Eggnog Pie

This pie was really pretty but wasn't the best consistency. I used gelatin and Eggnog and the first day it was in the fridge it was nice but the next day it was set up too much and wasn't soft enough. I've never had that kind of problem with a pie before. But I normally don't use gelatin.

I made this for my boyfriend's family. But they weren't very interested in eating it even though it was pretty. Every time I make a pie for his family they never eat it, and I'm not sure why. =( Good thing they didn't eat this one though. 

Chocolate Lover's Delight Pie

So I made a chocolate pie with a graham cracker crust for my friend Callie. She writes for Bust magazine and wanted to feature a pie for Valentines Day. Chocolate is something I can only share with people a really love... So I thought this pie would be perfect! It is really rich and delicious. You can get the recipe in the February issue of Bust Magazine.

The Iowa State Fair Peach Pie!

So I was finally able to make it to the Iowa State Fair pie competition. I wanted to enter a pie last year, but couldn't take a day off of work. This competition was a lot of fun because there were so many ladies (I assume at least one male entered a pie, but I didn't see him) who brought many different kinds of pie and they were all so well made! I loved looking at the great care and craftsmanship that when into all of the pies. I also got to talk to a few ladies about what they made. Since it's Iowa, everyone was really friendly. 

I didn't win anything at this competition. But I didn't really know what they were judging on. Now I know. So I can't wait for next year's fair! 

One thing that I found to be crazy was that some women brought ten pies of all different varieties. So I think next year I'll shoot for five. Maybe that will better my odds at winning something. I did also notice that one lady won multiple categories... So she was in the know of what the judges wanted!

Checking in my pie.

All of the pies for the day.

The judge in the red shirt is tasting my pie.

My pie is on the right... A smidge over baked.

All of the women who made the pies watching the judges eat their pie.

My scorecard! 90 out of 100... That's an "A" right? =)

Last Practice Pie!

So I had a pie in the Johnson County Fair. I placed fourth of 10... or something. It was odd because I had to run back to work so I'm not really sure how many pies were entered because they auctioned them all off after they judged them. Then the lady who hosted the even said the judges didn't like my peach filling... So, I guess maybe my peaches weren't ripe enough. Because normally I like my filling... Or maybe my brain and tastebuds are nuts and think that crappy things taste good! lol

Anyway, I tried to make some adjustments. I let my peaches ripen in a paper bag a couple of days longer than I normally would. I also added 1/4 cup more sugar to take away the tartness. And I also added less peach juice back into the pie. So hopefully all of these changes will make for a yummier pie. =)

I haven't had a slice yet, because I plan on having it for breakfast tomorrow. But I did take a lick and I liked it. I also thought I'd add some process photos, because it's cool to see how things are made. That face I'm making... I always make that face at pie crust. 

Update! So I had a slice of pie this morning and I feel like it could still be sweeter. This is nuts because I'm already putting about a cup and a half of sugar in it. The crust was divine. I'm really happy to be using butter in it. It makes the flavor much more enjoyable.

Food Bank Pie Share!

So I made a peach pie to take to the Johnson County Crisis Center to share with my fellow volunteers. I hope they like it! I'm still making a peach pie every week to better tune the flavor of the filling. The judges at the Johnson County Fair didn't much like the taste of my filling and I placed 4th out of 10. So I was disappointed with how I showed there. I didn't get much feedback though, so it's hard to know what they didn't like about it. The peaches maybe? lol

This pie turned out really nice. And if I can do anything, maybe I can at least make a pie look pretty! Thanks art school.

Johnson County Fair White Peach Pie

This pie turned out really well. I used white peaches that were perfectly ripe and tasted really sweet. I also got a bit anal because I wanted this pie to look close to perfect and I used a ruler to measure the strips in the lattice work. It turned out pretty. I hope the fair gives points for pretty!

So I dropped the pie off at the fair. There were about 10 people there entering pies. There were also a couple of cute kids that made pie too. It was really cool to see what everyone made. There was blueberry, peach and apple mainly. There was one man who had a really cool pie basket that could hold three pies... So that's what I want for Christmas!

