Apple Cranberry Galette

I just spotted this yummy galette today at a lovely blog known as Anecdotes and Apple Cores. I knew I wanted to make it right away.  

It was thoroughly delicious, and filled the house with the aroma of fall.  

Here's Monet's recipe.  The only thing I did was substitute dried cranberries for the fresh ones, since I had some already.

 

1 recipe all butter pastry,refrigerated
2 lb. Granny Smith apples (4 large), peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. orange juice
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cups fresh cranberries
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
Sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and a line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Prepare your filling: In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, honey, orange juice and cinnamon. Heat, stirring often, until sugar has dissolved. Add apples and simmer until softened and opaque, about 5-7 minutes. Remove apples from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving juices in pan.

3. Add cranberries to pan and simmer until they begin to pop and the liquid thickens, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Combine apples and cranberries in a medium bowl, stir until berries are evenly distributed.

5. On a lightly floured, roll out your refrigerated pie dough to a 12 inch circle. Transfer your circle to your prepared baking sheet and spoon filling in the center, leaving a 1-2 inch border. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edges to form a broad rim. Lay the thin slices of butter over the fruit and dust the crust with raw sugar.

6. Bake in preheated oven until pastry is a light golden brown and the fruit has softened, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

 Today I also made some Stuffed Acorn Squash.

These were easy and quick since they are prepared in the microwave.  And I really enjoyed the combination of the sweet and savory stuffing with the squash.  Click here for the recipe.  

Last but not least I also tried a recipe I saw for some corn pudding.

I found it edible at best, but the kids seemed to like it.  Maybe it's because of the sweetness.  Here's the recipe if you're interested. 

Sweet Tea Pie and Milk Punch

First, thanks to everyone for your kind words about our doggy.  They were all very much appreciated. 

So I've got a couple more recipes for you from the cookbook "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea".  

The first is the much acclaimed Sweet Tea Pie. 

 I was really excited to make this because it sounded so unique.  But for me it turned out to be an epic fail.  I must have done something wrong because the filling turned out way runnier than I would have expected. 

 And even if it had set up just right, I think it would have been way too sweet for me.  I really didn't get the "tea" flavor coming through either.  Make it if you feel led to, maybe it will turn out better for you.

  

(btw, if you do make this, be aware that I just happened to read on someone's site before I started, that the crust ingredients are double what they should be.  Something that slipped past editing I suppose.  So cut those first 3 ingredients in half for the proper amount of crust)  

Crust
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
8 large egg yolks
¾ cup strong steeped orange pekoe tea, cooled
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt

Make the crust. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add the flour and mix until the dough forms a ball. Pat the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Chill until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Make the filling. In an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light. Add the yolks one at a time, beating at low speed until well incorporated. Slowly add the tea, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour, cornmeal, and salt and mix well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Bake for 45 minutes of until set. Cool completely on a wire rack, and then chill for 2 hours before serving. Garnish with candied lemon peel, sweetened whipped cream, and mint leaves.

Secondly, is Martha's (the author) recipe for Milk Punch.  That girl loves her bourbon!  This stuff...I like.  

Milk Punch
Serves 1

1 ½ ounces good bourbon or brandy
2 ounces half-and-half
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Drop of vanilla extract
Ice cubes
Freshly grated nutmeg

Combine the bourbon, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly until the mixture is cold and frothy. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with a grating of nutmeg.
 

 

Fruit and Custard Tart

There's been a time or two in the history of my blog that I've lamented my lack of tart pan ownership.  I shall lament no more.  Thanks to my local Goodwill, I own not one, but two!  And I was able to create such yumminess as this.

 I found the recipe at a site called Organic Tuscany Cookbook, where they also refer to it as crostata di frutta.  I think if you say it that way before you eat it, half of the fat and calories are removed. 

I actually had a lot of fun working the dough...

 mount "egg"-suvius

  

....in fact I think the dough enjoyed it too.

Had a little difficulty getting the darned thing on my plate.  No difficulty at all getting it into my face. 

