Lemon Meringue Pie

My great-grandmother Gregory (Velma Grace Park Gregory) made this pie almost every time my mom came to visit. The whole family looked forward to Grandma’s lemon pie after a wonderful meal!

PIE:

1 baked 9 in. pie crust
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1 c. sugar
1 Tbs... margarine
6 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. lemon juice
2 c boiling water
1 1/2 t. grated lemon peel

(Two large lemons should produce enough grated peel and juice. Squeeze, remove seeds but not the pulp. )

In a heavy cast aluminum sauce pan, add sugar, cornstarch and salt. Mix together until well mixed. Slowly add the boiling water, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until all lumpiness is gone. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low. Cook stirring constantly until mixture is thick and clear, about 6 - 8 mins. Remove from heat. Beat yolks with a whisk, fork or mini food processor. Add a small amount of hot mixture to the yolks. Blend; add a little more until 1/4 cup is blended. This keeps yolk from cooking into clumps. Add back to pan with rest of mixture, and return to a boil on medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4 more minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat stir in the margarine and the lemon peel. Slowly mix in the lemon juice. Flavor is best when peel and juice are added last. Cover the pan and allow to cool. Pour into baked shell. Top with meringue.

MERINGUE:

2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 egg whites (at room temp.)
1/2 c. cold water
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine 2 T. sugar, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and cold water. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is clear. Cool. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla into soft peaks. Gradually add the 4 Tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Using an electric mixer, beat well after each addition. Add the cooled cornstarch-sugar mixture into beaten egg whites and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Spread meringue over edges of crust then fill into the center. If meringue isn't well over the crust it shrinks in the baking away from the crust. Bake at 375° F. for 10 to 12 minutes until meringue becomes golden brown. Cool and serve.

Chocolate Silk Pie

Crust:
3 egg whites (beaten)
1 cup sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup broken pecans

Mash on bottom of greased pie tin, bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
Cream together really well

2 tsp vanilla
2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate
1 eggs room temperature (may want to heat over double boiler and then cool if worried about raw eggs)
Beat on high for 5 minutes

Add 1 egg (see note above)
Beat again for 5 minutes and top with whipped cream.

Mini Cheesecakes

12 vanilla wafers
2 8-oz. Pkgs. Cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 eggs


Line muffin tins with foil liners. Place one wafer in each liner. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs. Mix well. Pour over wafers, filling ¾ full. Bake 25 minutes @325°. Remove from pan when cool. Chill. Top with fruit topping or chocolate.

Chocolate Mint Pie

1 graham cracker crust
½ pkg. Keebler mint cookies, crushed
3 Tbsp. Hot water
4 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Milk
¼ tsp. Peppermint extract
8 oz. Cool whip
8-10 drops green food coloring

Mix crushed cookies with water, and spread over piecrust. Beat cream cheese, sugar, milk and extract. Mix cool whip with food coloring and add to cream cheese mixture. Gently stir and pour into crust. Refrigerate 3 hours before serving.

Fake Cheesecake

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 container cool whip
1 8-oz. Pkg. Cream cheese softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
Fruit topping

Mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add cool whip and mix well. Spread in pie crust and top with whipped topping. Serve

Chocolate Cake Pie

2 graham cracker crusts
1 large box Chocolate pudding
2 ½ cups milk
1 8-oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup powdered sugar
1 container Cool Whip
Oreo Cookie crumbs


Mix pudding and milk. Set aside. Mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until creamy. Add cool whip and mix well. Add ½ pudding and mix well. Pour in piecrust. Top with other ½ of pudding and Oreo crumbs. Chill until set.

Grasshopper Pie

12 oz. Cool whip
½ gallon mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 bag oreos, crushed in blender
1 can Hershey’s syrup


Put most of crumbs in 9X13 pan. Soften ice cream; put in pan. Dump chocolate syrup on ice cream. Spread cool whip on ice cream and sprinkle remaining crumbs on top. Freeze overnight.

Ice Cream Pie

¼ cup corn syrup
¼ cup peanut butter
2 cups cocoa Krispies
4 cups ice cream
Magic shell
Nut topping (opt.)

Mix first 3 ingredients. Press into pie pan. Put in softened ice cream. Top with magic shell and nuts. Re-freeze.

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 1/3 cups sugar
6 Tbsp. Cornstarch
dash salt
1 ¼ cup water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Butter or margarine
2 tsp. Finely grated lemon zest
1 9 inch baked pie shell
3 egg whites
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. Cream of tartar

Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and water in heavy saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Stir about ½ cup cooked mixture into egg yolks, then stir egg yolks into filling. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest. Pour into baked pie shell. Whip egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Spread over filling, sealing to edges. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes until golden. Yield: 1 pie.

Apple Pie

12 cups sliced apples (granny smith and golden delicious mix)
2/3 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
1 pkg. Apple Cider mix (to make 1 cup)
½ cup apple juice
½ cup water
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Microwave apples until tender. Drain. Mix remaining ingredients in saucepan and cook on medium heat until thick and bubbly. Fold in apples. Turn into pie crust. Cover with top crust and vent. Bake 400° for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake 30-40 minutes until crust is golden brown.

5 Minute Strawberry Pie

1 cup sugar
1 pkg. Unsweetened strawberry Kool-Aid
2 cups cold water
10-12 Tbsp. ULTRA GEL
1 tsp. Lemon juice (opt.)
5-6 cups sliced strawberries
2 baked 9” pie shells

Add sugar and drink mix to water and stir until dissolved. Gradually add ULTRA GEL stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Add lemon juice if desired. Fold in strawberries and turn into baked pie crusts. Chill until set. Serve with cool whip.

Big Boy Strawberry Pie

1 C. water
3/4 C. white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. red food coloring
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. margarine
3 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 C. stemmed and washed strawberries (1 quart)

Mix together the water, white sugar, salt, cornstarch and food coloring and cook in a saucepan for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Set aside to cool. Make the crust by combining flour, margarine, sugar and vanilla - press this into a 9 inch pie pan. Prick all over and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until lightly browned. When crust is cool, place berries in the shell and pour the thickened mixture over the top. Refrigerate. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or whipped dessert topping.

Basic Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose Or Pastry flour
½ tsp. Salt
1 cup shortening
Ice water to make soft dough


Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening to the size of peas. Gradually add ice water to form a soft dough. Divide into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Shape as desired. Bake single crust pie shells at 400°. Bake double crust pie according to filling instructions. Yield: 1 double or 2 single crust pie shells.