The pie lady said they would call me to tell me how my pie placed. They judge and then auction off the pies. So I will be informed tonight. So I'm excited! 

How to keep your pie dough from cracking!

So I found some really great advice on the Pie Academy website about how to keep dough from cracking when you roll it out. This is something I've struggled with for a while. And I've just gotten used to patching my dough when I get it into the pie plate.

Here is their advice:
1) Make sure you fully incorporate your fat with your flour. Don't leave large chunks of fat.

2) Don't be afraid to add more water! Don't be afraid... A moister dough with roll out easier.

3) Kneed your dough once. Then place on plastic wrap and form into a disc. Pinch together any cracked edges.

4) Then flour dough and put in a gallon sized freezer bag and roll into an 8" circle. Then seal bag and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

5) When you are ready to roll your dough, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.

http://thepieacademy.com/how-to-keep-your-pie-dough-from-cracking-when-you-roll-it-video-lesson/

Lucky Number Pie!

So this is peach pie numero four. And four is my lucky number. I made this beauty with georgia peaches. And it smells delish. When I was cutting the peaches I tried one and they were perfectly ripe. Ooo, lala, I haven't tried this pie yet, because I'm having it for breakfast, but I know it's going to be wonderfully sweet and peachy. 

I'm currently working on making my crust look better. Crimping the edges is always hard for me and I put tin foil on top of the pie half way through baking to try to get it not to burn. I think it worked all right.

White Peach Pie... Delish!

I've never eaten a white peach in my life. But when I went to the store to buy peaches, they looked so pretty and smelled so nice I couldn't resist.

I had a lot more luck with the quality of the peaches this time. This really helped the flavor of the pie have that nice bright and sweet flavor. I also measured the peach juice that I added back to the pie so it wasn't too runny. A success!

Peach Pie Numero Dos

I made this peach pie to take to my friends family reuinion. I believe, since making pies, you can't see extended family without feeding them a sweet treat. I got really experimental with this pie.

For a long time I have been wanted to play with my crust recipe. I wanted to incorporate butter into it. Normally I use Crisco and lard, so what I did was use all three! I just divided them by 1/3 cup and the flakiness of the crust held up. And I'm just hoping it tastes buttery, because I haven't tried it yet.

For the filling I added some more sugar. I also added a couple squirts of honey, just for a flavor boost. And when I was putting the filling together I totally spaced measuring the lemon zest and juice so this pie has the juice and zest of one whole lemon! So when I present this pie to Robert's family, I hope they like it. Because I have no idea what it will taste like. lol

 

The first Peach Pie of 2015! Let the experimentation begin!

So I'm getting ready for Fair season. As of July 1st peaches have gone into season and that's the kind of pie that I feel I'm the best at making. I also happen to love peach pie. So if I make 20 of them I can tolerate to eat all twenty! I looked and looked for the peach pie recipe that won the blue ribbon at the Benton County Fair last year, but I couldn't find it. 

So I've decided to just start experimenting. I think it will be fun. I remembered most of the recipe that I used last year. And my crust is in really good shape. I did hear a rumor that the judges at the state fair love the taste of a crust that has butter in it. But my pie crust has no butter. So, I'm trying to incorporate it into the fats that I already use.

This peach pie turned out really well. I think I want to add more sugar next time. But that's really my only gripe. I'm going to make another pie on Monday. In that pie I will add more sugar and I'm going to play with the crust and put butter in it. Yee-Um!

One Apple Pie for my Dad, and another for a friend.

These Apple Pies were made with six Granny Smith apples a piece. The flavor is very nice with nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice, brown sugar, white sugar and butter. The crust baked nicely, but I didn't keep a very good eye on it because my father's pie got a smidge of a burn. But it still tastes great! I made the raven pie for a friend who foam sword fights and goes my the alias of Raven. He helped us make a lot of weapons and has been very friendly... Which of course means he needs pie in his life! 

After taking the pie making class last fall I feel like I've gotten better at the craft of apple pie making. It's silly because apple pie is the most traditional, but it's the one pie I'm bad at crafting! So I'm always down to make another to try to get better at it. I can't wait to eat this!

