Christina's Butter Pie Crust

from Morgan Crumm

/4 cup (12 T, or 1 1/2 regular sticks) cold, unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour), plus a little extra for sprinkling
2 T sugar
½ tsp fine salt
3-6 T ice water or very cold milk or cream (substitute some of the liquid with vodka if desired*)

Use a knife to cut the butter into cm-sized cubes. Freeze the butter cubes for at least 15 minutes. 

Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor several times to mix.

Add the butter to the processor and pulse several times until the mixture has a sandy appearance and the largest clumps are about the size of a pea. The mixture will resemble Parmesan cheese. 

Remove the liquid-shoot insert from the processor. Turn the processor on and pour about 1 T of the liquid through the shoot at a time, just until the mixture starts to come together in a mass. Use only as much liquid as necessary and avoid over-mixing. 

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper and press into a large, flat disk. Wrap gently in the parchment, and place in the fridge until ready to use (or up to 48 hours).  Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before rolling if it has been in the fridge for more than an hour. This will make it easier to roll out.

When ready to use, unwrap the disk, lightly sprinkle it all over with flour, and place another sheet of parchment on top so that the dough is sandwiched between the two sheets. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a thickness of ¼-1/8^th inch. 

Gently peel the dough off the parchment and transfer to a buttered pie pan, aiming to align the center of the dough with the center of the pan. Gently lift the edges of the dough and ease it into the sides of the pan to avoid stretching the dough, which would cause it to shrink during baking. Trim the overhanging edges of the dough so that about 1 inch hangs over the edge of the pan all the way around. Gently tuck or roll the overhanging dough under itself so that it sits up on the edge of the pan. Use your fingers and thumb to crimp the edges if desired.  

Gently press parchment paper or plastic wrap onto the surface to cover and chill until ready to use. The unbaked crust can be stored like this in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Note 1: I used to make this dough using my food processor's dough blade, but I have found that the metal blade mixes the dough more quickly and more evenly.

Note 2: If desired, dough scraps can be re-rolled, cut out with festive mini-cutters, and placed atop the pie either before baking or before the second phase of baking (after the foil is removed).

Christina's Honey-Walnut Pie

from Morgan Crumm

1 unbaked pie crust, fitted into a greased pie pan, placed on a baking sheet 
2 cups walnut halves
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
4 T melted butter
¼ tsp fine salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp cinnamon
Dash cardamom

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and make sure a rack is positioned in the center of the oven.

Prick the bottom of the pie crust all over with a fork. Spread the walnuts out evenly in the unbaked pie crust. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture over the walnuts. Cover the pie with aluminum foil, and bake for 35 minutes. Carefully remove the foil, rotate the pan in the oven, and bake an additional 32-35 minutes.  Don’t worry if the pie cracks slightly--this is normal and can actually be a good indication that the pie has cooked enough to set.

Allow the pie to cool at least 20 minutes to set before cutting.

The pie will keep, covered with aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 5 days, but it is best eaten within 1-2 days.

Christina's Sweet Cherry Pie

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Dough for a double-crust pie

4 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2 1/2 pounds unpitted)

4 tablespoons cornstarch (4 teaspoons xanthan gum)

2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (adjust this according to the sweetness of your cherries)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Juice of half a lemon

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

zest of one orange

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits

1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Coarse sugar, for decoration

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Stir together the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon, almond extract and orange zest gently together in a large bowl.

Roll out half of chilled dough (use larger piece, if you’ve divided them unevenly) on a floured work surface to 13-inch round. Gently place it in 9-inch pie pan, either by rolling it around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan or by folding it into quarters and unfolding it in the pan. Trim edges to a half-inch overhang.

Spoon filling into pie crust, discarding the majority of the liquid that has pooled in the bowl. Dot the filling with the bits of cold butter.

Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the egg wash over over pie crust, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Cut slits in the crust with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack.

Christina's No-Corn-Syrup Pecan Pie

from Janelle Lewis


 1 cup light brown sugar
 1/4 cup white sugar
 1/2 cup butter
 2 eggs
 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
 1 tablespoon milk
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts.

Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until done.

Christina's Apple Crumb Pie

from my mom

1 pie crust
7 tart (Granny Smith) apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 TBSP flour
1 tsp - 1 TBSP lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400.
Mix all together. Add lemon juice as apples are sliced (sprinkling in occasionally) anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 TBSP. Microwave mixture 7-10 minutes or until apples just begin to change color. While apples cook, place pie crust into deep pie pan. Pour apples into pie crust.

