Easy Classic American Cherry Pie

Cherry pie is one of America's top favorites in the pie category. So here is my best recipe for Classic Cherry Pie:

CLASSIC CHERRY PIE

(2) crust pie dough
2 cans cherry pie filling (regular pie pan)
  or 3 cans for deep dish pie pan
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Mix pie dough, then roll out into two  crusts. Place one crust into the bottom of your pie pan. Pour filling into a bowl and mix the almond extract into it. Pour into pie pan. Place top crust on pie. Cut  several small slits into the top crust for venting. Sprinkle with a little sugar.

Set pie  on cookie sheet then place on the center rack of a  375 degree oven. Bake for  35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Cool completely before cutting. Serves 8.

Click on the arrows below  to view my popular YouTube videos demonstrating how to easily make a cherry  pie  and how to easily make pie crust  from scratch: 

Quick & Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Ah… Comfort food! We all need it now and then. Even though I would love to indulge in a fair amount of comfort food daily, I generally reserve comfort foods for special times for obvious reasons. One of those special times for me is Sunday Mornings.  Sunday mornings for me mean drinking a great cup of coffee and eating a luscious caramel pecan cinnamon roll while sitting in a cozy chair surrounded by abundant rays of sunshine.   The perfect start to a Sunday wouldn't you say?

In times past I used to make my own bread dough for the rolls, roll it out, fill with cinnamon and sugar, roll and cut the dough into individual rolls. I enjoyed it and found it somewhat relaxing. However, it took a length of time and effort so now my favorite method of baking cinnamon rolls is by using the  frozen form of cinnamon rolls which make  it much easier for me to indulge in my Sunday treat more often and with minimal effort. 

Simply by taking one of the prepared frozen cinnamon rolls out of the freezer on Saturday night and allowing it raise overnight, it is ready to bake when I get up on Sunday morning.  Then, I can happily enjoy my cinnamon roll with minimal effort with my gourmet coffee.  It’s as simple as that!  And even if the sun isn't shining, it feels as though it is.

Below you will find my scrumptious cinnamon roll recipes, one using the frozen roll variety and the other for  Classic Cinnamon  Rolls from scratch. Enjoy!

 EASY CINNAMON ROLLS

(1)Package frozen cinnamon rolls
Butter
Brown sugar
Walnut, Pecan, Almond or
     Peanut pieces (optional)

Butter the sides and bottom of a baking dish or iron skillet. For each roll you are placing in the dish or skillet place a teaspoon of sliced butter pieces into the bottom. Sprinkle one teaspoon brown sugar per roll over the butter. If you are a nut lover, then sprinkle either walnut, pecan, almond or peanut pieces over the brown sugar.  

Place rolls on top, flat side down.

Cover with a cloth and set in a secure draft free place for rolls to rise. I like to prepare my rolls this way the night before I want them for breakfast the next morning. Then they are all risen and ready to bake.

 

Preheat oven, then place the baking dish or iron skillet on the center rake of the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes or until they are golden brown on top.

 

If your frozen rolls included a packet of cream cheese frosting, you can spread it out on a plate or cookie sheet.

When your rolls are finished baking, immediately place your rolls onto the frosting.

Do this by turning over your baking dish or iron skillet  so that the browned side of the rolls is on top of the frosting and the caramel side is facing up. If your frozen cinnamon rolls did not include a packet of cream cheese frosting, I have included a recipe at the end of these recipes.

Now...Enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, milk or juice.

 CLASSIC CINNAMON ROLL

Rolls:

1 ½ pkg. active dry yeast
1   cup lukewarm wate
3  ½  to 3 ¾  cups bread flour
3  Tablespoons granulated sugar
¼  Tablespoon salt
2  Tablespoons softened butter

Filling: 1 Tablespoon softened butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,   3/4 cup white granulated sugar, mixed together.

Topping:  1 stick (1/2 cup butter), ¾ to 1 cup brown sugar, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds or peanuts.

