Chocolate and other food groups

This is one of my Grandma's recipes. She made a lot of pies - like, a lot. She'd make 5 or 6 at a time and freeze some of them for later. My favorite was her pecan pie, but really, they're all pretty darn good. This is one of my favorite pie crusts to make because it holds up well. Foolproof Pie Crust 4 c. flour 2 tsp. salt 1 Tb. sugar 1 3/4 c. shortening 1/2 c. water 1 egg 1 Tb. white vinegar Stir together flour, salt, sugar, and shortening in mixing bowl. Beat together water, egg, and vinegar. Then mix into dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Shape into 5 parts. Roll and shape into pie pans.  Makes 5 single crust pies or 2 double crust pies + 1 single crust. Freezes well.

Happy Thanksgiving! I made this pie for the holiday this year and it was a big hit. Easy to make and yummy. Diamond Cookie Pie 1/2 c. butter, softened 3/4 c. brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 c. flour 1 c. chocolate chips 1 c. nuts - the recipe called for walnuts, but we used pecans 1 9-inch uncooked pie shell In large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in flour. Stir chocolate chips and nuts. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 325 for 50 to 55 minutes or until top is golden brown or pick inserted into center comes out clean. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your holiday was great. We celebrated at my house this year. It was a smaller feast than last year, both in numbers and in scale, but we still had a good time. This recipe was one of the pies that I made this year. Open Face Apple Pie 1 single crust pie crust in 9 inch pie pan 2/3 c. sugar 2 Tb. flour 1/8 tsp. salt 1 tsp. grated lemon peel 2 tsp. lemon juice 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 5 c. peeled, cored, and sliced apples 2 Tb. soft butter In large bowl combine sugar, flour, salt, lemon peel, lemon juice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Toss gently with apple slices. Arrange slices in pie pan, then dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Then remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown. I especially like this recipe, as I am not crazy about pie crust. It's the filling I love. If you buy the crust, the frozen ones are so much better than the refrigerated ones.

Chocolate Mousse Pie Chocolate Crust (bought or homemade, recipe follows) 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 c. cocoa powder 1 c. powdered sugar 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 2 c. whipping cream Beat cream cheese and cocoa together in large mixing bowl until fluffy and well blended . Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Blend well. Set aside. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold cream into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust; chill until firm. Garnish with chocolate curls. Makes 1 pie. Chocolate Crust 1 1/2 c. chocolate cookie crumbs (I used chocolate graham crackers from Albertson's) 1/3 c. melted butter 3 Tb. sugar (if you use the graham crackers, do not add sugar; they have sugar on the outside) Combine ingredients together. Press mixture onto bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes; cool. This is a very rich pie with only a little sweetness. Great for dark chocolate lovers.

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought I would share this pie recipe. I love a good chocolate pie. (All right, I love chocolate everything.) German Sweet Chocolate Pie 4 oz. bar German Sweet Chocolate 1/4 c. butter 1 2/3 c. evaporated milk (14 oz.) 1 1/2 c. sugar 3 Tb. cornstarch 1/8 tsp. salt 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 unbaked deep dish pie crust or 2 8" pie crusts 1 1/3 c. coconut 1/2 c. chopped pecans Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring until blended. Remove from heat and gradually blend in milk. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt thoroughly. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually blend in chocolate mixture. Pour into pie shell. Combine coconut and pecans and sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Filling will be soft, but will set during cooking. Cool at least 4 hours before cutting.

This recipe comes from my mom, as does the German Chocolate Pie above. Chess Pie is a traditional Southern favorite, and I love this version. Evelyn's Lemon Chess Pie 2 c. sugar 1 Tb. flour 1 Tb. cornmeal 2-4 Tb. lemon peel 4 eggs 1/4 c. melted butter 1/4 c. milk 1/4 c. lemon juice Whisk together sugar, flour, and cornmeal in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Beat with mixer until smooth. Pour filling into unbaked 9" pie shell and bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 or until the top is a golden brown. Tip: for best results, use freshly grated lemon peel and fresh squeezed lemon juice. You'll need about 2 for enough juice.