Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie

Liliana Mott

1 - 9 inch pie crust - unbaked

Filling:

1/2 c. cornstarch

1 c. sugar

1/8 t. salt

1/2 c. water

3 c. chopped fresh rhubarb

Topping:

1 - 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/4 c. sour cream

1 t. vanilla

Whipped Cream

Preheat oven to 425F

Make or buy a pie crust and put into pie pan

Filling:   Stir cornstarch, sugar and salt in saucepan until well mixed.  Stir in water until well blended.  Add rhubarb.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture boils and thickens.  Pour mixture into prepared crust.  Bake 10 minutes at 425F.  Then reduce heat to 325F.  Remove pie from oven and add topping.

Topping:  Beat cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth.  Beat in eggs, sour cream and vanilla.  Spoon mixture over baked rhubarb filling.  Bake at 325F for 30-35 minutes or until topping is set.  Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then refrigerate and chill well before serving.  Garnish with sweetened whipped cream.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Pie....or maybe it's Pudding

2-4 cups pureed pumpkin, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots or winter squash
1 pkg sugar free vanilla instant pudding
2 c. milk
pumpkin pie spice to taste

Mix all together.  Serve with whipped topping in a bowl as pudding or in a pie crust.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

by Nancy

1 unbaked pastry shell

1 lb. sweet potatoes or 1 lb. can pumpkin

1/4 c. margarine

1  14 oz can Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 t. grated orange rind

1 t. vanilla

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. salt

2 eggs

Beat pumpkin/sweet potatoes with margarine until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients.  Pour into pastry shell.  Bake at 350ºF. for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven.  

Prepare pecan topping:

1 egg

3 T. dark corn syrup or molasses

3 T. packed brown sugar

1 T. margarine

1 c. chopped pecans

Mix and spoon over top of pie.  Bake an additional 20-25 minutes at 350ºF. or until golden brown.  Cool.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

by Roma and Nancy

3 c. diced rhubarb

2 c. sugar

1 egg, well-beaten

1 c. sour cream

1/2 t. salt

3 T. tapioca

Mix sugar, egg, sour cream, salt and tapioca together, then add rhubarb to marinate while making the pie crust.  Put mixture into unbaked pie crust and add top crust or lattice crust.  Bake at 425ºF. for 15 minutes and then at 350ºF. for 35 minutes.

~This recipe has traveled at lot.  It came to our family from a friend who had lived in Alaska for many years, then moved to Roma's neighborhood in Utah.  She shared the recipe with Roma in Utah who sent it back to Nancy in Alaska, knowing that she grew wonderful rhubarb there.  Roma always marveled at the size of Alaskan rhubarb.  Some of the rhubarb growing at Nancy's Wasilla house came from the old family homestead.  When the family moved south, they brought a start of that same plant so they could continue enjoying rhubarb custard pie.

Pumpkin Pie

by Nancy

4 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. cloves

3 1/2 c. canned or cooked pumpkin or squash

2  12 oz. cans evaporated milk

Beat eggs, add pumpkin, sugar and spices.  Stir in milk.  Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 425ºF for 15 minutes and then at 350ºF. for 40-50 minutes.

~Pumpkin pie was a great favorite of mine, even when I found out that Mom made it once out of squash which I detested.  In Alaska, sometimes Elverda made her pumpkin pie out of carrots!

Pie Crust

by Roma

3 c. flour

1 c. shortening

34 c. cold water

1/8 t. salt

Mix flour and salt, then cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender.  Add cold water and mix VERY lightly. Do NOT over mix, as it makes the crust tough.  When the dough is in little pieces, put it into a pastry cloth and sort of squeeze it together rather than mixing it. Roll out and add your favorite pie filling.

~Roma's pie crusts are always light and flaky, as they should be.  The secret is in not overmixing.   A favorite expression for a person with a lot of nerve was, 'He has more crust than a lunch wagon pie!'

