To. Die. For. Recipes (2024)

For Christmas day I was planning a menu. I consulted with my husband to find out what he wanted, and i suggested to him that I could make a mixed berry pie. He loves tart desserts, and I had just bought a big bag of mixed frozen berries at Costco. (This is the only way to do berries in Hawaii, they are SUPER expensive and they don't last the boat ride over.) So I used Mabel's Pie Crust found here, and looked at different recipes for the filling. I like this recipe because it has lemon zest and lemon juice, which add another layer of flavor. The pie turned out fabulous. It was nice and tart, served with vanilla ice cream, it will be his new favorite. If you want a slightly sweeter pie, add a few more tablespoons of sugar to the filling.

Jared's Mixed Berry Pie

1 recipe for Mabel's Pie Crust found here
4 c fresh or frozen mixed berries
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/8 tsp salt
2-3 tsp lemon zest
3 tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tbs butter

If using frozen berries, partially thaw them in a colander before hand. Make pie crust for two pies. For filling, mix all ingredients except for butter. Make sure to mix lightly, as berries are very delicate. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust, top filling with dots of butter. Place top crust on pie, seal, and cover the edges of pie crust with foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until crust is golden. Remove foil the last 15 minutes of baking. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

YUM! I love this side dish during the holidays. I really only eat it this during the holidays because it is super rich, feeds a crowd, and goes amazing with ham. This recipe is nothing new to the general public. However, since it is one of my favorites, I thought I would add it to the collection. This can be served alongside any type of meat, its like a sped up version of potatoes gratin. Enough said, here is the recipe.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

30 oz. bag frozen, shredded hash browns
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c melted butter
1/2 c chopped onion

In a sauce pan, saute butter and onion until onion is transluscent. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl, and mix well. Pour mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan, bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and hot.

I tried a new recipe. I get a couple of cooking magazines, and this recipe comes from the Betty Crocker magazine for this month. There were a ton of recipes that were very tempting. I decided to try this one, because I liked the ease factor and also the flavor combination. I have always really liked the Betty Crocker cookie mixes that you just add an egg and a stick of butter to. They are really good, and speed up the whole baking process. You could use any candy bar for this recipe, they would be good with any. If you really want to go easy, buy the frosting in the tub, but I just had to make my own. And by the way, these would be good anytime of year, especially if you want to get rid of old Halloween candy.

Candy Bar Cookie Cups

1 pkg Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix (prepared as directed on the package)
18 miniture Snickers bites, cut each one in half
1 container pre-made chocolate frosting (or make your own...that's what I did)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 36, 1-inch balls. Press into ungreased mini-muffin pan. Press a piece of candy bar into the middle of each ball. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until edges are light golden brown. Cool completely in the pan before removing them. Spoon frosting into a small zip-lock bag. Cut the corner tip, and pipe the frosting on top of each cookie cup. use sprinkles to decorate the top.

This is a new recipe that I'm really excited about. I got the idea for it when I saw the grocery store ad, and apple cider packets were on sale. I thought, wouldn't that be an awesome flavoring for a frosting? Well, it did turn out to be exactly what I thought, TDF! I also found a really good "made from scratch" vanilla buttermilk cupcake recipe on Baking Bites, a food blog on the web. Combine the two and this cupcake is a winner. This recipe can be doubled if you want to make 24 cupcakes. The true test taste was my husband. He ate one when he got home from work, and I didn't tell him what was in it. I asked him what he thought it tasted like. He replied saying he thought it tasted apple cinnamon like.....YES! Just what I was looking for! (P.S. try using a cream cheese frosting and add the flavoring to that....now that would be really good.)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Apple Cider Buttercream

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1 1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 c buttermilk (or 1 cup milk and 1 tbs vinegar, combine and let sit for 10 min.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees line muffin pan with liners. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together sugar and butter, add egg and vanilla, and mix well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively until just combined. Evenly distribute batter into muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 or until done. Do not over bake! Let cool, frost with apple cider buttercream.

Apple Cider Buttercream:

1/4 c. butter, softened
1 packet instant apple cider
1 tbs. water
dash of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
milk for desired consistency
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
2 1/2 - 3 c. powdered sugar

In a small bowl dissolve instant apple cider with water, stir and let sit for a minute. Combine butter, sugar, pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and apple cider liquid. Add a pinch of salt to bring out flavor. Add milk to reach desired consistency.

Making your own pie crust can be very intimidating. My mother has always made a perfect flaky crust, and I just now feel like I can measure up to that. This recipe was found in a 1971 Betty Crocker Cookbook that was my Grandma Mabel's. She passed away almost 15 years ago. She was known for her amazing pies. I love having a hard copy of this recipe book because in the pie section there are splotches of whatever pie she was literally whipping up. So, when I'm cooking from this book, I am reminded of her free spirit, giving, and accepting mentality. Most of all her love of cooking that I feel was genetically determined in myself.

Don't be afraid to try making your own crust. Practice makes perfect. Get the courage and just do it! (Double recipe for a 2 crust pie)

Mabel's Pie Crust

8 or 9 inch one-crust pie

1 c flour
1/2 rounded tsp salt
1/3 c plus 1 tbs shortening
2-3 tablespoons cold water

Measure flour, salt and shortening into a bowl. With a fork, cut the shortening into the flour until mixture resembles pea sized balls. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork each time, until dough comes together. Dough should not be too wet. When you push on the dough it should stick together. Lightly flour table surface and roll dough out to a 10-11 inch round. fold circle in half and transfer to pie plate, unfolding crust once it is in the plate. Trim excess pie dough if needed. Bake according to recipe that you are making. (If doing a pre-baked pie crust, prick pie crust all over with a fork, and bake at 475 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.)