Buttermilk Pie

This recipe is near and dear to my heart!  Every year we would go to my maternal grandmother’s house for Christmas, and every year, my grandmother (and usually a few other people) would make a Buttermilk Pie.  It was my absolute most favorite dish on the dessert bar and I looked forward to it every Christmas.  To me, it’s just not Christmas without a Buttermilk Pie. 

I’ve discovered that when you tell people that your favorite pie is Buttermilk Pie, you get strange looks.  And when I stop to think about it, I realize that, yes, it sounds strange and unappetizing.  But it’s SO decadent, rich, and delicious, and everybody who has tried it has absolutely loved it!  I’ve never had flan, but people have said it is similar (at least in consistency) to flan.  It’s “custard-y.” Stephen loves it!  Plus, it’s really simple. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
2 cup sugar
3 (rounded) Tablespoons flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together and pour into unbaked pie shell for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit!  It will be fairly thin, so be careful when transferring from countertop to oven so that it doesn’t spill. After it has cooled, store in the refrigerator.

Cheesy Jambalaya

Ok – this isn’t technically a “recipe,”  but I thought I’d share it on here anyway, because we really like it and I know there are lots of people who may have never tried it!  I also make it “Sandra Lee style” by adding a few extra ingredients to help spice it up.  Stephen and I both think it’s really yummy. :)

 

What you’ll need:

Zatarain’s Jambalaya with Cheese (box mix)
1 package smoked sausage (whatever style you prefer – we use turkey)
garlic
red pepper flakes
olive oil

In a saucepan or skillet (you’ll need one that has a lid) heat up a few drizzles of olive oil.  Brown your sausage in this.  While the sausage is browning, use a zester or micro-grater and add a few cloves of garlic to the pan.  Add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.  (This is totally up to you – add as much or as little as you like.  Fair warning though - it kicks up the heat quickly, so be careful.)  When the sausage is browned, follow the directions on the box - add 2 1/2 cups water and the rice/cheese mixture, bring to a boil, then stir, reduce heat, cover with lid, and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Voila!  Super fast, super easy, super yummy.

We like to eat ours with a little bit of toasted french bread.

We usually have enough left over for 1 person to eat it for lunch the next day.  (The box says it serves 5, but it lies.  It serves about 2 and a half.)

Haystacks

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup white corn syrup
1 1/2 c peanut butter
5 cups corn flakes

Combine sugar & karo in pot, mix well, and bring to a rolling boil.  Take off stove and add peanut butter.  (Mix it all together in the hot pot, otherwise it will cool too quickly.  Mix well!)  Add to (in a large bowl) corn flakes.  Mix quickly and drop onto wax paper. Let cool.\

Soooo good, quck, and easy.

Strawberry Pie

This is one of my mom’s recipes.  I love these pies - they are SO good and remind me of summer.  Enjoy!

1 c sugar
1 c water
4 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 stick butter
1 t vanilla
1 c strawberries

Cook sugar, water, and corn starch over medium-high heat until it turns into a clear gel. 

Remove from heat, add 1/2 stick butter, stir until butter is melted, then let cool completely. 

Add 1 heaping cup of sliced or diced strawberries and 1 teaspoon vanilla - mix well.  Pour into baked pie shell and chill for a few hours.  Top with whipped cream if desired!

My notes -- make sure not to cook the sugar/water/cornstarch mixture over too high heat, and stir it while cooking.  It doesn’t take long to turn into the gel consistency. 

This is something you will want to make every summer!

Cheesecake Supreme

This cheesecake is SO good - and easy too!  Seriously. Try it. It’s delish!

First, you must have a graham cracker crust.  I always make my own graham cracker crust, because I think it’s super easy and much better than the premade ones.  But -- whatever floats your boat.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup of butter (about 3/4 of a stick)

 

Melt the butter, then mix together with graham cracker crumbs and sugar. 

Press into the bottom of a spring form pan. (For this cheesecake, use a 10” pan if possible.)

Now for the good part…

Cheesecake Supreme

5 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/8 cup flour
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, and egg yolks.  Mix until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients; blend until smooth.  Pour into spring form pan.

Put into oven, then turn oven to 200 degrees.  (Do not preheat!)  Cook for 3 hours.  Let cool in oven for 1 hour with oven door cracked open.  Chill overnight.

 

Top with whatever you prefer! (I like mine plain.)

Note -- I got this recipe off allrecipes.com, but I used different cooking instructions than the ones listed because cooking it this way promised NO CRACKS in my cheesecake.  But, as you can see from the picture - big crack.  I am going to try to do it over a water bath next time I cook it, and we’ll see if I’m able to get it a perfect, crackless cheesecake.  Also, I used a 9 inch spring form pan and I should have used a 10 inch - my cheesecake rose up while it was in the oven and that is why I have that funny-looking little lip around the top of it.  Next time, I’ll use my 10 inch pan.

Grilled Chicken Marinade

3 T oil (I use a mix of canola & EVOO)
1T + 1.5t soy sauce
1T red wine vinegar
garlic (I usually zest 2-3 cloves)
salt & pepper

This marinade is for 2 -3 servings; that's why the measurements are kind of weird.  I like to measure things most of the time, but I'm getting better about "eyeballing" it.  =)

Just combine all the ingredients and soak your chicken breast in it for a few hours - (and obviously, grill) yummo! 
Also - the original recipe calls for 1 T worcestershire sauce & 3/4 t dry mustard, but we didn't have either of those on hand, so I omitted them and added the garlic myself because we love garlic and always have it on hand!