Heavenly Apple Pie

This is one of those recipes that brings back such fond memories.  

Grandma's apple pie was simply divine and cooked a little differently than most apple pie recipes. She actually started cooking the apple filling on the stove top before she baked the entire pie in the oven. Not sure where this idea came from, but it makes perfect sense! The important thing is not to overcook the apples, but just distribute the sugars and cinnamon while gently heating everything up. By preparing the apples this way, the filling was never too sweet, most of the liquid had been extracted from the apples in the cooking process so the pie was never "soupy," and the apples looked like apples--not sauce. Brilliant!

I think I'm going to go make one right now!  Just close your eyes and imagine this apple pie, warm out of the oven and topped with some good Madagascar Vanilla ice cream. Yummmm! I say again, yummmmm!

Prepare a full recipe of your No-Fail Pie Crust and you will be ready to go.

Heavenly Apple Pie

2 tablespoons butter
8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into slices
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add in the apple slices, sugars, and cinnamon. Stir the apples to make sure they are thoroughly coated with the sugar and cinnamon. Heat through, being careful not to make the apples mushy.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the apples and spoon them into your prepared pie crust. There will be quite a bit of liquid left in the skillet. Reserve about 1/4 cup of this and pour over apples in pie crust. Top with second pie crust and crimp edges as desired. 

Cut slits in top crust so air can escape while cooking. Cover edges with foil so they don’t get too brown.  Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes one 9-inch pie.

3-Can Silky Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without the desserts and other temptations that come to our holiday tables.

Pumpkin pie, of course, is one of our favorites. Some variation of it may have been served at the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving table, having been introduced to them by the Native Americans. Perhaps it was a sweet potato or squash pie. Either way they are delicious desserts on their own or with a dollop of real whipped cream on top.

This particular pie was one Grandma discovered in a newspaper and once she got a hold of it, she was hooked (and so were we).

For this pumpkin pie recipe you'll need only need one No-Fail Pie Crust, so you can make the full recipe and put the other one in a freezer bag to store in the freezer. Then you can make this again for Christmas (or for the day after Thanksgiving)!

3-Can Silky Pumpkin Pie

1 can (15 ounces) 100% pure pumpkin

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks

1 cup canned evaporated milk

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

9-inch prebaked pie crust

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300F.

In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the pumpkin, salt, and spices to blend flavors, about 5 minutes. Add milks; cook until heated through.

In a blender or large food processor, purée eggs and yolks.  With the blender running, add pumpkin filling—a spoonful at a time at first, then more quickly as the eggs heat up. Blend to form a silky texture. Pour warm filling into a prebaked pie shell. Bake until a thin-bladed knife inserted near the center of the pie comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.

No-Fail Pie Crust

Grandma's pie crusts were legendary and there is simply no substitute. It was light, flaky, and flavorful.  A store bought pie just doesn't cut it and we have never bought a pie at a bakery that comes close.

A crust is really nothing to be scared of. Three or four simple ingredients mixed together and that's about it.  However, a successful pie crust recipe just wouldn't be the same without the proverbial pie crust lecture.  If you remember these, you will have the secret to successful pie crusts!

1. It's important you don't use ingredients that have been sitting on your pantry shelf for 3 years (even if it's been stored in Tupperware!). Use fresh flour and Crisco. 

2. It's important you don't overwork the dough. Get the ingredients in there and git 'er done, lest your dough be tough..and we don't want a tough crust!

3. It's important you do use cold ingredients (some people even put their flour in the freezer before mixing everything together!) That might be a little extreme, but you know what I'm driving at here. 

So let's get started...

No-Fail Pie Crust

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup Crisco, chilled
6-8 Tbsp ice water

Sift flour and salt together. Gradually work the Crisco into the flour mixture with a pastry blender for about 2-3 minutes or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and mix quickly. Form into a ball. Cut in half and roll out at once on a lightly floured surface or pastry cloth . Makes 2 crusts.   

[For a pre-baked crust, place one round in 9-inch pan, folding any extra crust under around the rim. Finish the edges as you like, then bake in 9-inch pan at 375F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.]

Chicken Pot Pies with Flaky Crust

There is nothing better on a cold wintry day than a properly made pot pie.  
                                                                                                             ~Craig Claiborne

Grandma was a champion at taking leftovers and creating delectable dishes using them on subsequent days. 

Thanksgiving was her favorite because she could turn the turkey leftovers into turkey tetrazzini, turkey salad sandwiches, turkey soup (using the carcass for the broth), and on and on. 

Amazingly, she would season it so you'd never tire of turkey! And why not? Many people have beef in their diets every day...so why not a healthier alternative like turkey?

So here's a small example of her expertise. Day 1: Herb Roasted Chicken with Vegetables. Day 2: Chicken Pot Pies using the leftover broth, chicken meat, and vegetables (all the more reason to cook 2-3 chickens and vegetables on day one so you're guaranteed leftovers!).  

Consider that all the ingredients will probably cost around $12 for what will become at least 2 full meal deals for a family of four (with possible leftovers for lunches depending on whether they're big eaters!).  Plus, you have a remaining sheet of puff pastry to use later. Win win!

Chicken Pot Pies with Flaky Crust

1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry
2 cups chicken broth*
¼ cup flour
3 cups shredded chicken meat*
½ recipe Caramelized Vegetables*
½ cup frozen peas
Dash salt
Dash pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.

Make a roux by mixing ½ cup chicken broth with ¼ cup flour until smooth. In a medium saucepan, heat 1½ cups of chicken broth over medium heat and slowly add roux. Whisk until boiling and smooth. Add chicken meat, vegetables, peas, salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened. Spoon meat mixture into oven proof dish(es) being used.

On floured work surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry (one of the two in the package), cut crust ½ to 1 inch over rim of dish(es), place on top and crimp the edges. Use your knife to make slits for air to escape while cooking. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown.  4 Servings

* Delicious if broth, meat, and vegetables are left over from your own Herb Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Vegetables. If not available, you could use a purchased rotisserie chicken, packaged broth, and frozen vegetables of your choice.