Fresh green beans were a staple of Easter meals when I was growing up. The problem with making them, however, is that they often need to be monitored closely, or they get over-done. That said, if you’re having company, you may not have that luxury. This recipe takes some of that worry away.
In addition, it can be handy to have more than one slow cooker. Even more so if one of them has a divided pot. Then you prepare yesterday’s ham recipe along with today’s green beans and have most of your meal cooking without you needing to hover over the stove.
Ingredients
1 lb fresh green beans, cut into pieces (you can also use 2 cans of green beans, drained and cook for less time)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup bacon, chopped into pieces
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and mix well.
Cook on low heat for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours for fresh green beans. If you’re using canned green beans cook for an hour on high or two hours on low.
Notes
The bacon is what really adds flavor to the beans. Use it uncooked and fresh.
Planning an Easter Meal at Home?
Make it a relaxing, easy event with the tips, suggestions and recipes included in Easy Easter at Home, Carma’s Cookery’s latest report. Take a sneak peak at the Table of Contents, then grab a copy of your own!
Introduction
Planning Ahead: Easter Activities & Decorations
Hosting Easter Without the Stress
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner?
Share The Joy – You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself
It’s Not Just About the Easter Bunny – A Short History of Easter
Love pecan pie … but not the calories? Here is your answer. This pie tastes a lot like pecan pie, but is lower in calories.
Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup pinto beans, cooked and mashed
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugars and eggs. Add in the mashed pinto beans and pecans.
With an electric mixer, beat the filling on low speed until it is well mixed.
Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
Bake the pie until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Create Your Own Unique Pie!
Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?
It doesn’t have to be that way!
Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!
A pie is a pastry dough that is baked either in the oven or a baking pit. It may contain various fillings of sweets, veggies and meat. Pies are differentiated by the kind of crust that they have. A bottom crust or filled crust has a pastry lining at the bottom of the pan with fillings placed on top of it. The top portion is left open to bake and only serves to encase the upper ingredients by holding it together.
The top crust pie or cobbler has the fillings at the bottom of the pan, with the crust covering the filling before baking. The two-crust pie, on the other hand, has a pastry lining at the bottom and a pastry cover on top – before baking. Pastries normally use a flaky type of pie crust for that crunchy bite. The ingredients for flaky types can include crumbs, mashed potatoes, and baking powder and so on.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a product that comes from wheat, barley, rye and other grains that when mixed with the dough makes the dough rise and become elastic. Gluten is a source of protein and is generally used as an additive in many baking recipes.
Gluten is used in baking dough for pizza, bagels and in most pastries. Breads are generally high in gluten with pastries having less amounts of it. Kneading and moisture can enhance gluten development that makes for chewier products.
The amount of the gluten in flour is normally measured by use of a farinograph. This is a baker instrument that measures the quality of the flour that is used for baking.
Health hazard of gluten
Gluten is an All-American food and food additive. It is found in pizzas, breads, pastries and most processed food. What people do not know is that a continuous intake of gluten can be harmful to the body.
Medical studies have shown that you do not have to have a full blown celiac disease and positive intestinal biopsy to have serious problems from eating gluten foods. It has been observed that people with celiac disease runs the risk of higher death rates from heart diseases and cancers.
In-depth studies made from 1969 to 2008 showed that – 39% increase death rate is encountered by those with celiac disease; 72% increase mortality rate with people suffering from gut inflammation related to gluten intake, and; a 35% increase risk of death of those with gluten sensitivity but no celiac disease.
The vast majority of people who have problems with gluten sensitivity are not even aware of it. They misdiagnose their ailments as due to something else, not gluten intake.
A new development now has arisen towards a healthier lifestyle that includes eating gluten-free food. One favorite snack in most homes is the number of variations in home-made pies. To make this favorite snack a healthy alternative, gluten-free pie crust are being bannered in the internet sites and online medical journals for its health efficacy.
How to make gluten-free pie crust
Using gluten-free pie crust can be done two ways. First, you can make your own by following a number of online recipes, and; second, is you can prepare a crust from a pre-mix. An example of the latter is the Gluten Free Pantry’s Perfect Pie Crust Mix. There are other varieties that you can buy from any groceries or Whole Food store in your state.
It is hard to taste any difference between the regular crust and the gluten-free crust. In most instances, they taste the same. But if you look closely, and savor the gluten-free crust, the reason is simple enough — it tastes better.
