1/4 Cup Sugar

Pinch of Salt

Keebler.com

Preheat the oven to 375. In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs with sugar and a pinch of salt. In small microwave safe dish melt your butter or margarine. Pour the butter into the bowl with the crumbs and mix until just combined. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9 in pie place.

Using the back of a fork push the moist crumbs into the bottom and up along the sides of the dish until it seems to be set and firmly packed. Bake in the oven 6-8 minutes until light brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before filling.

In a large bowl pour in the coconut milk, condensed milk, lime juice and egg yolks. Using a whisk combine everything together until it's smooth. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Take one of the limes you juiced and zest it over top of the pie before placing it in the oven for a little extra lime flavor. Reduce the oven to 350 F and bake about 40 minutes until the pie is just a little wobbly in the middle.

Let the pie cool for an hour or so on a wire rack and then in the fridge for 1-2 hours. While the pie is cooling you can make the whipped cream and toasted coconut. In a stand mixer bowl that has been in the freezer for about 10 minutes whip the cream and sugar together on a high speed until stiff peaks which should take about 3 minutes. In a small pan over low heat toast the coconut until it is just crisp and golden brown. Spoon freshly whipped cream over top of the pie before serving. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Slice and Serve!!

Enjoy!!

Linked at: http://www.thecountrycook.net/

Raspberry, Banana, & Nutella Heart Pies

I am patiently waiting for my second grandchild to be born any day now.  We already know its going to be a girl and her name will be Madelyn.  She will be just 10 months younger than my first adorable grandson Owen.  He is more fun than I could ever imagine so I am really looking forward to two. There's nothing better than being a Grandma. While I wait for Madelyn to come I have been busy doing one of my favorite things - baking.  These are very easy and so good my husband said he wanted these as his birthday dessert next December.  I am sure by then he will forget and want something else.  If you don't like nutella then you can substitute a few chocolate chips in its place.        

Ingredients:
One box of two prepared pie crusts (in refrigerated section)
1 banana chopped
1 cup nutella spread
1 pint raspberries chopped
1 egg white
course sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Unroll one pie crust onto clean surface and cutout as many piece as possible with desired shape.  Lay cut out pieces on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Spread nutella on each shape trying not to go to the edge if possible.  Nutella can be messy at times.

Place chopped bananas on top of the nutella spread.

Place chopped raspberries on top of the nutella and bananas.

Take second pie crust and cut same number of desired shapes with it.  Place on top of each one and crimp with a fork to seal in all edges.

Brush with egg white wash and sprinkle course sugar on top of each one.

Bake for 10 minutes until dough has browned nicely.  Serve warm or cold.  Makes 12 but it all depends on the size of the shape you choose.

Enjoy!!



This is linked to asouthernfairytale.com, http://www.thecountrycook.net/, www.sixsistersstuff.com, plus other sites listed under "where we party"

Berger Cookie Pie & Our 3rd Blog Anniversary

My youngest daughter loves Berger cookies as we all do.  I didn't even know such a cookie existed until Sam started going to school in Baltimore. I thought Baltimore was only know for crabs. She always tries to bring us a few Berger cookies whenever she is coming home for a visit. She has wanted to try this pie for a while and Thanksgiving seemed like a good time for it.  The whole family loved it and want it again as a Christmas dessert.  When its warm the chocolate topping from the cookie melts everywhere and its like eating warm fudge.  This is a very sweet dessert so just make your pieces a little smaller than usual.  This recipe is from www.somethingswanky.com who made her Berger cookies from scratch.  I might try this sometime just not the day before Thanksgiving.

We would also like to thank all of our readers for continuing to follow us.  Its hard to believe its been 3 years already. Nicole and I love doing this together and appreciate all the support from everyone. Our blog has grown from 14 viewers a day 3 years ago to over 24,000 a month now and we hope it continues to grow.      
Ingredients:
14 Berger cookies
1 unbaked pie crust
1/2 cup butter softened
3 eggs
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Chop up Berger cookies and fill pie crust with the pieces.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Pour the wet mixture over the cookies.  Using a rubber spatula, gently coat all the cookie pieces with the mixture.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Serve warm with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Enjoy!!


Linked at: http://www.thecountrycook.net/

Fresh Peach Pie

I have to confess, I have never made or eaten a peach pie before this weekend. In fact other than my husband and my dad our whole family had their 1st peach pie experience together. We got 7 peaches in our last fresh box so I figured it would be the perfect way to use all of them at the same time before they spoiled. I obviously didn't know what I was missing because it was a great summer dessert. The peaches were sweet, and the crust was flaky and buttery. We served it warm with a little bit of vanilla ice cream and that really knocked it up notch. Another confession....I cheated and used pre-made pie crust, it seems now that I'm a mom I have to take some short cuts since my time in the kitchen is not the same, but Owen is worth every minute.

Ingredients:
About 7 ripe peaches - Pitted and Cut into slices
Box of ready made pie dough - 2 Rounds
1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice (About 1 lemon)
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp Salt
4 Tbsp  Minute Tapioca - Ground or Pulverized

Adapted from: http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/

Start by preheating the oven to 425 F. Take out your pre-made pie dough and a 9in pyrex pie dish. Wash and slice all of your peaches, discarding the pits. Squeeze the lemon juice over the peaches and toss to coat.

In a small bowl combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground up tapioca. Whisk everything together. Once it is all mixed pour it over the bowl of the peaches. Using your hands toss the peaches so that they are all covered in the sugar mix. Roll out the 1st pre-made pie dough round and place it in the bottom of the dish, pushing the edges into the pan and cutting the excess off of the top edge. 

When you feel the sugar is evenly distributed and slightly soaked in pour the peaches into the bottom pie dish and give it a good shake so they all lay flat. Unroll the 2nd pre-made pie dough round and lay it on top of the peaches. Using the back of a fork go around the edge and push the top dough into the bottom sealing in the peaches. 

Cut a few slits into the top to allow the air to vent out, place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 425 F. Then reduce the temperature to 375 F, rotate the pie and bake another 20-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the peaches are bubbling. Cool completely and serve either room temperature or warm with vanilla ice cream. Be sure to store it in the fridge.

Enjoy!!

Linked at: http://thenymelrosefamily.com/, http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/, http://www.ducksnarow.com/, http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com, http://www.momstestkitchen.com/, http://www.housewivesofriverton.com/, http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/, http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/, http://www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/, http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com, http://www.momontimeout.com, www.4littlefergusons.wordpress.com, http://www.sweetsav.blogspot.com/, http://www.flourmewithlove.com/, http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/, http://insidebrucrewlife.com/, http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/, http://www.nap-timecreations.com/, http://www.foodiefriendsfridaydailydish.com/, http://www.callmepmc.com/

S'Mores Brownie Pie

Last night I went to the Bon Jovi Concert with my sister at MetLife Stadium where the Super Bowl is being played in 2014.  We had great seats and so much fun. The band sang for 3 hours and did two encores even though it was raining during the last hour.  This is my 5th Bon Jovi concert and they just keep getting better and better.  How does he look so good at 52?  Anyway.....

This is a great summertime pie.  I have made s'more pie before here but that one had a pudding chocolate base.  This one has a brownie chocolate base which I enjoyed much better.  This pie is adapted from Sallys Baking Addiction.

Ingredients:
Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Brownies
10 tbsp unsalted butter melted
1-1/4 cups sugar
3/4 plus 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
25 large marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Make the crust by mixing graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar.  Press into an ungreased 8" or 9" pie dish.  Set aside.

Mix the melted butter, sugar and cocoa and salt in a large bowl.  The mixture will look gritty.  Set aside for a few minutes to cool.    Stir in the vanilla.  Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition.  The batter will look thick and shiny.  Add the flour, beating with a whisk until fully combined.  Try not to over mix.

Pour into crust.

Bake for 28 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with marshmallows.

Return to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 3 minutes to melt the marshmallows.  If the marshmallows aren't toasted enough, put the pie under the broiler for a minute but watch closely.  Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.

Linked at: http://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/, http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/, http://www.flourmewithlove.com/, http://www.sweetsav.blogspot.com/, http://insidebrucrewlife.com/, http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/, http://www.nap-imecreations.com, http://www.momstestkitchen.com/, http://thenymelrosefamily.com/, http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com, http://www.ducksnarow.com/, http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com, http://djssugarshack.com/, http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/, http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/, http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/, http://www.momontimeout.com/, http://www.housewivesofriverton.com/, http://www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/, http://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/, www.4littlefergusons.wordpress.com, http://www.callmepmc.com/

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

For the 2nd year in a row we are so excited to be participating in the Fresh Box at Alan's Orchard. It still amazes me how different and delicious fresh fruits and vegetables can taste when they literally go from the farm to your door within a day from when you eat it. We got both Strawberries and Rhubarb a few weeks ago so I made this pie. I had never had Rhubarb before, we tried a bite of it raw and I wasn't a fan but baked in this pie it brought a fresh tart flavor to the super sweet strawberries.

Ingredients for Pie:

Pre-made Frozen Pie Crust

16 oz container of Strawberries

4 Stalks of Rhubarb Stalks about 1 1/4 lbs

2 Tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Corn Starch

1 Tsp Ground Ginger

Adapted from: http://www.womansday.com/

Ingredients for Crumble:

2/3 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup I Can't Believe it's not Butter

Pinch of Salt

Adapted from: http://whatsheshaving.com/

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 F. Wash and slice your strawberries and rhubarb. In a large bowl combine the fruit together. Toss it in the vanilla.extract. Pierce some holes in the bottom of the pie crust using a fork and set aside.

Combine the sugar, corn starch and ginger in a small bowl until combined. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the bowl of sliced fruit.

Toss the berry mixture together until everything is completely coated. Pour the fruit into the frozen pie crust and spread it out evenly. Now it's time to make the crumble topping. In a small bowl mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Microwave the butter to melt and pour it over the dry ingredients to create the crumble.

Spread the crumble topping out over the fruits. Bake the pie on a cookie sheet for about 60 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble is golden brown. Cool completely and then chill for about 3 hours before serving. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

, 

Enjoy!!

Linked at: http://www.ducksnarow.com/, http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/, http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com, http://thenymelrosefamily.com/, http://www.momstestkitchen.com/, http://www.bunsinmyoven.com, http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/, http://www.housewivesofriverton.com/, http://www.mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/, http://www.momontimeout.com/, http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com, www.4littlefergusons.wordpress.com, http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.ca, http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/, http://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/, http://www.flourmewithlove.com/, http://www.sweetsav.blogspot.com/, http://insidebrucrewlife.com/, http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/, http://www.nap-timecreations.com/, http://djssugarshack.com/, http://www.callmepmc.com/