  

Recipe time:

For the rich shortcrust
500g (1 lb) plain (all-purpose) flour
300g (10 oz) butter
200g (7 oz) sugar
4 egg yolks
Zest of 1 untreated lemon
For the custard
125 g (4 oz) sugar
500 ml (1 pint) milk
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons flour
1 fresh vanilla pod (I just used a bit of vanilla extract)
250 ml (1/2 pint) whipping cream
Fruit to cover (that will not go black) e.g. strawberries, kiwi, figs, raspberries etc.
 

For the rich shortcrust
Line an ovenproof tart dish with baking paper.
On a wooden work surface, mix together the flour, sugar and butter, cut into little pieces. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar, until it is completely worked in. Work lightly so that the butter does not melt.
Make a mound out of this mixture and make a well in the center. Add the eggs yolks and lemon zest (careful not to grate the bitter pith in too!)
Work the ingredients together, first with a fork, then with your hands, until you have a smooth, soft pastry dough.
Wrap the pastry dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes (ideally 2 hours, especially in warm weather).

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
When the pastry has rested in the refrigerator, roll out to the size of the tart dish, cover with more baking paper and weigh down with dry beans, rice, or another, smaller, baking dish. This will prevent the pastry rising. You should try and achieve a 1 cm (half-inch) thickness. If you have pastry left over, use to make delicious cookies!
Bake at 160°C/320°F for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden. u Remove the beans etc and baking paper and allow to cool.

For the custard
Split open the vanilla pod and place in a saucepan with the milk. Bring to the boil gently.
In a large bowl, vigorously beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the result is light in colour and frothy.
Add the flour and beat well.
Add the milk gradually, (remove the vanilla pod, scraping the seeds back into the milk) beating constantly with a whisk.
Slowly reheat, stirring constantly only in one direction until quite thick. The custard will thicken even more once it cools. Allow to cool, covering with clingfilm/saran wrap to avoid a skin forming.

To assemble
Fold whipped cream into the cooled custard. Fill the base with this and decorate with fruit.
This pie is best enjoyed at room temperature soon after it has been made, i.e. not refrigerated.
 

Just for kicks and giggles, here's a picture of a really odd dish I made yesterday.

I won't blather on about my excess of butternut squash (but there's a lot of them).  In my search for something different to do with them, I ran across Giada's recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna. 

Yeah.

Shoulda known right then to stop before I started.

In all fairness, it wasn't bad.  It was just...strange. 

Think sweet potato pie meets cheesy noodles. My daughter kept saying "it tastes like pie!"  And coming out of the oven it smelled quite heavenly.  Just not something I think we want to eat for dinner again.   

 

Raspberry Cream Pie

At the risk of suffering ridicule from a certain friend of mine, I present to you the perfect summer dessert from The Pioneer Woman.  (my friend has pw issues, but she's a little under the weather with the plague or something, so maybe she won't even notice)

This pie is simple, creamy, not too sweet, and just awesome.  Make one today.  And if you want to be a lazy slacker like me, just buy the crust instead of making it out of oreos.  It is still summer for pete's sake, don't do anything that's going to just lead to extra dishes later. 

Here's the recipe

Ingredients:

■25 whole Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies


■4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

■1 cup (generous) Raspberries

■3 Tablespoons Sugar

■2 containers (6 Ounce Each) Raspberry Yogurt

■1 package (3.4 Ounce) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

■1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

■Extra Raspberries For Garnish

Directions:
To make the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crust cookies in a food processor (or smash in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin). Stir in melted butter until all combined. Pour into a regular pie pan and press crumbs all over the pan and up the sides. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes—just long enough for it to set. Cool crust completely.


Place raspberries on a plate or in an empty pan. Smash them with a fork, then sprinkle on 3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir together and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine raspberry yogurt with the instant vanilla pudding mix (just the powder itself.) Beat on low until combined, about 1 minute. Pour in heavy cream and whip on low for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Turn mixer on medium-high speed and beat for two minutes, or until mixture is thick.

