August 2008 - Kitchen Scrapbook

Tidbits

Cooking is on the back burner…

August 18, 2008 December 12, 2019

Posted on August 18, 2008
Filed Under Tidbits

*Digging myself out from under a mountain of boxes* All I’ve been thinking of lately is bananas and an occassional apple… maybe it has to do with the fact that I’ve been spending alot of time with banana boxes and an apple box now and then.

We are moving.

From
WISCONSIN
to
OHIO.

So, this website will be put on the back burner for the next month or so. Ah, how fitting to use the term ‘back burner’ in a kitchen-related post. You know, it is true that when I make a meal, I very seldom need more than 2 burners and always use the front ones. The back ones aren’t used near as often. I wonder if they keep that it mind when they’re making stovetops. Not sure exactly what they’d do to make the front ones better and last longer, I guess that was just a weird random thought.

Anyway, for tonight, I’m making, er, WE’RE making Grilled Chicken Breast Salad. It’s ‘we’ because the grill is not my territory, and I’m quite happy to keep it that way.

Comments

16 Responses to “Cooking is on the back burner…”

Rene on August 18th, 2008 4:48 pm

Kay – I hope you have a safe move! My hubby is from Ohio. It’s so pretty there. Hurry back!
Traci on August 18th, 2008 5:18 pm

Good luck on your move….maybe I’ll get the pie crust perfected before you sign back on….tee hee.
Lisa @ The Cutting Edge of Ordinary on August 18th, 2008 6:43 pm

My in-laws live in Toronto, Ohio. Nice little town. Good Luck with the move. I’ll miss your recipes.
Rosalyn on August 18th, 2008 7:52 pm

Hey, can we come over for supper??!!
Bobbi on August 18th, 2008 8:36 pm

Have a safe move. I love your blog. I just wanted to let you know that my church had a kid bake contest and my girls entered. My 6 year old made the 7 layer bar and got 2nd place. My 8 year old made the lemon bars. Thanks for all your great ideas.
Bernice Wagner on August 19th, 2008 5:55 am

God bless you in your transition…moves are stressful, may all go well as you pack and travel. I will surely miss your down to earth posts and recipes and look forward to what you have for us after the move. Blessings, Bernice
Melissa K on August 19th, 2008 6:06 am

Kay,
Best wishes on your upcoming move. I hope you’ll occasionally keep us posted with what is going on. Over the past few months I feel like I’ve gotten to know your family a tiny bit and I think all of us would like to hear how everything is going, not just the cooking side of it!!!
Monica on August 19th, 2008 1:11 pm

So, when is this move actually happening? What day are you officially moving in? Wondering what brought you to Ohio…..?????
Cheryl on August 19th, 2008 2:22 pm

Going…Going…Gone are my dreams of someday meeting you when we are Wisconsin. Best wishes on the move.
Susan on August 19th, 2008 2:51 pm

That sure looks good. Good luck with your move.

Susan
http://www.raisin-toast.com
Katie Mast on August 20th, 2008 2:28 pm

What part of OH will you be living? We just came thru OH yesturday on our way home from OK. I will miss your new cooking ideas. But I know how moving is and hope all goes well.
Michelle on August 21st, 2008 9:23 am

I’m gonna miss your updates so hurry up and move!!:)I’m excited you’re moving closer to us. Ohio’s great, afterall it’s the buckeye state!:)
chelsa on August 22nd, 2008 6:55 am

moving closer to indiana now i can come for supper! j/k, but seriously… that salad looks WONDERFUL! hope your move goes smoothly and is safe too. what part of ohio are you moving too?
Kay on August 22nd, 2008 10:58 am

Some of you asked what part of Ohio we’re moving to. It’s close to Columbus (west side). We don’t have an exact moving date yet, but roughly in about 2 weeks.
It is amazing how long stuff takes to pack, esp glass stuff! It has been quite entertaining seeing things that I forgot I had. Maybe that means I don’t need them? ????
Barb on September 3rd, 2008 11:04 am

Kay,
Just wanted to let you know, I am thinking of you at this busy time. We moved about a year ago, so it is still fresh on my mind how much work it is. God Bless You! Barb
Audrey on October 6th, 2008 1:06 pm

OK, your month is up now! I think about you from time to time and wonder how things are going in Ohio and how you like it. Looking forward to hearing from you soon and seeing more new recipes now that you are (hopefully) settled into your new kitchen.