Mincemeat

by Ruby Viola Kotter Freeman

2 gallons of peeled apples, ground

4 lbs. raisins

2 lbs. currants

1/2 lb. citron

6 halves candied orange peel

6 halves candied lemon peel

3 lbs. brown sugar

juice of 6 oranges

juice of 6 lemons

4 c. pineapple juice

4 t. cinnamon

2 t. nutmeg

1 T. allspice

1 T. ginger

1 1/2 t. cloves

1 lb kidney suet (optional)

Bring sugar and juices to a boil.  Pour over other ingredients and mix well.  Keep in a cool place.  (Will keep about 3 week.)  If you want to keep it longer, bring to a boil, bottle and seal.  Makes 8 quarts.

~I really liked Mom's mince pies.  They were individual pies about 4 inches in diameter with crust top and bottom, and with a small hole in the top crust for air...also to pour in some cream or milk when eating them.  They were just super...but alas, seemingly lost forever.  --Kay Freeman

Key Lime Pie

by Nancy

Make a pie crust and bake it.  Set aside.

Blend:

1 1/4 c. (14 oz can) sweetened condensed milk

2/3 c. lime juice

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1-2 drops green food coloring

Pour into pie crust.

Beat until frothy:

3 egg whites

Add gradually, beating after each addition;

1/3 c. sugar

Continue beating until rounded peaks are formed.  Pile meringue lightly over pie filling, sealing to edge of crust.

Bake at 450ºF about 5 minutes or until meringue is delicately browned.

Green Tomato Pie

by Mary Helen "Mamie" Dixon Lincoln

Pie crusts for one pie

3 large green tomatoes

3/4 c. sugar, divided

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 T. flour

Prepare pie crust.  Line 9 inch pie pan with bottom crust.  Peel and slice tomatoes and arrange in pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle with flour and then remaining sugar.  Add top crust.  Bake at 350ºF for about 45 minutes.  Cool.  Serves 6 to 8.

Green Tomato Mincemeat

by Mary Helen "Mamie" Dixon Lincoln

3 quarts chopped green tomatoes

1 1/2 quarts peeled, chopped tart apples

2 c. raisins

1 c. currants

1/2 c. diced candied citron, lemon or orange peel

2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground allspice

1/4 t. ground cloves

1 1/2 t. salt

3 c. brown sugar, firmly packed

3/4 c. vinegar

1/4 c. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a large heavy pan.  (Omit cloves if you plan to freeze mincemeat.) Cook mixture slowly until it is tender and thick, about 1 hour or more.  Stir frequently to prevent sticking.  To can, pour boiling mixture into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Seal promptly.  Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.  Store in a cool, dry place.

~Modern folks can freeze their mincemeat.  To do that, pack cold mincemeat into freezer containers, leaving an inch head space.  Seal and freeze promptly.  Makes about 5-6 quarts of green tomato mincemeat.

Gooseberry Pie

by Mary Yuill Dixon

3 c. fresh gooseberries

1/3 t. cinnamon

4 T. flour

2/3 - 3/4 c sugar

1 T. butter

pie crust

Mix together dry ingredients.  Mix lighly through berries.  Pour into 8 inch pie crust.  Dot with 1 T. of butter.  If fruit is dry, sprinkle 2 T. water over it.  Cover with top crust.  Bake at 425ºF for 35-45 minutes, until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slit in crust.

~Mary Yuill Dixon was from Ontario, Canada.  In Canada there were wild gooseberries.  Gooseberries were about all that would grow because it was so cold there.  Once, Mary made 50 gooseberry pies.  They referred to her as 'the sweet lady who made the sour pies'.

Frozen Lemon Pie

by Roma

1  8 oz. pkg cream cheese

1 small pkg instant lemon pudding

2 c. milk

graham cracker crust

Stir cream cheese until soft.  Blend in 1/2 c. milk until smooth, then add 1 1/2 c. milk and pudding mix.  Mix together and then pour into a graham cracker crust and freeze.  It may also be eaten without freezing.