Kentucky Derby Bacon Bourbon Pie - Week 17

Read on to find the six degrees separation between this year's Kentucky Derby winner and Easy as Pie in Kansas!

California Chrome is the race horse that is currently trying for the triple crown.

Kentucky Derby is the race that boosted his popularity across the nation.

The state of Kentucky has hosted the Kentucky Derby since 1875.

Fried Chicken is a well known southern food for the state of Kentucky, in fact Colonel Sanders started a chain of restaurants based on his original recipe.

KFC is the national franchise restaurant of Kentucky Fried Chicken found in nearly every part of the United States. 

Kansas Fried Chicken...surely if the restaurant is located in Kansas that is what the KFC stands for.

Pie is the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken, especially if you're in the state of Kansas.

Easy as Pie in Kansas is proud to present the Kentucky Derby Bacon Bourbon Pie. And we just had to include Bacon in it because of the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.

And bourbon because it is unique to the state of Kentucky because of the iron-free water that is found in area by filtering it through high concentration of limestone found in Kentucky. 95% of all bourbon originates from the state of Kentucky and must be aged in new, charred oak barrels giving it a unique taste that carries through in this pie.

Ingredients (Crust):

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 t. salt

2 t. sugar

3 T. cold bacon grease

5 T. cold butter, cubed

2 T. cold bourbon

2 T. ice water, more as needed

Ingredients (Filling):

1/2 cup maple syrup

4 T. brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

3 T. butter

3 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. salt

2 cups pecan halves

1/2 cup bacon, finely chopped

3 T. bourbon

Directions (crust):

Whisk together the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in bacon

grease, and then cut in butter. Sprinkle the bourbon and water over

the mixture and lightly toss together until just mixed. Mold dough into

a disc, and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Roll dough on lightly floured surface and roll out. Place in a pie plate and crimp as desired. Freeze for 30 minutes before baking.

Directions (filling):

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Stir

syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup and butter in medium saucepan over

medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Increase heat and

boil 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm (45 minutes). Whisk eggs, vanilla and

salt in mixing bowl. Gradually whisk maple mixture into egg mixture.

Stir in pecan halves, bacon, and bourbon. Pour filling into crust. Bake

pie until filling slightly puffed around edges and center is set, about 55

minutes. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Nutty Goodness!!

We thought this pie was good. My husband who loves pecan pie and bacon, actually thought the traditional pie is just as good, but it was fun trying it out!

And while we are at it why don't we just rename the racehorse 

Kalifornia Krome in honor of his connection to Easy as Pie in Kansas.

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.

Bacon Apple Pie- Week 1

It's the first day of the new year and I've baked the first pie for my Easy as Pie Challenge: The Bacon Apple Pie! I actually found the idea from the Loveless Cafe in Nashville, TN. They actually had a recipe provided, but after some research, I modified it to fit my needs.

Even though this may not be everyone's favorite. I knew this would be a strong contender in our home....because Bacon makes everything better! The list of things that are better with bacon is long; think: cheeseburgers, sandwiches, broccoli salad, footloose, and now, PIE!

For this pie, I used Jonagold; and some high-quality bacon from Ellinwood Packing. I had sent my husband to get the bacon, and he brought home 2 1/2 pounds of bacon instead of the pound that I requested. Did I tell you that he thinks bacon is awesome? He actually makes a very good Bacon Chili.

I've always enjoyed the woven top pie crusts, and bacon is a super way to achieve that woven top.

This is is a glimpse of the pie looked before it baked in the oven.

We thought the pie was great. A nice blend of salty and savory with the sweetness of the apples.  We also indulged before dinner and it was very filling. Beforehand, I was concerned that it would be too greasy, but it wasn't. And I even was able to swab some of the oil with a paper towel right after it came out of the oven. It would be a perfect complement to homemade ice cream. 

Ingredients:

1 deep dish Pastry Pie Crust

6 c apples,, peeled, cored & sliced

¾ c. brown sugar

¾ c. flour

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

12 slices bacon (lean)

Directions:

Mix sugar, flour, spices in small bowl. Toss with apples and place in unbaked shell. Starting at center of pie, spread uncooked bacon slices and weave 6 horizontal and 5 vertical. Trim bacon slices to outer edge, and gently roll ends into crust for bacon shrinkage.Place foil underneath pie plate in oven for overflow.
Bake 55 minutes at 350 degrees covered with foil.
Bake another 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees uncovered.
May use a paper towel to absorb extra grease after baking.

You can get a printable copy of the recipe here. Happy New Year and Happy Baking!