Strawberry Bread with More Fruit - Lucky Leaf Premium Pie Fillings

I've been baking for many, many years now - I was at least 10 when I started making sugar cookies and I'm not quite sure how old I was when I started making apple pies, but I know it was more than 25 years ago. I've used all sorts of fillings for pie, mostly homemade, but there are times I've relied on canned pie fillings.

I've not been disappointed, really, but it's not the same as the real deal. There's always more 'gunk' than fruit and sometimes the fruit itself just isn't very appetizing. Lucky Leaf recently revamped their fillings to be less 'gunky' and more fruity, and I think they've succeeded.

I was sent two cans of filling - one apple and one strawberry - along with a cookbook for recipe ideas. I couldn't find a better use for the apple pie filling than the apple and ginger tart in the cookbook, so I made that and it was gone so quickly that I never got a chance to take a photo.

The strawberry filling was a bit of a challenge for me. I find it hard to know what to do with strawberries when they aren't in season, so I had to think a bit. I took a recipe I already had for Strawberry Bread and altered it slightly to use the pie filling instead of the usual frozen strawberries.

This time the kids were at school so I had a chance to get a photo or two, but once they were home, the bread was gone instantly. In other words, there really is a lot of fruit in those cans and it's not lacking in flavor or overprocessed.

Strawberry Bread
(the unaltered version is linked above)

1 can Lucky Leaf Premium Strawberry Pie Filling
4 eggs
1 c cooking oil
1 1/2 c sugar
3 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c chopped nuts

Stir first 4 ingredients together well then add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in nuts and pour into 2 9x5 inch greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

*I top ours with cinnamon sugar.

You can find Lucky Leaf Premium Pie Fillings at your local grocer, and for a FREE copy of the cookbook, you can find it here: http://luckyleaf.com/RecipeBook.aspx

Humble Pie

My maternal grandmother played a very large role in forming who I’ve become, and although she is no longer with us, she continues to impact me in positive ways.

One way is the legacy she left behind with recipes. Grandma didn’t have a book that she kept for herself, but she did often submit recipes to various churches for publication in their fundraising cookbooks.

None of her recipes were ever very fancy or spicy or complicated; it was humble food, reflecting the era she belonged to and the area she grew up in.

Grandma was a true Midwestern cook; heaping portions of hearty food filled with local ingredients (corn and pork) and served with love.

Born in 1908, she came of age at a time when the nation’s economy was at its worst – a bit like today. Much of her cooking was influenced by lack rather than abundance and this recipe for buttermilk pie reflects that era very well.

I will share the recipe how it was originally written and add deciphering notes at the end for anyone who may need them.

Buttermilk Pie

Sift 1 1/2 c. sugar together with 2 1/2 Tbsp. (rounded) flour and add 1 c. buttermilk. Beat 3 egg yolks separately and add to first mixture. Melt butter (size of egg) and add. Then add juice of 1 lemon or season to taste. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake 20 minutes at 425 deg. Reduce heat to 325 deg. and bake 20 minutes longer. Add meringue (made from egg whites) and brown.

Icebox Pie Crust:

Mix together 5 c. flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1lb. lard. Beat 1 egg in mixing cup and fill cup with water and add to above mixture. This recipe makes enough crust for 3 – 2 crust pies. Keep unused crust in refrigerator.

Meringue:

Add 1 Tbsp. water to each egg white and beat until they form peaks and add 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar and continue beating until the sugar is dissolved. (This almost doubles the amount of meringue.)

Printed in “What’s Cookin’ In South Bend, Indiana” 1954

Notes:

• Recipe used to be written with the mindset that the person reading it would already have some knowledge of cooking, and the fact is, there used to be more knowledge about cooking 50 years ago than there is today. Many people just don’t know how to do it because of all the shortcuts offered nowadays.
  
• People also used to cook with lard on a regular basis. Certain Hispanic communities still use lard frequently, but I’ve left it behind for slightly healthier fats. This does change the flavor of many foods, though – so be careful about which choices you make for substitutes. Sometimes Grandma’s pies, cookies or cakes just don’t taste the same now because lard is no longer used as a fat.

In the pie recipe: ‘butter the size of an egg’ is about 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Use whichever you like.

‘Season to taste’ for a buttermilk pie can be any extract or flavoring you like – so long as it doesn’t equal more than 2 or 3 Tablespoons of liquid.

‘Add meringue (made from egg whites)’ is the 3 egg whites left after separating the yolks used in the filling.

Bacon Pie

Bacon pie, it turns out, may be just a joke. Dear George asked if I ever made bacon pie - my response was, "What's that?" He told me he had friends who talked about a pie that was popular in Upstate New York and made it out to be the best stuff going. The only reference I could find online was at an urban dictionary - something about it being consumed with root beer. I also consulted Mr. Dave, author of Ridiculous Food Society of Upstate New York and he told me the only pie he could recall having was more akin to the Bisquick 'Impossible Pie' type and served with gravy rather than having gravy in the pie. Oh, and Dave has more bacon recipes than a person should and each one looks heart-stoppingly delicious. And I do mean heart-stoppingly.

