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I've been jonesing for cherry pie, so today I whipped up my Cherry Crumble Pie recipe. There's something pretty wonderful about having cherry pie in the middle of winter. It's like I'm tricking the system somehow.
You can find my recipe here on Country Living Magazine's website.
I'm a huge fan of cheesecake, but not of the preparation. When I lived in remote Alaska, I loved a blueberry cheesecake that the local Arctic Pizza restaurant would serve. It was served in slices like a cake, containing several layers and looking more like a cake than a cheesecake. I was always so baffled as to how they got the teeny tiny thin layers of the cake until one day I pulled it apart and realized that the "cake" was actually graham crackers! I devised this recipe with that concept in mind, and boy is it tasty (and easy!)
Serena's No Bake Pumpkin CheeseCAKE
3 8ounce packages lowfat cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 15ounce can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
13.5 full-sized graham crackers
Beat cream cheese and sugar together in a large bowl until completely combined and cream cheese has softened up. Add pumpkin puree, whipping cream and vanilla, beating until the mixture is completely combined and fluffy.
Line a 9"x9" ungreased baking pan with 4.5 graham crackers, followed by 4-5 big scoops of the filling. Repeat the layers two more times, ending with the filling as the top layer:
Cover cake with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. Do not cheat, do not eat early! Because I promise you, if you let it set up overnight, the filling will become thick and rich and the layers will be like thin thin cake. And you will see, it. is. heavenly.
You may be tempted to add spices, but I highly recommend leaving it simple. Unbaked pumpkin has a very subtle flavor and will be overpowered by any spices. If you allow the pumpkin to shine, you'll be so happy you did.
And here's another fun idea: Want to make a taller cake? Use a loaf pan instead.
Oh pumpkin, I adore you.
Grandma MaryJane makes this salad every year for Thanksgiving and It is one of my all-time favorites. I've lightened it up a bit since the Thanksgiving meal is such a heavy one, but the results are still a fruity, flavor-popping salad. The most important ingredient is the pomegranate seeds, which are such a seasonal delight.
Thanksgiving Salad
2 heads Romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces
4 seedless mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
1/2 cup onion, peeled, thinly sliced and quartered
Pomegranate seeds from one pomegranate
1/2 cup roasted, slivered (unsalted) almonds
Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Set aside and prepare dressing.
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh mandarin orange juice
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until complete combined. (This dressing is not a thick dressing, and will appear slightly more runny than a typical dressing).
Toss salad with dressing, just before serving, or serve salad with dressing on the side.
Pomegranate image by the super wonderful and amazing Samantha Cabrera.
I love this time of year. There's anticipation in the air as we prepare for family gathering together. Thatcher and Jill will be here with us this year from the east coast (along with grandma and grandpa, and Rick and Alison) and the cousins will all be reunited, which is something that is so special for us to see.
When it comes to roasting a turkey, I have a really simplistic approach. I have a huge old enamelware roaster that my mom found at Goodwill many years ago. I swear by roasting my turkey covered in the pan. To prepare it, I simply rub it with a little olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. That's it. The covered roaster hold in all of the moisture, creating a very tender turkey. No dry turkeys here.
I prepare my stuffing separately to avoid it becoming mooshy. I'm not a fan of mooshy stuffing. And since I don't stuff the turkey, it cuts down on the cooking time. (Roasting it in a covered pan cuts down the time a bit as well.)
I baste it many times while cooking, and that's about it. And then I'm able to really focus on the side dishes and desserts, which make for an amazing feast.
Next week, I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes for Thanksgiving. In the meantime, here's an alternative to mashed potatoes:
Roasted baby potatoes, carrots, and onions are a tasty alternative to classic mashed potatoes, and less work. Simply line a baking sheet with parchment, line with some big sprigs of rosemary, and add baby potatoes, carrots, and pearl onions. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees until softened and golden browned on the tops of the veggies. The rosemary flavor is infused into the veggies and they're delicious.
Images by the super amazing and wonderful Samantha Cabrera.
I recently gathered a bunch of hazelnuts from the farm just down the road which inspired this dreamy caramely creation. I love the toasty crunch of the hazelnuts paired with the sweet softness of the banana and caramel. If there were ever a pie that was worthy of a spoon, it would be this one.
Caramel Banana Hazelnut Pie
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add flour and sugar to a large bowl or food processor. Cut in butter until it looks like sand. Stir or pulse in egg yolk and vanilla until combined. Pour crumb mixture into a 9" pie or tart pan and press evenly onto bottom and sides of the pan. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly browned and your kitchen smells like heaven. Remove from oven and cool.
Caramel:
3/4 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Add butter, brown sugar, and cream to a saucepan, cooking and whisking at medium-high heat until bubbling all over. Reduce heat so mixture continues to boil softly. Cook and whisk for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly. (This is a generous amount of caramel. If you have a little leftover, use it to drizzle on the plate when you serve, or save as an ice-cream topping. Just keep it in a jar in the fridge to enjoy!)