Breads Biscuits and Rolls

Parmesan Breadsticks and what they turned into…

August 11, 2008 December 12, 2019

Posted on August 11, 2008
Filed Under Breads Biscuits and Rolls

As I was saying in the last post, we had breadsticks with our ham meal that was featured and they went into the ‘don’t make again’ department.

And as I’ve said hit-n-miss in previous posts, me and making yeast breads from scratch don’t go together too well.

I don’t know, do you think those 2 facts had anything to do with each other?

Parmesan Breadsticks …recipe from an Easy to Bake Easy to Make recipe card
Printable recipe
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope (.25 oz) quick-rising yeast
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water (120F – 130F)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix water and olive oil in a small bowl; add to flour mixture. Beat w an electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Gradually add remaining flour until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.
Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12″ rope. Place on prepared baking sheets.

Cover; let rise until almost double in size, about 20 minutes. Lightly brush breadsticks with egg white.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 16 breadsticks. I made an entire batch of 16 breadsticks and put the other half (unbaked) in the freezer to see if it works to get them out, thaw them, let them rise, put egg white and Parmesan on them and bake them for fresh breadsticks at another meal.

Ah, don’t they look just delicious?! Well, they’re not. They were dry and not very flavorful and you could smell the olive oil.

Soooooo…

After we were done eating, while I was cleaning up, I made the rest into croutons. I think there were 4 or 5 left over out of 8. I cut them up into chunks with a scissors…

then added about 1/2 tsp. of Italian seasoning and a couple shakes of salt to 1/4 cup melted butter and poured it over the bread pieces and tossed it till they were all coated.

Then I baked them at 400 for 10 minutes, turning them over once during baking.

Mmmmm! They were great! Probably the BEST croutons I’ve ever had! Kind of a roundabout way of making them though. Maybe they were so good because I may have gone a little overboard on the butter. And what isn’t good, laden with butter?!

Oh, and by the way, those extra breadsticks I put in the freezer, you know, the other half of the batch? Someday, I’ll get them out, thaw them, let them rise, put egg white and Parmesan cheese on them, bake them, chunk them up, drown them in butter and Italian sesoning, and eat them on a salad or in soup. Or just plain.

Comments

7 Responses to “Parmesan Breadsticks and what they turned into…”

Barb on August 11th, 2008 8:51 am

Wow, those croutons look really good. I have made croutons before, and they are way better than the ones you buy at the store.
Rene on August 11th, 2008 8:51 am

Kay — they looked great if that counts for anything. I’ve never had luck with yeast breads either. The only thing I make with yeast that turns out is pizza dough and really it’s my bread machine that does all the work. Do you have one of those? I’ve never tried making yeast dough for anything other than the pizza but I just might have to try it now!
Katrina on August 11th, 2008 11:52 am

Sorry the breadsticks didn’t taste as good as they looked. Great use of something you didn’t like though by making croutons. They look and sound yummy, too.
Katrina on August 11th, 2008 11:55 am

Oh, and maybe try drowning the breadsticks in butter next time, you know, places like Pizza Hut who have really good breadsticks, that’s what they do, they literally sit them in a pool of melted butter (an old roommate used to work there). Just an idea! ????
Pizza Hut’s pizza is the same, baked in a pizza pan with tons of oily butter in it. So good, though!
Roxanna on August 11th, 2008 8:28 pm

Doesn’t saving something like that just make you feel so frugal? When I do something like that I always want to call my grandma and tell her because she is always so proud of me when I don’t throw stuff away! They look de-lish!
Karen Layman on August 11th, 2008 9:28 pm

Hey…..like they say…..”when life gives you lemons….make lemonade”.
Francie on August 14th, 2008 6:37 pm

Yay! Someone else has kitchen disasters too! But what a way to make lemonade out of lemons. The croutons do look yummy.

