The pies are made!

darn, i'm so stuck on my dessert.......since I'm gonna be cooking
everything Weds and packing it in a cooler for a long drive Thurs, i
don't want to do a fruit pie - I prefer a crumb topping to a top crust,
but those get soggy the 2nd day, especially with no oven to warm and
crisp them. So pie is out unless its a pecan or something. I'm thinking
about a cranberry pound cake maybe, but I just can't settle on the
perfect dessert. And I love to bake; i'm a dessert farn. Why am I
hitting Chef's Block?

maybe its becasueI've never been limited to just 1 dessert for
Thanksgiving. My family usually does about 6 or 8, but with only 2
people, more than 1 (maybe 2 ) would be overkill.

Jude said:

darn, i'm so stuck on my dessert.......since I'm gonna be cooking
everything Weds and packing it in a cooler for a long drive Thurs, i
don't want to do a fruit pie - I prefer a crumb topping to a top crust,
but those get soggy the 2nd day, especially with no oven to warm and
crisp them. So pie is out unless its a pecan or something. I'm thinking
about a cranberry pound cake maybe, but I just can't settle on the
perfect dessert. And I love to bake; i'm a dessert farn. Why am I
hitting Chef's Block?

maybe its becasueI've never been limited to just 1 dessert for
Thanksgiving. My family usually does about 6 or 8, but with only 2
people, more than 1 (maybe 2 ) would be overkill.

Why not do some exotic cookies?

Boron

Karen AKA Kajikit said:

I procrastinated till this afternoon, so then I had to have a
pie-making fest to get them all done! The end result is five pies, all
made with a sweet short pastry base - apple/blackberry (fresh apples
and frozen blackberries), peach (tinned), homemade fruitmince (apple,
currants, golden raisins, raisins and cherries), Damsel's pecan
cheesecake pie, and a traditional pumpkin pie (tinned pumpkin and
using the recipe on the can). Here's hoping they're all delicous,
because I can't sample them! I was going to make a chocolate
marshmallow pie with a peanutbutter crumbcrust but I'm too exhausted
now. Maybe tomorrow morning before we go, but I really suspect we
won't need it...

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit

Goodness, what a marathon!! I salute you in your efforts, and I've no doubt
your pies will be wonderful!

Care to part with your "sweet short pastry base" recipe? I'm never
satisfied with the ones I make.

Spitz
--
"Home, James, and don't spare the horses!"

I'm making pies tomorrow. Was going to keep it to the Tassies I made and
froze last week and a pumpkin pie, but Dear Daughter says apple is her
favorite. So, since she's 11 I thought I'd have her help me make an apple
pie too. I'm always looking for a good pie crust recipe as I'm pie crust
challenged.

Lynne

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I procrastinated till this afternoon, so then I had to have a
pie-making fest to get them all done! The end result is five pies, all
made with a sweet short pastry base - apple/blackberry (fresh apples
and frozen blackberries), peach (tinned), homemade fruitmince (apple,
currants, golden raisins, raisins and cherries), Damsel's pecan
cheesecake pie, and a traditional pumpkin pie (tinned pumpkin and
using the recipe on the can). Here's hoping they're all delicous,
because I can't sample them! I was going to make a chocolate
marshmallow pie with a peanutbutter crumbcrust but I'm too exhausted
now. Maybe tomorrow morning before we go, but I really suspect we
won't need it...

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit

King's Crown said:

I'm making pies tomorrow. Was going to keep it to the Tassies I made and
froze last week and a pumpkin pie, but Dear Daughter says apple is her
favorite. So, since she's 11 I thought I'd have her help me make an apple
pie too. I'm always looking for a good pie crust recipe as I'm pie crust
challenged.

Lynne

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I procrastinated till this afternoon, so then I had to have a
pie-making fest to get them all done! The end result is five pies, all
made with a sweet short pastry base - apple/blackberry (fresh apples
and frozen blackberries), peach (tinned), homemade fruitmince (apple,
currants, golden raisins, raisins and cherries), Damsel's pecan
cheesecake pie, and a traditional pumpkin pie (tinned pumpkin and
using the recipe on the can). Here's hoping they're all delicous,
because I can't sample them! I was going to make a chocolate
marshmallow pie with a peanutbutter crumbcrust but I'm too exhausted
now. Maybe tomorrow morning before we go, but I really suspect we
won't need it...

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit

My momma's recipe has been handed down in our family for *years* - way
before my great-grandmother, so at least 100 years. It's very flaky. We
use this recipe for all of our pies, adding spices to compliment the
pie. For example, for an apple pie, we add 1/2 teas cinnamon and 1/4
teas nutmeg.

Her secret is not handling the dough with her hands *at all*. I use the
back of a spoon to compress the dough into the bottom of the bowl, and a
kitchen knife to cut it in half. The only time my hands touch the dough
is to lift it onto the wax paper. I lay another piece of wax paper on it
and roll away. Of course, you have to handle the edges when you crimp
them, but that's it!