Turn off mixer, then fold in raspberries until just combined. Pour into cooled pie pan and spread evenly. Freeze for two hours, or until very firm. Cut into slices and top each slice with cookie crumbs, dollops of whipped cream, and extra raspberries. Keep in freezer, allowing time to thaw before serving.

Also check this out.  Actual vegetables grown by my actual husband.  We've got butternuts out the wazoo, so if you've got recipes, by all means send them my way.

This was a pretty straightforward preparation of the squash.  I just peeled it and cut it into chunks.  I gave it a head start on cooking by placing it in a dish in the microwave with a bit of water at the bottom, covered it loosely and nuked it about 4 minutes.

Then I drained off the water and tossed the squash with salt, pepper, about 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, and just a touch of nutmeg. 

Then it was baked  uncovered until the squashies were tender...about 25 minutes.  At this point I tested it and thought it was a tad on the dry side, so I dotted the top of the dish with pats of butter, and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese, and put it back in about 4-5 more minutes.  Just delicious!!

Bourbon Kahlua Peach Cobbler

I recently checked out Tyler Florence's "Dinner At My Place", which is chock full o' yumminess, and really wanted to try his bourbon peach cobbler.  Alas, no bourbon in the house so I decided to substitute Kahlua.  I got no complaints.  Topped with ice cream, it's the perfect summer treat.

This is a really yummy and fairly easy dessert.  I think it would be awesome enough for guests.  I loved baking it right in the iron skillet, saving one more dish I didn't have to wash.  

Here's Tyler's recipe...

Ingredients

 8 peaches peeled and sliced

1/4 cup bourbon

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 sticks cold unsalted cold butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

 Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the peaches, bourbon, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon and mix well to coat the peaches evenly; set aside.

Prepare the dumplings: Into a bowl sift together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter into small pieces. Add it to the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Pour in the cream and mix just until the dough comes together. Don't overwork; the dough should be slightly sticky but manageable.

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add the peaches and cook gently until heated through, about 5 minutes. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls over the warm peaches. There can be gaps, the dough will puff up and spread out as it bakes. Brush the top with some heavy cream and sprinkle with some sugar; put it into the oven on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is browned and the fruit is bubbling.
 

Pink Lemonade Pie

Just a quick post tonight.  I'm all drained from my two whole days back to work after vacation...phew!  But I wanted to share this yummy pie that we had on Father's Day.  It got great reviews from the whole family.

sorry about the junk in the background

This pie is just about as easy as it gets.  Just need to give it plenty of time to firm up in the freezer before you serve it.  Even when I left it overnight, it still never froze completely solid.  

Here's the recipe: (from Recipezaar)

1 16 oz can frozen pink lemonade, thawed

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

8 oz cool whip, thawed

1 graham cracker crust

Mix together first 3 ingredients until creamy.  Pour into crust and freeze until set.

Also, I've neglected to mention I was winner once again! I just love blog giveaways :)  My latest winning is a Sam's Club gift card I won from  Chris of Nibble Me This.  

I can't decide what I want to do with it, might just save it for the daughter's birthday in a couple of months.  Thanks, Chris! 

Emeril's Cabbage Rolls and Chocolate Pecan Pie

Waiting for the hubby to cook my steak in the rain so thought I'd post up a couple of things from dinner last night. These cabbage rolls are yet another entry from the book "Emeril's Potluck" I got at the library a few weeks ago. I doubt I'd take them to a potluck, they're pretty messy! But worth it, I thought they were really yummy, I loved the sauce.

I found a link for the cabbage rolls here to save my lazy butt from having to type it out, heaven forbid! They are a bit labor intensive, but what else have you got to do?

When I was a kid my mom made a lot of pecan pies. I mean a LOT of pecan pies. Could have been because we had free pecans falling from the trees in our yard. They just never did it for me, but I've figured out why. There was no chocolate underneath it all. This recipe takes care of that!