Bananas and Hazelnuts:
2 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped.
Line pie crust with sliced bananas and top with chopped hazelnuts. Gently pour caramel over bananas and hazelnuts and place in refrigerator to cool completely and firm up.
Whipped Cream Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
Add all ingredients into a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Mound Whipped Cream Topping atop pie and serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Ooohhhhh, such a sweet, fluffy exterior...
just barely concealing that rich and softly chewy caramely interior.
We must try a slice:
Yes. Yes you are spoon-worthy.
mmmmmmmm
good night ♥
After picking pie cherries, my favorite thing to do is come home and bake them up into pies. Not only are they delicious in summer, they're also a special treat when frozen and baked up in the winter, when snow is on the ground and a taste of pie is like a mouthful of sweet sunshine.
Fresh Cherry Pie
4 cups pitted pie cherries
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
Roll out bottom pie crust and turn into a 9" pie pan. Set aside.
Add pitted cherries to a mixing bowl. Stir in flour and sugar until completely combined. (Fresh cherries have a LOT of juice, which will mean your pie will be juicy too. If you prefer a less juicy pie, just drain off a bit of the juice before you mix in the flour and sugar).
Pour pie filling into pie shells. (This recipe makes one pie, however, you can double it to make two, if you'd like).
Roll out pie dough and cut into strips for a top lattice crust. (I use a rolling pie crust cutter that has a scalloped edge, but a knife will work just fine).
Moisten pie dough along the rim of the pie pan, then lay down lattice strips, press into place along edge, and crimp.
Bake at 425 degrees for 40-60 minutes or until crust is browned and the center of the pie is bubbly.
Notes: I like my pies farm-style, meaning they're not thick and perfectly gelled into a firm wedge when you cut into them, rather, the juices run out from the slice, just a little bit. To get the farm-style filling, I use flour as the thickener. If you prefer a more gelled pie, substitute 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch for the flour.
I think using tapioca in a pie is a crime. Pies don't like it either. It turns their filling lumpy. When I was a little girl, it reminded me of hundreds of poison oak bumps, in a pie. If you ever see a pie recipe calling for tapioca, RUN!
Tips: Line your oven with foil before baking your pie. Chances are, it will boil over a bit.
Fruit pies are not set until the juice in the center of the pie is bubbling. If you take it out before the center is bubbling, your pie will be soupy, which will taste just fine, but won't look great.
Make sure your pie is cooled down before cutting, or juices will run.
If your pie is soupy, scoop out the slices with a serving spoon, serve into shallow bowls, and top with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream. When you serve it to your guests, name it something cute, like cherry frumble or sour cherry soup. (Yes! You can make up new words to suit your dessert. You're the chef! Thing is, when you serve it up proud, no-one will ever know you didn't intend for it to be anything other than the way you're serving it!)
Pie making should be fun. Don't let it intimidate you and don't hesitate to make it. After all, nothing is more American than pie, and we don't want our children to lose that tradition now do we?
I don't really do any decorating for Thanksgiving but like the thought of making our house feel a teeny bit more festive when we're celebrating a holiday.
I created this fun little garland by punching out colorful paper leaves with a Marvy paper punch. (It punches out the paper and embosses little veins into each leaf at the same time). Then I hot-glued the leaves to bakers twine.
When it comes to the holidays, there is no better dessert topping than real whipped cream. But when I make something, I want it to be fuss-free. And usually, with whipped cream, it will separate after a short time. One year by chance, I discovered that by adding honey to whipped cream, it becomes stabilized and won't separate. Here's the trick: Add one teaspoon of honey for each cup of whipping cream. Whip and sweeten and you normally would (I use powdered sugar) and your whipped cream won't separate.
Place markers can be such a cute way to liven up the table. I love using tiny vintage toy chairs as holders for everyone's names. Names can be hand-printed onto paper, folded into a little tent, and set on each chair.
This little dish is incredibly delicious. Packed with sweet potatoes and seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon, it's almost like having pie with your Thanksgiving dinner!
1 29 ounce can sweet potatoes, drained and coarsely mashed
1/4 butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pecan Topping:
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine topping ingredients together in a small mixing bowl until mixture is combined and crumbly. Set aside. In another bowl, combine filling ingredients and stir until well combined. Scoop into a small casserole pan and top with pecan topping. Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is browned and bubbly. Makes 12 servings.
Tip: You can always substitute fresh-cooked sweet potatoes for the canned. 4-5 sweet potatoes should be used.
I'm Serena, mom of 4, author, entrepreneur, & Country Living Magazine contributing editor. I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world and I write about it all here, on my blog.
