I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

pie

Easy Classic Thanksgiving Pecan Pie

This Easy Classic Thanksgiving Pecan Pie will be the hit of your dessert table. Everyone will love a slice, and you’ll love that it is no fuss baking!

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What is your favorite pie for Thanksgiving? I LOVE pecan pie.

I am basically only looking forward to Thanksgiving this year so that I can enjoy a BIG slice. And some roasted brussels sprouts.

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Struesel Topped Ginger Pear Pie

Struesel Topped Ginger Pear Pie

Happy Monday!!

I’m not ready to embrace the work week, but I’m trying to talk myself into it! Like if I repeat it over and over again it will be true. I gotta Bettlejuice it. “Happy Monday! Happy Monday! Happy Monday!!!” And magically it will be a Happy Monday!! HA!

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We just had a great weekend so I don’t want to go back to the normal routine. Oh boo!

It was rainy on Saturday so I took Autumn to a local in-door trampoline park. Unless she is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she is on the go, preferably outside. And I couldn’t just park her in front of that all day, so we tried out Skyzone for her. Price and I had loved it when we had done it so I was hoping she would as well.

There was a small toddler area that was perfect and a handful of other kids there. She liked hoping around with the balls and noodles but most of all she liked the bigger kids jumping and making her bounce and fall and bounce and fall over again since she is so small. She was cracking up for that hour.

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And then on Sunday we met up with a friend of mine, his wife, and baby. Chris and I worked together a few years ago on a project and have stayed in touch going out to dinners with another guy from the team, so it was great meeting his wife and daughter. I wanted to steal Cora. And I don’t think Autumn would have minded as she kept kissing her. We met at the aquarium, where we have a membership, and then we went out for brunch. Autumn was so worn out by all the running around and action. Perfect day!

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Struesel Topped Ginger Pear Pie-7 Struesel Topped Ginger Pear Pie-8

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Anyway, I haven’t made many pies this year and I wish I had. I missed it from my Year of Pies last year. I was missing it so I dove into the long list of pies that I wanted to make last year but hadn’t gotten around to it. Better late than never.

Pears are just a great fall and winter fruit when you are craving something other than an apple. I have my favorites like bartlett and anjou, but the top pear is the comise.

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I gave Price the first slice and he quickly dug in. He explained that he liked the combination of sweetness from the pears and the bite from the ginger. He did suggest that some vanilla ice cream would be a nice compliment to the ginger. And so he bought ice cream the next day for his next visit with the pie!

I hope you welcome the transition of summer to fall with this pie. Enjoy!

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Struesel Topped Ginger Pear Pie

Makes a 9″ pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

For the Filling

  • 8 pears (I used comise pears)
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup flour
  • 1/4 Cup Cornstarch
  • 1 ” fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon mace
  • zest of 1 lemon

For the Struesel Topping

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1/4 Cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon mace
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small piece
  1. To make your pie crust, cut the butter and shortening into small pieces. Return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.
  2. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough blade and pulse a few times to mix.
  3. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse until the butter is the size of peas and the mixture is crumbly While the machine is running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to pull away from the sides. Dump out on a floured surface. Quickly kneed together, divide into equal sized balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  5. Peel and slice the pears into 1/4″ thick slices. Place the pears in a large mixing bowl.
  6. Add the rest of the pie pilling ingredients. Gently mix to coat the pears.
  7. Remove 1 pie crust disc from the refrigerator (you only need 1 disk so use the other for another pie!). On a floured surface, roll out into a large circle until it is large enough to fit a 9″ pie plate. Place the crust in the pie plate. Fold over then crimp the edges.
  8. Pour the pear pie filling into the pie crust.
  9. Make the topping by combing the flour, sugar, ginger, mace, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until fine crumbs form. Scatter the topping over the filling and gently pat down.
  10. Bake the pie 20 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling, about 40-45 more minutes (cover with foil if the topping is browning too quickly). Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Pie Crust from Ina Garten, Pie from I am a Honey Bee

No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cane Pie

No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cane Pie

Although we are only a few episodes in, I am so hooked on the new show State of Affairs. Have you seen it?

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I stayed up super late the other night trying to finish an episode. Well, I have a really bad cough now that rattles the whole house so I was also trying to let the Robotussin kick in and not wake up the baby. I just so happened to be glued to the TV while I hacked my head off. So bad that I had to keep rewinding what I had just seen so I could actually hear the actors. Classic.

Well, I love Kathrine Heigl in it. I’ve loved her since I first watched ‘My Father The Hero’. I loved her through all the Grey’s drama as well. I think Izzy was annoying but she played that well. (And I still cry when I watch the episodes when Denny and George die). Anyway, I love her as Charleston, a CIA anaylst who develops and reports to the president about national security threats every day, through the President’s Daily Brief. Of course there is your run of the mill national security drama, with a health dose of relationship and personal drama mixed in as well. Such a good mix of drama.

Anyway, I suggest that you should check out State of Affairs if you haven’t seen it. Just like you should try out this pie. Yum.

It’s the perfect wintery treat as it is packed full of candy cane goodness. Oh man, I love candy canes in the winter. Do you decorate your Christmas tree with candy canes? I used to when I was younger. Now I just eat them. I’d totally toss some on the tree but I’d be afraid the dog would knock the tree over trying to get one. Dumby.

The pie is super easy to make. Just some mixing and you’ll have it all together in a short while. The BIGGEST thing is to wait until the heated marshmallow and candy cane mixture is cool. like really really cool. I probably should have waited a few more minutes. It really seemed cool enough but things got a little melty when I folded in into the whipped cream. It worked out well but just be really, really sure that it is really, really cool.

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Also, isn’t Charleston a kick ass name?

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No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cane Pie

Makes 1 Deep Dish Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 8 ounces chocolate cookies (I used a ‘dutch chocolate cookie’)
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted plus a little extra for greasing the pie plate

For the Chocolate Layer

  • 3 Tablespoons water
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the Peppermint layer

  • 1/2 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candy (I used 8 candy canes)
  • 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Process

  1. Butter the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Set aside.
  2. In a food processor, finely process the cookies until you produce a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Using your fingers, press this mixture into the pie plate and up the sides. Place in the fridge to harden.
  3. To make the chocolate layer, bring 3 tablespoons water to a boil. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the water and chocolate chips, stirring constantly until all the chips are melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
  4. In a large, chilled mixing bowl, whip the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in the chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula. Spoon into the crust; chill.
  5. To make the peppermint layer, break the candy into chunks. In a blender, pulse the candy until you have a fine powder. Combine the marshmallows, milk , and candy cane powder in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows are melted. Cool to room temperature. (I suggest that you put the pot on a kitchen towel and into the fridge, stir every few minutes)
  6. Whip the remaining cream to stiff peaks. Fold in the marshmallow mixture. Spoon onto the chocolate mixture. Chill or freeze for at least 4 hours.

Inspired by The Houston Chronicle

Butterfinger Pie

 No Bake Butterfinger Pie-1

We are currently in Miami!!!

I extended a work trip and dragged Price and Autumn along with me. Totally dragged them along. So while I am working today they get to hang around the pool at the hotel. So tough!

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