Serves 8

• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 teaspoons, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1 1/3 cups pecan halves
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
• 1 store-bought refrigerated pie crust (not in a pie plate) (I went ahead and used the kind in a pie plate, cause I'm a rebel)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie dough to a 12-inch round, about an inch thick. Wrap dough around rolling pin, and unwrap over a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan; trim edge of dough.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, light corn syrup, 4 teaspoons melted butter, and the vanilla. Scatter chocolate evenly over tart shell. Pour filling over chocolate. Arrange pecans on top, as desired. Dot with 2 teaspoons chilled butter.
3. Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is set, 45 to 60 minutes. If pecans are browning too quickly, tent pan with foil. Remove from oven; while still hot, drizzle with bourbon, if desired. Let tart cool completely before serving.

Christmas Food Round Up

Hello out there kiddies, hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. I'm still sitting here digesting so I thought I'd post up a few of the yummies we had today.

First up is this Winter Apple Salad based on the one I found at Under the High Chair.

I gave this about a 7 out of 10 for yumminess. It may have been an 8 or 9 if I hadn't burned the pomegranate reduction beyond any point of recognition and had to just skip it.

I used 3 apples in mine instead of just one. I really loved the mixture of tangy with sweet along with the crunch of the pecans. It was a hit with me.

I also had the opportunity to try this lovely cheese from the folks at Beemster.

I'm no cheese expert at all, but I enjoyed the X-O (which stands for extra old) quite a bit. It had a nice mellow flavor.

We also had an Eggnog Custard Pie from Jamie Deen. This concoction has 1/4 cup of rum in it, and for a girl who only occasionally enjoys a watered-down margarita, that packs quite a punch!

I think if the rum were decreased, and maybe prebake the pie crust a bit so it's not quite as soggy, it would be pretty good. I gave this one a 4, mostly based on the looks of finished product.

I saved this one for last because the picture is so crappy, but it was so delicious!

It's a cranberry roasted garlic risotto, and I found this one at recipezaar.

I replaced a little of the chicken broth with white wine, otherwise followed their directions to the letter.

It's so easy, no fussing, just put it together and throw it in the oven. This is one I'll be wanting to make throughout the year. I give it a 9.5, only subtracting 0.5 because I want to eat more of it but can't!

Emeril's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

A few days ago I checked out the book "Emeril's Potluck" at the library, and this is one of the heart attack-inducing wonderful selections found inside.

I really am drawn to many of the recipes in this book. When I watch him on TV, I usually think what he's making sounds great, but the ingredients and techniques are just a bit out of my reach. The majority of the food in this book uses normal ingredients (or suggests substitutes) and doesn't look too difficult.

That whipped cream picked just the moment I was about to take the pic to try to slide right off of there.

I cheated a little and didn't make the homemade crust in the recipe. I just bought an oreo crust and made my day a little simpler.

Here's the recipe for ya in all the gory detail:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups ground graham cracker crumbs

1 cup finely ground Oreo cookies (filling removed....I guess you're supposed to lick it out?)

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

6 tbsp granulated sugar

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temp (I just realized I used the whole thing....oh well!)

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

2 tbsp milk

4 oz melted semisweet chocolate

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup toasted chopped peanuts (I just used honey roasted and didn't bother with the toasting)

Chocolate sauce (recipe follows)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Combine graham cracker crumbs, oreo crumbs, butter, and 4 tbsp sugar and stir. Press mixture firmly into 9 inch pie pan and bake for 15 mins. Let cool completely, then wrap it with plastic wrap and place the pan in freezer for at least one hour. Allow the crust to come to room temp before filling.

Combine cream cheese, conf. sugar, and milk in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer until well blended about 1 min. Add melted chocolate and peanut butter, blend for another minute. Combine the cream with the remaining 2 tbsp granulated sugar in another bowl. Beat with mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate and peanut butter mixture until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. To serve, garnish with peanuts, and chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce

3/4 cup half and half

8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp unsalted butter

In small saucepan, bring the half and half to a bare simmer. Remove from heat.

Place chocolate in med bowl. Whisk the half and half in slowly. Add the vanilla and butter to the sauce and whisk until mixed. (this was good stuff, but I have a gut feeling a splash of kahlua would not be out of place here)

I think everyone really enjoyed this, and I'd definitely make it again!

