Judith and Kristy kicked off our 2015-2016 season with Pie Night! They hosted at Kristy's model home in Woodland Hills. It was awesome. A fun modern home in a gorgeous mountain like setting.
The evening was gorgeous and the weather was perfect.
The table setting was so fun with the wood, red and silver pie tins. We all loved the red chairs for a fun flair of color!
Simple clean white vases of white daises to dress the center of the table but not take away from it all.
I loved the place settings. Such a fun idea that is so simple. And the accent of the pic scoop was a great idea!
The menus matched the style of their invitations and as we browsed over them we quickly realized it was going to be an evening of "all things PIE". Didn't have to twist my arm!
We dished up or plates of appetizers and headed down to the patio to eat poolside and soak in the gorgeous scenery and weather.
Margarita Pizza Pie,
Mini Macaroni Pie
and Apple Pie Punch were first up and they were all tasty for sure!
As it started to cool off we headed inside to warm up with our soup course.
Chicken Potpie soup.
Next they served a "refresher" course. Um, Creamy Key Lie Pie?! Hello, pie for 3rd course. yes please!
Main was a Shepherds Pie. I was so impressed by their creativity with everything pie. It was really a fun idea for sure.
As if we weren't stuffed to the brim, there were still 3 pies for dessert AND homemade ice cream!
Strawberry-pecan pie, Simply Peach pie and banana cream pie. Wowza! All so good.
We paused to send a birthday picture to Lisa, wishing her a Happy Birthday letting her know we all had pie to celebrate!
Such a fun night in a different setting, plus we welcomed three new gals to the group! So fun getting to meet Stephanie, Lindsay and Jenny. Can't wait to get to know them better.
As they rolled us out the door, we took in hand our recipes and the fun pie scoop as our take homes.
I fail for not getting a picture of our fabulous hosts that evening, but they did a great job!
Creamy Key Lime Pie
Crust:
1.5 cups
graham cracker crumbs (from 10 2x4in crackers)
2 Tlb sugar
1 tsp.
vanilla
8 Tlb
butter, melted
Stir
together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl with a
fork until combined well, then press mixture evenly onto the bottom of a spring
form pan.
Bake crust
in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes and cool.
Make
filling:
6 oz. Lime
Jell-O (1 big box)
4 containers
key lime pie Yoplait yogurt
16 oz cool
whip
½ cup
boiling water
Dissolve
Jell-O in boiling water. Stir in
yogurt with wire whisk. Fold in
cool whip. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Garnish with
fresh limes.
Vanilla
Ice Cream
1 cup whole
milk
¾ cup
granulated sugar
Pinch of
salt
2 cups heavy
cream
1 Tlb pure
vanilla extract
In a medium
bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar, and
salt until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight.
Turn on ice
cream maker; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until
thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired,
transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about
2 hours. Remove from freezer about
15 minutes before serving
Pie Crust: (makes 2 pies)
2.5 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 cup shortening
1 egg beaten
¼ cup cold water
1 Tlb vinegar
Mix flour and salt together. Cut shortening into flour until size of
peas. Mix eggs, water, and vinegar
together and add to flour mixture.
Roll and put into pie tins with filling. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Simply Peach Pie
Filling:
5 cups fresh peaches, sliced
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ tsp cinnamon
2 Tlb butter
2 Tlb sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Stir together flour, 1 cup sugar, and
cinnamon and set aside.
Wash, peel, and slice fresh peaches.
Mix together peaches with the
combined dry ingredients.
Turn into pastry-lined pan and dot
with butter
Cover with top crust, cut slits in
it, seal the edges.
Brush top with milk and Sprinkle top
with 2 Tlb sugar
Bake 35-45 minutes or until crust in
brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust.
Strawberry-Pecan Pie
Filling:
1.5 cups sugar
¼ cup flour
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup chopped pecans
2 Tlb butter
Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg, and
cinnamon. Add strawberries and
pecans; toss gently
On a lightly floured surface, roll
one half of the dough to 1/8 in thick circle; transfer to a 9 in pie
plate. Trim pastry to ½ in beyond
rim of plate
Add filling
Dot with butter
Roll remaining dough to a 1/8 in
thick circle; cut into ½ in wide strips.
Arrange over filling in a lattice pattern.
Trim and seal strips to edge of
bottom pastry; flute edge.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes
or until crust is golden brown.