In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt and butter. Mix until dissolved then add ½ of the flour. Beat with a spoon until smooth.  Using the spoon, then hands, mix in enough of the remaining flour until the dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured board or flat surface. Knead until smooth and blistered about 5-10 minutes. Place dough into a large buttered bowl, cover with towel and set in a warm draft-free place to rise. Let rise until double in size.

Punch down dough and knead again for a couple of minutes. With a floured rolling pin or a marble rolling pin, roll out dough on a floured surface forming a 12”x 12” square. Spread  1 Tablespoon softened butter over the rolled out dough.  Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture, then spread evenly over the dough. Starting with one of side of the dough, roll it up into a tube. Seal the edges  by pinching together.  Using a serrated  knife, slice the rolled tube into 12 equal portions.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 13”x9” baking dish.  Place 1 stick of chopped butter on the bottom of the dish. Cover with the brown sugar. If you like nuts then sprinkle chopped nuts over top. Place each roll with flat side down on top of the nuts. Cover with cloth and let rise until double in size. 1-3 hrs.  Remove cloth and place on center rake of oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Immediately remove from baking dish by turning over onto a large cookie sheet that has been spread with cream cheese frosting.

 CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. butter, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Little milk as needed to blend

In a medium size bowl beat together cream cheese, butter

and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and cream of tartar until you reach a smooth spreading consistency. Add a little milk if needed.

DECADENT MARBLE FUDGE!

FUDGE..............the perfect decadent treat  anytime, whether it be for a holiday party, gift for someone special or just a chocolatey specialty for yourself or your family.

I love fudge, any kind of fudge. I love to eat fudge and give fudge as gifts to my friends, family and as  a thank you to my professional caregivers, such as my doctors, dentist, veterinarians, postmen, etc.

Anytime is fudge time for me and this easy Marble Fudge is one of my favorites. Why? Because it tastes so darn good and is so darn easy to make in a jiffy. If you would like to try it out just follow my easy-as-fudge recipe.

DECADENT MARBLE FUDGE

12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
18 oz. (1 1/2 bags) white chocolate chips
(2) 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teas. baking soda
*1-2 cups chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds(optional)
1/2 teas. vanilla extract

Line the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2 inch baking dish with parchment cooking paper. In a heavy, medium sized saucepan melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips, one can of the sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 teas. baking soda over low heat. At the same time, in another heavy, medium sized saucepan melt the white chocolate chips, the remaining can of sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 teas. baking soda on low heat. Stir frequently with a separate spoon for each, heating 5-7 minutes until both are melted, evenly incorporated and smooth to the appearance.

Remove pans from the heat, then add the vanilla to the semi-sweet chocolate mixture and the chopped nuts if you prefer. Spoon large mounds of the two different chocolate mixtures alternatively into the baking dish. Using a butter knife or kitchen spatula swirl the two mixtures together creating a marbling effect.

Cover the baking dish with a lid, foil or plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until the fudge is firm. Then, lift the fudge from the baking dish using the parchment paper to do so, or turn over onto a clean sheet of parchement.

Cut into small squares and place in covered container, gift boxes or tins.

***You can easily vary this recipe by using peanut butter chips, peppermint chips or any other flavor of baking chips instead of the white chocolate chips.

This stuff is so great that you will have a hard time keeping your hands off of it! Just warning you ahead of time. :)

APPLE-CINNAMON MUFFINS

APPLE-CINNAMON MUFFINS

2    cups all-purpose flour
1/3 granulated sugar
1    teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3    teaspoons baking powder
1    cup milk or cream
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 tsp.vanilla extract
1    large  egg, beaten
1    peeled, chopped large apple (1 cup)
*1/4 cup chopped walnuts(optional)
brown sugar for tops

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl mix together the the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a small bowl beat the egg, then add the milk or cream. Mix together well. Add the oil then incorporate well with the egg, vanilla and milk or cream, then pour into the large bowl containing the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened, batter may still be a bit lumpy.  Add chopped walnuts if desired.

