It’s the middle of summer and it is hot. The mercury has flirted with 100 degrees and we all are craving something cool to help beat the summer heat. There’s always ice cream and cold water melon, but how about whipping up some freezer pies to help cool things down a bit, they are easy for the most part, and usually do not require too much heating of the kitchen.
In this edition we have a mud pie blending two different kinds of ice cream on top of a chocolate cookie crust. We also have a freezer pie that mixes whipped cream, cream cheese and caramel for a cold and tasty delight. There’s also a lemon-meringue pie, or as some folks call it, a lemon ice-box pie. For the more adventurous, there’s also a recipe for a strawberry Bavarian cream pie.
We can’t have all desserts, no matter how much we want to, so we threw in a recipe for chicken salad and steak kabobs to help round out a summer meal.
Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar thoroughly, add melted butter and mix until all cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs into pie dish coated with butter. Refrigerate crust at least 30 minutes before adding filling.
Freezer Caramel Pie
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts
6 tablespoons butter
1 (7 ounce) package shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
Place butter in a medium skillet and melt over medium heat. Add coconut and pecans, stirring to coat. Sauté until coconut and pecans are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully coconut will burn quickly. Set aside.
Make homemade whip cream by placing heavy whipping cream in a large mixing bow whipping until it begins firming up. Slowly add 1/4 cup sugar continuing to mix until peaks form. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, whip together condensed milk and cream cheese until fluffy. Fold in whip cream. Spoon 1/4 of cream cheese mixture into each graham cracker crust. Drizzle each with 1/4 of caramel topping. Repeat layers with remaining cream cheese mixture and more caramel. Top pie with coconut and pecan mixture. Drizzle more caramel over top of coconut and pecans. Freeze overnight.
Ice Cream Pie
18 Chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 pint Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
1 pint Blue Bell Chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
1 cup hot fudge topping
1/4 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
Mix crushed cookies and butter until well blended. Press on bottom and up side of pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Carefully spread chocolate ice cream in crust. Freeze about 1 hour or until firm enough to spread vanilla layer on top of.
Spread vanilla ice cream layer over chocolate layer.
Top with chopped nuts and drizzle hot fudge over top to decorate pie.
Freeze about 2 hours or until firm.
Remove from freezer a few minutes before serving to soften slightly for cutting.
Lemon Meringue Pie
1 can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand®)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 eggs divided
Meringue
Prepared graham cracker crust
Mix sweetened condensed milk, two egg yolks and salt. Pour mixture into prepared graham cracker crust and top with meringue, sealing all edges. Bake in 325 degree oven for 20 minutes. Put pie in refrigerator for at least two hours to allow pie to properly set.
Meringue
There is nothing more beautiful than a tall, fluffy meringue topping a tasty pie filling. There also is nothing more disappointing than seeing that beautiful meringue turn into liquid, collapsing making the crust soggy and everything else just a general mess. No matter how long you whip your egg whites, no matter how much sugar or cream of tartar you add, you still can’t make that meringue stay stiff and pretty.
Well, the folks here at Texas Farm & Home have the solution to keep that meringue as stiff and beautiful three days later as the day it was first made, it just takes a couple of extra steps. So try this recipe and shed no more tears over a weeping meringue.
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Beat egg whites and slowly add two tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks begin to form. In microwave safe glass, mix water, 1/3 cup of sugar and cornstarch. Heat in microwave for 30-second intervals until mixture thickens. Pour hot syrup over mixed egg whites while beating at high speed, beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Meringue should be very glossy. Spread over pie filling being careful to seal up all the edges. Bake in oven for required time, or until meringue to done to your liking. Cool before serving.
Strawberry Bavarian Cream Pie
This cream pie is a variation of a chiffon pie and depends on gelatin and beaten egg whites for its lightness and height. This pie also uses whipped cream folded into its filling. The pie is served cold and is to be stored in the refrigerator.
1 9-inch piecrust
1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
1/8 teaspoon salt
sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup strawberries
Prepare favorite pie crust recipe and bake until done, cool. In a one-quart saucepan mix gelatin, salt and 1/4-cup of sugar and mix thoroughly.
In small bowl with wire whisk, beat egg yolks with milk until mixed, stir into gelatin mixture, stirring constantly with spoon, and cook over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and coats spoon. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon. With whisk, stir mixture until smooth.
In large bowl beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form, sprinkle in 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until sugar is dissolved.
In a separate bowl beat whipping cream until firm, fold whipped cream and gelatin mixture into egg whites, also, fold in strawberries at this time. Spoon mixture into crust and sprinkle top with nutmeg. Garnish edge of pie with whole, or halved, strawberries. Chill in refrigerator at least an hour before serving.
Chicken Salad
Is there a better sandwich salad than chicken salad? Before you answer, you at least have to admit it ranks right up there with tuna salad. So, here is a quick and easy recipe for chicken salad to make the dog days of summer a little cooler.
1 roasted chicken (preferably cooked by the grocery store)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons Miracle Whip®
Salt and pepper to taste
Take roasted chicken and shred into pieces. Throw in chopped celery, chopped onion and grated carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then stir in the Miracle Whip®. Use more or less of the Miracle Whip® to achieve desired consistency. Chicken salad tastes great on sourdough bread and served with some baked sweet potato chips. It makes a great summer time meal.
Garden Fresh Steak Kabobs
2 ribeye steaks cut into 1-inch cubes
grape tomatoes
3 small onions, cut into wedges
1 dozen small Irish potatoes
Starting the day before, make a marinade using a 1/4 cup of olive oil and a 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, pour in a tablespoon of Worchestershire Sauce and add a teaspoon of your favorite meat rub to the bag, at the Texas Farm & Home kitchen we prefer Angelo’s®. Mix the ingredients well in a 1-gallon resealable bag, add in steak pieces and marinate overnight.
Before cooking, place potatoes in the microwave for about 2 minutes to begin the cooking process, then alternate steak pieces, onions, potatoes and tomatoes on skewers. Grill until steak is done and serve hot. TFH