Pork and Ham

Baked Ham with Sweet Potatoes and Pineapple

August 9, 2008 December 12, 2019

Posted on August 9, 2008
Filed Under Pork and ham

Wow, where did my week go?! Here it is, Saturday morning already. Did you ever wonder why life seems to go faster now that you’re older? The first I remember wishing life would pick up a little speed was 6 years old, er , 5 years old, I wanted to be the big 6. And then it was like that up until 19 when I got married. You know all the milestones… 13 – teenager, 16 – driver’s license (which I flunked twice, by the way… once was an over all lack of driving experience and the other was getting caught in a funeral procession at a stop light. And worse than the fact that I still didn’t have my license was the fact that I had to blushingly tell my friends that, sigh, I flunked again. At 16, it’s not easy to admit mistakes to friends. I guess that goes for any age, actually.) Anyway, after I got married, I had no more milestones to be reaching ahead for. I just wanted to settle in and have life slow down. And be in the ‘young marrieds’ group forever. Now a couple years ago, we got ‘kicked out’ of that. But, that’s not too bad, we just passed our 12th anniversary a few days ago.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with HAM, but I still wonder where my week went!!!!

This recipe comes from the Grandma’s Recipes cookbook. I love this cookbook! Maybe one reason is because I know Ray and Elsie, the ones who compiled it. And I must compliment them on the index! It’s VERY user-friendly! I think in a cookbook, one of the hardest things would be making the index, categorizing everything and making sure you didn’t miss a recipe.

Baked Ham with Sweet Potatoes and Pineapple

Printable recipe

1/2 ham, 5-6 lbs.
1 c. brown sugar
6 medium sweet potatoes (didn’t have these, so I subbed canned ones)
1 c. crushed pineapple

Rub fat side of ham w brown sugar. Peel sweet potatoes and arrange around ham (or dump in a can or two of canned ones, they didn’t get too mushy). Pour crushed pineapple over ham.

Bake at 325 allowing approximately 25 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 160.

That white part is the bone.
This was great! And easy! No scoring the ham and poking a bunch of cloves in. I baked it uncovered and the ham was really moist. Those sweet potatoes tasted candied, just delicious!!!! Part way through baking time, I took some of the juice and basted the ham and also turned the potatoes over. Not sure if that made a difference or not.

Here was the rest of our meal: Ham and sweet potatoes along with breadsticks and applesauce…

Those breadsticks landed on the ‘Don’t bother making again’ list, but I’ll feature them sometime anyway. Can’t have all top notch recipes… as Pioneer Woman would say ‘Just keepin’ it real’.

Comments

7 Responses to “Baked Ham with Sweet Potatoes and Pineapple”

Jan on August 9th, 2008 8:54 am

This sounds like a great one for sunday lunch, quick and all in one!! ~ Jan
Karen Layman on August 9th, 2008 9:49 am

This looks like a yummy yummy meal. Wish you would have invited me over when you served it.
Kelsie on August 10th, 2008 2:08 pm

Mom was pleased that you mentioned them(=…and don’t worry, the organization part is pretty much why Mom loved making those cookbooks. once again, I love this site!
Ruth on August 10th, 2008 7:14 pm

I think the index is the most important part of a cookbook. A lot of cookbook indexes aren’t worth the paper on wich they are printed. They are the ones that have only one entry per recipe, by recipe name.
Shannon on August 10th, 2008 7:27 pm

I love a good ham and pineapple together!!! Eric hates sweet potatoes but I just might try it.
Rosanna on August 18th, 2008 9:35 am

I made this for Sunday dinner yesterday, and it was delicious. Even my husband who doesn’t really like sweet potatoes ate them! I covered it with foil and baked it at 250 for almost 4 hours.
Moni on September 20th, 2009 2:22 pm

Did this recipe with fresh sweet potatoes and they potatoes stayed hard so I took the potatoes and juice from ham and made yams on top of stove.

