Coconut Cream Pie

Cream pies are my go-to favorite. At Thanksgiving I skip the traditional pumpkin and pecan and head straight to the creamies. Banana cream was a previous favorite but this sweet pie is puttin' up a fight for #1 in my book.  The cream has a great pudding consistency but what really sets this apart from other coconut creams is the meringue. Most coconut creams are topped with a whipped cream topping but this meringue is light and toasty like a marshmallow. I also love that the egg yolks used in the cream leave egg whites to be used and the meringue takes care of that. (I hate leftover egg yolks or whites.)

Coconut Cream Pie

1 blind-baked 9-inch pastry shell
2 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for egg whites
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups toasted coconut
1 Tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a saucepan, whisk the 2 cups of the milk and 3/4 cup sugar together. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid up to a simmer. Whisk the egg yolks together. Temper the hot milk into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk, making a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the hot milk mixture. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the filling is thick, about 4 to 6 minutes. Fold in the vanilla, coconut, and butter. Mix well. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and cool the pie completely. Using an electric mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg white to soft peaks. Add the remaining sugar and whip the egg white to stiff peaks. Spread the egg whites over the top of the pie. Place the pie in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril on the Food Network.

Tomato and Basil Pie

My mom-in-law recently sent me an email with the subject line of: "You've got to try this!" When you get an email from mom with those words in the title you know the recipe must be good.

Last week my husband and I were invited to a work potluck dinner. I wasn't sure what to bring but when I saw my pile of freshly picked tomatoes this recipe came to mind. Feel free to call me crazy for making a dish for guests that I have never tasted! Thankfully the dish turned out great! I loved the lightness of the filling compared to a more dense quiche. Also, don't be afraid of the amount of basil. It works!  For my next pie I might make the addition of green onions and cheddar like the lovely Mrs. Paula Deen does in her variation of this recipe.

*Note: This photo is of the pie before you spread the mayo/cheese mixture on top.

Tomato and Basil Pie 

(Recipe from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

• 9-inch prepared pie crust, unbaked*
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 5 plum or 4 medium tomatoes
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
  
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• Additional basil for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
2. Prepare and bake your 9-inch pie crust. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Cool on a wire rack. 
3. Cut tomatoes into wedges and drain on paper towels. Arrange the wedges on top of the melted cheese in the baked shell. In a food processor, combine the basil and garlic, processing until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle over the tomatoes. 
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the remaining mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan and pepper. Spoon cheese mixture over basil mixture, spreading to evenly cover the top. 
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbly. Serve warm garnished with basil leaves. Serves 4 to 8.

*I used the Betty Crocker recipe of flour, salt, shortening and water.

Apple Crumb Pie

Apple Crumb Pie

Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie (I used our cookie crust recipe)
6 c. chopped, peeled, tart apples
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. sour cream
4 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
Topping:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cold butter

Make crust (don’t bake). In large bowl combine all ingredients, except topping and put in crust. For topping, combine flour and sugar in bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and apples are tender. Cool on wire rack.

*Jayne's Notes: This recipe is courtesy of Dan's sister Rebecca. I enjoyed this recipe especially because of the crumb topping. Apple pies to me are normally too doughy with a dough crust on top and bottom so I enjoyed this change.

Pecan Pie

(*Photo courtesty of PW)

I have never been a pecan pie girl; I prefer berry pies. I'm not sure if my dislike stems from not liking nuts as a child or because I don't think this pie looks particularly pretty. Either way, this has always been a pie I steer clear of...until this past Thanksgiving. We made this pecan pie recipe and I really enjoyed it!! Yum, yum, yum!!

PW’s Pecan Pie
1 unbaked pie crust
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter (regular, salted)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup chopped pecans
Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.
Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.

Pumpkin Pie Milk Shakes

Here is a fun recipe for all of your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie leftovers!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes
an original recipe by rachelle, pictures are courtesy of yourhomebasedmom who also loved this yummy treat

2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 large slice pumpkin pie, chopped and frozen (freezing is optional for bigger chunks. also yum just mixed room temp.)

whipped cream and nutmeg, for serving

combine ice cream, milk and sugar in blender. mix. add in pumpkin pie, pulse to blend. put blender in the freezer for a half hour. when ready to serve, stir and scoop with a big spoon into mugs. serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.