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

 

Cast Iron Cake

Cast Iron Cake

Cast Iron Cake

 

I have a new love……….it’s a cast iron skillet. Where has it been all my life?????

I came across a couple of cast iron skillets way back in the cupboard right after Tim and I were married……..and thats where they have stayed, until recently.

While looking at and researching recipes for the blog, I noticed that a lot of folks still use them……….I always thought they were for those of a certain generation (sorry) or for camping ( yuck…..but thats a different story). So just for kicks, I have tried them for different things over the last couple of months. Well to my surprise, they are great!!!

So, when I came across a recipe at www.kitchendaily.com and it used a cast iron skillet and it was chocolate……………I had to try it and it turned out beautifully. Not only was it easy to prepare, with things almost all pantries have, but you only need one bowl and the skillet. It was chocolatey, and the frosting melted into the cake and made it moist, almost pudding like.

The Cast Iron Cake is a homey, rustic chocolate cake, topped with a dollop of whipped cream…………yummmmmm!

Cast Iron Cake Collage

 

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Cast Iron Cake

Cast Iron Cake

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Adapted from Kitchen Daily recipe……..


Ingredients

Scale
  • For the Cake:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • For Frosting:
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 cup toasted pecans chopped
  • 2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350*
  2. Sift the flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
  3. In a 10 inch cast iron skillet, bring the butter, oil, cocoa powder, and water to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the dry ingredients. Stir in the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
  4. Set cake aside.
  5. To make the frosting:
  6. In a medium saucepan, place the butter, cocoa powder, and milk and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour warm frosting over warm cake and spread over entire cake.

Keywords: chocolate, cake, bake, cast iron, skillet

 

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

 

IMG_0036

So what the “Forks”for dessert is the topic of the day………

This time of year all I think about are sweets. Candy, cookies, but mostly CAKE!!!!! Continue reading “Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting”