Hot Chocolate Pie

3/4 cup crushed butter cookies
1/2 cup marshmallow cream
1 pkg. pudding/pie filling - vanilla
1 pkg. Land o Lakes Cocoa Classics Hot Cocoa Mix
1 1/2 cups milk

Mix the crushed butter cookies with the marshmallow cream until crumbly.  Press into the bottom of a pie pan.  In a bowl combine pudding mix, dry package of cocoa mix and milk.  Whisk to blend and stir until it starts to thicken.  Pour into cookie crust.  Refrigerate.

Comment:  Every year I end up with my favorite butter cookies and this year I had 3 tins.  I can eat them, which I love doing or I can come up with something else to do with them.  I decided to give them a try as a pie crust.  These cookies are full of butter so I didn't want to add more, but I needed a way to make them stick together to form a crust.  Then I spotted the marshmallow cream!  Mixing the 2 together isn't as easy as you would think.  I used a fork to blend and eventually used my hands mixing until the crumbs were crumbly and allowing me to press into the pie pan.  You can go up the edges if you have enough or you can just cover the bottom like I did.  After doing this I had to come up with a filling.  I could use the box of vanilla pudding/pie mix but wanted some flavor.  That is when I spotted the Land O Lakes Coco Mix.  I'm not a chocolate lover but I do like a hot cup of flavored chocolate on a cold night so when I spotted a package of Amaretto I decided to give it a try.  Bingo!  It worked so well that I decided to make a 2nd pie using plain hot cocoa mix making it a chocolate pie.  To know which was which I sprinkled the top of the chocolate one with a little coco and the amaretto with almond slivers.  The pies were all approved and seconds were asked for by my Food Testers.  And the crust - it was different but in a delicious way.  You can bet I'll be making these pies often and will be 'playing' with the flavors, both through the crust as well as the filling.

Strawberry Jello Pie

1 1/4 cup apple juice (I used water)
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 pkg (4 serving size) Strawberry Gelatin
2 cups fresh strawberries (I used whole frozen)
1 graham cracker pie crust
Coolwhip

In a saucepan mix apple juice (or water), sugar and cornstarch.  Cook on medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add dry gelatin mix and stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved.  Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on the bottom of the crust.  Cover with the gelatin mix.  Refrigerate until firm.  Serve with topping.

Comment:  This is another old favorite that I found in an old Jello cookbook.  Every time I see a picture of this pie I think about the old Shoney's where they served a pie like this but in a regular crust, not the graham cracker type.  One tip that I must give when making this is to make sure your cornstarch mixture gets to the point of a thick gravy.  You want to be able to pour it over the berries but thick enough that it will become firm when cooled.  I didn't find fresh strawberries that looked very good so I did buy the whole frozen and sliced them down the middle.  I also filled my shell with 2 layers instead of just one to give it even more flavor.  This is a dish I will be making often but I think I'll try it with the regular pie shell that I bake instead of the graham just to see how much difference it will make.  I feel sure it will be delicious!

Coconut Pie

1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick Mix
1/ cup butter, softened
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a pie plate 9 x 1 1/4 (I use a deep dish pie plate) with cooking spray.  Stir all ingredients in a medium bowl with a wire whisk or fork until blended.  Pour into pie plate.  Bake 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely before slicing.

Comments:  Yes this is another one of those 'Impossibly Easy' Bisquick dishes.  And yes it is easy and oh so good.  I made this and served it to some of my food testers that I'll be feeding this Thanksgiving to see if they would like it to be on the menu.  All agreed that it was a must have.  The only change I'll be making when I make this again is to allow the coconut to brown just a little more and maybe drizzle it with a little melted butter.  This pie comes out like an egg custard type pie and well worth making.

Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a pie pan, 9 x 1 1/4", with cooking spray.  Cook beef, onion, peppers, salt and pepper in a skillet until beef is done.  Drain.  Spread in pie plate.  Sprinkle with cheese.  In a bowl mix Bisquick, milk and eggs using a fork or whisk until blended.  Pour over the meat.  Bake 25 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Comment:  Sometimes the best recipes are those that we've simply forgotten.  I remember making this dish years ago for my kids and we all loved it.  It's simple, quick, and delicious. You can top it with anything you like... pickles, mustard, etc. or do as I did and top it with sour cream.   I did, as usual, make a change.  I added the bell peppers.  I also used a cake pan instead of a pie plate but only because it has a device that runs around the bottom which separates the pie from the pan.  Give this one a try, again.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Snicker Pie

5 Snickers cut in pieces or 18 small bars

2 regular size pastry shell baked

12 oz cream cheese

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place Snickers in bottom of the cooked pie shell.  In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs, sour cream and peanut butter; beat on low speed just until combined.  Pour into pie shell over Snickers.  Bake  for 25-30 minutes or until set.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips as soon as they come out of the oven.   Refrigerate overnight or for several hours.

Comments:  This recipe came from a friend of mine and I finally decided to give it a try.  She used the 5 regular size snickers but to cut cost I bought a bag of the individual size and ended up using 9 bars in each shell.  She also used just 1 shell which apparently was a deep dish.  I had the regular shells so I used 2.  The only other difference between mine and her pie was the chocolate.  She melted the chips were I cut down the prep time by sprinkling the chips over the top of the hot pie.  Baking time may varies by the shell.  With me using the 2 shells I found 30 minutes to be perfect.  I determined the pie was done when a toothpick in the center didn't come out wet.  If you use the 1 deep dish shell you might want to add 10 minutes to your baking time.  But don't overcook or your pie will become hard.  

Cherry Pie Cake

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick butter, melted
1 can (21 oz.) pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  To make the crust - In a medium bowl combine cake mix, eggs and butter.  Press into baking dish.  Spread pie filling over the crust.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until cake is done.  A toothpick will not come out clean in this so watch for a spring in the center when pressed down.

Comments:  I had a can of cherry pie filling, that had been forgotten, in my pantry.  The use by date was still about a year away but I didn't want to forget it again so I started thinking about ways to us it other than as a pie or cobbler.  I remembered some cookies that I make using a cake mix so decided to see how that would work out as a crust.  Boy did I hit it right!  I used the cookie recipe which uses the ingredients above but instead of making them into cookies I just pressed the mix into the baking dish to form a crust, adding the pie filling as a topping.  The flavor from the butter along with the cherry filling gives this dish such a rich flavor.  It's good hot, warm or cold and you can change the filling to your own favorite.  I can't wait to try this with strawberries or black berries or mixed berries or blue berries or, or, or----

Easy Key Lime Pie

1 box (11 oz.) vanilla wafers
1 stick melted butter
2 cans (14 oz. each) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
3/4 cup lime juice
1 container (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
2 containers (6 oz. each) Key Lime Pie Yogurt
1 grated lime peel

Place wafers in a food processor and pulse until crumbled.  This can also be done in a plastic bag crushing with a rolling pin.  Add butter to crumbs.  Press into a 13 x 9 x 2 glass baking dish.  In a large bowl mix condensed milk and lime juice.  Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until thick and smooth.  Fold in whipped topping and yogurt.  Spoon onto wafer crust.  Top with grated lime peel.  Cover and refrigerate about 8 hrs or until completely set.  Cut into 5 rows by 4 rows.  Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Comments:  This recipe came from Pillsbury and I did make some changes.  The original called for using a tube of Pillsbury sugar cookies, baking them and then crumbling them after cooling, then adding 1 cup of whipped topping before pressing into dish.  To quicken this recipe I bought a box of vanilla wafers and used the butter in the crumbs instead of the topping.  The recipe also called for 2 containers of 8 oz. each whipped topping.  I used 1 since I didn't use any in the crust.  I also sprinkled with almond slivers instead of the lime peel.  My method still gave me a delicious Key Lime Pie but in a quicker preparation time.  This dish will serve a crowd and they will love every bite.  My food testers did!

Banana Cream Cheese Pie

2 graham cracker pie shells
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 cartons (8 oz.) cool whip
3 bananas
1 box (3.4 oz.) French vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cup milk
chopped pecans for garnish

Sprinkle shells with pecans.  Whip together cream cheese, sugar and ONE carton of cool whip.  Divide evenly between the 2 pie shells, spreading to smooth.  Slice bananas and divide between the 2 pies.  Mix pudding with milk.  Spread evenly over the bananas in each pie.  Top each pie with 2nd carton of cool whip and sprinkle with nuts.  Refrigerate about 1 hr. before slicing.

