Apple Bacon Dinner Pie - recipe theme pie

I figure by this time of the month, you are sick of fruit pie, so I thought a dinner pie might be a nice change.  This one uses apple, which is perfect for November, but also includes blue cheese and bacon.  You know what they say, everything is better with bacon.  The herbs are a savory mix that enhances and supports apple and bacon flavors.

Apple Bacon Dinner Pie

6 slices bacon

1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon savory

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup 2 % reduced-fat milk

2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Reserve drippings, and coarsely crumble bacon when cool enough to handle.

Combine muffin mix, flour, paprika, egg and milk; stir well to form a dough. Divide into 4 portions, and put 2 portions on each of the prepared pans. Press into 7-inch circles with your fingers.

Top each dough circle with a layer of apple slices, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold edges roughly around outer edges of apple slices. Brush apples and crust with bacon drippings. Bake 10 minutes. Top with blue cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake 7 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown. Cut into halves and serve warm. Serves 8.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)
March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)
April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)
May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)
June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)
July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)
August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)
September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)
October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails

Cheese and Potato Slab Pie - recipe theme

This recipe is great for breakfast or dinner and the crust can be made ahead, up to 2 days.

Cheese and Potato Slab Pie

For the Crust:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon fine salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, cubed (keep cold in the freezer)

1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

For the Filling:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

4 large red-skinned potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), unpeeled

2 gala apples, unpeeled

2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

5 ounces mortadella or ham, thinly sliced

10 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded

Heavy cream, for brushing

Directions

Make the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add 1 stick butter and pulse until combined. Add the remaining 2 sticks butter and pulse three times, or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the vinegar, then gradually add 1/3 cup ice water through the feed tube, pulsing four times, until evenly combined. Squeeze the dough between your fingers. If it doesn't hold its shape, add up to 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse two more times (the dough should still be crumbly). Turn out onto a clean surface and press into a ball; divide in half, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into two 1-inch-thick rectangles. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Make the filling: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until slightly brown, 5 to 7 minutes; season with salt and let cool. Slice the potatoes and apples very thinly; toss in a bowl with the thyme, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on all sides. On a floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into a 12-inch square, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to the prepared dish, tucking the dough into the edges and corners; do not trim the overhang. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the dough and add the onion. Lay the mortadella on top, then sprinkle with about one-third of the cheese. Layer half of the potatoes and apples on top in a single layer; Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with another one-third of the cheese. Top with the remaining potatoes, apples; season again and finish with cheese.

Roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch square and place on top of the filling. Press the overhang of the two crusts together, then roll the dough under itself and pinch to make a 3/4-inch-high edge. Make slits in the top crust with a knife to allow steam to escape. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bake the pie until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, brush the crust with cream and continue baking until crisp, about 35 more minutes. Cool 25 minutes, then lift out of the pan and slice.

Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Sugar-free Pecan Pie - Monthly recipe theme

The good news for me this month is that Pies are something I have posted previously and some of them are really good.

There was the awesome Pumpkin Pie Squares I posted in November 2018.

A Squash Gallette (which is a pie made with puff pastry or crepes) was posted on October 2018

I also posted a no meat Mincemeat in 2012.

So enjoy any of those Pies to make up for the ones I missed at the beginning of the month.  And for today, here is a sugar-free Pecan Pie.

Sugar Free Pecan Pie

1/3 cup of water

2/3 cup of granular fructose

2 packages of sugar free vanilla pudding - not instant

3/4 cup evaporated skim milk

2 large eggs

½ Tbls cinnamon (or BYP Cinnful Dessert Blend)

1 pie shell, 9-inch

1/4 cup of chopped pecans

1/2 cup of Grape Nuts cereal (Yes, they still make Grape Nuts, you can find it at Walmart!)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the water and fructose, and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool.

Mix the dry pudding into the fructose mixture. Then add skim milk and eggs, stir until well blended. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.  Sprinkle the top with the Grape Nuts and pecans. Bake for 30 minutes.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails

Elderberry Pie - A little late monthly theme

It has been a challenge to get these up, this month.  It has now snowed twice and the weather is more like December than November, making it harder to do anything.  It is sad the Zinnias have died and the garden is under a blanket of snow, but that does turn my mind to Pie and Holiday planning so there is that.

Today I have this pie recipe for you using the ultimate healing herb, Elderberry!

Elderberry Pie 

4 tablespoons flour 
1 cup elderberry juice
1 cup or less sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, separated
1 cup milk
Unbaked pie shell 

Directions:

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Stir in enough milk to make a paste. In a saucepan, bring elderberry juice to a boil. Stir paste into hot juice. Simmer, stirring often to prevent lumps. Remove from heat and stir in remaining milk to cool mixture. Stir in egg yolk. 

Beat egg white in a bowl until stiff; fold into juice mixture. Pour filling into an unbaked 9-inch pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from The Old-Fashioned Fruit Garden, by Jo Ann Gardner, published by Skyhorse Publishing, 2012. 

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)
March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)
April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)
May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)
June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)
July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)
August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)
September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)
October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails