Easy Blueberry Cream Pie

  Every time pies are on the menu, people ask me to bring my apple pie.  As much as I love knowing I have a home run every time I make it, sometimes I get the urge to try out some different pie recipes.  That's why I'm preempting the Thanksgiving baking this year and trying out a new recipe that caught my eye on Pinterest.  This easy blueberry pie recipe was creamy with a big blueberry flavor and  the crunch of cinnamony crumb topping made it into a little piece of blue heaven on a plate.  :)   

FYI  This pie also freezes well, if you're looking to do a little advance baking for the holidays (see directions below).   

Recipe Source:  Gingerbread Bagels (the blog seems to have been discontinued)

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:


unbaked 9-inch pie crust (I used this amazing recipe for the crust)
3 cups blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1 cup sugar
1/3-cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

CRUMB TOPPING


2-1/2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup all purpose flour

EGG WASH
1 egg
1 Tbs. water

Directions:
Roll out the pie crust and place in 9-inch pie pan.  Crimp edges as desired, then set aside in the refrigerator while you work on the filling.  In a medium bowl,  mix together the sugar and flour. Add in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Pour the blueberries into the bottom of the crust.  NOTE:  If using frozen berries, do not allow to thaw first.   Pour the filling over the blueberries and spread evenly.  Place pie back in the fridge while you work on the crumb topping. 


FOR CRUMB TOPPING:   In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Pour the melted unsalted butter into the bowl and mix everything together.  Add in the flour and mix until the ingredients form a crumble topping.
Crumble the topping evenly over the pie.

FOR EGG WASH: In a small bowl, combine egg and water.  Then gently brush over the edge of the crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until center is set.   Let the pie cool before cutting into slices.  Serve with a dollop of whipping cream!


NOTE:  This pie freezes well.  Just allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic, and freeze.  Thaw in refrigerator until ready to serve or if you're impatient like us, just eat it partially frozen!   

Enjoy!


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Award Winning Neapolitan Cheesecake

 National Cheesecake Day is here and today's cheesecake recipe is as eye-catching as it is tasty!  A big prize winner from Taste of Home, it quickly won over the "judges" in our family as well!    Creamy and rich, I loved the chocolate/vanilla/strawberry flavor combination captured in a cheesecake.   My layers didn't turn out as delineated as shown in the magazine, but as skiwampus as they were, it still had the oohing and ah-ing effect I'd hoped for.    Enjoy! 

Source:   Taste of Home

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:
CRUST

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs (I used crushed Oreos)
3 Tbs. butter, melted

FILLING:

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1/3 cup white baking chocolate chips, melted with 1 tsp. shortening
1/3 cup mashed frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, well-drained
Red liquid food coloring, optional

TOPPING:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs. butter
2 tsp.  shortening, divided

Directions
In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and reduce oven to 325°.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar and cream. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on low just until combined. Divide batter into thirds. Add melted semisweet chocolate to a third. Spread over crust. Add melted white chocolate to another third. Spread over semisweet layer. Stir strawberries and a few drops of food coloring if desired into remaining portion. Spread over white chocolate layer. Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.



Place springform pan in a large baking pan (I used a large pizza pan, but you could also use a cookie sheet). Fill larger pan with hot water to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until center is just set. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove foil. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool for 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

For topping, melt semisweet chocolate, butter and 1 teaspoon shortening in a heavy saucepan or microwave; stir until smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Pour melted chocolate mixture over cheesecake.  Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Refrigerate leftovers.  Makes 12-14 servings.  Enjoy! 



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Patriotic Pancakes (with blueberries, strawberry sauce, and yogurt)

 One of the things I love about the summertime is having more time for eating breakfast.   Although we like our cereal and oatmeal too, we love heartier, more filling breakfasts even more.  These patriotic looking pancakes are an excellent way to start the day.  Not only are they tasty and eye-catching with the natural red, white, and blue colors, but with whole grains, fresh fruits, and very little added fat, these pancakes are good-for-you too! 

