Our Favorite Cherry Pie!

One day when Steve was a teenager bored all home alone, he decided to make a cherry pie. Ever since then he has been famous for that! He ended up making a tartlet recipe from Mrs. Field's cook book to make the pie crust. It is delicious!! We've used store bought cherry pie filling, homemade and bottled cherry pie filling with amazing results! Of course our very favorite is using cherries off of our own cherry tree...nothing can beat that!

Pie Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup salted butter

2 large egg yolks

2-3 T ice cold water

In medium bowl, combine the flour and butter with a pastry cutter until dough resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and water, then mix with a fork just until dough can be shaped into a ball.

Gather dough into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate until firm- about 1 hour. 

Cherry Pie Filling:

I used this recipe to bottle my fresh cherries. I just boiled my cherries for 1 minute to use as the cherry water. 

http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes/cherry-pie-filling

I've also used this recipe to make fresh cherry pie filling. It is super delicious as well:

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/homemade-cherry-pie-filling-recipe/

Split dough in two halves. Roll one half between two pieces of floured parchment paper. Turn over into pie plate. Prick with fork throughout the sides and the bottom. Pour cherry pie filling into pie crust. Dot with butter. Use strips of dough to make a lattice for the top, flute edges with fingers and sprinkle sugar on top OR roll the other half out and lay on top, flute edges, cut slits in center of pie and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 50 min. Serve with cream or ice cream!! 

Yummy Chocolate Pretzel Dip!

Katelyn (9-years old) and her cute friend Kailee made up this yummy recipe and they were so excited to post it on the blog AND Pinterest! 

---------------

You have to try! Easy 4-step recipe for our famous delicious chocolate pretzel dip!



 Ingredients:

• chocolate
• caramel
• pinch of sugar
• white chocolate chips

 It depends on how much you are making, so do how much you prefer!

Directions:

1. Pour chocolate, caramel, sugar, and white chocolate chips into bowl.
2. Put into microwave for about 30 seconds.
3. Stir until smooth.
4. NOW ENJOY WITH PRETZELS TO DIP!

April's Best Salad

My neighbor/friend makes some delicious salad dressing! It goes with practically everything and can even be used as a chicken marinade! I can't wait to eat more of it! Here is her family's favorite salad to go with her Taylor's Sweet & Sassy Dressing:

spinach

lettuce

tomatoes

red, orange and yellow pepper( my kids favorite)

purple onion, sliced thin

radishes

cucumber

carrots

blue cheese or Feta

zucchini, sliced into thin sticks (optional)

diced apple (optional) 

Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada's

From: Kayla Gubler

4 T Honey

3 T Lime Juice

1 T Oil

2 tsp Chili Powder

1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

1 can Enchilada Sauce

1-2 lbs Cooked Chicken, shredded

12-15 Tortilla Shells, fresh (or warmed)

Shredded Cheese

Mix honey, lime juice, oil, chili powder and garlic powder. Add shredded chicken. Put a small amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom of 9x13 pan. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese then roll up. Lay rolled enchiladas next to each other in pan. Cover with enchilada sauce. 

Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle more cheese over the top and return to oven- uncovered- until the cheese melts. 

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I must have been feeling adventurous or something because I tried roasting pumpkin seeds and making pumpkin puree for the first time this fall and we loved them! I kind of think the pumpkin seeds taste like popcorn! I got this recipe via Pinterest from Oh She Glows...thank-you!!

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds: from Oh She Glows

1. Clean the seeds. The annoying-but-necessary task is that you have to meticulously clean the seeds until there are no signs of pumpkin guts. After picking off the strands, give them a GOOD rinse with water in a colander.

2. Boil for 10 minutes in salt water. Using Elise’s method for inspiration, I added the pumpkin seeds to a medium-sized pot of water along with 1 tsp salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat. Apparently, this method helps make the pumpkin seeds easier to digest and produces a crispy outer shell during roasting.

3. Drain the seeds in a colander and dry lightly with a paper towel or tea towel. The seeds will stick to the towel, but just rub them off with your fingers. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be bone dry – just a light pat down.
4. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I only needed to use about 1/2-1 tsp). Massage oil into seeds and add a generous sprinkle of Herbamare (or fine grain sea salt will do). Try to spread out the seeds as thin as possible with minor overlapping.

5. Roast seeds at 325F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Roast for another 8-10 minutes (if your oven temp is off, this could vary a lot!). During the last 5 minutes of roasting, remove a few seeds and crack open to make sure the inner seeds are not burning (you don’t want the inner seed brown). Cool a couple and pop them into your mouth to test. They are ready when the shell is super crispy and easy to bite through. The inner seed should have only a hint of golden tinge to it. They should not be brown.
6. EAT! Remove from oven, add a bit more Herbamare, and dig in! Ah, so good, so good! There is no need to remove the outer shell; it’s quite possibly the best part.

Butternut Squash Soup

One day my sister was nice enough to give me a butternut squash. So when I saw a pin on pinterest for a butternut squash soup recipe I decided to try it. I admit I was nervous (for myself and my kids!) but I was so excited when we all liked it!

Butternut Squash Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• Hot pepper sauce

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in large saucepan
2. Add the chopped onion and rosemary and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add chopped squash, chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, white pepper.
4. Add little bit of hot sauce { according to your taste }
5. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes – or until squash is tender.
6. Use blender to puree the hot soup.
7. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

That same day I decided to try roasting pumpkin seeds for the first time, too! It was a success!

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

I made yummy syrup for Mason's birthday dinner where he requested Breakfast For Dinner. It was pretty easy and super yummy. I loved mixing it up! (Sometimes I get tired of the same ol syrup!) I got this recipe from Kara via Pinterest.

Vanilla Pudding Sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg thoroughly, and gradually stir in. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to a boil. (Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat; if it gets hot too fast, the egg will cook. And scrambled eggs in vanilla sauce would be bad. Really, really bad.) Boil for at least 1 minute, still stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.