Blueberry Custard Pie

 My daughter loves blueberries, so several years ago I decided to try this recipe for Thanksgiving. It became a family favorite and is now a staple each Thanksgiving. It is much more simple than a lot of other custard pies, which is nice if you are doing a lot of other Thanksgiving cooking.

1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 T. flour
2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 unbaked pie crust (I like Marie Calendar's)

 

Streusel Topping

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, 3/4 cup sugar, egg, 2 tablespoons flour, vanilla extract and salt with a spoon until smooth. Fold the blueberries into the sour cream mixture. Pour into the unbaked pie crust. Bake for 25 minutes.

While the filling is baking, prepare the streusel topping. In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar and flour. Mix the butter in with pastry cutter until the mixture resembles course sand. Add pecans. Sprinkle the streusel over the top of the pie and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until filling is set and topping is brown. Cover loosely with foil if needed o ensure that the top doesn't burn before the filling is set. Let pie sit for at least 10-15 minutes. Serve pie warm or chill it and serve cold.

Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Creamy Whipped Potatoes

I got this recipe from my sister a LONG time ago and recently decided to give it a try.   I've tweaked it a bit and our family loves it.

8-10 medium potatoes
1 T. salt
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 lb. grated Colby Jack cheese (save 1/2 cup for topping)
1/2 c. butter

1 c. heavy cream--whipped

Boil potatoes (or cook in pressure cooker) until they are tender.  Drain.  Add salt, whipping cream, cheese and butter to the potatoes and beat with a hand mixer.  Spread in a 9x13 pan.  Top with whipped cream, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated cheese and pepper to taste.  Bake at 300 for 1 hour.

Creamed Sweet Corn

This is a family favorite recipe from my husband's side of the family.  They always serve it at Thanksgiving and other special dinners. 

16 oz. frozen corn

1 c. whipped cream

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

2 T. butter

1 t. sugar

2 T. flour

Put corn in a saucepan with whipping cream.  Bring to just under a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in salt, pepper, and sugar. 

Melt butter in small pan and sitr in flour, but do not brown.  Add to corn and cook until slightly thickened.

Serve or pour into slow-cooker to keep warm. 
Optional: sprinkle with parmesan cheese and dots of butter.

Sweet Shredded Ham

This is such good ham.  I once made it for Thanksgiving and we all loved it. My friend and I both prefer this over spiral ham now.  We just had it for Easter dinner and it was delicious!

• 5-7 pound precooked bone-in ham (not a spiral ham, but an unsliced cut ham, preferably bone-in)
• White distilled vinegar (around 1-3 cups)
• Water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground dry mustard

1. Place the ham in a large pot and cover with 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar until the ham is covered by at least an inch or two of liquid. Bring to a boil and cook, boiling vigorously, for 2-3 hours, until the meat easily falls off the bone. Liquid will most likely splash out during cooking if your pot is as full as mine so take care that the hot liquid doesn't splash on anyone nearby. Once the water/vinegar came to a rolling boil, I lowered the heat to a bit above medium. It maintained the vigorous boil but didn't splash as much. Do not over-boil, you want the ham to be pulling apart from the bone and be tender.  Larger hams will require closer to 3 hours.
2. After the allotted time, carefully remove the ham from the pot, discarding the liquid, and let it cool until it is easier to remove the meat from the bones. Shred the ham, discarding the fat and bones, and place half in a 9X9-inch baking dish (or a similar size). In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and mustard. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the ham. Layer the rest of the ham on top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar/mustard mixture. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Buttermilk Pie

So last weekend, my husband went to lunch with some of his family. When he came home, he was telling me all about this buttermilk pie that his dad had gotten. Well, later that day I was looking at my regular recipe blogs (see sidebar) and someone had just posted this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. I think I was meant to make it. This is a very simple recipe. I don't know how to explain the pie. It's kind of got the same texture as pecan pie (minus the pecans) and it is kind of a caramel custard flavor. Very yummy!

Oh, and I have sadly used up all of my vanilla, so I had to use my beloved vanilla bean paste for this recipe. It worked great! That's what those little black specks are that you see in the picture.


