Submitted by: Regina T. Recipe origin: Southern Cuisine
Pi Day (March 14th) is a celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi), but let’s be honest – it’s also the perfect excuse to indulge in a delicious slice of pie! What better way to mark the occasion than with a comforting homemade recipe that has been passed down through generations?
This Sweet Potato Pie is a true classic, rich with warm spices and a buttery, smooth texture that makes every bite a taste of home. Whether you’re celebrating Pi Day or just craving something comforting and delicious, this recipe is sure to become a favorite!
1 pound sweet potatoes (baked)
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 (9-inch) deep dish pie shell
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prick the pie shell with a fork several times to prevent air pockets from forming. In a mixing bowl, mash the baked sweet potatoes until smooth. Add the butter and mix well. Stir in the sugar, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk. Mix until fully combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell. Bake for 1 hour, or until the pie is golden brown and set in the center. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!
Submitted by: Amy Recipe origin: England / Georgia
My dad, Bill, loved mincemeat pie, and he and my grandfather would sneak into the kitchen in the night to snack on it. I was afraid of it as a child–why is it called mincemeat? Could someone be trying to sneak gravy into my pie? The flavors are intense and perhaps a bit off-putting for children, and my grandfather’s comments about how it “put hair on your chest” probably weren’t helpful either. In olden days, mincemeat pie really contained minced meat (e.g. venison) along with all the fruit. My mother didn’t use meat, as I recall, but she did use beef suet. I don’t want to hunt for suet, so I go with butter instead. The filling can be prepared and refrigerated several days ahead–it’s a labor of love, so I highly recommend making ahead and finding victi–I mean volunteers–to help with all the chopping. You can simply serve the filling over ice cream, too, and skip the crust-making. May this pie be worth a midnight trip to your kitchen.
Dough for double pastry pie crust
1 ½ lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, diced ¼-inch (about 3 large)
1 ½ lb Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, diced ¼-inch (about 3 large)
1 cup dried currants
1 cup golden raisins
¼ cup diced candied orange peel
2 tablespoons finely diced candied ginger
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
Grated zest and juice from 1orange
Grated zest and juice from 1lemon
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 ½ cups apple cider, divided
1/3 cup Calvados or other brandy
1 tablespoon boiled cider (optional)
1 tablespoon milk, for crust
1 tablespoon sugar or sparkling sugar, for crust
Place all ingredients except brandy, ½ cup cider, milk, and sugar for crust in a large heavy saucepan on med heat. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to med-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 3 hrs. Mixture will thicken and darken.
Stir in remaining ½ cup cider and brandy. Continue cooking, stirring often, 30 min or till liquid is syrupy and mixture is jammy. Cool to room temp.
Heat oven to 400 °F. Roll one piece of dough to a 12-in circle. Transfer to 9-in pie pan. Roll second dough piece to12-in circle. Spoon filling into pan. Place top dough over filling. Tuck edge of top dough under. Press to seal and create decorative crust. Cut 5 slits in top crust. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake till crust is light golden brown, 25 min. REDUCE OVEN TEMP to 350 °F. Bake till juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 35-45 min. Cool to room temp before serving.
I’ve got March Break on the mind. It happens to us Northerners some time in March. We’ve endured as much winter fun as one should have to, and as the days get longer, the birds start chirping a little louder and the occasional patch of muddy grass pokes through the snow piles, we start to think about warm places. March is really a mind jam – you think spring is coming, but there’s still a ways to go, and the days are frustratingly unpredictable. So many many many many of us head south for a week or so, just to give us the strength to endure the slow tease of springs unveiling.
With that in mind, I thought it might be fun this week to look for a recipe that combines the fun of a classic spring break cocktail with the sin of a sticky sweet treat. The result is a stunning dessert that will leave you feeling like you’ve indulged in a romp at a beach side restaurant without the hangover!
Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 C Margarita mix (see below for homemade margarita mix)
1-2 T tequila
1-9 inch prepared graham cracker pie shell
Unsweetened whipped cream (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Position rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350. Whisk together the yolks and the condensed milk. Add the margarita mix and whisk for 1 minute. Whisk in the tequila. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake until filling is lightly, but evenly set and the edges of the shell are lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours. Top wedges with whipped cream (optional) to serve.