Gluten makes the dough rise and make it ‘doughy’ or soft and heavy. Pies should not look nor taste ‘doughy’. It should be tender and flaky, unlike breads and cakes. Pie crust has a fair amount of shortening and very little liquid. The ingredients are only mixed to combine them, hence less gluten for this product.
Uses of gluten-free pie crust
Gluten-free pie crust can be used for a variety of fillings. It can be used for quiche, tarts or for all types of pies.
Gingerbread cookies – the gluten-free pie crust can be made into gingerbread cookies during the Christmas holidays, graham crackers, and even the festive Gingerbread houses.
Pecan nut pie crust – a delicious pie crust most especially used for pumpkin pie and custard/pudding fillings.
Cookies – a source of enjoyment for the kiddies on the prowl are homemade cookies made from gluten-free dough. You can make the dough yourself, or can buy it from the nearest stores.
The gluten free pie crust is the new wave of eating pattern that is healthy and good for the body. It is a new concept wherein you think not of only of what taste good; but, what taste healthy and keeps you alive as well!
About the Author
The author, Consolacion S. Miravite, is a Certified Public Accountant, real estate broker, trader, accounting professor, lead farmer, freelance writer and blogger. She has written for various publications and agencies from around the world – United States Asia, Europe and Asia on topics that ranged from: Finance, Accounting, E-marketing, Internet, Computers, Product Reviews, Relationships, and Crafts among others.
Create Your Own Unique Pie!
Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?
It doesn’t have to be that way!
Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!
Thanksgiving is the best time of the year to roll out the pies. A few years back, I used to make about 6 pies, my neighbor’s husband was in Iraq, and I felt bad that she had to spend Thanksgiving without her sweetheart, so I had my husband truck over an apple pie. My other neighbors used to give me Gilfeather turnips and I returned the favor with a pie, and still another couple who were on a fixed budget, I sent a pie. There is something so cathartic about giving.
Pies differ from area to area, I don’t go to Oklahoma for an authentic Key Lime Pie, or to California for a Michigan Cherry Pie.
My parents live in Maine and that is the farthest north you can get on the east coast. Maine is synonymous with blueberries. When I go to Maine, I want blueberry pie packed thick with tart Wild Maine blueberries, and for unexplained reasons, the crunchy breakfast cereal Grape-Nuts has made it’s way into pie from Presque Isle to Kennebunkport.
Traveling south the Apple pie begins to make its debut. Vermont, New Hampshire and New York are prime growing areas for apples. Apple pie can be double crusted or Crumb, which is my favorite.
As we travel into Amish/ Pennsylvania Dutch country the Shoo-Fly pie is common. It is a mixture of molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter, some pies are considered wet-bottomed meaning there is a sweet filling and then a crumb topping, or dry-bottom the crumb topping is folded into the filling. The unique thing about this pie is that all ingredients can keep without refrigeration. The name came about by the bakers having to shoo the flies away, because the flies were attracted to the sugar.
As we cross the Mississippi River, heading south into Virginia, pie makers compete for the best Sweet potato pie, yams or sweet potatoes were cultivated in the area since the 1600’s. The sweet potato is treated much in the same fashion as the pumpkin pie resulting in a silky spicy custard.
Moving a little west we enter the Volunteer state where soul food like egg custard pies and buttermilk pies are popular, motoring into the Music City, Nashville has taken the custard pie a step further by adding sweet toasted coconut. The difference is they make a rich pastry cream on the stove, instead of baking the custard in the oven. Folding it with copious amounts of coconut and decadent whipped cream.
Georgia is known for their peaches, and what better way to celebrate Georgia than having a piece of peach pie, what is also surprising is that Georgia is one of the top manufacturers of pecans and pecan pie.
The pride of Atlanta, Georgia is Lemon icebox pie, which is the northern cousin of Key lime Pie from Key West, Florida. It is made with lemon juice, eggs and condensed milk.
We round out our Eastern seaboard pie quest with, of course, Key Lime Pie. The key lime arrived in the Keys with the Spanish in the 1500’s, and was described as a confused lemon. Having features of both the lemon and the lime. Surprisingly hurricanes wiped out all traces of the actual key lime. You now, must know someone who knows someone to get an authentic key lime.
In the Midwest, the area still has shadows of their resourcefulness. Settlers developed the land with fruit trees and Yankee ingredients were in short supply. In Michigan they have tart Michigan cherries, made into delicious to die for cherry pies. Pies used less flour than bread and cakes did, therefore they could be cooked in fireplaces.
