pie

Tasty Tuesday–Holiday Baking 2019

We never did get around to making and decorating cut-out cookies this year (I think we’ll make that a Valentine’s Day activity!), but I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all of the holiday baking we did do, from Thanksgiving Eve through Epiphany.

16 Dozen Cookies (four different kinds):

11 Pies (a total of eight varieties):

Layer Cake:

Coffee Cake:

Bûche de Noël:

Apple-Cranberry Bread Pudding:

Gingerbread-Eggnog Trifle:

Lussekattes for Santa Lucia Day:

Crème Brûlée:

Epiphany Baklava:

Even without the cut-out cookies, this may have been the busiest year of baking yet…it was delicious fun!

Piestravaganza 2017!!!

After the record NINE pies I made last year on the day before Thanksgiving, this year’s seven pies didn’t seem like quite as much work!

We’re having our standard lineup, as follows:

This day is a lot of work, but it also makes the house smell like a bakery, so I can’t complain too much!

Tasty Tuesday–Nutella Pie

Just when you think I’ve run out of new pies to try!

Last year, I found a recipe for a Nutella pie, and Turkey immediately decided he wanted it to be “his” Thanksgiving pie. He liked it so much, he decided he wants it again this year, and I don’t blame him…it’s delicious. Of course, I’ve made my own little tweaks in the meantime, so here is my updated recipe!

For the filling:

  • Pre-made Oreo pie crust
  • 8 oz. cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup Nutella
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat cream cheese, Nutella, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. In another bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form; fold into Nutella mixture. Add to crust and chill for 30 minutes.

For the topping:

  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
  • 2 tsp. butter
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 2 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

In small saucepan, bring the cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; let stand five minutes. Stir until smooth; cool to spreading consistency. Spread over pie; sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts. Chill for at least one hour.

Pie Day 2016

It took me about seven hours to make the nine pies we need for Thanksgiving this year. We’ll be enjoying caramel apple, cranberry-apple, chocolate hazelnut, pecan, s’mores, butterscotch, pumpkin, apple, and vanilla cream pie…but definitely not all at once!

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Pies for One and All!

As I always do the day before Thanksgiving, I spent the better part of today making pies. One for each member of the family, as is our tradition:

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This year’s pie lineup:

  • Ryan–Caramel apple
  • Me–Spiced cranberry apple
  • Turkey–Peanut butter cup
  • Bunny–Pecan
  • Ladybug–Butterscotch
  • Moose–S’mores
  • Chickadee–Pumpkin

Chickadee did actually pick her pie this year, but I think pumpkin pie is the only one she really knows by name…I hope she’s happy with her choice!

End of the Summer Family Feast

Yes, I know there’s still technically a little over a month left in summer. And, yes, I know that it could be pretty hot in St. Louis for at least a good month after that…you just never know!

But, Moose goes back to his school tomorrow, and the rest of us will be back to school not too long after that. So, tonight was the end of the summer Markel family feast!

BLTs (with avocado for those so inclined) and corn on the cob for dinner:

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And a root beer float pie for dessert!

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It’s been an amazing summer, so a special dinner was required to cap it off!

3.1415

Today was the Pi Day to end all Pi days…not only 3-14, as the case is every year, but 3-14-15, the Pi Day that math nerds will have to wait another 100 years to see again. Of course we had to do something special!

We made do-it-yourself mini English muffin pizza (pies) for dinner, with a French Silk pie for dessert. And, as an extra special treat, we had (not quite) Moon Pies with lunch. Such a fun and delicious holiday!

(And in case you were wondering, I made Turkey and Bunny calculate the area of our French Silk pie, now that they know that the area of a circle equals pi times the radius squared, and it came out to 63.585 inches squared!)

National Pie Day 2015

Last year, I heard about “National Pie Day” at the last moment, so I just made a quick fruit pie for dessert. I thought I’d have a little more fun with it this year…in addition to a French Silk pie for dessert, we had a Chicago-style pizza (pie) for dinner. It’s always fun to have a themed meal!

Next up is Burns Night on Sunday…I really love any reason to celebrate!