2-Crust Pie Crust (for 8" or 9" pie)

2 cups flour
1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. sugar
3/4 cup Crisco
1/4 plus 2 TBSP milk (cold, straight from the fridge)

Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with a pastry
cutter until it has a fine grain - like coarse cornmeal. Pour 1/4 cup of
milk over the mixture. Use the back of a spoon to mix and press down
into the bottom of the bowl. If it's too crumbly add 1 TBSP of milk. If
you have to, add the second TBSP, but no more than that.

I usually cut it roughly in half. I use the slightly larger half for the
bottom crust. Enjoy! 🙂

Boron Elgar said:

Jude said:

darn, i'm so stuck on my dessert.......And I love to bake; i'm a dessert farn. Why am I
hitting Chef's Block?

Why not do some exotic cookies?

I made a Key Lime pie using the last of the key limes from my tree
before it was knocked over by Hurricane Wilma. :-(

It'll be great on Thanksgiving.

ttfn,
jan

On Tue 22 Nov 2005 04:59:55p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Karen AKA
Kajikit?

Quoted message said:

I procrastinated till this afternoon, so then I had to have a
pie-making fest to get them all done! The end result is five pies, all
made with a sweet short pastry base - apple/blackberry (fresh apples
and frozen blackberries), peach (tinned), homemade fruitmince (apple,
currants, golden raisins, raisins and cherries), Damsel's pecan
cheesecake pie, and a traditional pumpkin pie (tinned pumpkin and
using the recipe on the can). Here's hoping they're all delicous,
because I can't sample them! I was going to make a chocolate
marshmallow pie with a peanutbutter crumbcrust but I'm too exhausted
now. Maybe tomorrow morning before we go, but I really suspect we
won't need it...

Your pies sound wonderful, and I know I would especially love your apple-
blackberry pie!

I worked all day, so couldn't do the pies today. Tonight I've already
baked my cornbread for the dressing, and will still bake a few biscuits to
mix with it. Works better if they can dry out a bit. To the cornbread
batter I added some poultry seasoning, onion, and a hint of garlic.

I've already made my mincemeat filling (no meat, just suet), and tomorrow
will bake my pies. There will be mince, pumpkin, and pecan. Think I
changed my mind from the last time I posted.

I'm aiming for minimal cooking on T-day, so will cook or prep almost
everything else tomorrow as well. That will just leave the turkey, mashed
potatoes and gravy to make from scratch on Thursday.

That should bring stress levels down a bit. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

deepeddygirl said:

King's Crown said:

I'm making pies tomorrow. Was going to keep it to the Tassies I made
and froze last week and a pumpkin pie, but Dear Daughter says apple is
her favorite. So, since she's 11 I thought I'd have her help me make
an apple pie too. I'm always looking for a good pie crust recipe as
I'm pie crust challenged.

Lynne

"Karen AKA Kajikit" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I procrastinated till this afternoon, so then I had to have a
pie-making fest to get them all done! The end result is five pies, all
made with a sweet short pastry base - apple/blackberry (fresh apples
and frozen blackberries), peach (tinned), homemade fruitmince (apple,
currants, golden raisins, raisins and cherries), Damsel's pecan
cheesecake pie, and a traditional pumpkin pie (tinned pumpkin and
using the recipe on the can). Here's hoping they're all delicous,
because I can't sample them! I was going to make a chocolate
marshmallow pie with a peanutbutter crumbcrust but I'm too exhausted
now. Maybe tomorrow morning before we go, but I really suspect we
won't need it...

--
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
Online photo album - http://community.webshots.com/user/kajikit

My momma's recipe has been handed down in our family for *years* - way
before my great-grandmother, so at least 100 years. It's very flaky. We
use this recipe for all of our pies, adding spices to compliment the
pie. For example, for an apple pie, we add 1/2 teas cinnamon and 1/4
teas nutmeg.

Her secret is not handling the dough with her hands *at all*. I use the
back of a spoon to compress the dough into the bottom of the bowl, and a
kitchen knife to cut it in half. The only time my hands touch the dough
is to lift it onto the wax paper. I lay another piece of wax paper on it
and roll away. Of course, you have to handle the edges when you crimp
them, but that's it!

2-Crust Pie Crust (for 8" or 9" pie)

2 cups flour
1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. sugar
3/4 cup Crisco
1/4 plus 2 TBSP milk (cold, straight from the fridge)

Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with a pastry
cutter until it has a fine grain - like coarse cornmeal. Pour 1/4 cup of
milk over the mixture. Use the back of a spoon to mix and press down
into the bottom of the bowl. If it's too crumbly add 1 TBSP of milk. If
you have to, add the second TBSP, but no more than that.

I usually cut it roughly in half. I use the slightly larger half for the
bottom crust. Enjoy! 🙂

I need to make a small correction - it's 1 TBSP of sugar, not 1 TEAS. I
would be interested in comments if anyone tries the recipe. I used half
the crust for a Ruth's Chris Dutch Apple pie and the other half for a
pumpkin pie (baking right now). Most people tell me the crust is as tasy
as the pie. I usually add spices to the crust that compliment the
filling. The crusts for the apple and pumpkin pies have cinnamon and
nutmeg in them.

Bon appetit! 🙂