Strawberry and Lemon Mint Pie

Hi, friends. How have you been? Hope everyone had a great July 4th! The great thing about having the holiday on a Wednesday is that the weekends both before and after can be used as excuses to celebrate more than usual. I'll drink to that. I'll drink to America. I'm pretty fond of this country.

These past few weeks sure have been hot ones...I wish I had some fancy ice pop recipes for the occasion, but I'm not that prepared. Pinterest has monopolized the fancy ice pop department anyway. I do have a fresh and summery pie recipe, however. And it's especially good served with a chill from the fridge. More on that later.

So it's been a bit since I last posted. Can you blame a girl for opting to go to the beach instead of sit in front of a computer? Here's what's happened in the meantime:

I've made a few wedding cakes for the sweetest brides in the world.

Photo credit: Christina Batesko

I'm still at my "new" job, though I'm no longer the new girl...I don't think. And it's still as awesome as day one. They put a lot of trust in me and my abilities, and I haven't had an employer that has done that before. It's given me the opportunity to learn a lot and face new challenges every day. I feel very blessed.

I'm on Phase II of P90X. I don't remember what it was like to walk up stairs pain-free, so I guess that means it's working. Maybe one day I'll post embarrassing progress pictures. Though I don't see too much progress. I'm definitely muscley-er, and I think if I stuck to the plain-chicken-steamed-greens diet that they suggest, it might be more noticeable. I don't generally eat unhealthy, but sometimes I get home late and just want some Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. Is that really so bad, Tony Horton? He seems to think so. I digress. 

After talking about it for a few years, we finally got chickens. They aren't the brightest creatures, that's for sure. But now I can bake with fresh eggs...for a little while at least. Which brings me to my final point.

I bought my ticket to England! Only two months left. I can't believe it. And now that all my wedding cake orders are completed and I've settled into my new job, it's finally hit me. Well only partially, because right now I'm nothing but excited, but nervousness needs to set in sometime! I'm trying to fit in some quality time with everyone before I go, and trying to soak up some sweet Jersey sun.

So, summer pie. Here's a recipe for a Strawberry and Lemon Mint Pie I came up with a few weeks ago. There's nothing like sweet berries in the summer, and fresh mint growing in the garden is a lovely addition to almost anything. I'll even chop some up to put in my yogurt to make it extra exciting. Because plain Greek yogurt can only reach a certain level of excitement on its own, ya know? The pie had a nice balance of bright flavors, and wasn't overly sweet. It definitely has summer written all over it. I suggest keeping the pie in the fridge and serving it cold.

Strawberry and Lemon Mint Pie

Your favorite pie dough recipe or store brand, enough for the bottom crust (you can find my recipe here)
1 1/2 pints strawberries, thick sliced
Juice and zest of one lemon (reserve 1 tsp of zest)
8 mint leaves, julienned
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup sugar

Place a sheet pan in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Combine strawberries, lemon juice and zest, and mint in a bowl. Sprinkle on flour and sugar, and toss until evenly distributed. Pour into unbaked pie shell and top with lemon crumb topping (recipe to follow). Place pie on top of sheet pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve chilled.

Lemon Crumb Topping


3 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until texture resembles wet sand.


Speaking of pie, here's one that's oozing American pride to commemorate the first round of our nation's birthday. Now it's on to America Weekend Part II. I don't know if this amount of patriotism can be topped for round two, but I sure am going to try...it's the American way.

Enjoy another beautiful (and hot!) weekend!

Pecan Pie and a Flop

I hope everyone had a relaxing and blessed Easter! It's always good to be reminded of how great our God is, and remember that Jesus died and rose from the cross so that our sins would be forgiven, and so we could have everlasting life ourselves.

Holidays always mean lots of time spent in the kitchen--a feast is definitely in order! And a feast is what we had. Baked ham, rosemary lamb chops, grilled asparagus, deviled eggs, potato salad, homemade pickles, crescent rolls, cornbread, fruit salad...it goes on and on and on. Mom always outdoes herself. And that's before all the baked goods! I tackled some pies and cupcakes, then the two of us teamed up to make some egg bread and frosted sugar cookies. 

Let's talk pie. One pie, the pecan pie--the one I'm sharing with you today, was a give-away. But I'm told it got rave reviews. The other pie, lemon meringue, was a recipe featured on the cover of the latest Fine Cooking magazine and caught my attention immediately. I knew I had to attempt it! Then I realized I've never even eaten lemon meringue pie before, I've only made up in my head what I think it would taste like. I guess it's the unnatural fluorescent yellow filling that's kept me away for so long. Anyway, this pie is a marathon to make, and I was surprised at how smoothly the process was going. By the end I had a picture-perfect pie. 

That turned to soup when we cut into it. 

It's currently sitting, half-eaten, on the kitchen table positioned right next to the magazine with its shining cover photo looking at my pie and straight up mocking it. I think no one knows if it should be thrown out or mourned. The taste was right-on (I'm told, since I guess I can't say that I actually know what it was supposed to taste like). I'm not sure where it went wrong since the magazine had pictures to go along with the steps, but I'm determined to get this one right. And hopefully next time we can use forks instead of spoons...!

Back to the other pie (the one I know will come out as a solid as opposed to a liquid). Pecan pie often times calls for a touch of bourbon, which we didn't have on hand at the time (no worries, I've already solved that problem), so I substituted with some Crown Royal, which we always have hanging around. I had some leftover ground gingersnap cookies so I tossed them in the filling to add a little extra spice. You can use your favorite pie dough for the crust or an uncooked store-bought version. 