Chocolate Caramel Tart... Disaster! But Delicious!

So I saw this chocolate caramel tart on Pintrest. I had to try it. It had my two favorite things. It also had a homemade caramel that you make from sugar and water on the stove top. That turned out great. But when I added the chocolate ganache to the top and refrigerated like instructed the tart was impossible to cut apart. Then I figured the caramel was too cold and needed to be warmed up, but then the tart just melted. Geez. This thing tastes great but is pretty impossible to serve and look good while doing it. I think I'm going to leave the rest of the tart on the kitchen counter while I go to work and see if that makes any difference. It might strike the right balance between being cuttable and not melting. 

This is a photo of a slice of the tart after I left it out for four hours and let the caramel warm a bit. It make the slices a lot easier to cut. This tart is incredibly delicious. When it's the right temperature the caramel melts on your tongue and the chocolate ganache is sweet and rich.

I'm not mad though. I love it when recipes don't go as planned. That's where we learn the most! And I had never made a homemade caramel before and now I know exactly what to do the next time I buy ice cream. mmmm

Mondays Suck!

I woke up this morning and I was so sad it was Monday! But I was also terribly happy that I took this mini blueberry pie out of the freezer the night before. It made Monday morning not sooo bad. =)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie!

This is a secret family recipe from the Crozier family. It turned out beautifully and it makes me sad that you can't find rhubarb year round.

Fresh Blueberry Pie

Oh my gosh, I've never eaten blueberry pie before. And it is so sweet and who  doesn't love a fresh blueberry? Anyway, this is a really simple pie to put  together and I bet anyone could do it. Just mix blueberries, sugar, corn starch and cinnamon... Pour into the pie  crust  and bake.

This pie turned out very well. But  sometimes when I make a lattice crust I mess up and crimp the edges of the crust before I add the  lattice  on top. So I cheated and just  added it to the center.

It turned out so  well, I licked the plate!

Lemon Chess Pie with Coconut Crust... Again!

This pie was just too good not to share with the rest of my comrades! 

Lemon Chess Pie with Coconut Crust

This Lemon Chess pie turned out super delicious and divine!! It used 3 fresh lemons. It used the juice and the zest. It was so fresh smelling and citrusy. I do believe this is one of the best tasting pies I've ever made. This is also a new coconut crust recipe that I wanted to try. It's just coconut, gram cracker, sugar and butter. The coconut crust paired really well with the lemon filling. But I had to figure out how to use the coconut crust with a filling that needed to bake for 45 minutes. Because normally the crust would only bake for 10 minutes. So I decided to put tin foil over the edge of the crust from the beginning of baking to the end. This worked really well. And even though the crust was covered, it baked for so long that it browned up a little bit anyway.

Peppermint Chocolate Cream Pie... mmm

I made this pie very recently for the first time. And everyone loved it so much I was asked to make it again. It's a very fun pie to make because the custard is made on the stove top. It takes about twenty minutes of constant stirring to get the custard to set up. And then I have a lot of fun making chocolate shavings, and eating the rest of the chocolate bar that I don't shave... lol...

Apple Pie! I needed something sweet...

This apple pie turned out very nice. Classic recipe with cinnamon and nutmeg. Yum, one of my favorites... I just made it because I wanted to share something nice with my friends and co-workers! You rock! 

Bacon, Cheddar, Tomato, Mushroom, Jalapeno Quiche!

I made a quiche. I forgot to put heavy cream in the egg mixture, but it still turned out really delicious! I just put ingredients that I felt like eating in it. I also used a butter crust that a friend gave me. And it was really tasty but it crumbled too easily and it was hard to cut a piece out of the pie without the crust crumbling all over the table.

Chocolate Peppermint Cream Pie

Holy Moly this pie is delicious! I made a stovetop custard and added unsweetened chocolate. Then I added a teaspoon of peppermint extract. I made this pie for my manager Bella and she was just yearning for a chocolate peppermint pie. I bet she wants it to taste like junior mints, and this comes pretty close. I also made a homemade graham cracker crust with crackers, brown sugar and butter. After you bake the crust it smells like heaven.