Sweet Potato Pie

This is the first pie I learned to make, because sweet potatos were the first produce I was able to grow successfully in the necessary volume.. Considering how nutricious seeet potatos are, and when exceee sugar is removed from the recipe, this is the kid of pie that can be enjoyed with coffee for breakfast, or on the plate with any meal. Really. This recipe makes two pies:

Ingredients

1. Five or six potatos per pie, or enough unpealed sweet potatos to fit into each pie pan like a puzzle.
2. Brown sugar - 3/4 cup packed
3. Butter - 1 stick as small chunks, or 1/2 cup
4. Vanilla extract - 1 tablespoon
5. Eggs - 2
6. Sweetened condensed milk - 1 and 1/4 ounce can
7. All purpose flour - 2 tablespoons
8. Spices - in a small bowl, combine 2-3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice

Preparation -

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Slice the sweet potatos in half and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until soft.
3. Remove the sweet potatos when done, allow to cool
4. Scoop the potatoes out of the skins into a large bowl
5. Add each of the ingredients from above in succession, mixing thoroughly
6. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F
7. Roll out two pie doe circles, place one in each pie pan
8. Brown the pie shells in the oven and remove promptly
9. Pour the mixed filling into the the two crusts in the pie pans
10. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 45 minutes

Pumpkin Pie

This recipe can be used with butternut squash, and probably other squashes too. The ingredients on this recipe are still being adjusted. This recipe makes two pies:

Ingredients

1. Pumpkins - two small pie pumpkins
2. Brown sugar - 3/4 cup packed
3. Heavy whipping cream - 1 and 1/2 cups
4. Eggs - 2
5. Spices - in a small bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice and 1 pinch of cloves

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Slice the two pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until soft.
3. Remove the pumpkins when done, allow to cool
4. Scoop the pumpkin out of the skins into a large bowl
5. Add each of the ingredients from above in succession, mixing thoroughly
6. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F
7. Roll out two pie doe circles, place one in each pie pan
8. Brown the pie shells in the oven and remove promptly
9. Pour the mixed filling into the the two crusts in the pie pans
10. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 15 minutes
11. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 F and bake for 45 minutes

Apple Pie

The apple orchard is still not producing, though I still hope that it will someday. For now I will make due with apples from the farmer's market or grocery store.. This recipe makes one pie:

Ingredients

1. Apples - 10-12, or enough unpealed apples to fill the pie pan with an apple pyramid.
2. Brown sugar - 3/4 cup packed
3. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon, and zest if you have it
4. Spices - 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspicce and optionally 1 pinch of cloves
5. All purpose flour - 2 tablespoons
6. Small chunks of butter - 2 tablespoons
7. Granulated sugar - Approximately 2 teaspoons

Preparation -

1. Peal, core and chop the apples, placing in a large bowl
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F
3. Roll out two pie doe circles, place one in the pie pan
4. Combine the remaining ingredients with the apples in the bowl
5. Gently stir the ingredients together and pour into the crust in the pie pan
6. Cover with the second crust
7. Pinch the edges of the two crusts to seal the edge
8. Brush the top crust with one small beaten egg
9. Sprinkle the basted top crust with a mixture of the same spice mix above with granulated sugar added
10. Cut small slits into the top crust to vent steam
11. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 1 hour

Cherry Pie

The Montmorency cherry tree does much better then the apples, yielding up to 10 quarts of cherries each season.

Pie filling - The following are the approximate ingredients for filling a single pie. These are cooked in a sauce pan, then used immediately for a pie, or cannied for later:

1. Fresh pitted tart cherries, 1 and 1/2 quarts (6 cups)
2. Granulated sugar - 1 cup
3. Tapioca flour - 4 tablespoons
4. Cherry juice - 1 and 1/2 cups
5. Almond extract - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons - This is only needed if the chery filling is being canned, rather then going directly into a pie.

Preparation -

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F
2. Roll out two pie doe circles, place one in the pie pan
3. Gently pour the filling into the crust in the pie pan
4. Cover with the second crust
5. Pinch the edges of the two crusts to seal the edge
6. Cut small slits into the top crust to vent steam
7. Place the pie in the oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes

Shepherd's Pie

This is not really pie, it's more of a casserole. And shepherd's pie is apparently made with lamb, rather then beef - which is cottage pie. But those details don't matter, because on a cool fall or winter evening there is not a more inviting arome that shepherd's/cottage pie baking in the oven. And there is not a more satisfying entree, expecially when served with a pint of stout. When the food comes out of the oven, I leave the oven door open to bath the kitchen in it's lingering warmth while I eat and sip Guinness.

Ingredients Set 1

1. Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
2. Minced garlic - 1 clove or 1 teaspoon pre-minced< - saute' briefly/li>
3. Chopped onion - 1/4 cup
4. Ground beef - 1 pound of ground chuck
5. Dried thyme- 1/4 tablespoon
6. Course salt and ground pepper - to taste
7. Dried thyme- 1/4 tablespoon
8. All purpose flour - 1 tablespoon
9. Frozen mixed vegetables or steamed fresh vegetables - 2 cups
10. Guinness Stout- 1 cup
11. Worchester sauce - 2 tablespoons

Ingredients Set 2

1. Potatoes
2. Milk - 1 cup/li>
3. Butter - 4 tablespoons
4. Salt & pepper - to taste

Preparation Part 1 (Beef)

1. Brown the beef in a skillet on medium heat
2. Ladle out the excess grease
3. Stir in the seasonings from set 1, above
4. Stir in Worchester sauce and Guinness
5. Stir in all purpose flour
6. Stir in vegetables

Preparation Part 2 (Potatoes)

1. Peal and dice the potatoes, 4-5 medium
2. Put the potatoes in a pot of water to boil until tender
3. Drain the potatoes and whip with the ingredients from set 2 above
4. Pre-heat the oven to 425 F while whipping potatoes

Completion

1. Pour the beef and vegetables into a large cassarole dish
2. Spoon the potatoes on top, adding texture to the surface
3. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes
4. Broil for 5 minutes to add crisp brown highlights to the potatoes
5. Pour a glass of stout
6. Remove the dish from the oven and serve with the glass of stout

Candied Sweet Potatos

This is another recipe that is not actually a pie, but makes use of the sweet potatos grown in the garden.This is a Thanksgiving favorite that is also good with roast chicken or ham.

Ingredients

1. Sweet potatoes - Four or Five, or enough unpealed sweet potatos to fit into the baking dish like a puzzle.
2. Brown sugar - 3/4 cup packed
3. Butter - 1/2 stick melted, or 1/4 cup
4. Water - 1/3 cup
5. Spices - in a small bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2-3 teaspoon allspice, pinch of clove and/or mace

Preparation -

1. Peel and dice the sweet potatos into a large bowl
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F
3. Add each of the ingredients from above in succession, turning with a large spoon to coat all sweet potato chunks with spices
4. Pour the mixed filling into the baking dish
5. Place the into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until soft