Classic Pie Dough

(makes top and bottom crust)

2 cups flour

3 Tbsp cold shortening, cut in cubes

3 Tbsp cold butter, cut in cubes

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6-8 Tbsp ice-cold water

Combine dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender (or two forks) to cut in butter and shortening until the mixture resembles wet sand and the fat is no bigger than pea-sized. Add 6 Tbsp of water and toss mixture with a fork to combine. Continue to add more water until the dough comes together and is no longer dry, but not sticky (you may need more than 8 Tbsp of water total). Divide dough in two, form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Avoid touching the dough with your hands as much as possible, since your hands are warm and you want the dough to stay cold. Put dough in the fridge for at least a half hour before rolling out. 

Pecan Pie 

Adapted from youngmarriedchic.com

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp ground gingersnaps

1 Tbsp flour

1 cup corn syrup

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp Crown Royal (or bourbon)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup pecan halves, toasted

1 tsp maple sugar (white sugar or vanilla is fine too!)

1 uncooked pie shell

Place baking sheet on middle rack in oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs with sugar until well combined. Stir in corn syrup, and add gingersnaps and flour. Mix in butter, Crown Royal and vanilla, then fold in chopped pecans. Pour filling into pie shell and top with pecan halves placed in a decorative pattern (or just mix them in-it all tastes the same!). Sprinkle with maple sugar. Place pie on baking sheet in oven and bake for an hour. 

I just got back from a trip down to Port Orange, Florida for a week spent with some crazy cousins. I'll be recounting my trip soon! Which may or my not include my attempt at surfing coming from someone who can barely stand on two feet on dry ground.

 Have a blessed week!

Ice Cream Pie

Is it just me...

Caramel Chai

And I understand when I usually start a question with that phrase the answer is almost always "Yes." But hear me out.

Is it just me, or when someone tries to be nice and compliment you and asks, "Have you lost weight?" it does NOT feel like a compliment.

Here are the thoughts that go through my mind while I'm trying to smile and respond appropriately:
"I had weight to lose?"
"WHATAREYOUTRYINGTOSAY"
"Maybe it's the oversized flannel and large bird's nest hair that's causing that illusion you're seeing."
"I'm fine today, thanks for asking!"
"Have you found it?"

Seriously, am I the only one who feels this way? I mean, I know the compliment-er is just trying to be nice and all. And if I were actually losing weight and was super excited about it, I might even muster up a real smile instead of a fake one.

Well what I'm getting at is, no one appreciates this backward form of a compliment (because I'm going to assume you feel EXACTLY the way I do). So if you were thinking of giving this kind of "compliment," you have been warned of the possible unexpected reactions.

To prove a point, let's eat some ice cream. No, let's eat some ice cream pie. Because adding a little extra butter and sugar will definitely show how serious we (WE!) are about this issue.

Now excuse me while I step off my soap box.

Banana Split

So.... ice cream pie is something I've been making for a while. It started a few summers ago where I'd make flavor after flavor, bringing them to work at least once a week. For the entire summer. That's a lot of ice cream. Well I've since slowed down from factory-producing to a more reasonable couple-times-a-season output, and it really couldn't be any easier.

The secret is the crust. I've been keeping this dear recipe to myself for years, and now I've decided to share it with you. I think it's even the first recipe I ever developed myself. You should be honored. It might not blow you away, but without it you wouldn't have real ice cream pie. I should charge you, really. But I won't.

Tips still welcome.

Ice Cream Pie
Original Recipe

2 cups ground sugar cones (approx. 1 12-count package)
6 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 pint ice cream
Any additional toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss first 3 ingredients together with a fork. Press mixture into a pie dish to form the crust. Bake for 7-8 minutes until slightly golden. Cool completely (put in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to speed this part up!). Allow ice cream to soften a bit, then fill crust with the ice cream of your choice and add toppings (my standards are chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, candy....the list goes on.......). Some combos I've done are caramel chai spice, Oreo fudge brownie, mint chocolate chip, creamsicle, banana split, vanilla fudge sundae...and about a million others!

Oreo Fudge Brownie

Well there it is, folks. You impressed yet? The least you can do is try it before SUMMER ENDS. So hurry up. And please excuse my iffy diner-quality photos. I won't even try to defend them, the ice cream pie makes up for it.

Lemon Poppyseed Pie with Almond Crust

As I'm sure with many people, lots of times I get ideas for recipes out of nowhere. A picture will pop up in my mind of something I have yet to create, and then I'm on an all-out quest to make it. At least I think this happens to everyone...(though I shouldn't assume as much...last time I had a similar thought it turned out I had this). Anyway, this recipe is a result of one of those mind pop-ups (brain spam?), and I'm really glad I went with it! Key lime pie is my all time fave, and this pie definitely has some of the same things going on. Nice and summery, and super easy to throw together!

Lemon Poppyseed Pie with Almond Crust
Original Recipe

Almond Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup ground almonds
7 Tbsp melted butter (I use salted)
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Press into a pie dish and bake for 7-8 minutes to harden slightly. Cool before adding filling (you can stick it in the fridge or freezer to speed this part up!)

Lemon Poppyseed Filling:
The juice of 5 lemons
6 egg yolks
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp poppyseeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (if not already on from making the crust). Whisk lemon juice, egg yolks and condensed milk together. Mix in poppyseeds just before transferring to pie shell. Pour into cooled pie shell and bake for 30-35 minutes, until edges have mostly solidified (the middle will still be slightly loose). If it looks like the crust is browning too quickly, cover the pie with foil for the remainder of the baking time. Let cool and transfer to the fridge to firm up for at least 2 hours.

I topped mine with whipped cream! But straight out of the dish with a fork is always an acceptable option ;)

PS-sorry for the lack of pictures! Newer recipes will have more to look at!