Foody Friday - Traditional Peanut Butter Pie

Oh. My. Goodness.

I have just gained five pounds just LOOKING at this pie. 

I'm not telling how much of this delectable pie I actually ATE! 

An embarrassing amount though.

Peanut Butter is one of my favorite foods. 

I think it deserves its own food group...right next to chocolate. 

I found this deliciously sinful pie recipe in A Foxfire Christmas. 

Are you familiar with the Foxfire Books? It's a great story of a teacher, his students and the people of the Appalachian mountains.

 Got a minute? Check it out!! 

But back to the pie.

Grandma's Traditional Pie from Emma Sue Carver

My grandmother has been making this pie every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember. She is the only one in my family or anywhere that makes it as good as she does. I got this recipe from one of her recipe cards, but I had to get her to translate if for me because she had written it down so only she could read it. So here is how she told me to make it: 

Combine 2/3 c. sugar, 2T flour, 1T cornstarch, and 1/4 t. salt in a heavy, deep saucepan. Gradually add 2 1/2 c. milk to the mixture; cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. then, beat in 3 egg yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. (About 10 minutes) Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from stove, and add 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter and 1/2 t. of vanilla extract. Stir until peanut butter melts. Add 1/2 c. chocolate chips. Then pour mixture into a baked store-bought or homemade pie crust, let it set out at room temperature for 30 minutes, and gently swirl the top of the pie with a knife to give it a "swirling water look." Then it is ready to eat. But don't eat it all in one sitting.

I was VERY tempted to eat it all in one sitting! It is so creamy and yummy! And I'm sure very fattening...ah, who cares! Bring on the pie!! 

Combine 2/3 c. 

Foody Friday - Mini Pies

There isn't anything fancy about today's food post other than offering up an alternative for pies. The boys asked for pumpkin pies the other day and since they tend to eat anything better when they don't have to use a fork I made mini pumpkin pies using muffin tins. They are also easier to pack in their lunch boxes this way.



I just cut the pie crust into large circles using a large plastic cup and tucked them in and added the filling. I did bake them about 15 minutes less for than what the recipe called for if I had been making a full size pie.

Here's the recipe I used;

Pumpkin Pie Filling

4 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 T flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. salt
2-15 oz. canned pumpkin
1 c milk

Beat eggs, sugars, flour spices and salt. Add pumpkin and milk. Pour into 2 pie shells and bake at 350 for about an hour until pie puffs up in center. For mini pies in muffin tins bake for 45 minutes.

Foody Friday - Cornmeal Pie and Cornmeal Brownies.

Hey, I know what you are thinking...cornmeal pie??? Cornmeal brownies?? That just doesn't sound right at all. Trust me!! This. Was. Awesome.

Doesn't that look just wonderful? Mmmmm...you are lucky I got a picture taken. This cornmeal pie went quick! I found the recipe here and was intrigued and knew I had to try it out.

Cornmeal Pie

2 unbaked pie shells

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

8 T cornmeal

3 T flour

1 c. milk

chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients (except nuts) in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 3 minutes. Mix will thicken. Add nuts if desired. Pour into pie shells an bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes until insterted toothpick comes out clean.

Good thing my kids liked this pie because I came seriously close to eating the whole thing myself! I love how thick and solid this pie was. It was almost like a cake or brownie... hmmm....a cornmeal brownie? Interesting concept.

Cornmeal Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Follow recipe above for filling and pour into a cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees til toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese (room temp)

1/8 c. butter (room temp)

1/2 t vanilla

2 c. powered sugar

1/4 c. peanut butter (I used chunky)

splash of milk

Mix all ingredients with electric mixture. Add more milk or powdered sugar to obtain correct consistency.

It may seem like a strange combination but these are so good! It has a subtle nutty flavor. Try it, you won't be disappointed! Okay, you might be disappointed, like me, and you eat the whole pan yourself and can't zip up your jeans. Sorry...I warned you!

Zuchinni Pie

When I was growing up my grandfather raised zuchinni....ACRES of zuchinni. Now if you know anything about zuchinni you know that it grows fast. In a backyard garden you pick zuchinni about every other day. In a FIELD of zuchinni it has to be picked EVERY DAY..sometimes twice a day! What better work force at my grandfather's disposal but his grandchildren. I remember two or three summers where we picked zuchinni everyday and then packed them in boxes to get hauled off to who knows where. The final destination of the zuchinni wasn't on the mind of a eleven year old.

What did all the grandkids think about the mountains of zuchinni we picked and washed and packed everyday? WE HATED IT!!! There was always zuchinni around and of course Mom and Grandma thought we should eat zuchinni too. How DARE they entertain such a thought? By the end of the hot summer day picking zuchinni there was only two things we even thought about doing with one of those vegetables of death.

We carved boats. I wished I had a picture to share with you of our zuchinni boats. When a zuchinni was really large it lost a lot of its flavor (zuchinni has flavor?) and couldn't be sold. So the grandkids would carve them up and float them in the cattle's water tank. It was quite gratifying to carve those big green veggies up!!

The only other thing we enjoyed about zuchinni was Grandma's zuchinni pie! Wonderful! As much as we hated zuchinni, my sisters and I would actually fight over this pie. Normally you would throw away the peel but we always talked Mom and Grandma into leaving it on. If it's left on the pie turns out green and relatives at family reunions aren't too keen on trying a green pie...which meant more for us!! This pie tastes just like a sugar cream pie with a bit of texture. Try it out! It will be a bigger hit than you can imagine!

ZUCHINNI PIE

1 cup Grated Zucchini (about 2 small zuchinni)
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Evaporated Milk
1 whole Egg
2 Tablespoons Flour
1-½ Tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 whole Pie Crust
Preparation Instructions
Blend all ingredients together and pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Pie is done when a knife inserted comes out clean. Time may need to be adjusted if you are using a deep dish pie crust. How easy is that?