Pi(e) Day 3.14

To celebrate Pi day, I have done a round up of some of my fave pies!

Pies do not have to be sweet, I love a great savory pie as well.
What is your favorite type of pie?

An InLinkz Link-up

Cherry Dream Pie

Hubby plans all sorts of "parties" all the time during each sport season. This translates into "Jay, can you do a ton of cooking and cleaning so that my friends can come over, eat, drink, and scratch things?"

(OK, in his defense, he does most of the cleaning for parties, but it makes my complaint sound better if I make him out to be caveman-ish)

So, maybe you have noticed that I exaggerate slightly here...
But we did have a handful of people over, and that meant food!
I made a huge pot of chili for everyone. Add in all the other yummies that people bring, we had some stuffed men folk.

Then I brought out this pie.
Every man's head swiveled. Like, as if a hot chick walked by.

Then you saw everyone grab their stomach, groan, and say how full they are. I had a piece, one of the men folk did, and that was about it. When it was time to leave, a couple of people took pieces home with them. Hubby made some comment about having a piece later in the evening.

Fast forward a couple of hours. I head off to fold some laundry, out of the room about 10 minutes.
I come back and there is hubby, looking like a kid caught cheating, with the whole remaining pie in his lap and a fork.
I am not exaggerating here, no matter what I said earlier.
He ate the whole remaining half a pie.

Glad I snagged a piece earlier! The girl child never had a chance.

Ingredients:

3 Egg yolks

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

⅓ Cup lemon juice

1 Ready made graham pie crust

1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling, chilled

Directions:

1. In medium bowl beat egg yolks

2. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice

3. Pour into crust

4. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes

5. Cool for 1 hour

6. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until set

7. Top with pie filling

8. Store in refrigerator
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Adapted from here

Chicken Pie

We love chicken pie. It's a comfort feel good food.
Being a small family, we always have half a pie left over (oh darn, lunch tomorrow) which is why I do not have a gravy inside my crust.
Keeping the pie drier while cooking makes for a better reheating the next day.

Ingredients:

1 Lb cooked chicken (cut up)

1-2 Cups mixed vegetables

½ Cup hot water

1 Chicken boullion

1 Pie crust

Garlic powder

Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Put one crust on bottom of greased pie plate, poke holes with a fork

3. Bake bottom crust for 10-15 minutes

4. Add chicken and vegetables

5. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and pour over chicken mixture

6. Season to taste

7. Place top crust, crimp edges, and cut air holes

8. Bake for 45-60 minutes

9. Serve with gravy

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Basic ingredients

I want some now!

This recipe was shared on: Love Bakes Good Cakes, Sweet Bella Roos, Sugar and Dots, Crafty Allie, Livin the Mom Life,  Thirty Handmade Days, Cooking with Curls, Simply Gloria, A Peek into my Paradise, The Chicken Chick, Kathe with an E, Inside Bru Crew Life, Frugal Foodie Mama, Pioneer Momma, Anyonita's Nibbles, Pint Sized Baker, Mandy's Recipe Box, Chef in Training, Our Table for Seven, Wine and Glue, Mom's Test Kitchen, Lambert's Lately, Buns in my Oven, Sweet Haute, Saving 4 Six, Will Cook for Smiles, and My Personal Accent

Tomato Brie Pie

Brie can be very popular.

We have friends who always serve it cold with cranberry chutney.

Someone on my aunt's side (never remember exactly who brings what) brings to parties hot brie wrapped in puff pastry.

Either way, I like it.

Hubby...eh...not so much. I think he finds it a little too "dainty" for his manly self.

Until now.

As you know, Diane Mott Davidson writes mysteries, and includes the recipes from her main heroine. This (I am told) is one of those.

I made it knowing the girl child and I would enjoy it...and surprisingly enough hubby ate two helpings!

I will advise the following: If you do nothing else, please, please, please don't forget to let this pie rest before serving! "Someone" cut into it too soon and it was an ooey-gooey mess! Once cooled a bit, it's still gooey, but holds it's shape much better.

P.S. I will admit to using store bought crust. Time was not my friend that day.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 ¾ Cups all purpose flour

¾ Tsp sugar

¼ Tsp salt

¼ Cup chilled lard, cut into pieces

6 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1-3 Tbsp ice water

FIlling:

1 ½ Lbs ripe tomato (about 5 medium). Trimmed, but not peeled. Cut into 8ths, seed pockets removed

5 oz brie cheese, rind scraped off, cut into cubes

2 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes

1 oz Fontinella cheese, cut into small cubes

⅓ Cup chopped fresh basil

3 Large eggs

⅓ Cup heavy cream

⅓ Cup milk

DIrections:

Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place flour, sugar, and salt into food processor. Process 5 seconds.