Apple Pie Punch
1 apple, chopped or sliced
1 quart apple cider
2 cups pear nectar (or juice)
24 ounces ginger ale
Combine apple cider, pear nectar,
and ginger ale. Stir well. Place apple slices inside pitcher.
Pour over ice and serve. If you’re
wanting to serve it warm, heat all of the liquid ingredients in a pot over a
stove on low heat. Simmer for a few minutes until warm, place apple slices in
the pot, and serve in mugs.
Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
·
For the
potatoes:
· 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
· 1/4 cup half-and-half
· 2 ounces unsalted butter
· 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 1 egg yolk
·
For the
meat filling:
· 2 tablespoons canola oil
· 1 cup chopped onion
· 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 1/2 pounds shredded beef
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· 2 teaspoons tomato paste
· 1 cup chicken broth
· 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
· 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
· 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
· 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
· 1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas
Peel the potatoes and cut into
1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water.
Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease
the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with
tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into
a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through,
about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the
saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and
pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
F.
While the potatoes are cooking,
prepare the filling. Prepare shredded beef (crockpot on low for 4-6 hrs.) Place
the canola oil into a 12-inch sauté pan and set over medium high heat. Once the
oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they
begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir
to combine. Add the beef, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked
through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to
coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12
minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
Add the corn and peas to the beef
mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes,
starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling
up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the
oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove
to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes
before serving.
Mini Macaroni Pies
* 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
(about 35)
* 2 cups grated Cheddar, divided
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about
8 ounces uncooked), drained and kept hot
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease 8 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.
In a bowl, combine the crackers, 1
cup of the Cheddar and the melted butter. Divide the mixture among the prepared
muffin cups and press firmly into the bottom and up the sides.
In a large bowl, mix the macaroni
with 1/2 cup of the Cheddar. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sour
cream, cold butter pieces, and salt. Stir the milk mixture into the macaroni.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of the macaroni
mixture into each cracker crust and top with the remaining Cheddar. Bake until
the cheese is browned and slightly crispy, about 25 minutes. Allow the pies to
cool slightly before unmolding and serving warm.
Classic Margherita Pizza
homemade pizza crust
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves roasted garlic, finely
chopped
1/4 cup of your favorite pizza or
tomato sauce
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, slices
into 1/2 inch thick pieces
2 plum tomatoes, slices
handful of fresh basil
fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees
Mix the olive oil and chopped
garlic together in a small dish. Spread olive oil/garlic mixture on top of
crust. Top with Pizza sauce, then the mozzarella cheese slices, then the tomato
slices.
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the
crust is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbling.
Remove from the oven and top with
fresh basil and pepper. Slice pizza and serve immediately.
Banana Cream Pie
Nabisco Nilla Pie Crust
Filling:
* 1/4 cup cold water
1 package unflavored powdered
gelatin
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 bananas, peeled and cut into
slices 1/2 inch thick
Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
The make the filling, pour the cold
water into a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let sit until the
gelatin softens and swells, 5-10 minutes. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm
the milk until hot to the touch, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a
bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch
and salt, beating until smooth. Add the hot milk to the yolk mixture 1 cup at a
time, mixing well after each addition. Add the softened gelatin and mix well.
Return to the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until
the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, 8-9 minutes. Remove from the heat
and whisk in the vanilla.
Lay 2/3 of the banana slices in a
single layer in the bottom of the baked pie shell. Stir the remaining slices
into the custard and spoon it evenly over the bananas. Cover with plastic wrap.
Prick a few holes in the plastic. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
To make the topping, in a large
bowl, combine the cream, vanilla, and sugar. Using an electric mixer on
medium-high speed, beat until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on top
of the cooled pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then let sit at room
temperature for 20 minutes.
Chicken Potpie Soup
* 1 disk refrigerated pie dough
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp plus a pinch of poultry
seasoning
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
3 medium Yukon gold potatoes,
chopped
1 10-ounce package frozen
mixed peas and carrots
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unroll
the pie dough onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with pepper and a pinch of
poultry seasoning; cut into quarters. Bake until puffed and golden, about 10
minutes
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a
large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and 1/2 teaspoon salt and
cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes, then cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Transfer to a
bowl.
Add the celery, onion, flour, 1/2
tsp salt and the remaining 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning to the pot and cook,
stirring, 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups water, the broth, half-and-half and
potatoes; cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer,
partially covered, 10 minutes. Add the peas and carrots and simmer until the
vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot and
simmer until cooked through, about 1 minute. Divide among bowls and top with
the crust.