½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ cup sugar
¼ cups flour
½ stick butter, melted
3 Eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 whole pie crust

Blend buttermilk, sugar, flour, and melted butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir and pour into an uncooked pie shell. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Janell's Rolls

2 cups milk
2 t salt
½ cup sugar, plus 2 t sugar
½ cup shortening
2 eggs beaten
2 T yeast (If using SAF yeast, only use 1 T & you don’t have to let it raise separately in the ½ cup of warm water, you just dump the yeast and water and sugar in with the other ingredients)

½ c warm water
approx 7 c flour, divided

bring milk to a boil in microwave, approximately 5 minutes. Add salt, 1/2 c sugar, and the shortening. Combine 4 cups flour to cooled milk mixture, beat then add eggs, beat. In a separate bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and 2 t sugar. Then add yeast mixture to milk mixture. Add 3 cups of flour. Beat well. Let raise. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball out onto lightly floured surface. It works well to spread flour on
the counter with a sifter and keep palms of hands covered in soft butter. Spread the top with melted butter. Cut each circle with a pizza cutter into 12 triangles, like a pie. Roll up like a crescent roll, beginning at widest end of triangle. Place close together on a 10 x 13 cookie sheet
4 rolls across and 6 down. Let raise again. Bake 350 17 minutes. Butter tops of rolls while hot.

Makes 24 rolls. This recipe can easily be halved if you're making it for a small family. Or turn half the dough into cinnamon rolls! Yum!

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE PIE

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Deep Dish Pie Pastry, below
• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened (1-1/2 8-oz. pkgs.)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate or miniature chocolate pieces
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup half-and-half or light cream
• Chopped chocolate (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare and roll out Deep Dish Pie Pastry. Transfer pastry to a 9-1/2- to 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim crust edge 1/2-inch beyond pie plate. Flute edge high. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 6 minutes more or until golden. Cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

2. In medium mixing bowl combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 egg; beat on low speed until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture in cooled pastry shell. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

3. In bowl combine pumpkin, brown sugar, and spice. Stir in 4 eggs. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Slowly pour pumpkin mixture on chocolate layer. To prevent overbrowning, cover pie edge with foil.

4. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove foil. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hour. Top with chopped chocolate.

Deep Dish Pie Pastry:In medium bowl, stir together 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using pastry blender or two knives cut in 6 tablespoons shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of flour mixture; gently toss with fork. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon water at a time, until all flour is moistened (5 to 6 tablespoons total). Form into ball. On lightly floured surface, flatten dough. Roll pastry from center to edge into 13-inch circle. Serves 8.

Photo and recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

GINGER PUMPKIN MERINGUE PIE

Ingredients

• 1 Recipe Gingersnap-Graham Crust, below
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 Recipe Brown Sugar Meringue, below

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare Gingersnap-Graham Crust; bake 4 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

2. For filling, in bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, ginger, salt and cinnamon. Add eggs.; lightly beat with fork to combine. Gradually stir in milk and maple syrup.

3. Pour filling into pastry shell. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Uncover edges. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Carefully spread Brown Sugar Meringue over hot filling; seal to edge. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Loosely cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. Serves 8.

Gingersnap-Graham Crust:In large bowl combine 3/4 cup finely crushed gingersnaps (12 cookies), 1/2 cup finely crushed graham crackers (7 squares), and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter. Spread evenly on bottom and up the sides of 9-inch pie plate.

Brown Sugar Meringue:In large mixing bowl let 3 egg whites stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Beat on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks (tips stand straight).

Photo and recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

PRALINE YAMS

29 oz can cut yams, drained
1/3 c chopped pecans
1/3 c coconut
1/3 c firmly packed brown sugar
3 T flour
3 T butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place drained yams in ungreased 1 ½ quart casserole or baking dish. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; blend well. Sprinkle over yams. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. 7 servings.

DATE PUDDING

1 c. sugar ¾ t. soda ¾ c. milk 1 ½ c. flour 1 c. dates ½ c. chopped nuts 1 T. butter Mix well with a hand mixer. 1 c. brown sugar 1 ½ c. water 1 T. butter Boil and pour in 8 X 8 pan. Drop first mixture into second mixture. Bake 350 for 30 minutes

LAMAR'S STUFFING

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, grated
1 cup celery, chopped
8 oz Mushrooms, chopped
1 can water chestnuts with water-chopped
Turkey neck, drum, or thigh
1 lb. sausage
Slivered almonds
Garlic salt, pepper and seasoning mix for stuffing mix (if separate)


Saute onions, carrots, and celery with sausage. Season to taste. Cook turkey with water in pressure cooker until meat falls away from the bone. Remove meat and discard bone. Prepare stuffing using water and broth from turkey. Combine all ingredients and add slivered almonds.

FRESH PEAR PIE

3 pears
1 c whipping cream
2 T flour
1 pinch salt
1 c sugar

Put sliced pears in an unbaked pie shell, sprinkle dry ingredients over top, pour in cream, cover with top crust and bake for 15 minutes at 400 and then 30 minutes at 325.