Superfast Seafood Pie

 Comfort food season is coming to a close, so I wanted to share this one before the weather turns hot. 
In less than an hour, you can have a seafood pie every bit as good as restaurants make.

1.  Pie crust
2. Can of diced potatoes, drained
3. Scallops
4. Cream of Shrimp condensed soup
5. Can of crabmeat, drained


Saute scallops until they are firm and lightly browned, about 10 minutes on med-hi.

Press bottom crust firmly into pie plate.
Fill with potatoes, scallops, and crabmeat.
Pour soup in even layer - use as-is from can, do not dilute with milk.
Spread top crust and crimp edges.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Cover crust edge with foil and bake another 15 minutes.  Serve hot.

Other combinations are possible - you can use Cream of Potato if you don't like shrimp; you can saute other seafood or fish instead of scallops.  There are lots of ways to customize and still get a nice mix of flavors.  You can add spices, such as thyme, marjoram, saffron; I put a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning on the scallops.

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

Way back in years gone by, this recipe used to be on the Bisquick box.  I don't know why it isn't anymore, because it still works :)



I have not tried it with GF Bisquick; if anyone tries it that way, please share your results.



Saute 1lb ground meat and drain.  Optional: 1/2 diced onion.  Sprinkle with 1/4 ts. salt and spread in pie plate. (I use Montreal Steak Seasoning instead of the plain salt)



In medium bowl, mix:

1/2 c. Bisquick baking mix
1 c. milk
2 eggs


Pour over meat in pie plate.


Sprinkle with 1c shredded cheddar cheese


Optional: crumbled bacon, chives, sauteed mushrooms


Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Serve with salsa or barbecue sauce.

CheeseSteak & Bacon Pie

Next in the "What Else Can I Put Into Pie Crust" series...

It is like a cheesesteak sub, in a pie.  Add anything you would order in a steak sub, such as onions, peppers, salami. I used mushrooms and bacon, and WOW was that tasty :)  Bacon is good with lots of things, but really added the right flavor to this recipe.



1.Saute sandwich-shredded beef (most grocery store meat counters will have this). Drain, then add pepper and salt. (I use Montreal Steak seasoning)


2. Saute whatever veggies you might want - pepper, onion, mushrooms, etc.  If you are making Steak Bomb Pie with salami, try slicing the salami into strips and saute a little bit before adding to the pie.




3. Microwave 1 pkg bacon according to package directions.  (trust me on the bacon).  Crumble when cool.



4. Here comes the fun part - Fill pie! 



5. Layer sliced american cheese on top. The cheese really makes the texture come out right, but if you want to do a dairy-free version, use a small jar of brown gravy instead.





6. The top crust will come out better if you put some or all of the crumbled bacon between the cheese and the top crust.  If the crust touches the cheese it gets stuck to it and won't rise.





7. Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes, covering the crust edge with foil after 20 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes (if you can hold off that long).

Spanakopita

I used to be totally intimidated by phyllo dough.  Then I met a lady who gave me some good advice on the handling of the dough, and now I can make baklava and spanakopita with hardly any screaming!

It is easier than it looks.  Don't worry - you can do this!

Start by making the filling, because once you open the phyllo package the clock starts ticking.

2 - 10oz packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained to remove liquid
 -OR-
1 lb fresh spinach, remove stems and chop finely
Stir into bowl with:
3 beaten eggs
1 lb crumbled feta
1 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp dried chives

Combine in small saucepan over low heat:
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. olive oil

Take phyllo out of package.  Spread out on the waxed paper that comes with it.  Use a sharp knife to cut entire stack in half.  Stack into one pile, then cover with waxed paper and cover that with a damp dishcloth.  Phyllo will dry out and shatter within minutes so you want to keep air away from it.

Using pastry brush, grease bottom of 13x9 baking pan with oil mix.  Lay one phyllo leaf in pan, then brush surface with oil.  Repeat with half of the leaves.

Spread spinach mix evenly on top.

