Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day to all those dads out there! If you need a last minute idea on what to make your dad on this special day, here’s some foodie inspiration! (All of these recipes are my dad’s favorite picks.)

Let’s start with breakfast. My dad LOVES pancakes, and here is his favorite recipe: Nigella’s pancake mix….and no, they’re not from a box!

Since its Father’s Day, and you probably slept in and had brunch, let’s move onto dinner ideas. My dad LOVES grilling out, and here is his famous chateaubriand steak recipe. Enjoy!

Let’s forget the sides! Men like my dad and husband would be fine just eating steak and dessert, so let’s take a look at some sweets! Notice how they are all chocolate? My dad is a chocoholic. Take your pick or make all three!

This first recipe is a chocolate ice box pie. My dad requests this one a lot, whether it’s his birthday or not!

Next up…Paula’s 4-layer pudding dessert. This is my dad’s new favorite. Ever since I got the recipe from my mother-in-law Paula, my dad requests I make it every time I come over.

Finally, are you ready for something super chocolatey? Mom’s secret ingredient brownies are just that….rich, sweet, and loaded with chocolate chips. My dad brings these to work for every company luncheon they have. He loves telling people there is a “secret ingredient” and always asks if they can guess it!

Cherry Cheesecake Pie

Here’s an extremely easy and extremely tasty pie that you must try! I discovered the recipe at The Southern Lady Cooks last week on National Pie Day and couldn’t resist trying it. With just six ingredients, it doesn’t take a gourmet chef to create this eye-appealing dessert.

My husband was out of town last week, and since I had no one to cook for, I invited his parents over dinner. My mother-in-law, Paula, is a huge country cook…we are total opposites. 🙂 I don’t know if this is a “country” thing, but when she has people over for dinner, she begins cooking early in the day. That way, when people come over, she can talk & visit and not worry about the food.

When 4:30 pm rolled around, Paula asked where dinner was. For one – she eats early, around 5:00 pm, and two – she was shocked that I had not even started cooking yet…that would have stressed her out.

Growing up, my mom would always start dinner around 5:15 to 5:30 or so. We would be sitting down to dinner at 6:20 – 6:30…it was like clock work. Therefore, I was not at all stressed to be preparing an entire meal in under one hour.

The dinner for my in-laws turned out great! They cleaned their plates: the quick chicken parmesan, garlic bread, side salad, and 2 slices of cherry cheesecake pie disappeared before our very eyes!

As far as taste goes, the cherry cheesecake pie is outstanding! The filling is light and rich at the same time. The graham cracker crust is a perfect complement to the sweet creamy filling and juicy cherries. This pie actually reminds me of one of my favorite summertime desserts – Limeade Pie. The ingredients are nearly identical, sans the cream cheese and limeade concentrate, and the recipe is just as easy.

Enjoy!

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Pour into graham cracker crust and chill for at least 3 hours.

Once filling is set, top with cherry pie filling and serve.

Cherry Cheesecake Pie
Ingredients
1 graham cracker pie crust (or make your own)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1/3 cup lemon juice (I takes about 4 fresh lemons)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Slowly add condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla, beating until smooth.
2. Pour into crust.
3. Chill at least 3 hours or until firm and then top with cherry pie filling.

Yield: 1 pie, 8 servings
Recipe from: The Southern Lady Cooks

This recipe is featured in The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials Link Party {No. 23}

Chocolate Ice Box Pie

This Chocolate Ice Box Pie is version 2 of the pies we made over Labor Day weekend (version 1 was the Lemon Ice Box Pie.) The girls, my mom and I, ate the fruity, lemon version, while the boys, my dad and husband, opted for chocolate. Both are out of this world recipes from my Aunt Jolene, and both are spin-offs of each other…essentially the same recipe, just different ingredients.

No other recipe can beat this Chocolate Ice Box Pie. It is milk-chocolately, sweet, very smooth, and thick. It pairs perfectly with a dollop of whipped cream. You can make a homemade crust, or buy a pre-made one if you are pressed for time. As far as crusts go, my husband doesn’t eat the crust, so next time I made this, I ought to just pour the custard into individual ramekins to make pudding. (My husband sure is weird! For me, the crust is almost the best part… I can’t eat a single bite of pie without it).

Enjoy!

For the Foolproof Vodka Pie Crust recipe, click HERE.

Chocolate Ice Box Pie

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 stick buttter
1 tsp vanilla
1 oz. Baker’s unsweetened chocolate
1 oz. Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 Foolproof pie crust, baked and cooled.

Instructions

Mix flour and sugar. Scald milk in double boiler, add sugar and flour, gradually stirring constantly until thick.
Temper, and add well-beaten eggs and cook 2 minutes longer. Beat into mixture, the butter, melted chocolate and vanilla.
Pour into baked pie shell and let cool. Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream.

Lemon Ice Box Pie

What can I say…. with apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies to look forward to, here’s a refreshing end-of-the summer dessert before we head into the fall season.

