Using up Fruit "Everything" Pie with a Crumble Topping and Traditional Pumpkin Pie

 

Everything Fruit Pie with a Cinnamon Crumble Topping

This pie is to 'use up' lots of different fruit.  Over the course of a couple months I'd toss 'extra' fruit into the freezer.  I also had extra jars of home canned apples I wanted to use up.  I also had bought our favorite frozen fruit mixture at the store many times, but the peaches in frozen fruit mixes are always terrible - never ripe or sweet - so the peaches area always picked out and tossed into a ziplock in the freezer to use for other things.  Like this pie.

Into a big pan on the stove I added a bunch of fruit.  Everything I had on hand that needed to be used that could go into a fruit pie.   This time the mixture was/is:  apples, cranberries, strawberries, rhubarb, peaches, mango and... maybe something else.  I can't remember.   Brought to a boil, then reduce to be simmered on the stove with sugar and cinnamon added, along with a cornstarch/water slurry to thicken.  I didn't want to use it right then so I let it cool, refrigerated it, and put it into a food sealed bag and popped it back into the freezer.

I tossed the bag into the refrigerator last week to thaw and sit until needed.  Yesterday was a pie making day. 

1 unbaked pie crust
Crumble topping (recipe below)
Fruit of choice, with sweetener and flour to thicken (you could also use just apples, apples and cranberries, blueberries, etc)


Topping:
12 T sugar
6 T butter
1/2 c flour
6 T quick cook oatmeal
3 t cinnamon
1/4 t dried lemon zest

Crumbled together with your fingers, a fork, or pulsed a few times in a food processor.  Crumble onto your unbaked pie and bake as directed.

Baked at 350 for about 45 minutes.  Cool completely.

 

 

Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs
3/4 c brown sugar
5 oz. evaporated milk
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ginger
1/8 t nutmeg
(or just use about 2 t pumpkin pie spice instead of all the above)
2 T boiling water
1 t vanilla extract
1 2/3 c pumpkin puree
1/4 c half and half
1 pie shell, unbaked

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Put the pie crust into your pan.
In a food processor or a bowl, beat the eggs, add the sugar, milk, spices and boiling water.  Beat.  Add the pumpkin and half and half, beat again briefly just to smooth.  Pour into your pie shell.

Bake 15 minutes at 425.  Lower the temp to 300 and continue to bake until the center is 'set' - about 30 minutes.  Cool completely.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

 

Flat Bread or Naan Style Bread

 

 

For many reasons and many things going on in our life right now I've not had Our Daily Bread in the refrigerator for quite some time.  Yesterday morning however, I decided to make up another batch.  I left it on the counter to work its magic for a few hours, then popped it into the refrigerator to use it as some point but was too busy to think about it at the time.

Last night I glanced at the George Foreman grill on the counter and had the idea that my bread dough, made on the George Foreman might make a delicious flat bread or naan style bread!   I grabbed the bucket out of the fridge, formed 4 little mounds of dough on a piece of parchment and let them sit while I did other things.   About an hour later I came back and plopped a piece of dough on the hot griddle and closed it.  Upon opening, I had a perfect hot flat bread.

I sent off photos and an explanation to all three of my young adult kids so they could make them if they wished, as it was just so easy.   And adding it here so they can find it later.

• Use the Bucket Bread recipe.
• Grab a handful of dough about the size of your palm.
• Place it on a piece of greased parchment, foil or plastic.
• Let it warm and/or rise a bit for about an hour.
• Heat the George Foreman grill.  Spray or oil the grill.
• Place the dough on the grill and close the top, not squishing it down, just close it over the dough and leave it.
• When the lights heat up to show it's ready again, open, and remove the flat bread.
• Serve with butter or with garlic butter.

 

 

Grilled Shrimp and Butter Rice

 

 

So simple and not flashy but oh so good.  

Tonight I went to the freezer and spied a bag of large shrimp.  Yes, shrimp sounds fine.  Thawed under water and rinsed, I decided to season with some olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper, ground coriander and garlic salt.  

