Chocolate + Stawberries = YUMMY!!

A friend came up to me a couple weeks ago and said, "My Birthday is coming up in May and I really want you to make my B-day dessert.  Oh, and by the way I love strawberries."  OK, well I don't really have a dessert that I have ever make with strawberries.  So I began to think....Nothing is better then a fresh strawberry covered in chocolate.   I then remembered that My Hubby's Gram fills whole strawberries with a cream cheese filling.  It hit me make a pie with all these wonderful things together and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

1 Oreo pie crust
1 quart of fresh strawberries
1 8oz cream cheese (at room temp)
3/4 cup powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon veggie oil

Directions:    NO BAKE

1)  Open your pie crust. :)  easy!
2)  IN a mixing bowl beat the room temp. cream cheese until smooth. (I used a hand mixer since there is not much filling to use a big mixer)  Add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, mix for 30 seconds.  Add the powder sugar in 1/4 cup at a time and mix between each time.  Mix until everything is smooth.

3)  Add the cream cheese mixer to the bottom on the pie crust.  Smooth until evenly spread out in the bottom of the pie pan. 
4)  Time to cut those wonderful fresh strawberries.  First cut off the tops and throw those away.  Then stand the strawberry on its cut end and cut into thin slices.
5)  Use all the middle parts of the slices and make an outside rim, with point in and flat side next to the crust.  See picture for the pattern.

6)  To fill in the middle make two layers of stawberries.  To make it pretty make sure the points are all pointing the same way on the top layer.
7)  Place Chocolate and oil in a microwave bowl and heat for 30 seconds.  Stir the chocolate with a butter knife until smooth.  Using the knife drizzle the choc. on top of the pie. 

Enjoy your wonderful Chocolate overed strawberry pie!!!!

Mini Cherry Pies

My birthday is upon me once again, therefore I took the chance in making three new desserts.  I love, love, love my mom's cherry pie so I decided to make mini pies for my dessert display.  I am a simple- ton when it comes to ingredients.  I use pre-made pie crust and canned Oregon Pie Cherry's even with these none homemade things I find this pie my utmost favorite.  The reason why I really like this brand of pie cherries is that the cherries are not coated in a jelly but stored in water.  Therefore the cherries have a better flavor of real cherries and not canned.

Ingredients:  Makes ten mini pies
2 boxes Pillsbury pre-made pie crust
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 can (16oz) Oregon pie cherries, drained
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tbs butter

Directions:         Oven 375
1.  I used a cupcake pan to set up the pies into, Make sure to spray with spray oil each cup you will be using.  Take out one of the pie crusts and flatten and even roll out just a little thinner.  I then used a cupcake wrapper as a template and pizza cutter, I cut each circle a little wider then the wrapper so I have extra to make the crust.  Next put the cut crust into the cupcake cup. Do not throw away extra pie crust.

2. Now it is time to mix the cherry filling. In a medium bowl add the sugar and flour. Stir until well combined. Add the drained cherries ( drain well, the cherries have plenty of juice inside to give moisture) and almond extract, stir gently until well mixed.
3.  Add 1/4 cup cherry mixture to each pie cup

4.  Add to the top of the filling a small sliver of butter.

5.  Now take the scrapes of crust you have left over and cut into small strips.  Make lattis work on top of each pie. (tip lattis work is when you put stripes one way and on top put stripes going the other way.)

6.  Fold over extra crust and pinch around the circle to make a nice looking crust.  Add a little sugar to the top of each finished pie.

7.  Its time to bake these wonderful creations!!  You will first start with your oven at 375 and bake for ten minutes.

8.  Turn your oven down to 350 and bake another 12  minutes,  cover and bake another 10 minutes.

9.  Remove from the oven and let sit for about twenty minutes.  Use a small knife and go around the edges to lossen the crust.  Lift out gently and serve.  I put whip cream and a little mint on top to make them look pretty!!!

Go green....for earth day

Earth day is all about going green which is why I am going to share with you how to make an apple pie with the shell of an apple.  I found this idea from the blog Chronicles of a domestic dilettante via pinterest.  My brother-in -law enjoys pie more then any other dessert and I wanted to find a fun creative way to make him one for his birthday.  His wife ended up making these for him because we ran out of time, but I did make them the next day for us.  It was so good that I will never look at apple pie the same way again.

Ingredients:  serving size  4 individual apple pies

6 granny smith apples (tip: check bottoms for flatness as they will need to stand up)

1 pre made pie crust ( you can make your own but I found pre made was easiest)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:        Pre- heat over at 375 degrees

1.  Carve out the middles of four apples.  First cut off the top of each apple. Then I found that using a small knife to slice through the middle will help to spoon out the middle contents.   Make sure to leave plenty of meat on the bottom and sides or your walls will fall apart when baked.  If you can salvage any of the meat you spooned out then that will be great.

2.  Peel the remaining apples and chop into small bites, put into a medium bowl.

3.  In a small bowl mix the sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar, add little at a time to the chopped apple pieces.  (tip: I found that you really do not need to use all the sugar mixture with the apples.  Just make sure they are coated well.)

4.  Spoon sugared apple pieces into apple shells, fill them until heaping just a little bit.

5.  Roll out pie dough and cut into thin strips.  Use the lattice pattern to cover the top of the pie. (tip: if you do not know what lattice means look at the picture. You will lay one layer on the bottom and on top of that lay another layer going the other way.)

5.  Place finished apples into a shallow dish and fill the bottom of the dish with a tine layer of water.  Cover pies with tin foil. Put into pre heated over (375)

6.  Bake covered for 20 mins. and then remove cover and bake another 20 mins.  or until crust is golden brown.

7.  While your pies are baking for the last 20 mins put a sauce pan on the stove.  Add 2 tablespoons of butter and any remaining sugar mixture, on low let the butter melt.  Stir so that sugar does not burn.  cook for two minutes and remove from heat.

8. Serve warm apples with a drizzle of sugar/butter sauce over the top.  Great also with a serving of ice cream.

Now you have the tools to make a fabulous new dessert.  So get going and enjoy!!!