Eat to the Beat - Custard Pie

Elly over at Elly Says Opa is having her first blogging event and she has named it Eat to the Beat. I am really excited about this one for a few reasons. First of all, this is my first blogging event. Second, this is Elly's first time hosting event and I am excited to be participating. Most importantly though, is that I think this is a really great idea and really gets people to be creative. I'll be honest though. I didn't think I'd be able to come up with anything. I'm not huge into music. I mean, I love music, don't get me wrong. But I'm sort of indiscriminate to the types of music I listen to. I'll admit to loving a song for a long time and not even knowing who is singing it...But I knew I wanted to participate. So I enlisted the help of my fantastic husband, Rob. And within about 5 minutes I knew what I was making for my entry.

Rob is a pretty big Led Zepplin fan, so for anyone reading this who may already know Rob, it should be no surprise that the first thing that came to mind was a Led Zepplin song. I, of course, had never heard of this particular song, but just from the title I knew what kind of recipe to search for:

Led Zepplin: Custard Pie
Drop down, baby, let your daddy see. Drop down, mama, just dream of me Well, my mama allow me to fool around all night long Well, I may look like I'm crazy, I should know right from wrong See me comin', throw your man out the door Ain't no stranger, been this way before See me comin', mama, throw your man out the door I ain't no stranger, I been this way before. Put on your night shirt and your morning gown You know by night I'm gonna shake 'em all down

Put on your night shirt Mama, and your morning gown Well, you know by night I'm gonna shake 'em all down Your custard pie, yeah, sweet and nice When you cut it, mama, save me a slice Your custard pie, I declare, it's sweet and nice I Like your custard pie When you cut it, mama... mama, please save me a slice.

Chewin' a piece of your custard pie. Drop down

Easy enough, right? Now the only problem I faced at this point was that I'd never really had custard pie before, much less tried to make it. So I didn't have a tried and true recipe to go to. So off to williams-sonoma.com I went to try to find a fancy, gourmet Custard Pie recipe. No luck. I couldn't find one. So I went to my trusty allrecipes.com and found several. So after reading reviews and looking at pictures, I landed on what looked like the best one with the best reviews. I also found out that Custard Pie is extremely easy to make. Bonus points!!

I have also never made pie pastry from scratch before. So I went back to williams-sonoma.com and found a really easy Basic Pie Pastry recipe. It was so easy to throw together and I am very happy about having an opportunity to make pie pastry for the first time. The pastry was a sinch to throw together and rolled out really easily. It resulted in a nice flaky pastry, and was really great for a beginner like myself. However, the flavor was lacking something and I will keep trying other pastry recipes until I find one that is just right for me. I do really recommend this recipe for those who are afraid of pastry dough though! It was super simple and I am no longer afraid.

I'm really disappointed because my pictures turned out really horrible. It's really hard to get a good picture with my camera. But this pie was so delicious! The pictures really do it no justice. I realized as I was measuring the milk that skim milk might not be the best idea for something like a custard pie. But it's all I had because it's all I ever have. And I think it turned out wonderfully. That being said, if I want to make it again (and I'm pretty sure I do!) and make it thicker and firmer I might try half and half or whole milk. My mom tells me that Custard Pie was my grandfather's favorite dessert and so I am dedicating this blog entry to his memory. I wish he could share a piece of this delicious pie with me!

Basic Pie Pastry (source williams-sonoma.com) - I am going to type up only the parts of the recipe I used. If you follow the link, it will give you the ingredients for a double crust pie and also the method to use if you are using a food processor.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tbsp cold water

Directions:
Hand Method
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl and toss together with your hands. Add the shortening. With your fingertips, 2 knives or a pastry blender (i used my fingers), blend the ingredients together, working quickly, until you have a mixture of tiny, irregular flakes and bits about the size of coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on the water, 1 tbsp at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition. Add just enough water for the dough to form a rough mass.

With floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth disk. The dough is now ready to use. It is not necessary to refrigerate the dough before rolling (inless you included some butter), although for convenience it may be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Rolling our the dough:
Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick, or about 2 inches wider than the top of the pie dish. Try to keep the dough as roung as possible.

Transfer the rolled out pastry to the pie dish. Pat the pastry in around the egdes to fit the shape of the dish.


Egg Custard Pie (source: allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsps flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 eggs, beaten
1 recipe for a 9" single crust pie
Directions:
1. Bake pie shell at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Combine melted butter, sugar, flour, milk, vanilla and nutmeg. Add beaten eggs and blend well. Pour filling into partially baked pie shell. I sprinkled the top of the pie with nutmeg and granulated sugar (about a teaspoon of each) before baking and it made for a really nice crust on top

3. Bake at 325 for 45-55 minutes (mine took more like 60 minutes) or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Do not overcook.