Repeat process with rest of phyllo leaves.  Assembling the pie will take about an hour.

Use a really sharp knife to score through top section of phyllo all the way down to the spinach. Cut as many pieces as you want. If your knife is too dull it will tear the phyllo - a very sharp knife is the key to this step.  Don't bake first and then try to cut the pieces - the phyllo will shatter.

Bake 1 hour at 350.

Can be baked ahead and reheated before serving.

The work is really all in the handling of the phyllo.  When you cut the stack in half it should be approximately 13x9 so the leaves should fit perfectly in the pan.

Phyllo projects just take practice.  And if you aren't happy with how it looks, you can always choose to not share with people and just eat it all yourself :)

Turkey Dinner Pie!

This recipe came about as part of my quest to find out what else I can put into a pie.  It is really very easy, and got excellent reviews from my test group :)


You could use leftovers from a turkey dinner,
or just cook about 1 1/2 lbs of turkey meat.  I think the flavor is better with roasted turkey meat, but if you don't have that just simmer the meat in chicken broth with some spices for about an hour.

Press shredded turkey meat into bottom crust.

Top with gravy.

Spread stuffing in even layer.  For best flavor I like to make the stuffing according to package directions but replacing part of the water with one can of chicken broth.  Reduce the remaining quantity of water by 1/2 cup to make stuffing a little more crumbly - it will absorb moisture from the other ingredients during cooking and if it starts out too wet it can overly soften the top crust.


Place top crust and crimp edges together.

Cut several slits in crust to let excess moisture escape.

Bake @ 350 for 50 minutes, covering crust edge with foil after 20 minutes.

Serve with cranberry sauce.  (I don't normally like cranberry sauce very much, but it really adds a lot to this combo of flavors.  Just use a can of jellied cranberry sauce and stir it a bit until smooth)

It's Game Time! - wild turky pie

Step 1:  Shoot a turky.

Step 2: Remove guts, feet, head, feathers.
(I outsource these steps :) You can just buy regular turky meat at the store, but if you have wild turky meat to work with, this recipe is excellent. Either way, you need about 2 pounds of meat.

Step 3: Cram turky meat into crockpot.  Fill with chicken broth.

Step 4: Add spices as you like. I use rosemary, savory, black pepper, and garlic.

Step 5: Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. If meat is frozen, allow extra two hours.

Step 6: Remove turky from broth. Shred.

Step 7: Dice potato; microwave with 2 tbsp water for 2 minutes.  Or use canned diced potatoes,drain.

Step 8: Drain can of peas/carrots.

Step 9: Press bottom crust into pie plate.

Step 10: Fill with shredded meat, top with veggies.

Step 11: Pour gravy on top.

Step 12: Lay top crust over, press edges to seal.

Step 13: Cut slits in top crust to vent.

Bake 20 minutes at 350.
Cover crust edge with foil.
Bake 20 more minutes.
Cool and serve.

Super Easy Kid-Approved Cool Whip Pie!

When it comes to summer parties with kids, you can't go wrong with Cool Whip and Jello!  Kids love this, and it is very easy and quick to pull together.

2/3 c. boiling water in a medium bowl.
Stir in Jello to dissolve.  Make sure the water is boiling; if the sugar doesn't completely dissolve it will come out grainy.

Mix in 1/2 c ice and 1/2 c cold water. Stir until ice melts. (Fill a 1 cup measure halfway with ice, then fill the rest of the way with cold water)

Stir in tub of defrosted Cool Whip with whisk. Put bowl into fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Spoon into crust, freeze 2 hours. Defrost 10 minutes before serving with fruit and whipped cream.(Stick with Cool Whip for a Gluten Free version)

It is so easy to make kids happy! (I tested this on actual kids just to be sure :)

I think it might be possible to make a grownup version using alcohol for part of the cold water proportion, but I have not tried it. It might not gel properly and come out soggy, but then again it might be worth a try!  Peach Jello with Raspberry Stoli  maybe?