Vegetable Meatza Pie - Week 9 Bonus Pie

Meatza = traditional pizza crust is replaced with a crust of ground meat and topped with pizza toppings

This dish was inspired by Ginny's Low Carb kitchen's blog where she had some leftover salad that she made into a pizza. I modified the recipe into something that could easily work in anyone' s kitchen.; so I didn't use her leftover salad recipe even though I'm sure it is delicious.  I was fascinated with idea of using meat instead of a traditional crust. All you do is press a pound of hamburger in a pie plate and bake it before you put your toppings on.

While it is baking, you can start chopping up your fresh veggies for your toppings. The asparagus in the stores has been great this season; so I thought this was another great way to eat it. I've also fallen in love with the multi-colored mini sweet peppers that are sold in the stores by the bag. I've put them in salads. fajitas, soup, and now this; they are very versatile. 

It does seem like the recipe requires some unusually small amounts of specific ingredient like the bacon, marinara sauce and asparagus. But, I plan on using the leftover quantities during my weekly menu. I think there are many things that could be substituted to make it your own. 

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/4 cup marinara
3 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 t. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped peppers
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
5 stalks asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup Italian cheese



Directions:
Press ground beef into round circle in pie plate. Sprinkle ½ t. garlic powder and ½ t. seasoned salt. Bake 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees, or until meat is done. Drain grease. In skillet, saute onions, peppers in olive oil until tender. Add seasonings and asparagus and cook another 5 minutes. Spread marinara sauce over cooked ground beef. Top with ½ cup of Italian cheese, bacon and then vegetables. Place another ½ cup of Italian cheese on top. Broil until cheese is browned.

I would recommend a tossed salad to accompany this to make a complete meal. We thought it was great! I will definitely try this again; and mix it up a little by trying some different toppings next time. And in all actuality, it went together quickly in under half an hour so this is definitely a great addition for my "fridge to table in minutes" recipe box.

Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake Pie - Week 9

All the world's a cheesecake
And all the men and women are merely players.
from The Shakespeare Quote Generator

I am not a cheesecake expert, but I do know that this recipe is easy and will be a tasty and an impressive dessert for almost anyone. This version is light and fluffy, and could be versatile if you want to switch out ingredients. The original recipe called for raspberries, which would have been tasty too if it weren't for those pesky seeds.  After making this, I believe many other fruits would be a great alternative too. 

Yes, I know cheesecakes are typically made in a springform pan. And many are heavy and rich that stick to the roof of your mouth and can be sliced in slivers, but this is a nice alternative to be served as a pie.



Ingredients:
1 sleeve (5 oz) chocolate graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup sugar
5 T. Butter, melted
1 pkg (8 0z) cream cheese
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
3 T. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
1 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T. milk

Directions:
Combine crushed chocolate graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter. Press into pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Beat together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Beat in egg, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix well. Place blueberries in graham cracker crust. 





 Carefully pour cream cheese mixture on top of blueberries.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees until set.  Cool completely. 










Melt chocolate and milk together over low heat and stirring often. Pour over cheesecake. Chill several hours before serving.

Our family loved this, and it didn't take long for it to start disappear from the pie plate.  I am planning on making two more of these for this next week to take to a potluck and to our annual LWML Smorgasbord. I can imagine the different possibilities for fruit variations. I would love for you to share what you try in your cheesecake pie.

Margaritaville Pie - Week 8

The taste of lime reminds us of the fresh taste of summer.

It is no coincidence that Margaritaville trademarked the phrase "It's Five O'clock somewhere" to help market their margaritas.  After a long day at work, you can't wait to escape to a sunny retreat that promises relaxation. And, the taste of lime puts you on the fast track to unwind after a hard day's work. 

I can remember as a child, tasting a fresh limeade and thinking that it was truly the first refreshment that I'd ever swallowed on a hot summer's day.

The day that Americans celebrate the Margarita is February 22nd. It is placed on the calendar at the time of year where most of us are tired of the being stuck inside during daylight hours only to have our escape from work greeted by the quickly setting sun into darkness.  I think most of us are ready for summer with its warmer temperatures and more sun. 

For National Margarita Day, I fixed up two pies for our family. One which is a non-alcoholic version for the whole family.  It is named Margaritaville Pie, but is really a Key Lime Pie under a different name.

