Eggnog Pie

Years ago, my parents used to own a cabin in the local mountains. We would go up to spend the weekend and on the way home stop for dinner at Tom's Chicken Shack. If you are a native San Diegan, this restaurant should ring a few bells. They used to have the best fried chicken! A popular dessert was the Eggnog Pie. This was my mom's favorite but the restaurant's owners would never give up the recipe. So a few years ago, I set out to find a recipe. A quick Google search netted me a few promising candidates. Apparently, this pie originated in Texas(who knew???0). So with recipes in hand, I set out to recreate this very different dessert and my mom was in hog heaven.

Cook's Notes- Blind baking a pie crust is required for all no bake pie fillings, like this one. Putting dried beans on the bottom of the crust will keep it from bubbling up during the baking process. You can either store the beans to use for this purpose again or toss. You will not be able to cook them after this. You can also buy pie weights from a cooking store to use instead of the beans. Not shown in the above picture, I had forgotten to place a piece of parchment paper inside the crust before placing the beans on the bottom. This will make it much easier to remove the beans after the shell has baked. Otherwise you will have to carefully pick the beans out, like I did.

This will make one deep-dish 9 inch pie
1 pre-baked pie shell.
1 quart good quality eggnog
2 pkgs of Knox unflavored gelatin
2 tbsp cold water
4 beaten egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cups sugar

Roll out your pie dough and place into the pie plate. Using the tines of a fork, gently pierce the pie shell on the bottom and sides. Pour a bag of dried beans into the bottom of the pie shell and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. If you are using a pre-made pie dough or frozen pie crust. You must blind bake it, as this method is called, before pouring the filling in.
Pour the gelatin into the 2 tablespoons of water, stir and set aside to let the gelatin bloom. Over medium/low heat, heat the eggnog and the sugar together until it just comes to a simmer. Don't leave the eggnog unattended while doing this or it will boil over. Remove from the heat and add a cup of the hot liquid to the beaten egg yolks. Whisk to combine. Pour the egg mixture immediately back into the hot eggnog. Add the gelatin(it will have congealed)and whisk it into the hot mixture followed by the vanilla. Pour it into a clean bowl and place in the frig until it begins to firm up. It should be the consistency of pudding. Using an electric mixer, beat the chilled pudding until smooth(no lumps) and the consistency of soft pudding. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff and fold it into the chilled eggnog pudding. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust, spread out with a spatula and sprinkle ground nutmeg over the top if desired. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the frig before serving. You can pipe on whipped cream along the edge of the pie before serving if so inclined.

Tex Mex Skillet Supper

This quick supper is a crowd pleaser. A cross between chili and tamale pie. The majority of the meal is made in a skillet and then topped with a cornbread batter. The whole thing finishes in the oven. Start to finish you can get this on the table in thirty minutes. Serve with a salad and you're set.

Serves 6

1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
1 large onion, diced
2 large red bell pepppers, seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 20 oz cans chili beans(I used Bush's Texas Ranchero)
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, egg, baking soda, sour cream, buttermilk, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425. In a large oven proof skillet, heat the oil over medium/ high heat. Add the ground meat, season well with salt and pepper, and brown. To the skillet add the onion, garlic, and red bell peppers. Raise the heat to hight and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the onions have become translucent. Add the beans and tomato sauce and cook another 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop the corn bread mixture onto the top of the meat mixture about 1 inch apart. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cornbread comes out clean. Scoop into bowl, topping each serving with a cornbread top. Garnish with shredded cheese or sour cream if desired.

Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Bacon

Don't dismiss these until you try them. Veggies just might never be the same.

Serves 5-6

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of brussel sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
4 slices of bacon, cut into chunks
3 cloves of garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to boil in a 5 quart pot. Add enough salt to make it taste like sea water. Add the brussle sprouts and cook for about 4 minutes or until they are tender/crisp. Drain from the water and set aside. In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it begins to brown. Drain off all of the fat and return the bacon to the pan. Do not clean out the pan. Return the pan to the heat and continue to cook the bacon for another minute or two. Add the sprouts,garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to coat and cook for 3 more minutes until the brussel sprouts are heated through. Serve.

Polenta with Fresh Corn and Thyme

The corn adds a nice twist to this traditional Italian dish. Fresh corn is still available at my market but if you can't find any, frozen corn works just as well.

Serves 4

1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup quick cooking polenta
salt and pepper to taste

In medium sauce pan, melt the butter or margarine. Add the corn kernels and stir to heat through. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme, cook for another minute. Add the milk and chicken stock. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Swtich to a spoon and stir until the mixture begins to boil and the polenta has thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

Fresh Thyme and lemon make this chicken sing but the buttermilk seals in the juices and tenderizes the chicken. This crispy chicken was a delicious ending to a beautiful fall Sunday. I served my chicken with oven roasted asparagus and polenta with fresh corn, thyme and parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

4 bone in, skin on chicken breasts
3 cups buttermilk
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a large zip lock bag. Seal and gently toss to coat the chicken. Marinate for as much as 24 hours or as little as 2. Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray a wire rack on both sides with cooking spray and lay over the top of the baking sheet. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the wire rack. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Bake until the chicken's juices run clear and the skin is browned and crispy, about 30-40 minutes.

Shepherd's Pie

Here's an update on a classic. I use ground turkey instead of lamb or beef and I put cheddar cheese in the mashed potatoes. This is a great way to end a Sunday. If you want to make this for a week night then use instant mashed potatoes or use the microwaveable potatoes that your can mash. This will save you some time. Look for microwaveable potatoes in your freezer aisle.

Serves 8
2 pounds ground turkey
1 large onion diced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
4 large carrots peeled and diced
1 cup of chopped celery
3-4 cups of beef stock
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons of corn starch
salt and pepper to taste
4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
2 cups lowfat cheddar cheese
1/3-1/2 cup of buttermilk
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine

Heat the oven to 375. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high, heat the oil and add the ground turkey. Break up with a spoon as it begins to cook. When the meat is almost cooked through, add the onions, carrots, celery, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes until the onion is translucent and the veggies just begin to soften. Add the wine, worchestershire sauce, tomato paste and stock, reserving half a cup of stock. Cook the mixture for several minutes until the carrots just soften. Add the cornstarch to the remaining stock. Stir well and pour into the cooking meat and veggies. Stir until the liquid thickens. Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot of salted water. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Put the pot back on the stove and cook the potatoes in the dry pot until most of the water has evaporated off of them. You should see very little steam rising from the pot. This should take about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and while still in the pot add the butter, salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes. Pour in the buttermilk and continue to mash until you get the desired consistancy. You may not need to add all the buttermilk. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Pour the meat mixture into the prepared casserole. Spread the mixture out evenly. Spoon the potatoes on top as evenly as possible. Place in the oven on a rimmed baking sheet in case of spill overs while baking. Bake until the potatoes have browned on the edges and the gravy is bubbly about 30-40 minutes. If you have refrigerated the casserole before baking, add another 20-25 minutes to the baking time.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I'd gotten tired of taking salads in my lunch each day so I decided to try a veggie casserole. I added a light cheese sauce made from my SOS mix,onions and celery. It made for a yummy lunch.

Serves 8

1 large spaghetti squash
1/3 heaping cup of SOS mix
1 1/4 cup cold water
5 oz goat cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Pierce a the squash with a fork several times and heat in the microwave on high for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the SOS mix into the cold water. Cook over medium high heat until the sauce thickens and boils, season with salt and pepper. Add the goat cheese and whisk until melted. Heath the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat until onions are cooked through. Set aside. Remove the squash from the microwave, cut open and cool until you can handle it. Remove the seeds and using a fork, scrape the squash from the shell. Place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the squash with salt and pepper. Pour the cooked veggies over the squash and pour the cheese sauce over all. Gently mix until combined. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over top and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until the top has browned and the casserole is bubbly.


SOS Mix
In a large zip lock bag, combine
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp dehydrated onion flakes 1 1/4 cups cold water, stock or milk
Add desired spices, herbs, cheese, salt and pepper to the mix as it cooks
Bring to a boil,stirring until thickened
Use in place of canned cream of anything soup