3. Add lard. Process until mixture is like cornmeal.

4. Add butter and process until mixture resembles large crumbs

5. Add the water 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing quickly, just until the mixture holds together.

6. Roll the dough out between two sheets of wax paper to fit into 9-inch pie pan.

7. Prick the dough and flute the edges.

8. Bake the crust for 5-7 minutes.

FIlling:

1. Drain tomatoes thoroughly on paper towels

2. Place the cheese cubes evenly around the crust.

3. Place tomato on top of the cheese, top with basil.

4. Beat eggs, cream, and milk. Pour this mixture over the tomato.

5. Bake for 35-50 minutes, until center is set.

6. Allow pie to cool 10 minutes before serving.

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Ingredients

Make sure you let this set before cutting!

This recipe was shared on: Wine and Glue, Mom's Test Kitchen, Sweet Haute, Lambert's Lately, Saving 4 Six, Gooseberry Patch, Embracing Change, The Bitter Side of Sweet, and Buns in my Oven

Macadamia Nut Tart

Recipe adapted from here

I don't have a food processor. This is not something I am OK with, but it is what it is.
When it came to making this tart (and other items) I just keep working the ingredients with a fork over and over until the dough is formed.

One would think I would have ripped arms. Sadly, no.

I put this tart together, and baked it. When I pulled it out of the oven I got a little panicky. The entire middle of the tart was still so incredibly liquid.

Hubby talked me into letting it cool and just "see what happens". So glad I listened to him (mark the calendar!) and didn't put it back in the oven. Once the tart was cooled, the inside gelled to just the right consistency.

We had this at a party. One person suggested that it looked like a baked bean pie (new idea? Hmmm) Everyone who tried it compared it to a twisted pecan pie.

Ingredients:
1 Cup all purpose flour
½ Cup butter, cubed
3 oz cream cheese, cubed
⅛ Tsp salt
1 ¾ Cup sugar
¾ Cup water
½ Tsp lemon juice
⅓ Cup heavy whipping cream
¾ Cup butter
1 Cup dry roasted macadamia nuts (coarsely chopped)
Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Process first 4 ingredients in a food processor until dough forms a ball.
2. Roll into a 12 inch circle.
3. Place dough in 10 inch tart pan, trim edges, leaving a 1 inch overhang.
4. Fold overhang inside pan, and press against sides, forming a thick edge.
5. Line pastry with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans.
6. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes. Remove from oven, and place on a wire rack to cool.
7. Reduce oven temperature to 350
8. Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan.
9. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes or until mixture turns a dark amber color.
10.Remove from heat and carefully stir in cream and butter until smooth.
11. Place nuts in bottom of tart shell.
12. Place tart on a baking sheet.
13. Pour caramel mixture over nuts.
14. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
15. Remove tart from oven and place on a wire rack.
16. Cool completely. Serve with whipped cream.

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I guess it kind of does look like a "baked bean pie"!

Vidalia Onion Pie

Yet anther recipe I pulled from a Woman's World magazine.

We love cooked onions, and vidalia are just so sweet and delish, we had to try this.

I went to the store, got the onions (isn't it great when you have 99% of everything already in your pantry?) and made this one lazy Friday night.
Usually we do one no-cook night a week, usually Friday...but this sounded so simple, I counted it as no-cook.

This came together so quickly. Right before it was done, I made some childhood favorite, tomato soup.

This dish was everything it promised to be! Sweet onions in a not so heavy egg base...and the cracker crust was so flaky.
Paired with the soup on a cold night, we really enjoyed our easy dinner.

This was so good, and so easy, I whipped up another one the next morning and brought it to my grandmother; which was well received!

Ingredients:
1 Sleeve Ritz crackers (crushed)
¼ Cup + 2 Tbsp butter
1 ¾ Cup chopped vidalia onions
3 Eggs (beaten)
¾ Cup milk
⅛ Tsp salt
⅛ Tsp pepper
3 Tbs parmesan
Dash Paprika

Directions:
1. Melt ¼ cup butter. Mix with crushed Ritz crackers.
2. Press cracker mixture into and up sides of a 9 inch pie pan.
3. Cook onions in 2 tbsp butter until translucent
4. Add onion mixture to pie plate
5. Beat eggs with milk. Add salt and pepper.
6. Add egg mixture to cover onions
7. Sprinkle parmesan all over top.
8. Sprinkle with paprika.
9. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

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Ingredients

And I had plenty of onions left over to make the creamy onion soup for later this week!

