Pecan Pie

This recipe came to me by way of my Texas born husband. Pecan trees grow on his family's property and when life gives you pecans, make Pecan Pie!

This recipe has become a favorite because it's not super sweet, and it's loaded with pecans instead of sugary filling!

Texas Pecan Pie

1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 and 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Additional pecan halves to decorate pie.
One 9-inch pie crust (unbaked).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs. Mix in corn syrup, sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Place chopped pecans in bottom of unbaked pie shell. Pour filling over. Decorate top of pie with pecan halves, making concentric circles, or however you want. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Cherry Almond Crumb Pie

This recipe was one of my Dad's favorites. It is made with a filling of sour cherries (in my opinion, the only kind of cherries a pie should be made with!) with an almond crumb topping. Fresh sour cherries are difficult to find and are only in season for a short time, so make this pie any time of year using canned Oregon Red Tart Cherries.

You will need one 9-inch unbaked pie shell. (I use Pillsbury in the refrigerator case.) Of course, you can make one from scratch too! I have also made this pie using a homemade shortbread crust and it's delicious!

For the filling:
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar*
3 T. cornstarch
2 cans Oregon Red Tart Cherries
1/4 t. almond extract
1 t. tapioca (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain the cherries and reserve the juice from only one can. In a sauce pan, stir the cherry juice into the combined mixture of the cornstarch and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Gently stir in cherries and almond extract. If you're worried your cherry filling might be too loose, add a little tapioca. Pour filling into pastry lined pie pan.

*Sugar may be increased to taste, but I only use 1/2 cup because I like the tartness of the cherries.

For the crumb topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. cinnamon
6 T. unsalted butter
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers until crumbly (or cut in using a fork). Add the almonds. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the cherries and bake pie 30-40 minutes. (I bake in a 400 degree convection oven for 30 minutes.) Cool pie several hours to allow filling to thicken before slicing. Makes 8 servings.

Coconut Blueberry Cake

This delicious cake has become one of our favorites! So easy to make too! We top it with lemon sauce (recipe included).

Notes: I use fresh blueberries and unsweetened coconut. You can use sweetened flaked coconut, but I like it best with unsweetened. I also use one fresh lemon for the sauce, the juice and zest equal what the recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 and 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup flaked coconut, plus more for sprinkling on top

Lemon Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat eggs in separate bowl. Add milk, vanilla and vegetable oil to the eggs. Fold egg mixture into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fold in coconut.

Put batter into a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Sprinkle extra coconut all over top. Bake 22-24 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Note: I use a convection oven at 350 degrees, baking for 24 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and lemon peel. Gradually add water until blended. Bring to a boil, cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter and lemon juice. Cut cake into squares and drizzle with lemon sauce. Lemon sauce can be gently reheated in the microwave for leftover servings.

Basic Quiche

Almost anything can be added to this basic quiche recipe to make it truly your own. I will list the ingredients and method and then notes on how I make my favorite version.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, shredded
2 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (I use a convection oven.)

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and half-and-half. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Place shredded cheese in the pie shell. Pour egg mixture over cheese.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden and filling is set. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:
I use a deep dish pie pan (because I add extra goodies) and lightly spray it with cooking oil.

I use all Jarlsberg cheese and usually between 6-8 ounces. I have used Jarlsberg with a mozzarella/Monterey Jack blend as well.

I like this Quiche with vegetables. In a saute pan with a little olive oil, I mix chopped onion with chopped sweet peppers (green, red, yellow) and maybe some sliced mushrooms, and also a 6-ounce bag of baby spinach. Add the spinach last after the vegetables have softened and cover the pan until it wilts.

Layer the cheese in the bottom of the pie dish. Then layer the vegetables on top of the cheese and then pour the egg mixture over. Bake as indicated above.

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

This has been my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe for many years now. Only makes about two dozen, but that's probably a good thing because they are very rich and very good and very hard to stop eating!

2/3 cup butter (10 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons), at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 bars (3 ounces each) Swiss dark chocolate, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Note: For the chocolate you can use 9-oz. of good quality chocolate chips, such as Ghiradelli semi-sweet or 60% cacao. Your preference.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease two 17 x 14-inch cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper, which is what I do. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat butter, sugars, egg and vanilla at medium-high speed until fluffy. Reduce mixer to low, and add flour, increase mixer speed gradually and beat until just blended. Stir in chocolate and pecans. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls dough 2-1/2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time 17 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned and tops look dry. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove to rack to cool completely. Makes 22.

Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches

This recipe was giving to me by an office mate who's wife made these for one of our office parties. They are easy and delicious!

1 pkg. (12 count) Hawaiian bread rolls
1 lb. shaved Black Forest ham
12 slices Gruyere cheese
1 tub (8 oz.) Philadelphia® Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T dried minced onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut all rolls in half. Place roll bottoms in 9x13-inch pan.
Place equal amounts of ham on each roll bottom. Top with Gruyere.
On each of the roll tops, spread a generous amount of the cream cheese spread. Return the tops to the bottoms making sandwiches.
In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion and Parmesan cheese. Pour over your sandwiches and let sit for at lease 20 minutes. (You can make these ahead of time and allow to sit in fridge overnight.)
Place sandwiches, covered in foil, in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through. Enjoy! Yield: 12

NOTE: I shredded chunk Gruyere as I could not find slices. Your butter mixture will look a little curdled once together. Don't worry--it's supposed to look like that.

Butternut Squash Soup

I wanted to make some Butternut Squash Soup to go with our Tailgate Sandwiches. It was a great combination.

2 T Butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
32-oz. chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

NOTE: I used a 16-oz. bag of frozen butternut squash and I blended in about one-half cup of sour cream after the soup had been pureed, heating through gently.