For Labor Day last weekend, my parents had my husband and me over for lunch as we grilled out hamburgers. For dessert, my mom had prepared this wonderful Lemon Ice Box Pie and a Chocolate Ice Box Pie (to be blogged next.) The men (my husband and my dad) ate the chocolate version, while the girls (my mom and I) opted for the lemon.

This Lemon Ice Box Pie is a family recipe from my Aunt Jolene. Jolene has some wonderful recipes, including Mrs. Kelm’s Chocolate Cake, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Chicken Enchiladas. The lemon pie was a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Not too strong…absolutely perfect. It’s even better topped with cool whip and accompanied by a cup of coffee (if you like coffee).

For those that live in Dallas, it’s supposed to be 105 degrees F on Tuesday 😦 You ought to make this Lemon Pie to celebrate our last days of 100+ degree temperatures for the season (hopefully.) Enjoy!

Lemon Ice Box Pie
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
3 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. lemon rind
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 baked pie shell

Directions
1. Mix the corn starch and the sugar. Set aside.
2. Scald the milk. Add sugar mixture gradually, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in lemon juice.
3. Temper egg yolks and add to milk mixture; cook for 2 minutes longer. Fold the butter, sour cream, and lemon rind into the mixture.
4. Pour into baked pie shell and refrigerate until set. Top with whipped cream.

Yield: 8 servings
Family recipe, Aunt Jolene

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie

If you love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, then you MUST try this pie! With 5 ingredients and only 10 minutes of prep time, what is your excuse for not making this? Instant chocolate pudding mix, cold milk, whipped topping, and chopped Reese’s makes up the pie filling, and a pre-made Oreo crust tastes just as good as a homemade one.

When I was in Houston this past weekend for Memorial Day, my aunt Jolene and I made this pie for our family. It was halfway gone within a matter of minutes, and was voted the favorite dessert of the night (it beat the 4-layer Hershey’s chocolate cake filled with whipped cream and strawberries and covered in a chocolate buttercream frosting that we also made that night.)

Feel free to substitute different chocolate candy bars such as Butterfingers, Milky Ways, or Snicker’s if you are not a fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Enjoy!!!

Question for my readers: What is your favorite candy bar?

Mine would actually have to be the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. When I went trick-or-treating as a little kid, I would get so excited to see that bright orange wrapper in my Halloween basket. Unfortunately I received hundreds of hard candy pieces and only about 4 or 5 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups each year. I would eat my Reese’s as slowly as I possibly could just so that I could savor each and every bite I had!

Unwrap the Reese’s candy and chop into small chunks.

Whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Let stand for 2 minutes. Fold in 1 cup of chopped Reese’s and whipped topping.

Spoon into crust. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and…

more chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Enjoy.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped Reeses peanut butter cups, divided
1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 chocolate crumb crust (8- or 9-inches)

Directions
1. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set. Fold in 1 cup chopped peanut butter cups. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Cover and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
2. Remove from the freezer 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with the remaining peanut butter cups.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Taste of Home: Pies

Overnight Pecan Pie

This is definitely not your normal “Pecan Pie” with the gooey filling you would expect. I would consider this Overnight Pecan Pie a lot healthier because of the egg-whites and graham cracker crumbs. In addition, there is NO butter and NO corn syrup in the ingredients.

If you want a quick and easy pecan pie where you do not have to make a crust, then this is the pie for you! There are only six ingredients in the entire pie, and the crust is naturally created as it is baked. The egg-whites form the thin, yet hard crust on the top that cracks beautifully as you cut into it. Top this pecan pie with a dollop of Cool Whip or Reddi-wip.

My father-in-law loved this pie and ate it for breakfast four days in a row! 🙂 Enjoy!

Overnight Pecan Pie
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped pecans
3 egg whites
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter pie plate bottom and sides well.
2. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar and baking powder, gradually while beating. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla, fold in cracker crumbs and chopped pecans. Pile into pie plate just as though you were filling a pie shell with filling.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly brown and firm to the touch. Chill overnight or several hours. Top with whipped cream, Cool Whip, or Reddi-wip.

Yield: 8 servings

Toffee Chocolate Pecan Pie

This is the most delicious Pecan Pie I have ever tasted! I visited relatives in Houston, Texas this weekend, and tried my cousin’s homemade Toffee Chocolate Pecan Pie that she made for Thanksgiving dessert and I fell in love with it. This pie is different than your typical Chocolate Pecan Pie because of the wonderful addition of toffee pieces throughout. It makes for an extremely rich, sweet, and gooey pie that is irresistable.

I highly recommend you make this! It comes out of the Houston Junior League Cookbook, which I need to buy myself. Enjoy and you’ll have to try it!

Toffee Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

4 ounces chocolate-covered toffee bars, chopped (3 bars) (Optional: Heath toffee chips)

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup light corn syrup

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, coarsely, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cover bottom of a 9-inch pie crush with chopped chocolate-covered toffee bars.

3. Combine eggs, corn syrup, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

4. Pour mixture over broken chocolate-covered toffee bars in pie crust.

5. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until done.