Source:  Food Network Canada

Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:


1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour (we used 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat flour)
2/3 cup oat bran (near the oatmeal and other hot cereals in the grocery store)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 1 medium sized banana)
2 Tbs. butter, melted
1 egg
1 Tbs. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup low-fat vanilla-flavored yogurt (for the topping)

Strawberry Sauce


2 cups diced fresh strawberries
3 Tbs. pure maple syrup
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. cornstarch

Directions :
Combine flour, oat bran, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.  Whisk together buttermilk, mashed bananas, melted butter, egg, maple syrup and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over-mix! Fold in blueberries.

Using about 1/2 cup batter at a time, cook on a greased preheated griddle.  Serve with generous dollops of vanilla yogurt and strawberry sauce!   Makes about 10 pancakes. 

For strawberry sauce, mix together diced strawberries and maple syrup in a saucepan. 
In a separate small bowl, whisk together orange juice and cornstarch and add to the strawberry/syrup mixture.   Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.  Serve over pancakes. 

Enjoy! 

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White Chocolate Strawberry Cookies

If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind way to use up some fresh strawberries, then you've come to the right place.  These cream cheese cookies are bursting with fresh strawberry flavor with a touch of zesty lime while the white chocolate adds just the decadent touch to make these soft textured, unique cookies a colorful addition to a summer menu.  For best results, use only fresh, ripe strawberries chopped shortly before adding to the dough. Enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe.  

White Chocolate Strawberry Chunk Cookies
Recipe by  Lara 

The ingredients:


(oops, I forgot the white chocolate chips and two limes in this  picture)

1 cup butter, softened
1 pkg. (8-ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
Zest from 3 limes, finely chopped (about 1-1/2 tablespoons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh strawberries, finely chopped to about the size of chocolate chips (NOTE:  don't chop the strawberries until shortly before you're going to add them to the dough)
1  pkg. (12-oz.)  white chocolate chips

 Directions:  In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and lime juice and lime zest.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.   Gently fold in chopped strawberries (drain any accumulated juices first) and white chocolate chips.

Gently scoop into balls on a greased baking sheet (or a parchment paper lined baking sheet) and bake at 350° for 8-10  minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.  Cool 1 minute before removing to wire racks.    Makes 4 dozen cookies.  These are best eaten fresh (right out of the oven is good) or within a couple of days. 

Enjoy! 

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Emeril's Strawberry Lemonade

Despite the fact that my kids still have three weeks left of school, it is definitely starting to feel like summer here in the DC area!  The past few days have been HOT, HOT, HOT, with the thermometer up near 100 degrees and 100% humidity.  With heat and humidity like that it doesn't take much to sweat like a pig, with even a quick trip down to the mailbox making me drip like I just ran a marathon.  Although we don't usually have sugary drinks in the house, I am a sucker for fresh cold lemonade on sweltering days like this.     Since my family has a slight obsession with strawberry or raspberry lemonade when we order drinks at restaurants, I was intrigued when  I saw this recipe over at the  Food Network.  The reviews on it were good, so I wasn't too surprised when my family fell in love with the cold, tangy sweet drink, which they drank up in the blink of an eye.  Stay cool!   

 Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:


2 cups  water
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. grated lemon peel (don't worry it gets strained out)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved (about 2 cups)
2 cups  sparkling water or club soda, chilled
mint sprigs, whole strawberries and/or lemon slices for serving (optional)

Directions: 

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher. 

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. 

(NOTE:  I opted to strain the strawberries in a fine mesh sieve before adding it to the lemon juice, since  I knew my kids wouldn't like the strawberry seeds in their lemonade.)

Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled. 

Add the sparkling water and stir well.

Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint, lemon slices,  and strawberries. 
Enjoy! 

Source:  Food Network

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Here are some of our other favorite strawberry recipes:   (Fresh Strawberry Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake Bars, Fresh Strawberry Frosting,  Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes, and plenty of homemade strawberry jam!)


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