Hoosier pie or Indian sugar cream pie was a very simple dessert consisting only of cream sugar and flour.
Persimmons and paw paws are made into pies in the Midwest. Persimmons are an unusual fruit in that they ripen towards the end of the fall, and have a pumpkin apricot flavor, is cooked in the same way as a pumpkin. Paw Paws were important to the native Indians and take experience to work with them. They are a cross between banana, pineapple and mango and are used in custards. Honorable mention is the Bean pie created in Chicago, made with navy beans.
Pies that have no home or an area to call their own, are pies that are made all over the United States and each state can trace the history of such a pie. Pumpkin pie it is said to have been created near Plymouth plantation, however, the pie has made its rounds all over the U.S.
Lemon Meringue pie, is said to have originated in the South, however, lemons are known to grow out west. Pecans lay claim to Georgia, but Texas might dispute that. Washington might be a little upset about the origin of the Cherry Pie, but I am sure Michigan will debate it.
The granddaddy of the pie debate hands down has to be the Apple pie. Apples grow all over the United States, and every pie aficionado from California to Maine claim the best apple pie. It is up for debate! The important thing is that Pie was created. The pie that I am going to share is a blend of pies that I have created in my life. I love pie crust, however, I love the cookie crumb crust better.
Chunky Monkey Pie
Ingredients
1 Keebler Ready Crust Chocolate Pie Crust
8 ozs melted semi-sweet chocolate
2 teaspoons Crisco
3 large ripe bananas
12 ozs softened cream cheese
4 ozs toasted chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 tsp banana extract
1/2 cup marshmallow cream
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 banana cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 tablespoon banana liqueur
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 oz of butter
Directions
In a saucepan combine the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until the sugar dissolves, stir in the banana liqueur, add the banana and cook until the banana softens and browns slightly, carefully add the rum, and tip the saucepan until the rum ignites.
When the flames die down, remove the bananas and cool completely. Take your ready made crust and melt only 6 ozs of the 8 ozs of semi-sweet chocolate and spread over the ready made shell and cool. Take your remaining banana, slice and layer over the chocolate painted shell.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and marshmallow cream mix on high until fluffy. Add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla and banana extract and mix well. Fold in the whipped heavy cream and completely cooled banana mixture. Spoon into the chocolate pie shell.
Melt the remaining 2 ozs of semi-sweet chocolate with the 2 tsp of Crisco in the microwave at 10-second intervals until mixable. Garnish the pie with the melted chocolate and refrigerate. Cut and enjoy.
Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. ~ Sandra Boynton
About the Author
Paige Gould is a professional chef and mother. She writes articles about the humor in raising a family and being a full-time chef. You can visit her at wwwdinnertime.blogspot.com to share in her latest adventures in cooking and the art of juggling it all.
Create Your Own Unique Pie!
Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?
It doesn’t have to be that way!
Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!
By little blue hen (Flickr: unbaked graham cracker pie crust) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Photo by little blue hen (Flickr: unbaked graham cracker pie crust) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia CommonsOne of the easiest pie crusts to make is the crumb crust. The most common crumb crust is made with plain graham crackers. But you don’t need to stop there.
You can make a crumb crust from any crisp food, from cookies to crackers to cereal. Ask yourself what would pair well with the filling you have in mind?
Salted caramel is a food trend right now. So you could try making a caramel pudding pie with either a pretzel or saltine cracker crust.
Here are some items that you could use to create your own crumb crust:
flavored graham crackers
ginger snap cookies
chocolate wafer cookies
Cornflakes
Cheerios
Honey Nut Cheerios
Nilla wafers
butter cookies
shortbread cookies
crispy oatmeal cookies
saltine crackers
pretzels
Wheat Thins
Basically, if you can turn it into crumbs, you can transform it into a crumb crust for your pie (or cheesecake, for that matter).
Regardless of what type of crumbs you use, the recipe is basically the same:
Crumb Crust Ingredients & Directions
1-1/2 cups fine crumbs
1/3 cup butter (softened or melted)
Combine crumbs and butter. Press into a pie pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
Voila! You’re done and ready to pour in your favorite filling.
Tips for Creating Crumbs
You can actually buy ready-made crumbs. I’ve found them for graham crackers, chocolate cookies and even Nutter Butters. However, I would advocate for making your own crumbs. I’ve found that they just taste fresher.