Home made Margarita mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh lime juice
Mix all ingredients. Cook in a saucepan until all the sugar has dissolved, and mixture has thickened somewhat, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Will keep refrigerated about a month.
This recipe is very versatile. Can be used for other cream pies.
For Butterscotch:
Substitute 1 cup of brown sugar for the 2/3 cup whie sugar and use brown sugar in the meringue.
For Coconut:
Add 1 cup moist shredded coconut to the Banana Cream filling and sprinkle coconut over the meringue before baking.
For Chocolate:
Increase the sugar to 1 cup and add 3 tablespoons of cocoa.
Ingredient list
2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
2 Cups Scalded Milk
3 Egg Yolks, slightly beaten
3 Tablespoons Margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of Salt
Instructions
Mix flour, sugar and salt. Gradually add scalded milk and cook over low heat stirring until mixture thickens. Add a small amount of this hot mixture to the egg yolks, then stir the egg yolk mixture into the rest of the hot mixture. Cook until mixture thickens like pudding. Add butter and vanilla. Stir and Cool
Slice 2 bananas in the bottom of a baked pie shell and pour cooled cooked mixture over bananas. Top with meringue. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes til brown.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 min., plus chilling time
Ingredients
Pie Dough:
1 ¼ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2-3 tbsp ice water
Filling:
2 cups pumpkin puree (either from a can or homemade)
2 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup 35% cream
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp salt
Directions
1. In the bowl of a food processor pulse to combine flour, salt and sugar. Add cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tbsp ice water at a time, pulsing to combine. Mixture should hold together when pressed together but will still look a bit crumbly. Transfer crumbly dough to a lightly floured countertop. Knead a few times to press into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. While the dough is chilling, make the pie filling. Whisk together pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, cream, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
3. Preheat oven to 425F. Roll out dough into an 11-inch circle. Place in a 9” pie dish. Trim edges so that there is only ½-inch overhang. Fold edges underneath and crimp. Pour filling into pie shell. Bake for 15 mins., then reduce temperature to 350F. Bake for an additional 45 min., until filling is set and pie crust is golden brown. Let cool completely before slicing.
4. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 2 ½ hours plus cooling time.
Ingredients
Pie Dough:
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3- 4 tbsp ice water
Filling:
5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, cubed
1 egg, beaten
Preparation Instructions
1. In the bowl of a food processor pulse to combine flour, salt and sugar. Add cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tbsp ice water at a time, pulsing to combine. Mixture should hold together when pressed together but will still look a bit crumbly. Transfer crumbly dough to countertop. Press into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. While dough is chilling make apple pie filling. In a large bowl combine apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and flour.
3. Preheat oven to 400F. Roll out 1 disc of pie dough into an 11-inch circle. Place in a 9-inch pie dish. Top with filling. Dot filling with cubed butter. Roll out remaining disc of dough to a 10-inch circle. Brush rim of pie dough with beaten egg. Top with dough and press edges to seal. Trim edges so there is a 1-inch overhang. Crimp edges of dough. Brush top of pie with egg.
4. Cut four or five slits in top of pie. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake pie in bottom third of oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking until pie is bubbling and golden, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Pasty Dough:
1 tsp salt
3 c. flour
1 c. shortening
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
water
Preparation instructions
Pasty Dough:
Combine salt and flour; cut in shortening. Place egg and vinegar into a measuring cup; add water to fill to 1 cup.
Blend dry and liquid ingredients until a soft dough is formed. Add additional flour if dough is too soft. Divide dough into 6 parts and roll into six individual circles.
Filling:
Combine vewgetables and beef; season to taste. Divide filling onto the six circles, placing the filling on half of each circle. Brush the edge of each circle with water and fold half the circle over the filling. Crimp the edges to seal well. Do not prick. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake @ 375° for 1 hour.
2 cups bisquick
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 (3oz ) pkg cream cheese
1/3cup sugar
1tsp vanilla
3/4 cup whipping cream or cool whip
assorted fresh fruit
1/2 cup apple jelly melted
Preparation instructions
Mix bisquick and sugar, cut in butter until crumbly
Mix in egg until soft dough forms. Pat dough into greased and floured 12 inch pizza pan; pinch edges. Bake until edges just begin to turn brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool crust. Beat cream cheese 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Add whipped cream and spread over crust to within 1/4 inch of rim. Arrange fruit; brush with jelly refrigerate for 2 hours