Pour batter into muffin pan coated with butter or into paper or foil muffin cups.

Sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar.

On center shelf of oven, bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes for regular size muffins or 20-22 minutes for large muffins.

Let rest 5 minutes, then remove from pan.

Yields 7 large  or 12 regular size muffins.

*May  replace 3/4 cup of the all-purpose flour with 3/4 cup whole wheat flour.

QUICK & EASY HOMEMADE PIZZA

                         Red Pepper and Cheese Pizza

Here is a quick and easy homemade pizza recipe that your family will absolutely love! You may never go to another pizza restaurant again.........

PIZZA CRUST (Makes 2 large crusts)

7 Tab. Olive Oil or Softened Butter(I prefer butter crust)
1 Pkg. Active Dry Yeast or  2 1/2 teaspoons
4 cups Flour
2 Tab.  Sugar
1/2 Tab Salt
1 1/2 Cups warm water

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in a little of the warm water. Add the sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the rest of the warm water, then the softened butter or olive oil.  Mix.  In another bowl  mix the flour and salt. Now, slowly incorporate the flour and salt mixture into the wet ingredients. Knead dough until smooth and elastic about 3-5 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to keep the dough from getting too sticky. Place into an oiled bowl and cover with a light cloth. Set in a warm place away for 15-20 min.

While the dough is resting turn your oven on  to 400 degrees F.  Get out your pizza pan or stone  and oil it with olive oil or butter. Chop up vegetables that you are going to put on your pizza,  such as  peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc. You can add a variety of toppings to your pizza or just make cheese pizza. If you are adding meat just be sure that it is pre-cooked.

After your dough has rested for the 15-20 minutes, divide it in half. Oil up your hands, then press and shape your dough onto your stone or pan. Press out flat, then roll the edges to the inside to form the edges of the pizza dough. Cover the entire dough with olive oil to prevent shrinkage during baking.

Place  your pizza stone or pan with the shaped dough into your pre-heated oven for 7-10 minutes or until it is slightly brown on top. Remove from oven. Add your pizza sauce or tomatoes, then place on your meat, then vegetables or whatever other toppings that you prefer. Cover with your choice of cheese or cheeses. Place in the oven for another 7-15 minutes depending on how many toppings that you have added to the pizza.

Cut to serve. YOU AND  YOUR FAMILY WILL LOVE THIS PIZZA!

*TIPS - This recipe makes 2 large medium thickness pizza crusts. The dough can also be frozen for later use. You can let the dough rest and rise longer than 15-20 minutes if desired.

I would love to read comments about what toppings you add to your pizza. Please feel free to comment below.

Happy Eating!

Pies Made Easy

With the Holiday Season in full swing, cooks everywhere are planning their special pies for the upcoming festive dinners. Some may find making pies to be a real chore, as I did, until I finally mastered the skill of making pie crust from scratch.

My mother helped me with the first pie crust that I ever made when I was about 18 years old. She made it seem so simple and the cherry pie that she tutored me though came out perfectly. It was a fact widely known that mom was a wonderful pie baker. She always made those pies look so easy to make and she could whip one up in no time flat.

Mom once told me that her first pie was a disaster. The crust was a mess and she became very frustrated with the whole ordeal. Well she kept at it to become one of the best pie bakers around. I found it frustrating too and it took me a good amount of time to achieve her status as pie baker.

With that said, I'm going to share with you some tips on how to make the perfect pie crust the easy way. You can learn how quickly and avoid a lot  the frustration by viewing my YouTube video here.

How to Make Flakey Pie Crust From Scratch the Easy Way

I hope this video will make your Holiday pie baking just a little easier.

Please view my other pie how-to videos:

"How to Easily Place a Pie Crust into a Pie Pan"
http://www.youtube.com/user/videohomeandgarden#p/a/u/2/EZDYmYjDC-U

"How to Flute the Edges of the Pie Crust"
http://www.youtube.com/user/videohomeandgarden#p/a/u/1/7Jg0NpoChoo

Deb