Pie Recipe #52 - Tebow Family Pizza Pie

This is the final pie recipe (my, how the year has flown by!)and it comes from the famous Tim Tebow's family. It is simple and quick to throw together and would be great for a Christmas Eve dinner (for all those people hanging around your house at this time :)). Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef, 1/2 cup chopped green pepper, 1 envelope Italian-style spaghetti sauce mix, 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste, 3/4 cup water, 1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, divided, 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese. -I added 1/4 cup chopped onions and 2 cloves chopped garlic along with the green pepper and sprinkled some Italian seasoning over the top of the cheeses before baking. Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, cook and stir beef and pepper (and onions and garlic) over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the sauce mix, tomato paste and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 7-10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Seperate biscuits; press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch deep-dish pie plate to form a crust. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; fill with meat mixture. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese over top. Sprinkle a teaspoon of Italian seasoning (or fresh basil) over cheeses. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Found this on www.tasteofhome.com presented by Pam Tebow, Jacksonville, FL. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #51 - Peppermint Brownie Pie

Today's pie involves one of those great duo's-peppermint and chocolate! Another great Christmas ending possibility. Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped, single-crust pie shell, 3 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup mint-flavored semisweet chocolate pieces, whipped cream, miniature candy canes (optional). Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine butter and chocolate. Cook and stir over low heat, until melted; cool slightly. Meanwhile, place pastry in pie plate. For filling, in a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Stir in melted chocolate and the chocolate pieces. Pour filling into the pastry-lined pie plate. Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for about 55 minutes or until filling is evenly puffed and edge of filling is slightly cracked. Cool on a wire rack about 20 minutes or until slightly warm (center will sink slightly as pie cools). Top each serving with whipped cream and, if desired, garnish with a mini candy cane. (I crushed my candy canes and sprinkled some on each piece). Makes 8 servings. Found on www.bhg.com. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #50 - Cranberry Cherry Pie

This is a simple pie to make; there are only 2 additional ingredients besides what's in the title (plus a pie shell). A great finale to your Christmas dinner! Ingredients: 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling, 2 cups cranberries (I used the dried variety), pastry for a double-crust pie (9 inches), milk and additional sugar. Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in pie filling and cranberries. Line a 9-inch pie plate with bottom crust; trim to 1 inch beyond edge of plate. Pour filling into crust. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Cut slits in pastry or cut out stars (or other shape) with a small cookie cutter. Place pastry over filling; trim, seal and flute edges. Arrange star (or other shape) cutouts on pastry. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 55-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Presented by Marily Williams of Matthews, NC, at tasteofhome.com. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #49 - Sweet Potato Pie with Cream Cheese Swirl

This has similarities to a pumpkin pie but is made with a gingersnap cookie crust and is on the lighter side (242 calories for 1/10 piece). Ingredients: 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, 6 ounces crisp gingersnap cookies (26-28 small cookies), 2 tablespoons canola oil, 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 3/4 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt, divided, 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tightly wrap sweet potatoes in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast until very tender, about 1 1/4 hours (I did mine in the microwave by placing them on a paper towel, cooking for a minute or two, poking a few holes in them with a fork and turning them over. Continue to cook, a minute at a time, until done when poked). Set aside to cool. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Process gingersnaps in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl, add oil and stir until well combined. Using a spoon, spread and pat the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until just barely beginning to darken, about 10 minutes. Clean and dry the food processor workbowl. Peel the sweet potatoes and transfer to the food processor. Puree until smooth. Measure out 1 1/2 cups (if you have extra puree, reserve it for another use). Return the 1 1/2 cups puree to the food processor. Add brown sugar, 1/2 cup yogurt, eggs, egg yolk, cinnamon and nutmeg; pulse just until combined. Spread the sweet potato filling in the warm crust. Clean and dry the workbowl again. Add the remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and ginger; puree until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice. Dollop tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture onto the filling, spacing them evenly. Draw the tip of a wooden skewer or a thin knife through the cream cheese mixture and sweet potato filling repeatedly to create a swirled design. Bake the pie until firm to the touch and starting to puff around the edges, 45-50 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 2 hours. "Eating Well" magazine, December 2012, pg. 81. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #48 - Pecan Pie

There's nothing sweeter than a good pecan pie. This is the usual companion to the ever-popular pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving dessert (along with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin spice fudge). It really is simple to make-mix the ingredients, pour into a pie shell, bake, and finally, enjoy!! Ingredients: 9-inch pie crust (homemade or pre-made), 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup butter, melted, 1 cup corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 eggs, 1 cup pecan halves or broken pieces (I leave some whole, for looks). Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pastry. In a medium bowl, beat sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt and eggs. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. "Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook", 1990. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #47 - Apple Butter-Pumpkin Pie

This is the final recipe of the pumpkin pie variety show. Apple butter swirled on top of the pumpkin filling gives an appealing look to an appetizing pie. Ingredients: Crust: 1/2 cup pecan pieces, finely chopped, 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted. Filling: 1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin, 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, pinch of salt, 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup apple butter. Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mist a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Make crust: Spread pecans on a baking sheet; toast until nuts are golden and fragrant, about 8 minutes, shaking pan twice (I did mine in a small dry pan on top of the stove). Transfer to a bowl to cool; chop finely. Mix pecans, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until evenly moistened. Press into pie plate. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Make filling: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cool water; let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt until smooth. Mix in pumpkin puree. Place bowl of gelatin in a pan of simmering water and warm, stirring, until melted, about 2 minutes. When gelatin is clear and smooth, remove bowl and stir in 1/2 cup pumpkin filling. Fold gelatin mixture into remaining pumpkin filling. In a smaller bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form, then fold into pumpkin filling. Spoon filling into pie crust and smooth top. Spoon apple butter around top of filling; press lightly into filling with spoon. Drag a small knife through apple butter in a swirl pattern to create a marble effect, taking care not to hit crust. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. "All you" magazine, Issue 11, Nov. 16, 2012, pg. 91. "As easy as pie!"

Pie Recipe #46 - Frost-on-the-Pumpkin Pie

#3 on the pumpkin pie list is a simple mix-it-up-and-pour-it-in kind of recipe. Purchase an already-made graham cracker crust and you won't even need an oven. The sour cream in the filling made it a little tangy; my suggestion would be to try cream cheese instead or vanilla yogurt in place of the sour cream. Real whipped cream could replace the frozen whipped topping also. Ingredients: Crust: 1 1/4 cups (18 squares)graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted OR: 1 pre-made graham cracker crust. Filling: 1 cup sour cream (or cream cheese or yogurt), 1 cup canned pumpkin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed. Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine all crust ingredients; stir until blended. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the crumbs for the topping. Press remaining crumbs over bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. Cool completely. In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients except whipped topping; beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping; pour into prepared and cooled crusst. Spread remaining whipped topping over filling; sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons crumbs. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until serving time. This is a handwritten (must be old) recipe I found in one of my old cookbooks-not sure of its origin. "As easy as pie!"