The other pie is simple and should be stored in the freezer for a treat in the evening later in the week. It actually contains only 4 tablespoons of alcohol and could be modified to include less. Several other websites cautioned to avoid the temptation to add more alcohol to make it more boozy. And after tasting it, I agree it has a nice blend.

Both pie recipes included a can of sweetened condensed milk. I had always wondered how this strange thick goo would taste when made from scratch. I looked it up and found this blog: dontwastethecrumbs.com that tried out the process. I figured it sounded simple enough; so I tried it out. It was a good thing that I had the time available in between loads of laundry because it took 3 hours to simmer/condense on the stove. I had to let it condense even more because I used 1% milk rather than the whole milk that it recommended (I ended up using 2 cups vs 1 - 1/2 cups per the recipe). The end result was good because it didn't have the canned taste; however, I will probably stick to the premade canned version in the future because of the time commitment required. I do recommend that if your diet recommends an alternative to the store-bought kind that this is a must-try.

I would recommend squeezing your own limes. I managed to get 3/4 cups of lime juice from 4 limes, however I used a standard size. If you use a smaller key lime it will take more limes to get the required amount of juice. Now to the recipes, so you can enjoy your taste of summer too! Also, buy the name brand vanilla wafers because this brand was not good at all.

Margaritaville Pie (Non-alcoholic)

Ingredients:

2 c. crushed vanilla wafers

2 T. sugar

2 T. melted butter

8 oz. cream cheese

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 t. lime zest

3/4 c. lime juice

3/4 c. cream of coconut

1-1/2 c. (4 oz) whipped topping

Lime wedges and/or lime zest curls

Directions:

Combine wafer crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, add eggs and egg yolk (one at a time, beating well after each addition).  Add condensed milk and beat well. Add lime zest, lime juice, cream of coconut. Beat well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until center is set (pie may still quiver). Cool pie and garnish with whipped topping and lime.

Margarita Pie (with alcohol)

Ingredients:

1-1/4 c. crushed pretzels

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. melted butter

15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 t. lime zest

1/2 c. lime juice

2 T. tequila

2 T. triple sec

1 drop green food coloring (optional)

1-1/2 c. (4 oz.) whipped topping

Lime wedges and/or lime zest curls

Directions:

Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Press into a buttered small pie plate. Chill for 1 hour. In a bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and food coloring (optional). Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Pour into cold pretzel pie crust and freeze for minimum 4 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with 1/2 cup whipped topping and limes. Store in freezer.

We enjoyed the fresh lime taste and I hope you have a chance to escape from the "sick of winter" blues and have a slice of pie to remind you that summer is just around the corner.

Rose Apple Pie - Week 7

Rose Apple Pie is the perfect Valentine's pie...

some love flowers, more love pie, and this is both!

I remember the first time that I got a rose for Valentine's. I was in high school, and heard my name announced on the intercom to come to the office. As I was making my way to the office, the anticipation was building because everyone knew that if your name was called on Valentine's Day that a special delivery was waiting for you in the office.  I received a single red rose in a vase from my future husband and it truly was a special moment.

I've tried to return the favor by giving him flowers, but men just don't appreciate the gift of flowers like women do. However, I think I've found flowers that everyone can appreciate. My husband enjoyed this pie and ranks it at the top right below the bacon apple pie.

Pictures of the rose apple pie have been all over the internet in the last year. But the original post is Bulgarian, and some of the ingredients/directions didn't translate well. In my continued research, I found that others had failed at trying this pie, so I was a little nervous trying this out.  The pie exceeded my expectations other than the fact that I would have prepared more apples so I would have been able to fill the entire top. I had only prepared 3 gigantic Jonagold apples, where I think 5 average size apple would be sufficient to fill the top; so I've adjusted the final recipe.

I also chose a simple cream cheese filling rather than take a chance with the Bulgarian recipe. When it was time to roll the roses, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease that I was able to put them together. After rolling the roses, I was able to place them in the cream cheese filling and it stayed together and didn't unravel while I worked on the rest.

Ingredients:

1 Deep dish Pastry Pie Crust

3 cups Water

1-1/2 cups Sugar

5 Apples, thinly sliced

1- 8 oz. pkg Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 t. Vanilla

1/3 cup Sugar

1 t. Cinnamon

Directions:

Blind bake crust for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. 

