High Time for Pies!

Here are a couple of pies I've made in the last week.

Edith's Strawberry Pie

Make and bake a pie shell.  Let cool.

Wash and dry strawberries saving large ones to place on bottom of shell.  I had such large ones that I cut them in half and laid flat side down.

Mash 1 cup of smaller strawberries and measure (add water if necessary) to make 1 cup.

To a saucepan add:
1 cup of mashed strawberries
3 T cornstarch mixed with 1 c sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
1 t lemon juice
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  When thick (after a minute or so), remove from burner and set aside to cool.

When syrup is lukewarm, pour over strawberries in pie shell and refrigerate.  Top with whipped cream.

Blackberry Pie

First, I have no idea how blackberries turned red in the oven, but  they did.

I used the Blueberry Pie recipe from my Betty Crocker Pie and Pastry Book.

Pastry for 9-inch two-crust pie

1/2 c sugar

1/3 c flour

4 c fresh blueberries

1T lemon juice

2 T butter or margarine

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare pastry. Stir together sugar and flour; mix lightly with berries.  Turn into pastry-lined pie pan; sprinkle fruit with lemon juice and dot with butter. Cover with top crust which has slits in it; seal and flute.  Cover edge with 2 to 3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil last 15 minutes of baking.  Bake 9 inch pie 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is nicely borwned and juice bubbles through slits.  Serve warm.





Banana Bread in the Crock Pot

1 3/4 C flour (some whole wheat)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/3 C butter/margarine
2/3 C sugar (I did 1/3 and added 1/3 C applesauce)
2 eggs, well beaten
2 T dark corn syrup (I did light)
3 ripe bananas, well mashed
1/2 C chopped walnuts (opt.)

Grease & flour your crock pot.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and soda in a small bowl; set aside.

Cream butter in large bowl with electric mixer at med-high until fluffy.  Slowly add sugar, eggs, corn syrup, and mashed bananas.  Beat until smooth.  Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture.  Add nuts, mix well.  Pour into Crock-Pot.  Cover.  Cook on high 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool (minimum 5 minutes), then invert onto serving platter.  (I was really worried that it wouldn't come out, but it did -- just fine!).

(The bread was plenty sweet and plenty moist.  I really liked this recipe! I want to make more breads in the Crock Pot now!)

This was from the Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes cook book, page 208.

Chocolate Almond Zucchini Bread

3 Eggs
1 C sugar (or 3/4 C)
1 C brown sugar (or 3/4 C)
1 C oil (or part applesauce and part oil)
1 t vanilla or 1/2 t almond extract
2 C grated zucchini
2 C flour (use some whole wheat flour)
2 oz unsweetened chocolate squares (or 6 T cocoa powder + 2 T oil)
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 C slivered or sliced almonds (I leave these out if I don't have them)

In a large bowl, mix the 3 eggs until smooth & lemon colored.  Beat in sugars and oil.  Melt chocolate; cool slightly.  Add zucchini & flavoring to the eggs; add chocolate.  Preheat oven to 350.  Sift together dry ingredients and stir into zucchini mixture.  Fold in almonds.  Bake in 2 well greased 9 x 5 loaf pans or a bundt pan for 50-60 minutes.  Cool in pan 15-20 minutes, remove and cool on rack.  From A Pinch of Salt Lake.