Yield: 8 servings

Stop and Smell the Rosemary: Recipes and Traditions to Remember – A Cookbook by the Junior League of Houston, Inc.

Chocolate Chip Pie

This Chocolate Chip Pie is the easiest pie in the world to make! It is a cross between a chocolate chip cookie and a pie. To make this, you can prepare everything in one bowl, no electric mixer needed. Just mix all the ingredients together and pour into a store-bought pie crust. The only thing that takes a while, is waiting for the pie to bake: it takes about 1 hour! Then enjoy and top with vanilla ice cream.

My mom got this recipe from a lady in her quilting class. This was one of the first desserts I made for my college friends at our weekly dinner parties. Enjoy!!!

Combine flour and sugar.

Add beaten eggs and vanilla.

Pour in melted butter.

Whisk.

When butter has cooled down a bit, add the chocolate chips and pecans.

Fold to combine and pour batter into unbaked 10-inch pie shell.

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Chip Pie

Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup melted margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecan pieces
1 (10-inch) pie shell

Instructions

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix eggs, margarine, sugar, flour, and vanilla together. Stir in chocolate chips and pecan pieces.
Pour into 10-inch pie shell. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Never stir in chocolate chips into warm melted margarine. They will melt, and you will have a completely different pie!

Limeade Pie

I was craving something “cool” on this hot 104 degree afternoon here in Dallas, so I decided to make one of my most favorite desserts, Limeade Pie. Key lime pie, key lime bars, key lime cheesecake, etc. are some of my all-time favorite sweets, and this pie, although it does not contain any limes, it has the flavor of key limes from the limeade concentrate. There are only 4 ingredients, excluding the crust to make this simple and easy summer dessert. The only hard part is waiting for for the pie to set up, which can take up to 3 hours or even overnight!! To garnish, I grated and sliced a key lime to go on top. This recipe comes from “The Gathering of Friends” cookbook by Michelle Huxtable and Alyse Christensen. Enjoy!

Spoon the Cool Whip in a large bowl.

Pour in the sweetened condensed milk.

Now add 6 oz. frozen limeade concentrate.

Add lemon juice and stir to combine.

Fold until well combined.

Pour limeade mixture into graham cracker crust.

Garnish with the zest of a key lime and a slice of key lime.

Chill for 2-3 hours or overnight, until firm.

Limeade Pie
Ingredients
8 oz. container Cool Whip
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz. can frozen limeade concentrate
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2-4 tbsp)
*9-inch graham cracker crust, baked (I used an already made/store bought crust to save time)

Directions
1. Fold together Cool Whip, condensed milk, limeade, and the lemon juice. Pour into cooled pie crust then freeze for 2-3 hours, or overnight until firm.

*Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
2 pkg. graham crackers
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
1. Roll graham crackers until fine. Combine cracker crumbs and sugar with melted butter and put into 9″ round pan.
2. Bake 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Inside-Out Key Lime Pie

This is probably the “prettiest” recipe I have made thus far. The combination of fresh berries, tangy key lime and sweet graham cracker crust makes for the perfect summer dessert. The only “problem” with this recipe is that it said it would serve 8 in the 6 ounce ramekins. I think my ramekins were 6 ounces and I could only make 4 servings. I guess it depends on the size ramekins you use. Other than that, this recipe was perfect and gorgeous looking!

I got this recipe from “Dallas Classic Desserts” cookbook, a compilation of popular desserts from Dallas’ finest restaurants. Inside-Out Key Lime Pie is a classic dessert from Central 214 off Hwy 75 and Mockingbird at the Palomar Hotel. Maybe someday I’ll eat at Central 214 and get to compare my Inside-Out Key Lime Pie with theirs. We’ll have to see whose is better! Enjoy!

Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter in food processor. Press into ramekins and bake for 15 minutes.

Whisk together condensed milk, yolks, zest of 1 lime, and key lime juice.

Pour into crusts and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Bake dishes in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

To serve, invert each ramekin onto a plate and top with fresh berries and whipped cream. Brush each plate with raspberry coulis if desired.

Inside-Out Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

KEY LIME FILLING
7 oz (3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp) sweetened condensed milk
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup Key lime juice
Zest of 1 lime

RASPBERRY COULIS (optional)
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp water

Fresh berries to garnish
Whipped cream, to garnish

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. To prepare the crust, combine the crumbs, sugar, and salt in food processor to mix. With the motor running, slowly add the melted butter.
3. Form a crust in eight 6-ounce ceramic baking dishes. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool. Then refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. To prepare the filling, combine the condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl and whisk, until smooth. Fill the crusts with the key lime filling, cover, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
5. Bake dishes in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
6. To make the raspberry coulis, combine the raspberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until just the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Puree the mixture, then strain and let cool.
7. To assemble the dessert, brush each serving plate with the raspberry coulis using a pastry brush. Invert one of the ceramic dishes onto each plate and gently remove the dish. Garnish with fresh berries and whipped cream.