Boil water and 1-1/2 cups sugar in large pan. Add apples and return to boil and continue to boil for 2-3 minutes or until slices are transparent (cooking time depends on variety of apples). Drain the apple slices in a colander. After the apples have cooled some, arrange slices on paper towel.

Mix cream cheese and sugar well. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Place cream cheese mixture in baked shell.

To make apple roses, take a small slice of apple and roll it into a tube, and add slices to the tube until you get the desire size. Arrange roses on top of the cream cheese mixture. Before baking, sprinkle apples with cinnamon sugar. Bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until cream cheese is set.

During my pie-search, I have found other people that have also made a pie per week and blogged about it. My favorite blog so far has been Pie Love You. I enjoyed reading about Kimberly's pies and thought it was fascinating that she was making pies for her husband as newlyweds where I'm making them for my husband after 20 plus years of marriage. I discovered her blog just a few weeks ago, and was amazed at many of the similar recipes we had chose for our pie challenge. 

I encourage you to make a special pie for your family, friends, or yourself and capture that special moment that only flowers or pie can create. Have a great Valentine's and remember that even though this day is set aside to commercialize love, every day is a great day to share love by doing something special for someone else! 

Chili Pie - Week 6 Bonus Pie

Chili tastes so good when it's chilly out, and so does pie.

This is a great way to combine both tastes.

This time of year when families are making large pots of chili, you're bound to have leftovers. Your family will definitely not  be thinking about the fact that they are eating leftovers when they taste this delicious pie.

Ingredients:

1/2 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup Cold Water

2 oz. Corn Chips

1/2 cup Flour

1/3 cup Cornmeal

1 T. Salt

1/4 t. Black Pepper

1/4 cup Butter, cubed & cold

1/4 cup + 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

2 cups Leftover Chili

Directions:

Stir vinegar into water. Set aside. Place 1 oz. of chips in food processor and pulse until chips are crushed. Add flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and black pepper. Pulse 3 times. Add cubed butter until sandy (20-30 seconds). Break up remaining 1 oz of chips with fingers. Add chips and 1/4 cup cheese to food processor and pulse 3 times. Add 3 T. of vinegar water and pulse 2 more times. If dough sticks together, press into pie tines. If not, add 1 T. more at a time.  Press into a pie tine. 

Bake at 375 degrees 10-12 minutes until shells are crisp, not browned.  Meanwhile warm up your chili. Fill with chili. Top pie with 1 cup of cheese. Bake at 400 degrees 10 - 15 minutes until cheese is completely melted.

This recipe is a keeper!  We enjoyed the crispy shell underneath some warm tasty chili topped with melted cheese. I'm guessing you could still do this without a food processor, but it will be a little more work. I used to have a large food processor, but when it broke I got this smaller one and love it because it fits easily in my cabinet, and has less pieces to wash and keep track of. I use it all the time for bread crumbs, guacamole, sauces, cranberries, and nuts. 
Hope you're staying warm and have a cozy blanket near you in this frigid weather.

Shaker Lemon Pie - Week 6

For all you Lemon Lovers out there, this is your pie!

This is a perfect pie for winter when large tasty lemons are available in the markets.  This pie seems to have originated from the Shaker communities in Ohio and is about as simple and straightforward as you can get in a pie as compared to a traditional more complex lemon cream pies. 

Since you include the rinds in the pie, it does have a marmalade quality. 

You do have to plan ahead and slice your lemons the night before paper-thin. (I wish I could have sliced them even thinner than what I did; maybe, a slicer could have worked better) And then, let them soak overnight in 2 cups of sugar.  

Ingredients:
1 Double Pastry Pie Crust
2 Large Lemons
2 cups Sugar
1 t. Salt
4 Eggs, well beaten
1 t. Vanilla

Directions:

Slice lemons paper thin, leaving rind on and removing seeds. Add sugar & salt and let stand overnight. Stir the beaten eggs and vanilla into lemon mixture and pour into bottom shell. Place top crust on and cut several vents. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes until knife comes out clean.

This pie was tasty, however if you don't LOVE your lemons; you may want to leave it for the lemon lovers. It is very strong; so one small slice will satisfy you. My husband actually thought it would be good to use oranges in it rather than the lemons. Let me know if you try that instead.

Have a pie-tastic time making this pie!