Blueberry Crumb Muffins

I would like to start by apologizing for the poor quality pictures. I've lost my camera batteries, so I've resorted to using my cellphone camera again. And being that it was one of those free phones that comes with the plan, the camera is not that great. I was so happy to be using a camera, and I had to go and lose my batteries. Well, they're here somewhere and hopefully I'll find them soon. Anyway, these muffins turned out so cute that I really wanted to get a couple of pics up for this blog post. And even though they're not the greatest pictures ever, I think they still capture the cuteness of my muffins :)

These muffins turned out wonderfully. I was looking for a healthier recipe, so my friend Beth gave me this one from Weight Watchers. They are 4 points per muffin, which sounds like a lot to me, although I'm not on Weight Watchers, so you can take that with a grain of salt :). But with the sour cream, and all the sugar and the streusel topping, I don't see how they're especially good for you :) But they're great in the morning with a big cup of coffee. I am definitely holding on to this recipe. They turned out moist and delicious and packed full of blueberries. Thanks Beth!

Blueberry Crumb Muffins (source: my buddy Beth. original source: Weight Watchers website)

Ingredients
~2 1/4 cups flour, divided (I used half all purpose flour and half whole wheat)
~1/2 tsp baking soda
~1 tsp baking powder
~1/2 tsp salt
~1 large egg
~1 cup sugar, divided
~3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
~1 tsp vanilla
~1/4 cup fat free milk
~2 cups blueberries
~2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions
~Preheat the oven to 375. Place muffin liners in a 12-hole muffin tin.

~In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour (this is where I used half AP and half WW), baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

~Using an electric mixer, beat egg with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and beat until thoroughly combined; blend in vanilla.

~Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk to the sugar mixture; beat until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and milk and beat until smooth.

~Fold in blueberries and fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.

~To make streusel topping, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup each of flour and sugar. Pour in melted butter and combine with fingertips (this part was kinda fun :)) Divide crumb mixture over muffins. Gently press into top of muffin batter with fingertips.

~Bake until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans for about 10-15 minutes and then remove to cool completely on wire racks. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.
Nutrition Info:

• Calories: 192.9
• Total Fat: 4.2 g
• Cholesterol: 26.7 mg
• Sodium: 207.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 35.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.0 g
• Protein: 4.0 g

Pacman Cheesecake

How cute is that?

I never get to make cheesecake. I mean, I could. Except I'm the only one in my house who will eat it. Which means I'd have to eat the whole thing by myself. Which is really not a good idea. So when my friend Beth (aka Shortcake79 on The Nest) invited us all over to her house for dinner, I knew I would have someone to make a cheesecake for. See, neither of our husbands will eat cheesecake. So we decided that we'd have cheesecake and the guys (and the kids) would have chocolate chip cookies. I decided to look for a recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake and I came across The Cheesecake Factory's recipe on RecipeZaar.com.

The recipe was incredibly easy. The part that took the longest was processing the cookies for the crust in my Magic Bullet. The recipe called for graham cracker crumbs. But I didn't have any, so I substituted Vanilla Wafer crumbs. The crust was delicious and I think the only thing I would do differently next time would be to add some cinnamon and nutmeg and prebake it a little longer. I meant to add spices to the crust this time, thanks to the advice of my wonderful friends on The Nest's WHat's COoking message board, but I forgot. I definitely recommend using the vanilla wafers for the crust. I don't think I'd like it as much with a graham cracker crust. Elly suggested Gingersnaps, which I think would be even better than the Vanilla Wafers, but I didn't have any. So I'll use them the next time Beth invites me over :-)

The Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake (source: recipezaar.com)

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup sugar, plus

1 tablespoon sugar

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used more like 1 tsp)

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

whipped cream - (I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine vanilla wafer crumbs with melted butter and 1 tbsp sugar in a medium bowl. Stir until the crumbs are coated with the butter. Do not over mix. You want it to be crumbly. Press into the bottom and up 2/3 of the sides of an 8" springform pan (I used a 9" pan because that's all I have). Put foil halfway up the outside of the pan. bake the crust for 5 minutes and set aside until you're ready to fill it.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs and spices and continue mixing until creamy. Pour the filling into the pan and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cake is at room temperature, place in refrigerator to chill. Once the cake is chilled, remove the pan sides and serve.

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken

I realize that Elly just made this last night. And I feel like a complete copycat. But one of my favorite teachers from when I was little always told me that "copying is a compliment." So take it as a compliment Elly, that I thought your dinner looked so wonderful last night that I just HAD to make it tonight :-)

Anyway, I did mine a little differently than Elly did, although the inspiration came solely from her delicious looking concoction from last night. I did not stuff my chicken with anything. In the kosher world, mixing chicken (or meat of any kind) with cheese (or dairy of any kind) is a big no-no. I may have mentioned that once or twice before, but I just wanted to clarify just in case. So stuffing my chicken with cheese is pretty much out of the question. Coating it in cornmeal, on the other hand, is completely ok, so I just stuck with that. I also didn't add the peppers. For one, I don't really like spicy peppers too much. Also, we had no peppers on hand. So I just added a good dose of paprika and chili powder to my cornmeal before tossing my chicken in it.

