An American Housewife: Thanksgiving Pies for 2025! A different pie crust this year, and 3 pies; pumpkin, pecan and caramel apple (PIE CRUST RECIPE with sour cream)

I LOVE my regular pie crust and have been making it since my children were itty bitty babies, but this year, I was flipping through an old catalog of King Arthur I found tucked into one of my 1000 recipe binders, and saw a random pie crust recipe that used an addition of sour cream and baking powder.  Two items I don't typically use in my pie crusts.  But I had sour cream on hand that wasn't earmarked for any meal in particular and I was in a grumpy mood in which I did not feel like taking on any of the tasks at hand and making a pie would keep me busy and give me a reason for not doing 'all the things' I should have been doing.  I also had been given a can of caramel apple pie filling by someone who couldn't/wouldn't use it, a year or so ago (which we never use either), and have never used, and will never use... so it's just been sitting in the back of the pantry.  I decided to make a pie, and then gift the pie to someone.  

So that is the back story to why I tried a different pastry recipe this year and why I actually made a caramel apple pie using a store bought can of pie filling - which I've never done before.  I got rid of the odd-can of filling AND tried a new recipe.  

The pie crust made with sour cream and baking powder was... interesting.  Different, but good enough that I made it two more times and made all three (3) pies with it this year.  There is a bit of tang to it from the sour cream, but it's good, flaky, yet durable and easy to work with.

Here is the apple pie I gifted after it was baked... and was well received, and I asked for feedback on the pie crust from.   

 

Going into the oven to bake....

 

 

 

 

 

Pie Crusts 2025

2 c flour (Used a mixture of AP and flour I ground myself from soft white wheatberries)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
2 sticks butter, cold
1/2 c sour cream

Put the dry ingredients in a food processor bowl (or a plain mixing bowl if you wish to mix by hand).  Give a couple whirls to mix the dry.  Cut the butter into dices, pats or pieces.  For a food processor, add and pulse until it is a crumb mixture.  If by hand, smoosh and blend with your fingers (or use a pastry cutter) until it it is a crumb mixture and bits of butter are throughout the flour.  Add the sour cream last, mixing in by hand or give a couple pulse whirls in the food processor just until the dough comes together.  

Turn out on parchment paper sprinkled with a bit of flour.  Divide dough into 2 disks.  If it's still cold, you can roll out immediately, or just form a disk, wrap in plastic and chill in fridge until you are ready to roll.  Make a circle just a bit larger than your pie dish, and lift in.  Finish the edges however you wish.  Can be pre-baked for cold or custard pies, or freeze them until needed for filling pies - or fill immediately and bake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making the pies for Thanksgiving... a traditional pumpkin pie this year except made with part raw, organic honey to cut back on the dreaded corn syrup it traditionally uses.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

And pecan... 

 

 

Which  you can leave like this after adding the pecans....  or you can quickly decorate the top with a design of whole pecans as well.

 

 

 

 

Coffeecake Muffins (low carb, keto, yada yada)

It's been a long, long time since I've posted.  Life is still... life-ing.
It's been a tough past couple years.  Most of the time I don't even think of my old cooking and recipe blog!

This afternoon I was taking a break from convincing myself NOT to do all the things my brain is telling me should get done.  I had Coffee Cake Muffins on the counter so I stood there eating one when I suddenly thought about the cooking blog, "An American Housewife" Cooks. No idea why but it popped in my head.  I was SURE I had posted this recipe... probably at least 2 or 3 times, as I've made it at least 50 times in the past 10 years.  I snapped a picture with my cellphone as I was eating, and then later, came online to see if it was here.

Well, I have no idea... because I didn't find it within the first 8 seconds of searching so I just opted to post again.

Carb count depends on the products and brands you use.  Also, when I first started to make this recipe, there were VERY FEW products available... so my original hand written recipe card calls for things like Splenda and I think (?) Brown Sugar Twin or something like that.  Because back then the market had almost no sugar-free, low carb, keto products.  So things change over the years.  Use what you use.  Count your carbs and sugar using your products. 

 

Coffeecake Muffins

Topping:

1/2 c almond flour
3 T brown sugar style natural sweetener
2 T coconut flour
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 c melted butter

Mix the topping ingredients together to blend well and set aside.

 
Muffins:

2 c almond flour
1/3 c sweetener of choice
1/4 c whey protein powder (unflavored or vanilla - zero carb, zero sugar)
3 T coconut flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1/2 c melted butter
4 eggs
1/2 unsweetened almond milk

Preheat your oven to 325.
Whisk together the dry ingredients for your muffins.
Stir in the butter, eggs, almond milk and vanilla.  Mix well by hand or briefly with mixer.

Fill lined muffin tins (makes 1 pan of 12-ish or about 6 jumbo with some leftover).  Place some of the crumble topping on each muffin tin of batter.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until done.  Cool complete in pans.  

If you wish at this point you can add a simple sugar free drizzle on top:
1/4 c powdered natural sweetener
2 T water or almond milk
1/2 t vanilla

Or top with a sugar free frosting.  I used a cinnamon flavored frosting on the ones in the photo above. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keto Brownies (Note to self: THIS ONE!!!!!!)

Last night, spur of the moment, decided to make brownies before bed.

I don't like chocolate and rarely crave sweets but I've been starting back on keto after a long, long time off  due to... things; and after a couple days, I was mentally craving foods I knew I didn't even really like. However, I know when I am re-starting keto or sugar free, low carb, I always start to crave crazy things around days 3 and 7 just because I want something sweet.  (25 years of eating mostly low carb/sugar free you start to know yourself!)

Chose a cast iron skillet this time for no particular reason.  When I was going to add the sweeteners, I grabbed my current mixture of allulose, monk fruit and stevia but saw a bag of Splenda Magic Blend I forgot I even had.  Used half that and half the allulose blend (that I'm trying to use up as it's used in so few recipes as it's a 'softer' finish so it's best in things like homemade ice cream... not baked goods that you like with a crisp edge).

I ended up eating it warm, straight from the oven, with a spoon.
Then I went to bed.

  
Brownies

3/4 c almond flour
1/2 c natural sweeteners (used Splenda Magic Blend, and Allulose, Monk Fruit and Stevia)
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3 oz cream cheese
1/4 stick melted butter
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 c sugar free chocolate chips (used Lily's this time)

Oven to 325.  Buttered pan.  Combine the dry, add the wet.  Mix.  Pour into pan and smooth the top.  Bake 30-35 minutes.  Let cool completely.

A really ugly photo of the brownies literally right out of the oven.  It was night time, and my kitchen lights always make things look ugly even in the day (with a yellow cast) but at night, even uglier.  They are actually a deep, deep dark chocolate color and were oh-so good!!!! A quick photo of one I ate at lunch today.

   And to make it easy to 'grab one' I sometimes do this with brownies or cheesecake... make them into little "brownie bites" or "cheesecake bites" so I can grab just one and not have to rely on myself for portion control.

  

Low Carb Keto No Bake Cookies (and a few other versions of vintage No Bake Cookies including those cooked in a saucepan)

 

 

 

I rarely post anymore and I've removed almost everything from my site except the bare minimum but once in a great while I still pop in to add a recipe as it makes it easy for me to find them myself.  And, at least for now I'm still keeping my site open to the public, so you get to enjoy all the collected recipes as well.  (I may start up again in the future and build the site back but life kicked me in the teeth (again) in 2024 and this site fell down on the priority list.)

The no-bake cookies my family (my Mother) has been making since the late 1970's and our family continues to make to this day are not the kind most people know as no-bake cookies as typically they make the ones you boil in a saucepan for 3 minutes.  I have that recipe, yes I make it sometimes, but the family favorite of our family is truly NO BAKE.

We make these without fail every single Christmas and various times through the year.  They have oatmeal, butter, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and powdered sugar, etc....  which a couple of which, are things we do not eat when we are eating low-carb and sugar free.  

Replacing the oats with flaked unsweetened coconut works well and I found a recipe that used a mixture of coconut, pecans and peanut butter; I found it to be pretty good - a 'keeper' anyway although it's not the keto low carb version I make when I do a copycat of my mother's version.  For now I'm keeping that one tucked away.

 

This version of a low carb, sugar free
No Bake Cookie

1 1/2 c crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes
4 T butter
1/2 c powdered sweetener such as allulose/monk fruit
2 heaping T cocoa powder
1 heaping t good quality vanilla paste or extract
1/2 c chopped pecans

Mix all together in a large mixing bowl with a paddle attachment or by hand.  Scoop mounds with a 1 1/2" cookie scoop or use a large spoon and form into mounds on parchment or wax paper.  Smash each mound with the palm of your hand just a little bit to form a nice flat circle, but still quite thick.

Let stand until they harden a bit and form a bit of a crust (depending on the humidity and temperature of your house this can be in an hour or could be 4-5 hours.  You can also just leave them out overnight.)

 

 ___________________________________________

 

In May of 2012 I posted this version, which uses oats and are not low carb, but are sugar free. 

No Bake Cookies

1/2 c butter
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk, but milk does have sugar in it)
2 c sweetener substitute
4 T cocoa powder
3 c oatmeal
1 c natural, no sugar added peanut butter
1 t vanilla
*optional:  you can add unsweetened, shredded coconut or chopped nuts if you wish

In a saucepan, bring the sugar substitutes, cocoa, butter and milk to a boil.  Whisk quickly until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add the oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla.  Stir to blend.  Drop by tablespoons on parchment or foil and let set until hardened a bit so they don't fall apart!  After about 2 minutes or so you can shape them a little if you wish (I flattened mine a bit) or leave them in haystacks.  Let harden and cool completely.  

In February, 2016 I posted this version - which I think almost every housewife in America was making back in the 1970's and is still popular today.  This is the kind that is cooked in a sauce pan and then spooned out into mounds.  (In 2016 I started to make this version using natural sweeteners like erythritol, monkfruit, etc.  and used almond milk in place of dairy milk).

No Bake Cookies

1 c granulated sugar
4 T butter
1/2 c milk
1/3 c cocoa
1-2 t vanilla
3 c oats - quick or regular

Combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Boil 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in oatmeal and vanilla.  Drop portions onto foil or parchment paper. Let stand until firm.

Low-carb and sugar free - no oats in this one. The unsweetened natural coconut flakes take the place of the oats.

 

 

Homemade Sugar Free No Churn (No Machine) Ice Cream - Coffee flavor!

Was craving ice cream lately but never wanted to add it to the grocery budget.  I lent our ice cream maker to our daughter and haven't borrowed it back yet so I had to make the 'no churn' 'no machine' kind which takes making the sugar free sweetened condensed milk first (which is what takes the most time).  Luckily I was home yesterday and could start it and let it simmer away without standing there willing it to go faster.

 

 

Homemade Sugar Free Coffee Flavored Ice Cream

1 c heavy cream
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
3/4 c sweeteners - mixture of allulose, bochasweet and monk fruit
2 T butter
1/2 - 3/4 t Thick It (a xanthan based thickener available online)
1 T espresso powder
1 t vanilla
1-2 t instant coffee (I use one full single packet)


In a saucepan mix the 1 c heavy cream and almond milk along with about half the sweetener.  Bring to a brief boil, then reduce to a constant fast simmer for about 45 minutes until it's thickened up a little. Stir every now and then and make sure your heat isn't too high or it will scorch.  Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and the ThickIt (by sprinkling over the top and whisking briskly).  Add the espresso powder and vanilla.  I used a stick blender briefly pulsed a couple times to make it super quick.  

Cool this mixture either in the refrigerator or let it set until completely cool.

Whip the 1 1/4 c heavy cream to stiff peaks along with the last half of the sweeteners.  Fold in the coffee mixture.  When combined, stir and swirl in a teaspoon or so (1 packet) instant coffee.  Leave it swirled to give that look or mix it in completely if you prefer a solid color soft brown ice cream.   Transfer to the container for the freezer, seal and freeze for about 5-6 hours.

 

Coffee mixture after whisking.  Now let it cool completely before adding in the whipped cream

Homemade Yogurt (... with starter culture and made in the oven)

 

 

I've posted my regular 'go to' homemade yogurt recipe here before (here is one from 2019) which I use dry milk powder (so I don't have to bother heating it) and a heating pad to incubate it. (Is that the right word?  ha ha.  Sounds weird.)

This time around I'm using half and half I wanted to use up - and most importantly, I gave my heating pad to a family member and don't have one right now.  I don't have a 'yogurt' maker nor do I have a yogurt button on my electric pressure cooker so I did it the old fashioned way... in the oven.

I also opted to sweeten it just a bit at the start instead of at the end.   This yogurt made with half and half is so incredibly thick and creamy - very very good.

Yogurt
With starter culture and made in the oven

 

1/2 gallon half and half
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/3 - 1/2 c natural sweetener
dash of vanilla
2 T yogurt with live active cultures or a packet of yogurt culture starter

Mix the half and half and almond milk (if you are using almond milk in addition to half and half) with the natural sweetener in a large pot on the stove.  Over medium, heat slowly to 180 degrees.  Simmer at this temperature or as close to it (180-190) for about 10 minutes, stirring most of the time.

Cool the mixture to 110 either slowly letting it set or quickly with a cold water/ice bath.

Stir 1 cup of the warm mixture into the 2 T yogurt or the starter culture.

Add it all back into the big pot and stir.

Add some vanilla if you wish or leave it plain depending on what kind of yogurt you want.

Ladle it into jars at this point if you wish or you can leave it in one large container.

I added freeze dried fruit to the bottom of some of the cups and left some plain.

In a briefly warmed oven, set the tray of sealed jars, or the container of yogurt.

Leave the oven light on for warmth and leave alone for about 12 hours (all night works well).

Once set, chill the yogurt for at least 3 hours.

At this point you can add flavorings, fruit, etc. to the yogurt if you wish as well.    Keep refrigerated until using within 2 weeks.

 

Ciabattas

Although I am rarely posting on An American Housewife lately, I wanted to take the time to get this one saved as I want to continue to work with this and improve it a little more to my own personal liking of the exact texture I want.  It's so very close!  But I want just a tiny little bit more rise time I think to give it even more air bubbles inside.  However, it's so good even as it is!  

Such a chewy texture... oh I love it.

I did not plan to post so I wasn't taking any photos of the process.  My photos were just a couple I snapped on my cellphone to send to a friend as we were chatting. 

 

This recipe is using a starter.  This is what I did differently this time making ciabatta and I feel like it's made the difference in the chewy outside texture I was going for.  
It was fairly chilly in the kitchen this day and I really should have helped it along but I decided to let it do what it wanted as I was terribly busy and making ciabattas as a side project while my attention was elsewhere.   For the final rise it was late and I wanted to go to bed, so into the fridge it went.  With all these short-cuts and leave-outs it still turned out so good.

 I grind my own wheat to make the flour so it's not as fine as store bought and gives it even more of an artisan feel.

 

 

CIABATTA
From my sourdough starter

1 1/2 c water
2 t salt
1/2 c active sourdough starter
3 1/2 c bread flour

Mix the water and salt in a bowl. Add the starter and stir.  Add the flour, and stir until you have a wet, sticky dough ball. Knead briefly with your hands if necessary to incorporate the flour. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

With wet hands, grab one side of the dough, and pull up and to the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat.  Do this until you’ve made a full circle. Cover the bowl. Repeat this process three more times at 30-minute intervals for a total of 4 sets of stretches and folds over the course of two hours.

Transfer the dough to a straight-sided container. Cover the vessel with a towel. Let rise at room temperature until the dough nearly doubles in volume.  Cover with a lid to prevent it from drying out. Transfer to fridge for 12-24 hours.

Remove from fridge. Sprinkle top of dough liberally with flour. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Pat dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle top with flour. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 small rectangles.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. With floured hands, transfer each rectangle to the prepared pan, gently pulling outward. Cover the pan with a towel. Let stand for one hour.

Pre-heat oven to 475ºF. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 450ºF, rotate pan, and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove pan from oven. Transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.

 

Adapted from https://alexandracooks.com/2021/04/25/simple-sourdough-ciabatta-bread/

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Recipes: Custard Rhubarb Pie, Roast Turkey in a Paper Sack, Mexican Squash and Sunday Night Waffles

This cookbook from my pantry isn't especially old, I couldn't find the publication date inside the cover pages like usual but looking it up online, it is listed as published in 1971.  

Old enough, to be called vintage?  I consider my collected books from the early 1900's to about 1940's to be vintage.  But 1971 is old enough I suppose.

This one is called Americana Cookery; An illustrated cookbook of regional America's traditional recipes. 

I'll grab a couple recipes at random to share while I sip my coffee and wait for a delivery this afternoon....

 

 

Custard Rhubarb Pie

4 c diced rhubarb
2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
3 eggs, separated
1 unbaked pie shell
1 T butter
1/4 t cream of tartar
6 T brown sugar

Combine rhubarb, sugar, flour and egg yolks in a bowl.  Stir.  Let stand for several minutes until the juice begins to form; pour mixture into pie shell.  Dot top with butter.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 250 degrees; bake for 30 minutes longer.  Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl; beat until soft peaks form.  Add brown sugar gradually; beat until stiff glossy peaks form.  Add meringue to top of pie.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  

Mrs. Doris Patterson, Shelbyville Jr. High, Shelbyville, IN
Notation:  I did find a Doris Patterson who lived in Shelbyville and was a retired teacher.  If this is her, she passed away in June of 2016.

Sunday Night Waffles

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 c oil
2 1/2 c milk
2 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 T sugar
3/4 t salt
4 t baking powder

Combine eggs, oil and milk in mixer bowl.  Blend flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together.  Add to egg mixture, stirring to mix.  Beat with electric mixer for about 2 minutes.  Bake in hot waffle iron until golden brown and done.  

Marthanne Limehouse, St. Paul's HS, Yonges Island, SC

Mexican Squash

1 1/2 lb. yellow squash
1 med onion, chopped
2 T fat
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 c tomatoes
1 or 2 t cumin seed
salt to taste
2 or 3 hot peppers (optional)

Wash and remove seed from squash; do not peel.  Cut into 1 inch cubes.  Saute onion in fat until  crystal clear; add squash, garlic, tomatoes and seasonings with 1 cup water.  Simmer until done, adding water, if necessary.  Add the hot peppers the last 15 minutes of cooking. 

Mrs. Nan Dryer, Mission HS, Mission, TX

Roast Turkey in a Brown Paper Sack

1 16-20 lb. turkey
salt to taste
1 recipe poultry stuffing
fat or shortening

Rub inside of turkey with salt.  Fill neck cavity with stuffing; fasten neck skin with skewer or pin.  Fasten opening with skewers; lace shut.  Tie leg ends to tail.  Brush entire bird with fat.  Place in brown paper sack; seal.  Place in shallow baking pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 5 hours and 30 minutes.  Remove paper sack.

Frances Schneider, Menomonie HS, Menomonie, WI
I found what is possibly a match for Ms. Frances, if it is her, she passed away in April of 2023.

Carrot Loaf (a vintage recipe from the 1930's and 1940's)

What a bizarre recipe!  I don't often update this site anymore (maybe in the future if I get more time... right now it's impossible) but I saw this one in an old magazine and just thought it was the most interesting recipe!  Peanuts and tomatoes and carrots?  Oh my.  If you make it you can tell me how it was.  :)

Carrot Loaf

1 c ground carrots
1 c tomatoes
1 c ground peanuts
1 T butter
1 c bread crumbs
4 eggs

Grind carrots, peanuts and bread through your food chopper.  Add tomatoes and butter.  Mix well.
Beat eggs until foamy, then add.
Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 for 1 hour.

Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

I saved this recipe in my files back in 2023 at some point.  I just saw it and want to post it so I can find it easily if I decide to them them this week.  Lemon everything is sounding so good lately!

 

 Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
 

1 c (8 oz.) salted butter, softened
2 1/2 c granulated sugar
6 large eggs
3 c  all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t table salt
1 c sour cream
1 T lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t  vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 c butter, softened
3 T lemon zest
4 c powdered sugar
8 T fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 drops yellow liquid food coloring

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat 1 cup softened butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until creamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 tablespoon zest, 1 tablespoon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Place 30 paper baking cups in three 12-cup standard-size muffin pans; spoon 1/4 cup batter into each baking cup.

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Prepare Frosting: Beat 8 ounces softened butter and 3 tablespoons lemon zest at medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with 8 tablespoons lemon juice, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Add up to 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until desired consistency is reached. Add food coloring, and beat at high speed until well blended and frosting is light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Spoon frosting into a ziplock plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe about 1 1/2 tablespoons frosting onto each cupcake.

Lime Sherbet Cupcakes: Substitute lime zest for lemon zest and fresh lime juice for lemon juice. For frosting, substitute fresh lime juice for lemon juice, and 1 to 2 drops green liquid food coloring for yellow.

Orange Sherbet Cupcakes: Substitute orange zest for lemon zest and fresh orange juice for lemon juice. For frosting, substitute orange zest for lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 7 to 8 tablespoons fresh orange juice in place of 8 to 9 tablespoons lemon juice. Substitute 1 drop red liquid food coloring for yellow.