Topping

3/4 C sugar
3/4 C flour
1/2 Butter

Mix flour and sugar together. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Place pie in oven and then lower temperature to 350. Bake 30-45 minutes.

Christina's Non-Cake Mix "Oreos"

from Our Best Bites

1 1/2 cups flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled (don’t scoop!)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg lightly beaten

To make cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  heat chocolate chips, brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and smooth (there will still be grains of sugar though).  Transfer mixture to a large bowl and beat in egg.  Stir in flour mixture until just combined.  Don’t overmix.

If dough is too soft to work with, let it sit at room temp for a few minutes to firm up, or place in the fridge for a few minutes.  Gently roll balls, either 1 tablespoon full for large cookies, or about 1/2 inch balls for silver dollar sized cookies.  Place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake cookies until just puffed in teh middle and edges are set but centers are still soft.  About 8-9 minutes for large cookies, and about 5 minutes for small ones.  If using 2 cookie sheets, rotate them half way through baking.  Cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Christina's Curried Chicken and Mushroom Spring Rolls

from McCormick

1 tablespoon red curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 cups thinly sliced cooked chicken

2 tablespoons oil

1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster and cremini), sliced (or whatever you have)

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

3 ounces fresh snow peas, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)

12 round rice paper wrappers (8 1/2-inch)

Asian Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add curry powder and garam masala; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture to season mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining spice mixture over chicken in medium bowl. Toss to coat well. Set aside. 

2. Heat oil in same skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and reserved spice mixture; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or just until tender. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper and snow peas to skillet; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until tender-crisp. Remove from skillet. 

3. To assemble Spring Rolls, fill 9-inch pie plate with warm water. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper in water to wet completely. Place on work surface. Blot dry with paper towel. Arrange 1/4 cup of the mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture and 2 tablespoons of the chicken in center of the rice paper wrapper. Fold bottom edge of rice paper wrapper over filling ingredients. Fold in sides, then gently roll tightly to enclose filling. Place spring roll on platter or tray. Cover with damp paper towels and plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers and filling ingredients to make 12 spring rolls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Serve with Asian Dipping Sauce.

Asian Dipping Sauce: Mix 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in small bowl until well blended. Stir in 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion.

Christina's Penne Rosa

adapted from backtoherroots.com

16 ounces whole wheat penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 ounces chicken, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
16 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
10 cups fresh spinach
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt or heavy cream
Xanthan gum as needed
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside.


In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add chicken and cook until all edges are cooked. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.

Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.

Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes.

Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt or cream, pasta sauce and a few pinches of xanthan gum. Stir until sauce is thickened, mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through. Divide into pasta bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Note: can also make with shrimp or salmon.

Christina's Honey Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette

from barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com

2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper, finely ground
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, balsamic, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the oil and whisk thoroughly to combine. Continue whisking until the dressing is fully emulsified.

Store in a jar with a lid and refrigerate. Shake well before serving. Enjoy!

Side note: If you choose to make this in the blender (as I like to do for almost every other recipe) this will be a thicker dressing. Still delicious, simply thicker. I prefer the consistency of this particular dressing when whisked by hand.

Christina's Maple Vinaigrette

from Perry's Plate

1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the basil and mustard. Whisk in the vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and garlic. Slowly pour the oil into the mixture while whisking. Whisk for about 15-20 seconds until mixture has emulsified and thickened slightly. Whisk in salt and pepper, adjusting to suit your tastes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing.)

Christina's Pumpkin Pancakes

from Our Best Bites

I made this without the whipped cream because I felt like that was way too much sugar for first thing in the morning, but I think it would be great for a brunch or dessert or something. 

3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
4 ounces cream cheese (low fat is fine, no fat free)
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy or regular) whipped until medium peaks form

Maple syrup for serving

Instructions

Prepare whipped cream by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Take 1/2 of the whipped cream (that you already whipped) and beat it in until smooth.  Add the rest of the whipped cream and use a spatula to gently fold in (do not beat).  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.   

Prepare pancakes.  Whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.  Make sure to break up any clumps of brown sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla, oil, eggs and pumpkin.  Combine wet ingredients with dry and gently combine until mixed.  Do not overmix.

Heat a nonstick griddle to medium heat.  When hot, use butter or nonstick spray to coat the pan.  Drop 1/4 cup pancake batter to form each pancake and cook until edges set (if you wait until they bubble, it might be just a bit too long).  Flip pancakes and cook remaining side.

Serve warm pancakes with a dollop of cream cheese topping and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Makes 12-14 large pancakes.