confections and musings

it’s a week of firsts for me….this time it was strawberry pie.  i’m thrilled it’s strawberry season.  so far i’ve been averaging about 2 qts. a week.  so good.  i was talking to my neighbor about needing a recipe for pie, and she graciously gave me her grandma’s recipe.  she claimed it was the best strawberry pie ever.  ’nuff said.  here ’tis:

3 oz. strawberry gelatin

1 c sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

2 c water

1 qt strawberries

1 pie shell

cook first 4 ingredients over low heat stirring frequently until boiling.  cook a few minutes longer until slightly thickened.  remove from heat and cool until partly gelled.  (i cooled it on the counter for a bit, then put it in the fridge for a bit….probably about 45 min. total).  pour sliced berries into pie shell (i used a store-bought shortbread pie shell).  pour strawberry goo on top of berries.  fyi…i had way more goo than i needed.  chill in fridge for a couple of hours.  i topped mine with homemade whipped cream.  perfection.

i brought my pie over to our friend’s house for dessert and we all had 2 slices.  yep.  it was bangin’ no doubt.  the shortbread pie crust was delish…i think it would also be good with a chocolate crust or even a graham crust.  i just don’t think a regular old pie crust would do for this one.  call me crazy.***

before you give me crap, i need to say, i am not going to eat one bite of this one.  it’s a birthday gift for my SIL, shannon. she requests it every year, which is the only time i make it.  which is good.  because it’s unbelievable…and naturally, very fattening.  again, i found this recipe in an old good housekeeping mag.

1 c heavy cream

1 oreo pie crust

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

2/3 c sugar

2/3 c packed light brown sugar

1/2 c creamy peanut butter (don’t use natural-it won’t work)

1 Tbsp vanilla

peanuts/chocolate/hot fudge/chopped pb cups etc. for topping-whatever you like

with an electric mixer, beat cream to stiff peaks. refrigerate.

in a large bowl, blend together the cream cheese and both sugars until smooth.  add peanut butter and vanilla, beat until blended. fold in chilled whipped cream until no streaks remain.

spoon pb filling into oreo crust. put whatever toppings you want on top.  i drizzled hot fudge on mine.  i like to sprinkle crushed peanuts too, but didn’t have any this time. refrigerate at least 1 hr.  this pie is also yummy frozen.***

happy birthday shanny!!!***

way back, 9 years ago when keith & i were newlyweds, i wanted to bake his favorite pie for his birthday.  he chose pecan.  i had never had pecan pie before and had no idea how to bake one.  as fate would have it, i found a recipe in a ‘good housekeeping’ magazine at work one night and decided to try it.

i attempted my very first pie crust, but since i didn’t have a food processor, i had to use my blender.  it didn’t work.  all the ingredients were below the blades, so it didn’t mix.  i had to work it by hand.  i have never attempted a pie crust since then….but now that i have a food processor i’m sure it wouldn’t be hard.  something to consider…

the pie itself is actually insanely easy.  i can literally whip these bad boys up in like 10 minutes.  the recipe is as follows:

pecan pie

3 eggs

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 c light corn syrup

1/2 stick butter, melted

3/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups pecans

in mixing bowl, beat eggs with vanilla.  add corn syrup, butter, sugar, and salt and mix well.  divide pecans between two pie crusts.  pour half filling into each pie crust.  bake 30-45 min at 375 until browned on top.  cool on wire rack completely.***

keith loved my pie back then.  i have been using the same recipe for 9 years now, and it’s a hit….seriously everyone who tries it loves it.  keith’s dad requests it every year for thanksgiving, so i made one for him today.

something weird…the recipe makes 2 pies.  i don’t think that it’s supposed to, but for some reason i have always been able to get 2 pies out of the recipe.  score!  so keith always gets one too.  word of warning…do not use a deep dish pie crust.  i tried that once and it didn’t work.  the goo never set and was a big sloppy mess.  i split the goo between 2 regular pie crusts.  i also use whole pecans.  perfection.***