Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

Once again at the local grocery store something caught my eye………beautiful, plump, bright red cherries.

Cherries

Now, neither Tim nor I are huge cherry fans, but their allure was too much, so I bought them! Tim saw them in the frig and asked why I bought cherries? I had no answer………

Now, to find something to actually do with them, I scoured the internet……..so many variations to cherry pie……..but I wanted something different. I found a cake recipe that I wanted to modify  for my “Gluten Free” friends. Epic FAIL!!!! It was awful!!! Not really sure what I did wrong but it was a soupy mess…..see below……. The beautiful pistachio topping sank into the batter and disappeared. I will try this again after much modification, but such a waste of the beautiful cherries.

Fail

All I can say is that sometimes in the world of food, things do not always go as planned. 🙁

So , on to bigger and better things. I want to tell a gadget story……my Mom, who by the way made the best pies in the world….. her crust was flaky and tender (something I cannot replicate), especially her coconut cream pie. Mom was one to buy every little gadget on the market. When she passed away and we were cleaning out her house I came across a cherry pitter. Now, since I am not a cherry fan I wondered what I would ever use this for? But I kept it anyway………..What a great little tool! If you love cherries, or have a cherry tree, do yourself a favor and buy one……it is the bomb! Be sure you put down a paper bag, or something to catch the pits, as it is a messy process.

Cherry Pitter

After my fail, I had to do something with the remaining cherries. I remembered that Tim’s Uncle Ron “a.k.a. Rude Dog” liked cherry pie. So, I made my first every cherry pie……. with a lattice top. I did have to Google how to make a lattice top as I have never made a pie with one before……….wow……three firsts in one day! 1. Epic Fail 2. Cherry Pie. 3. Lattice top pie. My, oh my, what a day.

So here is the final result of the Cherry Pie……….

Cherry Pie

I am still waiting to hear back from Uncle Ron………I hope he enjoyed it!

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Cherries

Cherry Pie

  • Author: Pinterest
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 unbaked double pie crust recipe (store bought or homemade)
  • 7 cups sweet cherries, pitted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon of butter, cut into tiny pieces
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • Turbinado sugar (natural cane sugar)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Toss together the pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla extract and corn starch in a large bowl until evenly coated.
  3. Roll out the bottom pie crust, and gently lay it in a 9-inch pie pan. Transfer the cherry filling to the pie crust, and sprinkle with little dots of butter.
  4. Roll out the top pie crust, and either lay on top and cut a few slits in the middle to make a full double pie crust. Or cut the top pie crust into strips to make a lattice pie crust (I Googled this as it was the first lattice pie I have ever made). Brush pie crust with milk and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Then freeze for about 10 minutes, before baking.
  5. Place the pie in the middle rack, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil to catch any drips. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and cook for 35-45 additional minutes, or until the crust is nicely golden and the filling is thick and bubbly.
  6. Cool completely before serving.

Keywords: cherries, pie crust, pie, bake

 

Gluten Free Brownies

Gluten Free Brownies

Gluten Free Brownie

Sometimes in life you meet someone, who through unforeseen circumstances, life throws a curve ball.

I know a young woman at school who is having such an experience. Angela is the daughter of one of my staff at school, she is in her Senior year of High School and has been ill for much of that time. She has gone through a lot this year and has managed to do so with grace and a sense of humor, that I am not sure I would have had at her age…….she is beautiful inside and out. Although she is getting better, she has learned that a gluten free diet may help. As anyone who is trying gluten free knows substitutes,  especially for sweets can be a challenge.

I talk about my blog at work, and my staff has listened to me go on and on about whatever it is that I am doing for my blog.  They have been my guinea pigs, official taste testers, and sounding boards. I was talking about a request from a friend of mine for gluten free recipes and Angela made a comment that she had tried gluten free brownies and they were awful.

Perusing Pinterest one day, I came across a recipe for a gluten free brownie using of all things, black beans. The original recipe is from Skinnytaste, a food blog that I follow. I wondered if they would taste like a real brownie and how they would turn out. With Angela in mind I made them.

Now, I must admit I was a little scared to taste them, as I have never had much luck with substitutions in baking. I was sooooo very surprised! They were gooey, chocolatey, fudgy, and quite frankly, I don’t know anyone who would be able to tell that they were not regular brownies.

But the real test would be having Angela taste them. Now, I am sure that she was just as leery as I was to eat them, but she did and the look on her face was priceless. She loved them!!!

So, this recipe is for Angela and all of those who are looking for a yummy gluten free brownie 🙂

They are so good you may have to hide them………..

Gluten Free Brownies Collage

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Gluten Free Brownies

  • Author: Skinnytaste
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Amreican

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 (14 oz) canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  •  1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a nonstick 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
  2. Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined.  Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies.
  3. Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes.  Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.

Keywords: gluten free, brownie, bake, black beans, chocolate

 

 

 

 

Bacon Egg Breakfast Bread

Bacon Egg Breakfast Bread

Bacon and Egg Breakfst Bread

Sunday breakfast has alway been a big deal for Tim and I. When we were first dating, we went to breakfast every Sunday morning. We had a favorite place and we had a favorite waitress………..we were Sunday morning regulars………..fast forward three years, we are now an old married couple and we tend to stay home more.

But, Sunday breakfast is still a big deal. We have the usual bacon and eggs, or french toast, or pancakes. But, sometimes we try something new and today was a ‘try something new  day’!

I suppose, you could consider this a pizza, but I prefer to call it a Breakfast Bread. Eggs, bacon, and cheese fancied up with cherry tomatoes,basil, and spiced up with just a touch of pepper flakes!

Bacon Egg Breakfast Bread

 

Yeast dough is scary for a lot of you……….don’t be afraid!!!! It is really easy. The dough takes just a few minutes to put together, it has a short knead time (I use my Kitchen-aide mixer, it takes all the work out of it). The rise time gives you time to prep the other ingredients. If you are really afraid of the dough, you can use a pre-made, but give the dough a try you will not be sorry.

Tim and I really enjoyed this Bacon Egg Breakfast Bread……..it will join the list of our  Sunday favorites!

Bacon and Egg Breakfast Bread Collage

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Bacon and Egg Breakfst Bread

Bacon Egg Breakfast Bread

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1¼ teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ⅔ cup warm water
  • 1½ cups flour+, plus extra, for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil, plus extra, for drizzling
  • 4 eggs
  • 8 slices applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 4 ounces cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup grated swiss
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried re pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Place the yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl and set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface. Sift flour, salt into yeast mixture, add oil and mix to combine. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough back in a large bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 15–20 minutes.
  3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to make a 10 inch circle. Transfer to a deep-sided 10 inch cast iron skillet ( you can also use any deep baking dish) lined with parchment paper and push dough up sides.
  4. Crack the eggs onto the dough and top with the bacon and tomatoes. Sprinkle with the cheese, red pepper flakes flakes and basil. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Serves 4-6.

Notes

You may want to broil for just a few minutes to achieve a really golden top.

Keywords: yeast, tomato, eggs, bacon, breakfast, swiss cheese