What to make with that leftover turkey....

Merry Christmas everyone (although a tad bit late)! I pray each of you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. We got to spend Christmas with my family and are going to spend it with my in-laws this weekend. I didn't think we would get to do any traveling based on the predicted weather forecast, so I put a turkey breast in the crockpot on Christmas Eve. Well.....needless to say....we have TONS of turkey left over! We have eaten it for two meals already, had a sandwich or two, and haven't even put a dent in it. So, I got creative tonight and made a Turkey Pot Pie. Very easy, quick, and delicious! And, a good way to use up that leftover turkey. :)

Turkey Pot Pie

1 pkg. refrigerated pie crust (you can use one or both)
2 cups turkey, cut up or shredded
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1/2 can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 can green beans, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can of water (use soup can)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together turkey, veggies, and cream of chicken soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into pie plate (if using both crusts, put one crust into pie plate first). Top with pie crust and pinch all around to seal in filling. Make four slits in top of pie crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Enjoy!!

The easiest pie you'll ever make!

So, this was my first attempt at a Peanut Butter Pie. My mother-in-law told me what ingredients to get on Friday at the grocery but I was supposed to call her back to get the recipe on Sunday (the day before I was to make the pie). Unfortunately, it got too late on Sunday before I realized I needed the recipe and did not want to call at such a late hour.

Solution: I grabbed my cookbook from our former church (First Baptist Church of Pikeville, KY) in hopes that a similar recipe was hiding within the depths of the book.

Problem solved!!

Here is the recipe for the easiest, most scrumptious, richest peanut butter pie you'll ever make (in my opinion!):

Peanut Butter Pie

1 eight-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (or more, if you choose)
2 cups whipped topping
1 graham cracker crust

Mix all ingredients together except for crust. Pour into graham cracker crust, spreading evenly. Top with remaining whipped topping (if you use a tub of Cool Whip, you will have about a cup left), also spreading evenly. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts or walnuts. Let set in fridge about an hour before serving. Makes about 10 servings (you want to cut it in small pieces because it is so rich!). Enjoy!!

**Hint: You can also substitute low-fat ingredients to make it semi-healthier. :)

As American as ...Berry Pie!

"Sarah's Berrylicious Pie" to be exact. My sweet friend Sarah Morrison brought a special homemade berry pie in to the office to share with us last week (I told you she was sweet!). This pie was very sweet, tart, and rich at the same time. And the crust? Very buttery and flaky! It was one of those "tastes so good it will make your tongue slap your brains out" desserts. It was so good I just had to have a cup of coffee with it. But don't trust my word for it, it received several raves and reviews from others (I shared the second piece I had put in the fridge with the facilities crew that came to shampoo the faculty lounge carpet).

Anyway, I confess I had never made a berry pie before, but this one was too easy to be true! Sarah emailed me the recipe and I couldn't resist. I made the pie the next day to take to church for a committee meeting. Well, let me tell you, that pie was the hit! (I actually made some brownies as a backup in case the pie didn't turn out -- I think only two brownies were eaten. ) There were even a couple of pieces left over, so I gave them to Gene (one of the committee members) who was very grateful.

Well, I know you are getting anxious, so without further ado here is the recipe (courtesy of Sarah):

Berrylicious Pie

1 qt. berries (she used strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries**)
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter
Pastry for 9 inch 2 crust pie*

Wash and drain berries. Mix sugar, flour and salt together, sifting several times. Pour the sugar mixture over the well drained berries and mix. Line pie pan with pastry. Brush bottom and sides with butter. Add sugared berries, and top with remaining butter. Roll remaining pastry and cut in 1/2 inch wide strips. Weave a lattice top on a flat lid, pinching the ends of the strips over the edge of the lid. Moisten edge of bottom crust lightly with cold water. Turn lattice top directly over berries, loosen ends of strips, and press strips to edge of bottom crust. By weaving the lattice top on a flat lid, you'll find it much easier to weave a neat pastry topping.
Bake 15 minutes in hot oven (425 degrees F.). Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake 35 to 40 minutes longer. Enjoy!

*Sarah used a solid top crust (not a lattice top), so that is what I used. Just make a few slits in the top so the steam can escape.
**I used frozen raspberries (grocery was out of fresh ones), so I just increased the flour to 1/3 cup to soak up the excess liquid.

I hope you enjoy this pie as much as I did! Thanks Sarah!! :)

It's as easy as ... PIE!!

Yeah right! We have all heard that saying before, but is pie really that easy to make? I mean, first you have to make the crust. Then you have to make the filling. Then you have to make the top crust or the meringue. Let's face it, that is absolutely too much work for a simple slice of goodness!! (well, depending on the pie, I guess). It would be so much easier to buy one of those "don't let your grandma see you buy that" freezer section pies... or a pie from the bakery at the grocery store...or if you are in Louisville, one of those scrumptious pies from the Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen. But wait, before you go running out to pick up one of the above mentioned pies, read on.


If you like pecan pie, I have an "easy as pie" recipe for you to try (and I promise, it is easy!). In fact, the recipe is from a kitchen magnet I picked up while I was vacationing in Savannah, Georgia last summer. I know! Isn't that neat? Who would have thought to put a recipe on a magnet? Anyway, here is my $1.75 magnet recipe:




At first, I was hesitant to make the pie using this "magnet recipe" - after all, it is from a magnet. Well, let me just tell you, I have made this pie about a dozen times and have found it to be very simple, very easy, and very delicious!! Actually, I just made this pie for one of our sweet professors at the Seminary. It took all of about 5 minutes to prepare. It takes a while for it to bake, though (about an hour), but the wait is definitely worth it. Just in case you can't see the recipe above, here it is:

Pecan Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat 3 eggs, 2/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of butter (the real stuff), and 1 cup of dark or light corn syrup. Cover bottom of pie shell with one cup of pecan halves or broken (chopped) pecans. Pour the syrup mixture over the pecans. Bake 40-50 minutes or until filling is set.

Now there are several options for the crust. You can either purchase a frozen crust (I think granny would be okay with this) - Mrs. Smith's is my personal favorite; a refrigerated crust (such as Pillsbury), a pie crust mix (Jiffy is the best), or you can make your own from scratch. I used the refrigerated one (Pillsbury) for the pie I made last night. Here is what the finished product looked like:

I was a little disappointed in the way the crust turned out (you can't tell it from the picture, but it is a little brown-er than I would have liked), but hopefully it tasted okay. I am still learning the "decorative edge technique" - haven't mastered that yet. Oh well, practice makes perfect!!