I now have to head to the fridge for some leftover pie.

I should feel more shame, but I don't! 

Peanut Butter Pie

I have this recipe in my collection, it looks almost like someone photo copied it from a cookbook. There is no identifying information.

I made this and brought it to a family function. I had some and thought it to be very sweet, so only had a little. I "warned" others as they were cutting into it and they all reported back that they did not feel the same way.
Either way, I would slice this smaller than you would a piece of regular pie.

This was super easy to make and would make it again in a heartbeat!

Ingredients:

Crust-
1 ½ Cup graham cracker crumbs
⅓ Cup sugar
6 Tbsp melted butter

Filling-
2 Cups heavy whipping cream
1 Cup peanut butter
4 oz cream cheese (softened)
¼ Cup sugar
1 Tsp vanilla
1 Cup chocolate chips


Directions:
1. Start with crust: Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press into pie pan.
2. Bake at 375 for about 8 minute. Let cool.
3. Whip the heavy cream and set aside
4. Cream together the peanut butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add vanilla.
5. Fold the whipped cream mixture into the peanut butter mixture.
6. Fold in chocolate chips
7. Pour into cooked crust, chill before serving.

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Ingredients

Pecan Pie

My grandparents used to snowbird in Florida every year. New England weather was just too much for them.
One year my Nana sent me up a whole bag of unshelled pecans.
My roomate and I looked at each other and were just like "uuummmm".

Pecan pie was what we decided on. Neither of us had made any before, but we knew it had Karo Syrup in it.
Off to the grocery we went, found a bottle of Karo, and just followed the recipe on the back.

It came out so perfect. Gooey inside, crunchy nut crust, and so sweet it hurt our teeth..you know, like every awesome pecan pie!
To this day, I still swear by this first recipe, it's the my go-to every year.

1 Cup Karo syrup
3 Eggs
1 Cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Teaspoon vanilla
6 oz Pecans
1 Pie crust


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix first 5 ingredients
3. Stir in pecans
4. Pour filling into crust
5. Bake for 60-70 minutes
6. Cool before serving

Print me!

Here is the original Karo recipe.

Chocolate Toffee Creme Pie

I have made this pie numerous times. Every time I make it, I only manage to try a bite of it before it is GONE!
(Although, to be fair, I was too full to eat the remaining piece at Thanksgiving)
It's silky, chocolaty, crunchy, sweet, and pretty all at the same time.

My husband is a big Heath bar nut, so as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it.
The first time I made it, it was SUCH a hit, I had to bring the rest to my Nana to get it out of the house so we didn't eat it all!

It's so easy to make, and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!

2 Packages of Instant Chocolate Pudding
2 Cup cold milk
1 Container (8oz) Whipped Topping
Toffee bits
1 Oreo pie crust
1 Square (1oz) semi sweet baking chocolate, melted

Directions:
1. Mix pudding and milk in bowl with a whisk for 2 minutes
2. Stir in half the whipped topping
3. Mix in a generous handful of toffee bits
4. Pour into crust
5. Top with remaining whipped topping
6. Sprinkle toffee on top
7. Drizzle melted chocolate on top

Printable recipe

I bought the Heath bits in the baking section. I didn't measure them when I made it, we like our candy crunch !

The original recipe was found on the side of a Jell-o Pudding box. You can find it online here.

Come party with me HERE!

Key Lime Pie

From the day she started eating solid foods, my daughter has been a citrus junkie!
Oranges, grapefruit, lemon and lime...she loves it all. She eats lemons like some people eat apples.

Can you believe she does not like key lime pie?
I don't understand, but, who am I to judge.

Hubby dearest and one of my uncles would sell their left kidney in order to get key lime pie. To me, that is worth making it for!

I will say, it is well worth it to find the key lime juice. I tried every store in our area with no luck. I happened to find it at our local Wegman's. We just got our first one last year...and I am addicted!

One pre made graham cracker crust
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 Cup key lime juice
2 Large eggs
1 Cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Lime Zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Combine condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs,
3. Whisk until blended and place in the pie shell
4. Bake for 15 minutes, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours
5.Mix powdered sugar and sour cream (frosting)
6. Frost pie and sprinkle with lime zest
7. Serve chilled


Printable

Mixing up the "meat" of the pie

Pie is filled and chilled, ready to frost.

Yes, the frosting still looks like sour cream, but the powdered sugar gives it just the right amount of sweetness.

Frosted, zested, and ready to eat!

I found the original recipe here.

This recipe was shared with: The Tumbleweed Contessa

Come party with me HERE!