I also made his black-eyed pea salad which I'll share with you next time.

Coconut Cream Pie and My New BFF

When I think about coconut cream pie, it makes me think about church potlucks, with little old white-haired ladies all bringing their tried and true pies that they make completely from scratch without even glancing at a recipe. It also makes me think about meringue which I'm not particularly fond of, so I just left that part off.

This recipe came from AllRecipes and claims to be the quintessential coconut cream pie. It was pretty important to me that my pie be quintessential. Nonchalantly looking up words in dictionary for no apparent reason.

The only thing I did differently was make fresh whipped cream to put on it cause that's how I roll. Or maybe that's why I have rolls. Whatever.

On to my new BFF.

You may have heard me sing the praises of PW's spicy shredded pork, which I will of course always love. But I wanted something a bit easier today. PW's pork takes about 6 hours or so to cook, and you have to flip it over about every 1/2 hour or so.

So I went the crock pot route today, and I can say I wasn't disappointed.

I know he's not especially suave or handsome, but what he lacks in appearance he makes up for in flavor.

I like it served over rice with some of the juices.

Here are the how-to's from about.com: southern food.

I'll have to say because I'm a huge slacker I neglected a few steps. I didn't do the garlic rub thing. And I didn't do the last part that says to get rid of the excess juices and start with another brown sugar rub. And I totally forgot the cinnamon which is a shame cause I really wanted to try that.

• 1 boneless pork loin roast, 4 to 6 pounds
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Wash pork roast, trim excess fat, pat dry, and rub with garlic halves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then prick the roast all over with a fork or skewer.

In a cup or bowl, combine 1 cup of the brown sugar, the mustard, and vinegar. Rub all over the roast.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Pour off the excess juices.

combine the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar with cinnamon; Spread the mixture over the top of the roast. Cover and continue cooking on LOW for 1 hour longer.

Anyway, I thought for a little less hassle it was pretty darned tasty.

Crispy Chocolate Ice Cream Mud Pie

Oh, I made the mistake of going to that Hershey's website again, and this is the unfortunate result. Even though it's not been long since I had some, it's calling to me again. Do you hear it too?

He's got a nice profile, but between you and me and the fence post, it might be just as easy to throw two kinds of ice cream in a bowl with some chocolate syrup, a crispy topping and a cherry. But it just wouldn't have the same effect.

Seriously, I wish he'd stop calling my name. And if I'm going to hear voices, why can't it be Sam Elliott or James Earl Jones? Something dignified or gritty. Not....calorie laden.

Here's the recipe if you can't resist the calling either.

Overactive Sweet Tooth

I love sweets. Entirely too much. I made not one, but two desserts today. Like I need them.

First I made this yummy blueberry pie.

I love this stuff!

To make this you start with a buttload of clean blueberries. In case you're not familiar with a buttload, that's 4 cups.

Add one cup of water and one cup of blueberries in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.

After it comes to a boil, add 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 3 tbsp corn starch.

(I like to mix the corn starch together with a little bit of warm water in a little container with a lid and shake the snot out of it to get rid of lumps before I add it to the blueberry mixture)

Let all this boil together while stirring about 1 1/2 minutes then remove from heat.

Add the remaining 3 cups of blueberries and stir it all up to get all the berries covered with the glaze.

At this point pour the berries into your pre-baked pie crust. (see that missing chunk out of my pie crust? That's because I really like to eat frozen raw pie dough.)

Place the pie in the fridge and let it get nice and chilled before serving with some whipped topping of your choice.

I think I'm going to take this pie to work tomorrow to say "sorry for being crabby for no particular reason, eat the pie and get over it."

Later in the day I decided to make the chocolate sheet cake with peanut butter frosting I found at My Tasty Treasures.

We really enjoyed that frosting! The girl discovered it makes a pretty good dip for pretzels!

Well, thanks for stopping by...I have to go check my blood sugar now.

As American as Apple Pie and Bowling

I don't care what foodgawker anyone says, that's the money shot right there baby! Whoever decided to put ice cream on top of apple pie in the first place was a genius!

