Simple, Summer Berry Pie

I made this easy dessert on Saturday to welcome my husband back home after being on a week-long business trip.  There are so many berries in season right now here in Florida so it seemed like a good idea.  This would make a great Memorial day weekend treat for you as well, especially by decorating the top with blueberries, red strawberries and some white whipped topping. 


I love these simple, throw-together kind of pies that require miminal work and taste amazing.  I hope you enjoy this one!



Simple, Summer Berry Pie
(Serves 6 to 8)

1 deep pie crust (I used a whole wheat, organic kind OR make your own)
4 cups of berries, divided in half (I used a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)
8 oz package of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 container of whipped cream topping, reduced fat or fat free
1 cup of organic, all natural sugar
4 Tbsp. unbleached flour (I used whole wheat)
A few berries for garnish (optional)

Grease a deep dish pie plate generously with cooking spray.  Use a ready-made store bought pie crust or make your own.  (I have done it both ways, depending on my time and the ingredients I have on hand).   Bake your pie crust at 400 degrees for about ten minutes.  Remove from heat and it let it cool completely.  


Melt the 8 oz package of cream cheese in the microwave.  Spread it across the bottom of the pie crust.  Wash and thinly slice two cups of the berries.  Set the other half aside.  Place the sliced berries over the creamed crust.  Spoon 1/3 of  the whipped cream over the strawberries, covering all of them. 

Place the other two cups of berries in a large bowl.  Mash them until juicy.  In a medium size pot, boil your mashed berries on the stove with the sugar and flour until thick, about ten minutes.  Stir frequently so the strawberry liquid does not burn.  Substance will resemble a jam-like texture.   Let this liquid cool before handling.  Once cool, pour mixture into pie covering almost to the top, like this:

 

Top pie with remaining 2/3 of the whipped cream.  Cut into 8 slices. Enjoy!  

The pie stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days.  I do not recommend freezing this particular pie because the jam-texture of it causes the crust the become a bit soggy after prolonged exposure to cold.

Do you like your pie hot or cold?  Or both ways?  Do you make any summer pies that you love?   

Man's Meat Pie - My Husband's Favorite Recipe!

I made this dish a few days before Christmas.  I dubbed this "Man's Meat Pie" over a year ago.  Short for Mandy and also for my "man" (Kirk's) favorite meal.  I hadn't made it in a long time.  My husband quickly reminded me that this meat pie is still his most preferred dish I make and that I should create it more often.  Both of my parents enjoyed its taste as well. 

Therefore I decided to share it here so you can make it for the special men and women in your life.  Consider yourself lucky too.  The recipe is printed in my cookbook and I don't normally share those family favorite recipes for free!  :-)  So Merry Christmas, this is a little present for you, from me! 

This meal is best described as a pizza pie.  It tastes just like a pizza but you use a deep dish pie crust instead of bread dough.  The flavor is amazing!  Everyone who has eaten this loves it!  Try it for your family and tell them they can thank me for it.  Enjoy!

Man’s Meat Pie, Italian Style

(Serves 4 to 6)

1 deep dish pie shell  (Use a whole wheat pie crust, if you can find one!  Or make your own)

1 pound of lean ground turkey

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 green bell pepper, chopped finely

1 can (14.5 oz) of Italian flavor diced tomatoes

2 cups of 2% reduced fat shredded mozzarella, cheddar or your preferred type of cheese

3/4 cup of water

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp corn starch

1 tsp onion powder

1 and 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp basil, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a deep dish pie pan with cooking spray.  Place your pre-made shell inside pan.  Or simply use the pan that the pie crust came in from the store.  Set aside.  Generously grease a skillet.  Sautee onions and pepper in skillet on stove.  Add in your ground turkey.  Cook until brown.  Drain or blot any excess grease.  In a small bowl, dissolve the corn starch in the water.  Add cornstarch water into cooked meat mixture along with tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for about fifteen minutes or until most of liquid has been absorbed. 

Remove from heat and stir.  Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese at the bottom of your pie shell.  

 Spoon half of meat mixture into shell.  Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.  Spoon the other half of the meat mixture. 

Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top.  Add in a bit more Parmesan cheese too, if desired.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Edges of pie will be brown.  Remove from oven.  Let cool for several minutes before cutting.  Cut into 6 pie wedges.  Savor the flavor! 

Freeze any leftovers in plastic containers.  Pie is good for up to two months.  Defrost in fridge and reheat in microwave. 

Cook's Note: You could also easily sneak in pureed broccoli or spinach into the pie as well - 1/2 cup to 1 cup of either or a combination of them both!

Loser Cook Award #2: Banana Chocolate Cream (Soup) Pie?

Here we go again!  Another cooking disaster!   I almost titled this post "Wednesday's WTF!?" but then just changed it to my loser award #2.   If you missed my first loser cook award, go here to read about it.   I'm sure you enjoy seeing me poke fun at myself anyway. 