The way I make crumbs is I break up the cookies by hand into pieces and put the pieces into a ZipLock bag. Then I pound them with a rolling pin to break them up further. Finally, I roll the rolling pin on the bag, back and forth, until the crumbs are fine.
Yes, this is a bit time-consuming and you’ll get an upper body workout thrown in for good measure, but it really pays off in the flavor.
More Creative Crumb Ideas
You can also make crumb crusts with nuts. Grind walnuts, pecans, peanuts, almonds or any other nut into fine crumbs, and use them as the base of your crust.
If you grind the nuts into a meal, you can simply combine them with butter per the recipe above and go from there.
However, if you’d like a slightly different take, let the nut crumbs be less fine, and mix them in with some cookie crumbs.
Crumb Crusts Fit Into Multiple Diet Plans
The beauty of crumb crusts is that you can easily adapt them to specialty diets. Are you gluten free? Use gluten free crumbs! Are you diabetic? Use low sugar, high protein crumbs!
Create Your Own Unique Pie!
Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?
It doesn’t have to be that way!
Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
4 ½ tablespoons ice cold water
Cherry Filling:
1 cup cherry cola
2 pounds dark cherries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Almond Streusel Topping:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Make the crust:
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cold cubed butter. Mix on low to medium speed until butter is broken down to pea size, about one minute. Add the cold water all at once and mix until the dough comes together — about 15 seconds. Remove dough from the mixer and gently shape it into a disc with your hands. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Place crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use kitchen scissors to trim the dough leaving a ½-inch overhang. Fold overhang under to be flush with the edge of pie plate. Flute as desired. Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Place in the refrigerator while you make the filling and streusel.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare the filling:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cherry cola to a medium bowl. Continue cooking the cola until it is reduced to a half cup. Let the cola cool in the refrigerator while you pit the cherries. Place pitted cherries in a bowl and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the reduced cola, cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over low-medium heat whisking continuously. Add the pitted cherries and continue cooking until mixture is thickened and shiny — about two minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl and fold in the almond extract. Set aside while you make the almond streusel.
Prepare almond streusel:
Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar and almonds in a medium bowl. Add the butter and toss the entire mixture gently with your hands until the butter is incorporated. The mixture will resemble loose cookie dough.
Remove the fluted pie crust from the refrigerator. Pour the cherry filling into the shell. Sprinkle the streusel over the filling. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until filling bubbles and streusel is golden brown. Let cool completely before serving.
About the Author
Lei Shishak is an established pastry chef who trained at the CIA in New York and worked at restaurants in Sun Valley and Los Angeles. She is the author of three notable cookbooks: Beach House Baking, Beach House Brunch, and the forthcoming Farm to Table Desserts. Her formative years were spent working as Michael Mina’s pastry chef at the Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California. She has been featured in People, Riviera Magazine, Sunset Magazine, Coast, the Los Angeles Daily News, Fine Living, and many more media outlets. She resides in Dana Point, California.
Create Your Own Unique Pie!
Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?
It doesn’t have to be that way!
Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!
If you are from the Midwest and had the growing-up experience of going to a church supper at a country church, you are very lucky. I remember these fondly. Pleasant Green Baptist Church in north Missouri still stands today, and I suspect they still have their church suppers, church dinners, or maybe even church picnics. The church was founded August 25, 1885, after a revival meeting in an arbor near the site. The first pastor was paid a whopping $6 a month.
Back in the day, all the church ladies made great recipes that they knew by heart, just as well as they knew every word to the songs in the Broadman Hymnal. Tables were laden with inimitable fried chicken, country ham, mashed potatoes, green bean and corn dishes, deviled eggs (the more religious called them “angeled eggs” so as not to invoke evil), and sparkling, fruit-filled Jello salads (not a dessert — it was a “salad”). But where we kids focused was the array of mouth-watering pies, cakes and cookies.
Of course, Mom never allowed you to fill your plate with all desserts, though us younguns would have been happy to do just that. I have only a couple of recipes from those wonderful women of my youth but know that Georgie Ruth, Aunt Mildred, Bessie Pearl, Ruby Darst, “Aunt Gyp” Smith, Edythe Dickerson, Lillie Maude, Moneaka, Frankie Elam, and others, kept us fat and happy.
A summertime treat from those days would be an “icebox pie.” That was when people still called refrigerators “ice boxes” from the early days when it really was an insulated box with a block of ice in it. Of course, we had a modern refrigerator but called it “the icebox.” Did you?