No matter, I came up with my own recipe based on what George told me, which was, "eggs, sausage, bacon and gravy". There are several other names I could think of for this pie like: Heart Attack Pie, Stroke-For-Sure Pie, Go-Broke-Quick Pie or Lard Butt Special, but I think for now we'll just go with Bacon Pie.

I had one child tell me, 'this should be a daily food here' and my husband said, 'I was hoping someone wouldn't want their piece so I could have seconds' Yeah -- it's good. As always, eat at your own risk.



Bacon Pie
Serves 8

1/2 pound bacon - cut into small dice
1 pound breakfast sausage - cut into small chunks
12 eggs
1 double pie crust for 9-inch pie
flour
milk or water
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pie dough and set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat eggs well and cook until no longer runny (scrambled eggs - folks). Set aside in a large bowl.
Cook bacon and sausage in the same pan until the bacon is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and put into the same bowl with the eggs.
Turn the heat to medium-low and add flour to the drippings - there should be about 1/2 cup of drippings to which you would add 3/4 cup flour. Whisk the flour into the drippings and slowly add water or milk (it really is just a preference here) until a thick gravy forms. Cook for several minutes to cook out any flour taste. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add eggs, sausage and bacon back into the gravy. Stir until everything is well coated.
Pour into the bottom pie crust, top with remaining dough and vent with a knife.
Bake for 30 minutes or until top is browned and filling is bubbling out the sides of the crust. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Don't eat this more than once a year.

Taffy Apple Cheesecake Pie

This was a winning recipe in the Pillsbury 36th Annual Bake-Off of 1994 made by Mary Ann Sasso of Franklin Park, Illinois. I made it way back then and several times since. I don't do it too often because it is rather time-consuming for a pie and there are a lot of ingredients. I wanted to post it anyway with photos so that maybe someone else will see it as not-too-difficult and give it a try.

Lots of ingredients in line. Why, yes - that IS frozen whipped topping from Aldi - thankouverymuch. Love it, won't apologize for it.

Melting butter.

Melting butter AND brown sugar - my kind of multi-tasking.

Melted and ready for ...

... sliced apples.

Apples cooked until tender and slightly caramelized.

Half and half. Yes, you need to use an old pitted heavy aluminum pan for this.

Twenty-one unwrapped caramels, melting nicely with the half and half.

Cream cheese and more brown sugar.

Cream cheese and more brown sugar mixed! Look at that.

Half of the caramel mixture added to the cream cheese mixture.

Half of the caramel mixture added to the apples.

Pecans and chocolate chips. I know the recipe calls for 'finely chopped chocolate chips', but to me that's like trying to stab a Super-ball without holding it down.

Apples in the pie crust.

Topped with chocolate chips and pecans.

Topped with cream cheese mixture before sending off to the oven.

Whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice.

Mixed.

Pie fresh out of the oven.

'Decorated'.

My pie somehow doesn't look like the one in the book. Oh well, it was good no matter how it looked!

Taffy-Apple Cheesecake Pie

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter, or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar, light, firmly packed
4 medium apples, cored, thinly sliced, about 5 cups
21 caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup cream, half and half
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, light, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg

Crust
Single pie crust


Topping:
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, finely chopped
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

Garnish:
8 ounces whipped topping
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice


Directions:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar stirring constantly.

Add apples; cook and stir 12 to 15 minutes or until apples are
caramel in color and tender.

Set aside.

Drain if necessary.

In top of double boiler or in medium heavy saucepan over low
heat, melt caramels with half-and-half until mixture is smooth,
stirring frequently.

Keep warm.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup brown sugar
until light and fluffy.

Add 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and egg; beat
until blended.

Prepare pie crust according to package directions for one-
crust filled pie using 10-inch deep dish pie pan or 9-inch
springform pan (refrigerate remaining crust for a later use).

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Fold half of caramel mixture into cream cheese mixture.

Add apple mixture to remaining caramel mixture; mix well.

Spoon apple caramel mixture into crust-lined pan.

In small bowl, combine topping ingredients; reserve 2
tablespoons mixture.

Sprinkle remaining mixture over apple mixture.

Top with caramel cream cheese mixture, Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes or until deep golden brown and filling is set.

Cool completely.

Refrigerate 30 minutes or until cold.

Fold 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice into whipped topping.

Pipe or spoon mixture onto pie; sprinkle with reserved 2
tablespoons topping.

Store in refrigerator.

Tip: to prepare caramel filling in microwave, in small microwave
-safe bowl, combine caramels and half-and-half.

Microwave on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 minute stirring once halfway
through cooking.

Stir until smooth.