The BEST Pie Crust

This is the ONLY pie crust we use in our family. It's perfect!

Grandma's Pie Crust

1 cup shortening (butter flavored Crisco is best)
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
Cut in just until mixed with a pastry cutter or fork. In separate bowl mix:
1/4 c. cold water
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 egg
Beat together until frothy and add to flour mixture and mix until it forms a ball. Roll out thin. Try not to over handle dough too much. Double recipe makes three 2-crust pies.

*Leftover pie crust dough is delicious rolled out thin. Place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Bake until golden. Or you can form leftovers into a ball, cover tightly with saran wrap, and place in baggie and freeze to use later.

Chicken Pot Pie

Quick and easy and very tasty! For a healthier version omit the bottom crust and make it with only a top crust! Sometimes I use cooked Quinoa (another delicious grain that cooks in only 20 minutes!) instead of brown rice. For a vegetarian version I also have used a can of white or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained, instead of a can of chicken and make a white sauce with soy milk instead of cream of chicken soup. Delicious either way! Don't be afraid to substitute in recipes! I do it all the time! Keeps life interesting!


Chicken Pot Pie

Pie crust (enough for top and bottom crusts)
2 cups cooked brown rice (I like to use my leftover rice for this)
1/4 cup diced onion
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen Country Trio Vegetables-carrots, corn, and green beans
1 can Cream of Chicken soup**
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning
1/2-1 cup milk
1 (5 oz.) can chicken
salt and pepper to taste

-Prepare pie crust. Roll out bottom crust and line 9 inch pie plate. Set aside.
-Saute onion in olive oil until tender crisp. Add cooked brown rice, frozen vegetables, soup, seasonings, chicken, and milk. Cook until heated through.
-Fill unbaked pie crust with chicken mixture. Roll out top crust and place on top. Seal edges and cut slits for steam to escape. Place on baking sheet with sides to catch any spills. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until crust is golden.

**Instead of using Cream of Chicken soup you can make your own white sauce: Melt 2 T. butter in a pan. Add 2 T. flour. Whisk for about a minute. Pour in 1 cup milk (regular or soy). Whisk until boiling. Salt and pepper to taste. Add to vegetable mixture.

Pink Cloud

This is a very pretty and very sweet salad. It's almost more like a dessert! It is very quick and easy to make. Sorry about the picture quality. My camera flash is broken.


Pink Cloud

21 oz. can cherry pie filling
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 can Eagle Brand milk
2 cups small marshmallows
12 oz. Cool Whip

Mix first four ingredients together and then fold in Cool Whip. Chill for 3-4 hours.

Galette des Rois

It's a tradition in France, the first sunday of January, and during all the month, to eat the La Galette des Rois, a round cake where a little charm (la fève) is hidden. Whoever finds this charm inside is King or Queen for the day and wears a crown (une couronne).

GALETTE DES ROIS

Pour 6 à 8 personnes

Ingrédients ;
2 pâtes feuilletées
1 jaune d’œuf

Pour la crème aux amandes :
200 g d’amandes en poudre
80 g de sucre glace
100 g de beurre
2 jaunes d’œufs
1 verre à liqueur d’eau

1. Préparez la crème aux amandes : versez les amandes en poudre dans un mortier et pilez-les pour rendre la poudre encore plus fine. Ajoutez aux amandes pilées le sucre glace, les jaunes d’œufs, le beurre ramolli en pommade et non fondu. Ajoutez le verre à liqueur d’eau. Battez bien la crème qui doit être très mousseuse.

2. Préchauffez le four ther.7.

3. Déposez délicatement une des 2 pâtes sur une plaque du four humide, mais pas graissée. Etalez la crème aux amandes sur cette abaisse jusqu’à 2cm du bord. Humectez cette bordure de 2cm avec un pinceau.

4. Posez la 2ème pâte délicatement sur la 1ère. Faites adhérer les bords en les pressant légèrement du bout des doigts. Incisez tout le pourtour de petits coups de couteau. Badigeonnez la surface de jaune d’œuf. Dessinez des arabesques avec la pointe du couteau, faites 2 ou 3 incisions profondes sur le dessus pour permettre à la vapeur de s’échapper pendant la cuisson.

5. Placez dans le four chaud (ther.7) sur la plaque à mi-hauteur. Laissez cuire sans ouvrir la porte du four pendant environ 30 minutes. La galette doit être gonflée et dorée. Laissez refroidir sur une grille. Servez tiède de préférence.

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Ingredients :
2 pie crust dough
1 egg yolk

For the almond cream:
1 ¾ cup of grounded almonds
1/3 cup of powder sugar
0.4 cup of butter
2 eggs yolks
2 Tbsp of water


1- Prepare the almond cream: put the almond powder in a bowl and crush it for making the powder finer. Add the ice sugar, the eggs yolks, the butter at room temperature (not melted). Add the water. Mix all the ingredients to obtain a very foaming cream.

2- Preheat the oven 401 ° F

3- Put delicately one of the 2 baked crusts on a humid plate. Spread the almond cream on it from 0.8 inches side. Moist this border with a paintbrush.

4- Put the second pie on top. Press lightly the border with your fingers. Make small incisions in all around the border with a knife. Distemper the surface with the egg yolk. Draw arabesques with the head of the knife, and make 2 or 3 deep incisions on the top for the steam could go out during the bake.

5- Put into the oven and let bake without opening the door for around 30 minutes. The galette must be puffed and glazed. It is better to serve it lukewarm.

Cool Whip Cream Frosting

I thought I should post this frosting recipe separately because it's definitely one I'm going to be using again in the future. I like it so much better than the super sweet regular cake frosting. And the great part...you can even decorate with it using cake decorator tips! Not to mention it is soooo easy to make! I'm hooked!

Cool Whip Cream Frosting

1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar with mixer until well blended. Add Cool Whip. Mix well. Spread on your choice of cake.

Lemonade Party Cake

"As refreshing as a glass of lemonade!"
I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker recipe site. I made it for my son's birthday today and it turned out really good. A nice change in flavor from the usual birthday cake. This recipe is meant to be a 9x13 cake pan but I baked it, removed from pan, cut it into my cake shape (a sailboat), and THEN poked the holes and put the lemonade glaze on. It turned out great! I just made sure that I poured the glaze on nice and slow so that it didn't run all over the place. I also frosted it with a Cool Whip Cream frosting instead of the heavy cake frosting. It was a perfect compliment I thought. This would be a fabulous cake for a shower, luncheon, or any occasion.

Lemonade Party Cake

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon or yellow cake mix (I used lemon)

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

1/2 can (12 oz. size) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (3/4 cup)-I used about 2/3 cup because of some of the reviews I read saying it was too runny

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white or fluffy lemon frosting (I used Cool Whip Cream Frosting)

Yellow colored sugar, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 15 minutes.
2. Mix lemonade concentrate and powdered sugar. Pierce top of warm cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over top of cake. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.
3. Spread frosting over top of cake. Sprinkle with sugar. Store covered in refrigerator.

(Photo from Betty Crocker website)


Cool Whip Cream Frosting

1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar with mixer until well blended. Add Cool Whip. Mix well. Spread on your choice of cake.

Muffins for anything

My mom used to make these for us as kids, and now my kids love them. They are pretty basic and you can throw just about anything in them. I like to add chocolate chips, or pecans, or both. My kids love them (the non-nuts version), and they freeze pretty good too. I doubled the recipe and got 3 and a half dozen.


Mix together:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar

add and mix together:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Add and mix:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

stir in any extras, like chocolate chips or nuts
pour into muffin cups, bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.