While I let that sit and marinate for a bit, I started some rice in a saucepan on the stove.  1 cup rice to 2 cups water - (I used about 1 3/4 c rice and scooped in a quick 3 3/4 ish of water);  bring to a boil, reduce and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Because we are usually low-carb, and keto, having rice is a nice treat - a change of pace.  We are trying to 'use up' everything in the pantry and freezers, so we have been eating foods that we normally don't have.

While it simmered I grilled the shrimp, which only takes a few minutes for each side.  (I threaded them on metal skewers.)

When the shrimp was done, I removed them from the skewers, and added about 1/2 c butter to the rice, along with a heavy dose of garlic salt. 

This simple meal was so good!  Simple, filling and oh-so yum.

Just another Mexican Casserole (or nacho dip) featuring ground beef, refried beans and sausage

The plan tonight was to use up some of the homemade sausage in the freezer, the last glass jar of homemade salsa, a half round of my favorite queso that I had food sealed and in the fridge as well as some cheddar from the deep freezer that tastes great, but cheddar does get 'crumbly' after frozen.  I added to that some refried beans, black olives and was able to empty the last of the homemade taco sauce. 

I originally got this recipe when I was 14 years old and was babysitting for a woman who made it and had me bake it for her 3 kids while I was babysitting.  I loved it so much I had her write down the recipe for my Mom.  She then made it regularly as we all loved it - and I continued making it for my own family once I grew up and married and had kids.

It's a casserole and/or a dip for tortilla chips.  You can also put it in a flour tortilla.  Since I'm trying to use UP groceries and not BUY ANY... I don't have tortilla chips so we are having it as a casserole - which is my favorite way to eat it anyway!

 

 Mexican Casserole or Dip

1 lb. ground beef browned with 1 small onion, chopped
1 can refried beans
1 c ground and browned sausage
4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can green chilies, chopped
1 - 16 oz. container sour cream
1 jar salsa or taco sauce
*optional - black olives, green olives, sliced
*optional - 1 1/2 c guacamole or avocado dip


Spread the refried beans on the bottom of a sprayed casserole dish for a meal or if you are using this recipe as a dip, spread it thinly on the bottom of a larger pan of your choice - (pizza pan, 9X13, anything you wish!) Brown the ground beef and/or sausage with the onion. Place half into a greased casserole dish or if you are using for a dip, use all of it over the refried beans in the larger pan. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Add the chilies and/or jalapenos, the sour cream, the salsa/sauce and the rest of the cheese in layers. Top with olives if you love them!

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes for a thinner pan and bake 45 minutes if you have a thick casserole dish. When the cheese is melted and it's hot all the way through, remove and serve as a dip or let set for 5-8 minutes to 'set up' when serving as a casserole. It may be more runny when hot straight from the oven and it sets up (like lasagna does) when left to stand and cool a bit. We can never wait and don't care - we dig right in!

Here are photos of what I think might be the first (1st) time I posted the recipe on An American Housewife - these were from March of 2011.  You can see what it looks like when it's not all mixed up and dished, ready to eat.

 

Chewy and Fudgy Brownies

 

 

Beat 2 eggs slightly with a spoon in a bowl (these work great with powdered eggs!)
Stir in 1 c sugar
1/2 t salt
2 t vanilla

Then add in:
1/3 c melted shortening
2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate (if they are thin rectangles, use 4 to make 1 square)

Stir in 3/4 c all purpose flour
Add some nuts if you wish

Spread in a buttered pan - size of your choice.  Small pan = thicker bars, larger pan, thinner bar. 
Bake to the size of the pan - and your choice.  We like them fudgy and thin so I baked this pan about 22 minutes, took it out, a little under done and let it set on the counter for 30 minutes.  The result is slightly underdone, fudgy, amazing brownies.

You can bake them up to 35 minutes if you prefer them more done, dry, crisp around the sides, etc.