Berry Banana Whole Wheat Muffins - healthy

(Anne B.)

These light muffins are great and the tops come out perfect! They taste healthy, yet don't have the heaviness of the whole wheat.

1 egg + 1 Tablespoon flax meal/flax seed ground (you can use 2 regular eggs instead, or use equivalent amount of egg whites)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 bananas, mashed
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 heaping cup frozen 3 berry blend (or any combination of berries)
brown sugar

Combine the first six ingredients and whisk together. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Slowly fold into the wet ingredients, don't over mix. Then add frozen berries.

Grease regular muffin tins and fill all the way up. Sprinkle with brown sugar (optional). Bake at 375˚ F for 20-25 minutes. Keep refrigerated.

recipe found here

Strawberry Pie

(Oma J.)

Baked and cooled pie crust.
3-4 Pints berries, cleaned and stemmed
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese (regular)

Select choice berries (half of the amount) and leave whole with green tops cut off. Spread cream cheese on bottom of cooled pie crust. Place strawberries (stem side down) on top of cream cheese (press lightly) into cream cheese. Cover the entire pie crust with whole strawberries, or slice thinly and layer on pie crust, just depends on how you want it to look.




Mash remaining berries in food processor until berries measure 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Put in pot. Add one cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of corn starch and pinch of salt. Stirring constantly, Boil until thick. Once it boils turn heat down and let it simmer and stir constantly until thickens a bit more. Taste to see if it is sweet enough. If it needs more sugar add a little bit at a time and stir allowing it to dissolve.

Cool Completely! Pour over whole berries already in pie crust. Chill overnight or at least 6 hours in the refrigerator before serving.



Once it is set, serve with whipped cream topping over the whole pie.

Simple Flaky Pie Crust

Makes enough dough for 1 double-crust pie or 2 single-crust pies. To watch a video demonstration click here.

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine.



Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 Tablespoon at a time). To help ensure a flaky crust, do not over process.

Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes to 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough. (Disks can be frozen, tightly wrapped, up to 3 months. Thaw before using.) Makes 2 disks.
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When ready to roll pie dough:

Lightly flour a large piece of waxed paper; place a disk of dough in center. Rolling from center outward, form into a 12-inch circle. (Use paper to rotate dough, and flour rolling pin and paper as necessary to prevent sticking.) Transfer dough (still on paper) to a baking sheet; cover and refrigerate. Gotta keep that douhg COLD! Repeat with second disk of dough.
Remove first circle of dough from refrigerator; wrap around rolling pin (discarding paper), and carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently lift edges and lower dough into the pie plate so it hugs bottom and sides. Avoid stretching the dough, which will make it shrink during baking. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cooks Country says to refrigerate 40 min and freeze 20 min before baking.

Bake at 425˚, with a rack set in lowest position for 10-15 minutes, or until just golden. May wrap edges with foil to prevent being too crisp.

Place a large piece of parchment paper on top of dough and fill with dry beans. Press beans into edges of dough and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove parchment and beans and continue baking until golden in color, approximately 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before filling.


Remove dough-lined pie plate from refrigerator. Fill with pie mixture. Lightly brush rim of pie shell with water.

If using a pie crust on top as well:

Remove remaining circle of dough from refrigerator. Lay over pie mixture; press along moistened rim to seal. Using kitchen shears, trim overhang to 1 inch. With floured fingers, fold overhang under itself to form a thick rim; pinch between thumb and forefinger to form a uniform edge around the rim of the pie plate.

To crimp edges: With thumb and index finger of one hand, gently press dough against knuckle of other hand (photo, below); continue around pie. (Deep indentations anchor dough on rim and prevent it from sliding down sides of pie plate during baking.)
 
With a floured paring knife, cut 5 to 6 slits in top of pie, radiating from center; place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes; reduce heat to 375˚, and bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes more. If edges brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Cool completely, at least 6 hours, before serving.
recipe and photos found here and here.

Roll the dough nice and big


Place the dough in the pie dish, see how it's too big!



Trim the edges leaving about 2 inches of overhang. Fold the excess 2 inches underneath to make the top of the crust.





Use a fork to poke holes all over


Lay a piece of parchment paper over the crust and fill with about 2 cups of dried black beans (to keep it from bubbling up.


Stick in the oven.


Wallah! Nice and rustic looking


Use

***Blueberry Pie***

(Oma J.)

For something extra, add 3 ounces of cream cheese to the bottom of cooled pie crust and layer bottom with fresh raspberries before adding blueberries.



Baked and cooled pie crust.
6 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice (or 1/2 fresh lemon)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons cornstarch

Put 3 cups of blueberries through food processor. Combine the pureed blueberries, sugar, lemon juice (or about the juice from 1/2 lemon), vanilla, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Cook over medium high heat until it boils and thickens about 10 to 15 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups of whole blueberries and stir well. Cool Completely. Stir often to let steam escape. Letting the whole blueberries stay in the pot helps to sweeten them. Taste to see if you need more sugar if so, add it slowly while still hot until it is as sweet as you like.

When cooled completely, pour into pie crust. Chill for at least 6 hours in the fridge or overnight. Top with whipped cream.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups rolled oats


Cream together butters and sugars until lightened. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and mix. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and stir to combine. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes at 375˚. Cool 2 minutes on pan, then remove to a rack and let cool. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

recipe found here