Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie!

I haven't made a pie for a while. "Life stuff" has been getting in the way. But what better time is there to make a pie than for Thanksgiving. And of course I went with the classic pumpkin pie. I read recipes for sweet potato/pumpkin pie, strudel pumpkin pie… but they just aren't classic enough.

So, I'm not sure how it tastes yet, because tomorrow is Thanksgiving, but the little lick I tried tasted divine!

I did read that taste testers can't tell the difference between the canned and fresh pumpkin after it has been baked. But the waitress at the Cafe said she could(she makes pie too). BUT, I didn't feel like going through all of the trouble with the fresh pumpkin so I used Libbys canned, and that always works for me.

I cookie-cuttered some leaves and baked them separately so they wouldn't sink in the filling while the pie was baking. I like how it turned out. But next time I will probably just use the leaves for the edge of the crust. I just wanted to practice my crimping technique. And as you can see, it still needs more practice. =) Happy Thanksgiving!

Ham and Cheese Pie

Today I made ham and cheese pie for dinner. It ended up being more of a quiche but it was still really good. I made it to use up the rest of my pie dough from the coconut cream pie. This pie called for parsley but they didn't have any at the store, so I added dill. I knew everyone I was making it for really likes dill and it turned out really well. 

This pie had eggs, ham, provolone cheese, mozzarella cheese, green onions and DILL. Yum! It turned out really well.

Auntie Sharon's Coconut Cream Pie

Today I made my aunt Sharon's coconut cream pie recipe for my cousin Ryan's birthday. (Trying to keep it all in the family.) It turned out really well. Even though the recipe called for coconut in the crust and I forgot to put it in. But my crust looked good and the filling was very creamy. 

I also added some toasted coconut on top because Ryan really likes the combo of savory and sweet. All you do is get a sauce pan to medium and put a little butter in the pan and add coconut. Cook it slow and in a couple of minutes it will turn golden. Yum! I had some left over toasted coconut and I've been putting it on my yogurt parfaits in the morning. Super Yum!

Apple Pie for Web Development Class

Today I made my yummy apple pie recipe for my web development class. I haven't gone to class yet, so the pie is cooling on the kitchen counter. I hope it tastes good. It makes me a little nervous that I can't try it before I take it to class. At least it looks pretty. 

This pie turned out really well. The curst did not shrink. I refrigerated the crust before I baked the pie, and that seems to be the trick for shrinking crusts. Some of the web students in the class even had seconds!

Neat Pie Site

Today I was surfing the web and I found a site that had a lot of varied pie making tips and tricks. A very fun read for someone just learning to make pie!

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf/Food_and_Recipes/Recipes/Baking/Pies/index.html

Dark Chocolate, Caramel & Walnut Pie

Today I made a Dark Chocolate, Caramel and Walnut Pie. This recipe used semisweet chocolate chips. So next time I make this I'm going to use milk chocolate chips, because I like those better. My grandmas pie crust recipe is still working very well. The crust recipe uses butter flavored crisco and lard. Mmm. This was a fun pie to make. 

First you cook sugar and water on the stove top. Then when it boils and turns tan, add the chocolate chips, vanilla and walnuts. And refrigerate in pie dough for 3 hours.

Very Good!

Japanese Fruit Pie (Pecan Pie)

This pie was a bit lighter in taste than a traditional pecan pie. The filling was made with butter, sugar, pecans, coconut, vanilla and vinegar. It was VERY YUMMY. I really liked it. I am still learning to crimp the crust edge, like on a traditional pie. It has proven it self a lot harder to do than what I thought. So if anyone has any helpful tips on how to crimp crust edges, that would be great! The name for this pie isn't very descriptive, since there is no fruit in it and I didn't know that coconuts grew in Japan, so it might need a re-name. 

I have also solved my shrinking crust problem. Originally I read that you should not stretch your crust or it will shrink. But the problem was that I wasn't stretching my crust and it was still shrinking. So I finally found a new tip that actually works. 

First, roll your crust and place it in the pie plate. Don't do anything to the edges or put filling in it yet. Then refrigerate it for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes put filling in and bake. No More Shrinkage! Hallelujah!!