Indulge In {Strawberry Pie}

Hello there! We are one day closer to the long holiday weekend ahead and I'm starting to get really excited (as I do every Thursday!). This weekend I'm packing up my bags and heading to Rob's parent's house to celebrate his Mom's birthday. You all know birthdays are my favorite and when you combine that with a holiday, I get extra happy. I want to share a recipe today that I have shared before but reminds me of both Rob's Mom and Memorial Day. Last year I had a bunch of strawberries left over from an event and took them down to his parent's house with me. With the help of Rob's Mom, we whipped up this delicious strawberry pie. If you've never had strawberry pie before, you are seriously missing out. Loaded with a ton of fresh strawberries and topped with a dollop of whipped cream, it's a great summertime dessert. Plus, the color makes it perfect to serve up on Memorial Day. Make ahead of time and keep in the fridge till guests arrive. They will surely be impressed by it's fresh, light, and delicious flavor. Here's the recipe!

:: Ingredients ::
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Water
6 Tablespoons Strawberry Gelatin Mix
2 Pounds Fresh Strawberries
3 Heaping + 3 Regular Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Pilsbury Pie Crust Cooked and Cooled
:: Directions ::
1. In a sauce pan, mix together sugar, strawberry gelatin, and cornstarch
2. Add water and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until thick and clear. Set aside and let cool completely.
3. Slice strawberries in quarters and set aside till gelatin mixture is cool.
4. Once cool, mix strawberries in with gelatin mixture. Pour into pie crust and put in fridge until ready to serve.

Indulge In {Mini Pumpkin Pies}

Halloween is over and it's the first of November. Holiday season is officially upon us! It's time to start preparing the house for holiday guests and prepping for your big Thanksgiving meal. Over the next couple weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I'm going to be sharing some of my favorite sides to accompany your turkey. I wanted to start today with a throw back post of my favorite holiday treat, pumpkin pie. I made these last year and they were a huge hit. Instead of making one big pie, I love making individual size portions in cupcake tins. Each guest then has the option to top as they please with whipped cream, caramel, or both! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::

1 (15 ounce) can Pumpkin Puree
11 Ounces Soymilk
2 Large Eggs
1 Large Egg White
1 Teaspoon Cornstarch
3/4 Cups White Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
3/4 Teaspoon Ginger
3/4 Teaspoon Clove
1 Teaspoon Allspice
3/4 Teaspoon Ginger
2 Unbaked 9 inch Pie Crust

:: Directions ::

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl then add to wet ingredients. Blend until smooth.
3. Using a round cookie cutter, cut pie crust into rounds. Spray cupcake tin with non stick spray and place 1 pie round in a tin. Fill with filling.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes
5. Turn heat down to 350 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
6. Cool and serve

Weekend Warriors {9.21.12}

It's finally Friday! After going through all of yesterday thinking it was Friday, I can't explain how happy I am that it's actually here. Now that I have a couple days to relax, I've been thinking about how I'm going to enjoy them. With so many options, it was hard to narrow down the list. After careful consideration, I finally found the five things to-do that are going to make this weekend spectacular! Here's five things to-do and celebrate this weekend!

1. Tour a Brewery: Craft beers are taking over and home brewing is becoming a huge trend. We are for sure participating in the trend. Well, I more or less watch while Rob brews, but it's like the same thing. However, the art of craft beers and the quality they produce is amazing. I wish we had a closer brewery because this weekend we would be belly up to the tasting bar after our tour for sure!

2. Relax: We all need to do it. Sometimes weekends get bogged down by all the chores and errands that have built up throughout the week. This weekend, I'm throwing it out the window and doing what I love most, relaxing...and crafting.

3. Bake a Pie: Fall = Pie. It's true. Apple pie, strawberry pie, blueberry pie, it doesn't matter to me. I've been craving flaky crusts and sweet fillings. Oh, and this time, I'm making it all from scratch.

4. Visit the Farmer's Market: Nothing beats fresh produce. We've been so busy I've missed it the past couple weeks, but I can't wait to finally get back tomorrow and gather up all the homegrown goodies.

5. Host a Get Together: It's always easier to be the guest than the host, but it's so much more rewarding when you are the hostess with the mostess. Whether it be a tailgate, watching party, or bon fire, aim to be the best Martha Stewart you can be!

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Indulge In {Homemade Apple Pie}

Ever since I made my first pie a couple weeks ago, I've been dying to make more. I can't get enough of the down home decadent goodness each one brings to the table. And, now that it's finally fall I can make my first ever apple pie! I've been perusing for the perfect recipe for days now and I think I have finally stumbled upon the right one. Complete with a cider caramel inside and homemade crust, I'm really not sure how I can go wrong. Here's the amazing recipe from Honey & Jam!

:: For the cider caramel ::
4 cups apple cider
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter

:: For the pie ::
5-6 cups sliced apple (gala or granny smith are best)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cider caramel, warmed
1 large egg, beaten

:: For the crust ::
(recipe from Martha Stewart)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

:: To make the crust ::

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)

With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

:: To make the caramel ::

Pour cider into heavy bottomed pot. Boil cider until reduced to 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Add butter & sugar, cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to 1 1/4 cups. Can be made 2 days ahead, transfer to bowl and keep refrigerated.

:: To make the pie ::

Preheat oven to 350 F. Let pie dough rest on counter for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into two 1/8 inch thick rounds. Press one round into lightly greased pie plate.

In a large bowl, combine apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, vanilla, and caramel. Mix well. Spoon apples into pie plate. Cover with remaining crust. Cut 4 steam vents into top. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon.

Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool before serving.

Indulge In {Strawberry Pie}

I often find myself in the situation of heading out of town with food in the fridge that never got used that will most certainly go bad before I get back. Does this happen to anyone else? Call it poor planning  or life getting in the way of grand plans to eat at home for every meal, but it never fails. This past weekend, we were heading out for a couple days at R's parent's house with a two pound box of strawberries just hanging out in the fridge. After a quick call to R's mom, it was decided that we would find some use for the lingering strawberries. With the help of Google, we finally landed on strawberry pie. I've never had it before but let me tell you it's major delicious! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Water
6 Tablespoons Strawberry Gelatin Mix
2 Pounds Fresh Strawberries
3 Heaping + 3 Regular Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Pie Crust Cooked and Cooled

:: Directions ::
1. In a sauce pan, mix together sugar, strawberry gelatin, and cornstarch
2. Add water and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until thick and clear. Set aside and let cool completely.
3. Slice strawberries in quarters and set aside till gelatin mixture is cool.
4. Once cool, mix strawberries in with gelatin mixture. Pour into pie crust and put in fridge until ready to serve.