Pie is a dessert that has been around for centuries and enjoyed by many. The first pie recipe published was by the Romans that was a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie. The Pilgrims that came to America mainly made meat pies, I don't know about you but I have never tried any meat pies and I don't plan to either! The first pie recipe that was recorded in an English cookbook in 1675 was none other than pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie was my very first pie I had ever baked on my own. It is such a simple pie to make but you can add so many things to make it more than just a classic Thanksgiving dish. Pumpkin pie cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts that my mother makes, its super rich and creamy. My love of baking came from the influence of my mom. She always gave me something to help with when she was baking. My favorite baking memory I have with her is when we would bake and decorate sugar cookies for all of the different holidays. Those were the times when we would have some of best conversations, even in my teenage years. I knew even before I had Hadley, that I wanted to pass this family tradition onto her. Now, I can't even pull out the mixing bowl without her running up to the kitchen counter with her stool shouting, "I help you mommy!" It makes my heart so happy, these are memories I will cherish forever and memories that will help shape her into the woman she will someday be.
Ross and I have been married now for five years which means I have had five years to try out recipes in my own kitchen. I've learned a lot in my kitchen. For example, the first pie I made in my own kitchen was a strawberry pie, one of my absolute favorites! If you've made a strawberry pie with the jello mix filling you know to plan on standing by the stove top stirring constantly to make sure that jello mix doesn't boil over. Silly me decided it would be okay to have Ross stand and stir for a bit while I went to change the laundry in the other room... let's just say I've made better choices haha! As upset as we were that our brand new glass stove top was now covered in a burnt, sticking strawberry glaze I am glad it happened. You see, that jello glaze never did come off of our stove top. I see it everyday as I cook or clean and it brings a smile on my face. I mean how lucky am I to have such a kind husband to come help me in the kitchen. Just like with my mom, some of our best conversations are in the kitchen too.
Now that you have a little history on pie and on my experience with pie, lets talk recipes! Please note, these are not my own recipes. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am not a professional baker/cook nor do I ever want to be. This is truly a hobby of mine that I love to do and enjoy talking about. I have made changes to some of the recipes and left notes that may help someone not to make the same mistakes I did while making it. If you have any questions or would like to share a good pie recipe with me leave a comment below or send me an email! Thanks for taking the time to read along, God bless!
Every pie needs a good foundation, the crust. This is the pie crust recipe my mother taught me and it is by far the best I've tried!
PIE CRUST
(makes enough for two pies and a top)
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup crisco
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water
DIRECTIONS:
Stir flour, sugar and salt. Mix in the crisco next. Then add the cider vinegar, egg and water. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. I put mine in the fridge for at least an hour before using. If you need the dough to be a bit firmer you can add more flour and knead it into the dough while rolling it out.
SUGAR CREAM PIE
INGREDIENTS:
1 single pie shell
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter cubed
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450. Bake pie shell for 8 minutes with foil over it. (Be sure to poke holes in the dough so that it stays flat) Remove foil and bake for 5-7 minutes more. Take out the crust and reduce oven to 375. In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk & cornstarch...bring to a boil. Stir continuously so the filling doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan and burn, (I learned that the hard way.) Reduce heat and cook for about 2 minutes until thick. Remove from heat and stir in cubed butter and vanilla.
Pour the filling over crust and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake @ 375 for 15-20 minutes. You can enjoy it warm or chilled. I prefer warm!
AMISH OATMEAL PIE
INGREDIENTS:
1 single pie shell
1 & 1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup old fashion oats
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs beaten
3 tbsp butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
vanilla icecream (optional, goes great with it on the side)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients well, pour mixture in unbaked pie shell. Bake for 45-50 minutes and enjoy.
STRAWBERRY PIE
INGREDIENTS:
1 box strawberry jello
1 cup sugar
4-6 cups of fresh cut strawberries
1 single pie shell
2 & 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
DIRECTIONS:
Bake one single pie shell and have ready and cooled for the pie filling. Dissolve box of strawberry jello and 1 cup of sugar into a saucepan of 1 cup boiling water. In a small bowl, dissolve 2 & 1/2 tbs cornstarch with 1 cup of cold water. Then add that to the jello/sugar mix. This is when you need to make sure your filling does not boil over! Stir A LOT! Boil the mixture for 15 minutes on medium/high heat. Take it off of the stove and let cool for about 5 minutes and pour over hulled strawberries. Pour mixture into a baked pie shell and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to set up. Enjoy with some whip cream!
PUMPKIN PIE
INGREDIENTS:
15 oz canned pumpkin
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp molasses
3 eggs beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425. Mix all the ingredients except the milk and eggs. Once blended then add milk and eggs and pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes and enjoy!