I also wanted to clarify one other thing. Eggs are not dairy. I know, I know. I thought they were too. But they're not. Dairy products are anything that consists of milk. So butter, cream, milk (duh), cheese...those kinds of things. Those are all dairy and you will not find any of them in my meat dishes. I sometimes feel limited because I cannot combine these things in my kitchen and so many wonderful recipes that I've come across call for them. But honestly, I love being kosher and I am more than willing to make the sacrifice. Also, there are always substitutions that cane be made. For example, dairy free margarine comes in handy when making mashed potatoes that will be eaten with meat. Or when making a dessert that will be eaten after a meat meal. Ok, I think I've rambled long enough. I just wanted to give those of you who may not know much about the kosher lifestyle a glimpse into what goes into keeping kosher. Onto the chicken.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup cornmeal
salt
pepper
paprika
chili powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Coat chicken in egg and then toss in cornmeal mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet and spray chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until juices run clear.

This was such an easy and delicious dinner. I know I'll be making this many many times again! Thanks for another winner Elly :-)

(sorry for the lack of pictures. i took one and it turned out teeny tiny. i don't know what's going on with my camera.)

Molten Lava Cakes

I have been meaning to make this dessert since the beginning of the year. I promised Rob and Maura that I would make them for New Year's Eve. But for whatever reason, I didn't end up making them. Then I told them I would make them for Valentine's Day, but I didn't make them then either. So when Rob asked for them tonight, I made sure I got whatever ingredients I was missing when I went to the store and I finally made them.

I have made these once before, so I knew how easy they would be to throw together. I love how it's so simple. Just one big bowl and a wire whisk. My pictures didn't turn out so great though. Mostly because I think I have the worst camera known to man. Also, the top of the cake cracked open a bit. I think it sort of resembles an outie bellybutton. But anyway, they were really yummy and really easy and the nice big scoop of French Vanilla ice cream was the perfect compliment :)

Dark Molten Chocolate Cakes (source: kraftfoods.com)

~1 package (6 squares) BAKERS Bittersweet Baking Chocolate (I used Nestle Chocolatier 62% Cocoa Bittersweet Baking Bars)
~10 tbsp butter
~ 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
~1/2 cup flour
~3 eggs
~3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 425. Grease six 6oz ramekins and place on a baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwaveable bowl on Medium for 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar and flour; mix well. Add eggs and egg yolks and beat until well blended. Divide batter evenly into prepared ramekins

Bake 14-15 minutes or until cakes are firm around the edges but still soft in the centers. Let stand one minute. Run a small knife along cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve warm.

I took my cakes out at 14.5 minutes and I thought they were still too runny. I will leave them in another minute or so next time to firm them up just a bit more.

I've been tagged!

Ok, so I've actually been tagged several times by different people. But I can never think of anything to say about myself! But I was just recently tagged by Robin over at Made with love... and I decided to go ahead and give it a shot finally. I mean, I enjoy reading other people's memes. It's fun to learn a little about other bloggers. So here's my meme...

Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.


1. I love to read. It has become almost an addiction of mine. I am always reading something and always on the lookout for new books. So if you have any great book recommendations, let me know!

2. I love sappy movies. Like, the girly kind that usually make me cry at more than one point in the movie.

3. I have a huge family, My Dad was one of 10 kids and my Mom was one of 3. And I think I have something like 30 cousins just on my Dad's side of the family. And now that my cousins are having kids, the family is just getting bigger and bigger. And I love it!

4. I've wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I never got my degree, and now that I have a family, I'm finding that it's harder to go back to school. But my dream is to go back and get my degree and teach 2nd or 3rd grade.

5. I love animals. We currently have only one dog and one cat, but when we have a house and more space, we totally plan on fostering homeless animals. My husband and I both have a very strong passion for helping homeless animals, and although our dog was purchased from a breeder, we plan on only adopting any of our future animals.

I am tagging:
Lindsey at Lindsey's Kitchen
Nikki at Pennies on a Platter
Kylee at What's cooking, Kylee?
Kelly at Kelly's Kitchen
BMK at Reservations not Required

Baked Tortilla Chips

This is such and easy and fun snack! i got the inspiration from Amy Finley of The Food Network's "The Gourmet Next Door" and the most recent winner of "The Next Food Network Star." I really like Amy, although I haven't caught too many of her new shows. A few weeks ago she made Chiliqueles and homemade stovetop salsa. She fried her tortilla chips, but I knew I wanted to bake mine. I tried her recipe for Homemade Salsa, and while it was good, it wasn't what I really think of when I think of salsa. It was more of a puree. I like my salsa thick and chunky. However, since making the chips a few weeks ago, they have become one of my favorite snacks and I've made them several times. They are so easy, which I love, and I can be completely done and munching on them in about 15 minutes, including baking time. They are fabulous dipped in some hummus, but I plan on trying other homemade salsa recipes to dip them in. I also plan on trying them with corn tortillas in the future! Here is my method for making tortilla chips.

7-8 flour tortillas, soft taco size (or more tortillas, depending on how many chips you want)
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350. Stack tortillas on top of each other and cut them in half down the middle. Cut the halves in half and then cut them into triangles. Lay in a single layer on baking sheets sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Spray chips with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake in preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them becuase they go from done to burned very quickly!

Enjoy!