Mile High Strawberry Pie

Well it's strawberry time on Long Island, at least from my garden. This weekend my strawberries were ready for picking. I couldn't believe they were ready, I wasn't expecting them till June. Now with that said the big decision was do I make jam or pie...as you can see the pie won out. Now was it to be Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie or Mile High Strawberry Pie. I was in the mood for Strawberry-Rhubarb, I haven't had it since last year but my hubby requested Mile High so the Strawberry -Rhubarb will have to  wait. This pie really brings out the fresh flavor of the strawberries. The shell is pre-baked then half the filling is cooked on the stove top and fresh strawberries folded into that. It is topped of with whipped cream that is both stabilized and flavored with instant vanilla pudding. So if your game give this pie a try...you will not be disappointed!

Mile High Strawberry Pie


Ingredients:


Pastry for one crust pie (10") pre-baked according to directions

Filling:


1 1/2 quarts of strawberries washed, hulled then mashed
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 Tlbs cornstarch
2/3 cups cold water
1 1/2 quarts of whole strawberries


Topping:
2 cups heavy cream
3 Tbls instant vanilla pudding (must be instant)

In a sauce pot combine cold water and cornstarch.Mix to  remove all lumps. Add sugar and mashed berries mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir till mixture comes to  a boil. Cook 2-5 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Chill 20 25 minutes in the refrigerator. Stir a few time while cooling.
Remove mixture from fridge and fold in whole berries.

When I am cleaning my berries I mash the larger ones and keep the smaller berries to fold in. If you only have large berries you will want to  halve or quarter them. Pour mixture into the pre-baked pie shell. Chill for at least 5 hours.

In a large bowl or stand mixer pour in the 2 cups of heavy cream and 3 tablespoons of instant vanilla pudding. Whip till soft peaks form.

Spoon onto pie. Garnish if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Very Flaky Pie Crust

Since it's pie season I figured I'd post my pie crust recipe. This is my regular pie crust that I make in a few batches and freeze so I always have a pie crust when I need it. This is a great recipe and so easy to roll out.
Very Flaky Pie Crust


Makes 4, 9" crusts or 3, 10" crusts.

Ingredients:
4 cups unsifted flour
1 Tlbs sugar
2 tsp salt
Crisco
1 egg
1 Tlbs cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vodka ( you can use another 1/4 cup water in place of the vodka.)

In a large bowl mix together flour,sugar and salt. Add the Crisco shortening and mix with a pastry blender or 2 forks until crumbly.
In a small bowl mix egg,cider vinegar, water and vodka till combined. Add to flour shortening mixture. Combine till moist. Shape into a large ball.
Divide dough into thirds for 10" pastry. Divide dough into fourths for 8-9" pastry.
Shape each piece into a round disk and wrap individually in wax paper and chill at least 1/2 hour before using.
Dough stays for 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to six months. If you are freezing wrap carefully and place in a Ziploc bag.

If a recipe calls for a baked shell roll out pastry place in pie pan , prick all over with a fork and bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I always use my pie weights(chick peas) when I just have to blind bake a crust. This helps keep the pie shell from shrinking. After your pastry is in the pie pan put in a piece of parchment paper and fill with one bag(out of the plastic) of chick peas. bake for 10 minutes then remove the peas and parchment paper and continue cooking 2-5 more minutes. You can keep the chick peas in a plastic zipper bag and reuse them next time you need to blind bake a pie shell.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Eggs in Red Pepper Rings

While out at the super market I was looking through the cooking magazines and saw a picture of eggs in red pepper rings. My son loves red peppers so I thought I would give it a try. I didn't have the recipe but figured how difficult could it be. So I just used the same spices I used from the eggs in a bread bowl recipe minus the bread.  This is a good alternative if you are looking to reduce the amount of bread you eat. Both my husband and my son devoured them so I guess this is a keeper.

Ingredients:

1-2 red peppers depending on the size
Eggs
Margarine
Chives
Real bacon bits
Shredded cheese of your choice
salt & pepper

Wash the peppers and cut into thick rings. In a frying pan, over medium heat,heat up about 1-2 tablespoons of margarine. When the pan is nice and hot put on the pepper rings. Make sure the pan is hot enough or your eggs will leak out like mine did. Live and learn. Crack an egg into each ring. Season with salt and pepper. Add chives, bacon bits and shredded cheese. Cover and cook till the eggs are done to  your preference. Serve and enjoy!

 

Grilled Romaine Salad

While visiting my Mom two summers ago, she tells me we are having a grilled romaine salad. I looked at her and asked if she was crazy,you can't grill salad. Boy was I wrong. This salad is so delicious and a snap to make. We had it at our BBQ on Saturday. I did make a regular tossed salad for anyone who was not daring enough to try the grilled romaine but I ended up eating the tossed salad the next two days. No one ate it,everyone ate the grilled romaine salad.

Grilled Romaine Salad

Ingredients:



4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


3/4 cup chopped red onion


1/2 pound bacon, chopped


1/2 cup balsamic vinegar


2 heads romaine lettuce, cut in 1/2 lengthwise (I use the hearts of romaine)


1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

First, make the dressing for the salad. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in  pan over high heat. Add the onions and bacon and cook until the bacon is nice and crispy.  Add the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.
 

To grill the romaine make sure your grill is nice and hot. If you don't have romaine hearts take off the outer leaves. Brush  lettuce with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, place on the grill cut side down, and cook 2-3 minutes. It should have nice grill marks.
Put the lettuce halves, cut side up, on a platter or plate and drizzle the balsamic dressing over the lettuce. Sprinkle with blue cheese, enjoy!

Grilled Veggies

Yesterday was a beautiful day that called for our first BBQ of the season. Now don't get me wrong, I grill all year long... steaks and burgers but when its cold you can run in and out of the house and leave the meat on the grill not so with grilled veggies. I just love grilled veggies and they are so easy to do. I always make a lot so I have left overs for grilled veggie sandwiches with goat cheese. In fact I just got done eating one on a piece of french baguette.The best, anyway try grilling your own veggies this BBQ season.

Grilled Veggies

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic powder
Seasoning of your choice
I love to use Green Goddess Dressing Base from Penzeys

Veggies of your choice:

Eggplant
red,yellow,orange peppers
Zucchini
asparagus
portobello mushrooms etc.

Wash and prepare the vegetables. I snap the ends from the asparagus, partially peel the zucchini and eggplant then slice into slices about 1/4- 1/2 inch thick. Remove the seeds and membrane from inside peppers and slice into fourths etc. Put veggies into Ziploc bags. Pour in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I don't measure but oil should be enough to cover the vegetables. Sprinkle in garlic powder and any other seasoning of your choice. Seal bags and let marinate a few hours.

Heat up the grill and cook veggies over low heat turning frequently. Enjoy!