I'd never made a lattice top before, it's pretty fun. Pre-made store bought dough of course.

This recipe came from All Recipes. It ranked high on the yummy level, but it was very juicy! What causes that? And how does one keep it from happening? I need answers here, people!

.

In other news....some kids I know got to go bowling today. Check that form! Four dollars and fifty cents to rent shoes that have been worn more than I care to think about. Highway robbery, I tell ya!

(Not) Key Lime Pie

Looking for a horrendously fattening dessert with a difficult to find ingredient? Look no further y'all! Paula Deen's got just what you need right here. I know I've seen those bottles of key lime juice a million times in my life, until I went out looking for one. And I suppose theoretically I could have purchased actual key limes, but how many million of them would it take to make 3/4 cup of juice? More than I care to know about, I'm sure.

Not only does this contain heavy whipping cream and butter, it's also sporting a hefty amount of half and half and sweetened condensed milk. Heck, why don't we just throw the whole cow in there?? (Yeah, it's good, how could it NOT be??)

To solve my problem of lack of key lime juice I substituted a mixture of juice from one of those hokey little plastic limes, the juice of one real lime, and the juice of half a lemon.

You're supposed to put the whole thing in a springform pan, but I couldn't find mine, so I put it in two of those disposable pie pans. Less dishes for me! (yeah, that's the same lime slice as in the first pic) I love that you can see the little flecks of lime zest in there.

BTW...not being able to find my springform pan was just one of dozens of catastrophes in the kitchen yesterday. Including, but not limited to, being attacked by a large jar of grape jelly that decided to fling itself out of the fridge to splatter all over the floor along with shards of glass, a close call with hot grease and my shins, and the piping hot mashed potatoes that landed 2 mm from my dog's head. I think I'm going to rename my blog: Julie orders pizza from now on.

Fried Chocolate Pies

When I reminisce about my childhood, many things come to mind. Family vacations in the Greek Isles, autumns in Kennebunkport, and weekend getaways to Martha's Vineyard. Oh, wait...that's not my childhood. Thinking of *my* childhood makes me think of the fried chocolate pies my mama used to make. (and fried lots of other things too, but that's another story) I have made a few half-hearted attempts to recreate them over the years, without a lot of success. What was really intimidating me was the stinkin' pie crust. I just couldn't bring myself to want to make a bunch of pie crust for a bunch of little pies. But, if I was gonna make fried pies, it was something I was gonna have to do. So this weekend I decided to take the bull by the horns and really try to give it my best shot. And overall, I think I did okay. So here in my first ever step-by-step pictorial direction-ified recipe, is my mom's fried chocolate pies. First the crust. I searched around and found this recipe on cooks.com that was specifically for fried pies. My only complaint was that it said it made 40, and I only got 14. (not that I thought I needed 40 pies, I'm just sayin...) Otherwise, it was great! Very soft and stretchy, super easy to work with, especially for a pie crust novice like myself. I threw all the listed ingredients into the food processor and combined it till it looked like this:

  Then I took about half out and dumped it onto a floured surface, rolled it into a circle type shape like so: Then I took a saucer that's about 6 inches diameter and cut a couple of circles. Which brings us to the fillings. I mixed together unsweetened cocoa and sugar (in no specific measurements) till I liked the way it looked. Of course the taste test was involved as well. Along side this I had my butter and vanilla ready to go. I filled half of one of the pie crust circles with the cocoa mixture, then a few drips of vanilla, and some thin slices of butter. I folded that over and crimped the edges with a fork. At his point he was ready to fry. I had my iron skillet sitting over med-low heat and had added enough shortening to have about 1/2 inch in the pan. I gently place my first pie in the skillet, and let it get brown on the first side, about 2-3 minutes: Then the flip side.

Then it was all finished and ready to drain on a paper towel. Overall, I thought they were pretty darn good. It really did take me back. So if you'd like to relive my childhood, make up a batch of these. Even the hula girl likes it, see how happy it makes her!