Finding Ways To Be Green

Saint Patrick’s Day kicked off Week 21, and I wanted a pie that would ring in Irish spirit.  Being the only one in my family of four who likes potatoes, many of my savory pie ideas were just not going to happen unless I was to eat the whole pie myself… not likely.  I decided I would capture that Saint. Patty’s day mood, as well as satisfy my ice cream-loving family by making the Easy Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie from Tasteofhome.com.

For the crust, I made chocolate cookie crust, using crushed Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies and melted butter, mixed and pressed into my pie pan.  The filling was mint chocolate chip ice cream, green for Saint Patrick’s Day, softened enough to spread and smooth onto the crust.  To top off this easy pie, I sprinkled crushed peppermint patties, drizzled Magic Shell chocolate ice cream topping, and placed the pie in the freezer to firm up. 

Oreo cookies and butter

Pile on the ice cream

Smooth out the ice cream to fill the cookie crust

Top off the pie with mint candies and chocolate sauce

Easy.  Green for St. Patrick’s Day. Devoured by my ice cream-loving family of four.

Ready to dig in to our St. Patrick's Day pie

Easy as Pie

Week 8 was the first week I did not make my pie deadline; I was a day late.  Knowing the week I had been having, I knew I needed an easy pie.  And the coupon insert in the Sunday morning newspaper found a perfect fit for my need: Peppermint Ice Cream Pie.

Four ingredients!

For the crust, I mixed crushed Oreos with a little melted butter and pressed it into my pie plate.  I froze the crust for a few minutes.

Oreo cookie crust.  Yum.

The filling… well, I’m almost embarrassed to say that I made such a simple pie… one carton of slightly softened Peppermint ice cream.  Once I had shaped the ice cream into the pie crust, I placed the whole thing in the freezer for a few more minutes.

Finally, I created a decorative border using whipped topping and froze the pie for a few hours. 

Easy as pie. 

And quite delicious, too.  When December rolls around, peppermint ice cream is always at the top of my list of must haves.  Place that peppermint ice cream in an Oreo cookie crust….

One plate of peppermint heaven, coming right up!

No complaints here.

Thankful for Pies that Delight

Week 6 happened to fall on Thanksgiving week.  I’ll give you one guess as to who was in charge of pies this year.  Not a brain-buster of an answer here.  With my pie project underway, I was more than happy to volunteer.  I had originally planned to make one of the pies a pumpkin, but when I learned that only one or two people really cared for pumpkin pie, I quickly changed my plans to engage a few more of the family in pie-tasting.  The short order: 1 AppleRaspberry Crumb Pie and 1 Nutter Butter Frozen Peanut Butter Pie.

The Apple Raspberry Crumb Pie recipe comes from the Fall 2007 Betty Crocker Fall Baking magazine (the little magazines sold at the checkout stand at grocery stores).  This was not a new pie for me to make, so I already knew what to expect and I tell you, it did NOT disappoint.  Last Thanksgiving when I made this pie for my family, I used Grandma’s oil crust.  This year to mix it up a little, I used the basic flaky piecrust recipe from Real Simple magazine.

The beginnings of Apple Raspberry Crumb Pie

By using the basic flaky piecrust recipe, I was able to make the crust of the pie the day before Thanksgiving, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated overnight, taking some pressure off my time restraints on Thanksgiving Day.  When I got up on Thanksgiving, I sliced up the apples, tossed the apples in some sugar and spice, and was ready to fill my prepared piecrust. 

Sweetened apples... yum!

To fill the pie, I added the sweetened apples as a base layer.  Then, I topped the apples with raspberries.  With the raspberries in place, I crumbled almond paste over the top of the raspberries.  Finally, I capped off the pie by sprinkling a crumb topping, consisting of flour, sugar, butter, and almonds to the top.

Layered goodness: apples, raspberries, almond paste.

Crumb topping mixed and ready

The Nutter Butter Frozen Peanut Butter Pie recipe comes from the 2003 A Taste of Kansas City: Then and Now cookbook.  This was the fastest pie I have made to date (freezing time not included).  The crust consisted of crushed Nutter Butter cookies and melted butter mixed and then pressed into the pie pan.  The filling was peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and whipped topping.  Had I not been taking 

pictures between the various stages, this pie could have been ready to be put in the freezer in ten minutes!

The makings of Nutter Butter Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

Making Nutter Butter crust

 
 

This may look like a crumby crust, but don't be deceived!

How did these two very different pies turn out, you ask?  Divine!  I am not a great fan of peanut butter (nor am I a foe), but the Nutter Butter Frozen Peanut Butter Pie was a delicious peanut butter pie.  The next time I make this pie, I will drizzle a little chocolate on the plate, as the recipe suggested.  The pie was relatively rich, so I would also suggest a cup of coffee or a glass of milk to balance the richness.

 

Nutter Butter Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

The Apple Raspberry Crumb Pie was nothing less of superb for me.  Throw a few of my favorite fruits in a pie crust with almonds and we are already on the right track.  Throw in a little almond paste… ooh, need I go on?  This pie was awesome.  

Apple Raspberry Crumb Pie

Vacation Pie

I thought and thought about what pie I could make while my family is vacationing this week.  I needed a pie that did not require a lot of ingredients since the car would be loaded to the gills with all manner of other items.  I knew we would have access to a kitchen, so baking would be a possibility.  I did not however, know what kind of equipment I would be working with or what utensils would be at hand. 

The solution: Chocolate Bar Pie from Better Homes and Gardens. 

The recipe needs no flour, no odd spices, and very little sugar.  The only prep necessary before leaving for vacation was to grind some walnuts for a crust.  The rest could be made in a sparse kitchen with minimal utensils and equipment... while watching whales surface from the window in front of me. 

Smells like a perfect vacation pie.