My most recent disaster comes from a healthier Banana Chocolate Cream Pie recipe I made.   The recipe called for using skim (fat-free) milk with instant pudding and pie filling.  Now in the past, I've had trouble trying to "skinny-up" puddings and pies.  However, I was optimistic at giving this one a chance.  I love chocolate.  My husband loves banana.  Together they make (and we make) a winning combination....normally that is! 

So I threw them together in this pie....  I'm not sure why or what went wrong but my pie filling never hardened.  It just stayed in a liquid or very soft gel form.  After keeping it in the fridge for several hours, I then decided to move it to the freezer.  Another mistake!  Because once I moved it from the freezer back to the fridge, it turned out looking like this:





WTF: Banana and Chocolate Cream Soup Pie?



When I actually went to slice the pie and put it on a plate, it looked even worse.  The pie became mud or even worse, like sludge.  It actually reminded me of snow that has been salted down.  I remember living in Ohio for 2 and 1/2 years watching that gorgeous winter wonderland turn into a yucky ash-gray color after a blizzard.  However, this sludge had overripe bananas sitting on top of it:





Is it just me or does this Disney princess appear like she has been pooped on?  LOL!


Oh yeah, I bet food gourmet lovers and critics are shuddering now at this story and these photos.  I'm sorry if you gasped out loud too!  Sigh!  I didn't know how to save this one so I threw it all away!  Sniff, sniff.  (I hate to waste food!)

So I hereby give myself the Loser Cook Award once again!  I'm sure this is just the beginning of my loser streak.  Stay tuned for more of my misadventures in the kitchen~ they keep happening!


Have you had luck with using skim milk and pudding in pies?  Do you have a trouble dessert that has kicked you in the butt more than once before?  Join the loser's circle with me please!

Fiesta Style Shepherd's Pie

Finally the weather has gotten cold here in Florida.  On these frosty days, I really enjoy eating something warm and comforting.  You'll see in my cookbook that I love "pies" - dessert pies, casserole dinner pies and more.  On Monday I began with the idea of making "shepherd's pie" but then decided at the last minute to give it a Mexican flair.  Here is the tasty end result:






Fiesta Style Shepherd's PieAdapted from Lynda's Recipe Box

(Serves 5)

1 pound of ground turkey
4 to 5 medium red potatoes - boiled, peeled and cut up
1 can of green beans, drained (I grinded mine up in a food processor)
1 can (15 oz) of tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) of corn, drained
1/2 cup of spinach, pureed
1/2 cup of carrots, pureed or shredded
1/2 cup of reduced fat shredded cheese
1/2 packet (envelope) of taco seasoning mix
3 tbsp of reduced fat milk
2 tbsp of light butter
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size sauce pan, boil the potatoes until tender, about ten minutes or until a fork can be inserted easily into them.  I used four but would select five next time to better cover the food.





Meanwhile generously grease a skillet with cooking spray.  Brown the ground turkey with onion powder, garlic powder and oregano.  Drain any grease or fat if needed.  Add in the drained can of green beans (I chose to puree mine since my family has texture issues with some foods and chunks).  Place the pureed spinach, carrots and tomato sauce inside the skillet.  Stir and simmer for about five minutes.  Then add in the drained can of corn and half the packet (envelope) of taco seasoning mix.  (Cook's Note: You can reserve the other half of the taco seasoning to make guacamole dip.  Recipe is in my cookbook).  Let the meat and vegetable mixture cook for another five minutes.  Then set aside to slightly cool. 




Check out the mixture!  You cannot even see the hidden veggies inside except for the corn!  :-) 

While the meat is simmering, you can peel and mash your boiled potatoes.  Place the peeled potatoes in a medium size bowl.  Mash them with the 3 tbsp of milk and 2 tsbp of butter.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.  Potatoes should have a creamy but slightly stiff texture to them.  Set aside.

Generously grease a 2 qt rectangular pan with cooking spray.  Place the meat and veggie mixture at the bottom of the pan.  Spread it out as evenly as possible.  Then spread your mashed potatoes on top covering all the meat.

It will look like this:




Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Then carefully remove from oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top.  Bake for another five minutes.  Remove from oven.  Let the pie cool for about five minutes before cutting and serving.  Enjoy! 






(Cook's Note: I am currently testing out the freezing process for this pie.  I think it's going to work since the potatoes are mashed.  But I will report back once the testing is complete.  Often potatoes do not freeze well.  They break down and become mush when frozen and defrosted.  That has been the case in potato salad and other types of potatoes I have tried to freeze.  We'll see if this one works out!  I'll report back here in a few days with how the results came out for me and any suggestions I have for freezing leftovers of this meal!)