Remember, this was created to be an old-fashioned recipe. I could have developed it with all kinds of modern substitutes but I don’t prefer aspartame, olestra, sucralose and other things that do not come directly out of the ground, a hen, or a cow’s udder. So don’t shirk at the nine egg yolks, butter and heavy cream. You gotta eat up for a long day o’ preachin!
Prep time: 20 minutes Total time: overnight or 1 day Calories: don’t even ask
Church Supper Lemon Icebox Pie
Ingredients for Lemon Icebox Pie
3 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies (plus extra whole cookies for topping)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups whipping cream, divided (second cup is optional for topping)
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons superfine sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 large egg yolks
Superfine sugar
20 to 21 ounces sweetened condensed milk (this typically comes in 14-ounce cans; use 1 and 1/2 cans)
1 cup lemon juice (bottled is fine)
Directions for Lemon Icebox Pie
Preheat oven to 325 F. Crush vanilla wafer cookies to a fine crumb.
In a medium bowl, place cookie crumbs and melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Press into the bottom and about an inch up the side of a 10-inch pie pan or springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and let cool.
In a medium bowl, pour 1 cup whipping cream, 2 teaspoons superfine sugar and vanilla extract, and whip to soft peaks, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Do not be concerned if you are not creating stiff “whipped cream,” as this part will be folded into another mixture and frozen.)
In a large bowl, mix egg yolks and remaining superfine sugar. Whisk at high speed (hand or stand mixer) for about 5 minutes, until mixture is somewhat fluffy. Stirring slowly, add sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until mixed. Gently fold in the medium bowl of whipped cream mixture until fully blended.
Pour into prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap and put in freezer overnight or at least eight hours.
When serving, remove from freezer about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. If desired, top with whole vanilla wafer cookies. Whip 1 more cup whipping cream to firm peaks and use as topping.
NOTE: I doubt the church ladies fussed with something like superfine sugar. You can use regular sugar in this recipe, but it’s easier to mix superfine. If you cannot find superfine sugar, put sugar in a blender and mix on high to break it down to superfine texture.
Where are the lemons? Get real! These were the old days. We didn’t mess with fresh fruit!
About the Author
Chuck Mallory is a Chicago-based writer who hails from small-town America. In the 90s, he was a writer for men’s fitness magazines and currently is at work on a novel for preteens. His first book for preteens, The Owl Motel: And Other Places You Are Not Welcome, was published in 2014. He writes the “Country Cooking” blog for Grit.com and his work has also appeared in Mother Earth News. The big city is not his final destination as he is looking for a small rural farm for a future of gardening and cooking in the country.
Create Your Own Unique Pie!
Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?
It doesn’t have to be that way!
Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!
Make it a relaxing, easy event with the tips, suggestions and recipes included in Easy Easter at Home, Carma’s Cookery’s latest report. Take a sneak peak at the Table of Contents, then grab a copy of your own!
1/3 cup butter
Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?
The author, Consolacion S. Miravite, is a Certified Public Accountant, real estate broker, trader, accounting professor, lead farmer, freelance writer and blogger. She has written for various publications and agencies from around the world – United States Asia, Europe and Asia on topics that ranged from: Finance, Accounting, E-marketing, Internet, Computers, Product Reviews, Relationships, and Crafts among others.
Thanksgiving is the best time of the year to roll out the pies. A few years back, I used to make about 6 pies, my neighbor’s husband was in Iraq, and I felt bad that she had to spend Thanksgiving without her sweetheart, so I had my husband truck over an apple pie. My other neighbors used to give me Gilfeather turnips and I returned the favor with a pie, and still another couple who were on a fixed budget, I sent a pie. There is something so cathartic about giving.
Paige Gould is a professional chef and mother. She writes articles about the humor in raising a family and being a full-time chef. You can visit her at 
Lei Shishak is an established pastry chef who trained at the CIA in New York and worked at restaurants in Sun Valley and Los Angeles. She is the author of three notable cookbooks: 
Chuck Mallory is a Chicago-based writer who hails from small-town America. In the 90s, he was a writer for men’s fitness magazines and currently is at work on a novel for preteens. His first book for preteens, The Owl Motel: And Other Places You Are Not Welcome, was published in 2014. He writes the “Country Cooking” blog for Grit.com and his work has also appeared in Mother Earth News. The big city is not his final destination as he is looking for a small rural farm for a future of gardening and cooking in the country.