Comments:  This recipe was given to me by a friend.  Her directions were for making this in a 9 x 13 x 2 pan.  She used 1 box of graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup pecans mixed in a plastic bag, pressed into the bottom of the pan and baked at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.  I changed that by using the 2 pie shells and sprinkling the nuts on the bottom of the shells.  For her pudding mix she used 1 large pkg of the French vanilla pudding but due to the difference in the size of the 9 x 13 and the 2 round pie shells I cut that down to 1 small package and cut the milk by 1/4 cup so it would come out a little more like a pie than a pudding mix.  For her topping she used whipping cream and added sugar.  I made the change to another container of cool whip.  Either way, this dish is simply delicious!  And the changes are unlimited.  You can use strawberries, blueberries, cherries, pineapple, on and on for your fruit.  Just remember to pat dry any fruit with a lot of juice such as pineapples and cherries.  You can also change the pudding flavor to fit your fruit.  Maybe chocolate when using cherries.  Or even pineapple when using pineapple.  Have fun with this one.

Candy Bar Pie

5 Snickers cut in pieces
1 pastry shell, deep dish, baked
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup peanut butter
2/ cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place Snickers in bottom of pie shell.  In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add eggs, sour cream and peanut butter.  Beat on low speed just until combined.  Pour into pie shell.  Bake 35-40 minutes.  Cool.  In a small saucepan melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat until smooth.  Spread over cooled pie.  Refrigerate over night or for several hours.

Comment:  This recipe came from a friend who does some catering on the side.  I'm not a chocolate lover but the response I've received from everyone who was lucky enough to try this, it was delicious.  I did make one mistake.  I melted my chips in the microwave.  Actually I made 2 mistakes.  I used chips that I had in the pantry for a while.  Yes, chips do get old and don't melt as well as fresh.  But I still used them as a crumble over the top of the pie.  I also used the Almond Snickers and Almond Butter so I sprinkled my pie with sliced almonds.  I think this would be a fun dish to make with other candies too.

Caramel Walnut Pie

Crust:
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Beat in flour until it forms a ball.  Press crust evenly into a pie pan pressing up the sides.  Bake 20 minutes.

Filling:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a heavy 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Stir in sugar, syrup and condensed milk.  Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.  Continue to cook until mixture turns golden brown (245 degrees).  Remove from heat and cool 20 minutes.  Stir in eggs.  Pour into pie shell.  Sprinkle evenly with walnuts.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until center sets.  Cool before slicing.

Comments:  The original recipe had a different pie shell recipe.  I used this crust recipe because I had used it with pecan tarts and it's wonderful!  The flavor from the butter and cream cheese really accents the flavor of the pie.  The original recipe also called for unsweetened chocolate to be sprinkled on the bottom of the crust before adding the filling.  I omitted that ingredient.  The texture of this pie is a little firmer than what you normally find in a pecan pie making it easier to cut.  For changes, add the chocolate, use pecans or even peanuts instead of the walnuts.  Or add some coco to the crust mixture making it a chocolate crust.  One tip, I cooked my pie about 35 minutes so your cooking time will vary depending upon your oven.  Also, it's important to use a thermometer to know when your filling reaches 245 degrees.

Mini Pecan Pies

Crust
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
1 pkg (3 oz.) cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

In a medium size bowl cream butter and cream cheese using an electric mixer on medium until smooth.  Add four and reduce speed to low.  Beat until dough forms a ball.

Filling
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 egg
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a medium size bowl, mix egg, sugar, butter, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Divide dough into 4 equal pieces.  Divide each of the 4 pieces into 6 equal parts.  Roll each of the small pieces into balls.  Spray mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.  Flatten each dough ball into a circle that will fit inside each muffin tin forming a pie shell.  Spoon 1 tsp. of nuts into each shell.  Spoon in 1 1/2 tsp. of egg mixture over pecans.  Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Lower temperature to 325 degrees and bake another 10 minutes.

Comments - I found this recipe in a magazine and knew it had to be delicious and it is.  I did delete and change a couple of ingredients.  I omitted the salt in both the crust and filling.  I also omitted the cornmeal that the original recipe called for in making the crust.  I also increased the amount of cinnamon from a pinch to 1/8 tsp.  Changes.  I want to make this recipe using dried apples instead of pecans.  I feel sure it will be delicious!

Key Lime Jello Pie

1 pkg (3 oz.) lime jello
2 pkg (6 oz. each) Key Lime Yogurt
1 cup hot water
Whipped topping
Nuts
1 Graham Cracker Crust

In a bowl mix jello with hot water until melted.  Whisk in both pkgs of yogurt.  Pour into graham cracker crust.  Refrigerate or freeze until firmly set.  Top with whipped topping and sprinkle with nuts.  Serves 6-8.

Changes:  Change jello and yogurt flavors e.i. strawberry jello & strawberry yogurt, lemon jello & lemon yogurt.  Or blend flavors e.i. strawberry jello & banana yogurt.