How To, Pies

How to make a Pie Crust

August 4, 2008 December 12, 2019

Posted on August 4, 2008
Filed Under How to…, Pies

Ok, I’ll just show you how I do it, but don’t expect alot of tips and all. Who knows, after this post, you might be giving me a lot of tips! ???? That would be great, it would make us all better pie crust makers. And you might laugh at how I do it, for example, I use Saran Wrap in the pie-crust-making process. *Huh?!*

Warning: Eyes may glaze over… there are lots of pictures and it got a little wordy.

First, the recipe. This is the only pie crust recipe I use and I don’t even try others because this one works great and has only 4 ingredients and it gets compliments now and then:

Pie Crust

1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening (Does shortening have an ‘e’ in it? I keep adding then erasing it. I should go look on the can.)
3 Tbsp. ice water

I put the flour and salt into a bowl and give it a few stirs w the teaspoon that I measured the salt with. Yeah, I about always measure stuff, I’m not one of those ‘just dump it in’ people. Then, I mix the shortening in with a potato masher…
I’ve tried a pastry blender, two knives, a fork, and nothing works quite as good as a potato masher.

When it looks about like this, pour the water in all at once and quickly stir it with a fork. More like pourthewaterinallatonceandquicklystiritwithafork. Not sure why, but I feel some urgency to get it stirred in, maybe because I’m afraid it would soak into the part where it’s pooled, then not get evenly dispersed. Anyway, I think that little tidbit might fall under the category of ‘Weird Quirks’ instead of ‘Pie-Crust-Making Tips’.

When it looks like this,

stop stirring and get a piece of Saran wrap, lay it on the counter, and sprinkle it with flour. Then, with your hands, get all the dough and squeeze it together into a ball, then flatten it a bit and put it on the floured Saran wrap.

Sprinkle flour over the top.

Take the rolling pin and roll it this way,

then that way.

Sprinkle some more flour on because the rolling pin will be starting to stick a little.

Roll it out some more till it’s a couple inches bigger than the pie plate all the way around. Put one hand under the Saran wrap and the other hand on the back of the pie plate, and flip the whole works over.

Peel off the Saran wrap. Now, here’s an actual tip: Instead of just pressing the crust down into the pan, lift it up off the edge and let it line the pan without pushing down on it. Otherwise it will stretch the dough, then it’ll shrink when it bakes. I don’t really know how to explain it, but just DON’T make the dough stretch by pressing it down into where the side and bottom of pan meet.
You can’t really see it, but I’m not just pressing the dough down in with my fingertips… I’m lifting up the edge and putting it down in to line the ‘corner’. Once it’s all in there, press down a little around the top edge, this’ll make it easier to cut the extra dough off. Take a knife and cut it off.

Here’s where my extra dough always goes…

And she’d get my camera and take pictures of her own pie dough creations. Close up pictures. And the camera would focus on stuff behind the subject being photographed…

I usually crimp the edges of the dough between my thumb and finger.

Poke the bottom and side of crust with a fork.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. And you’ve got a pie crust.

Yeah, it does shrink just a tiny bit, but it’s good enough for me. I’d rather have that than mess with putting beans in it to bake it.

And, last but not least, the famous pie crust question… Is it flaky? I think so…

Now, let’s hear from you… I know alot of you out there make pies. Please give us some more tips!

Comments

10 Responses to “How to make a Pie Crust”

Traci on August 4th, 2008 5:00 pm

Oh my, I LOVE you!!! I have needed this like you don’t even know…..THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
Michelle on August 4th, 2008 5:13 pm

Maybe I can make my own pie crust now. I’ve tried to make pie crusts in the past and I’ve always had trouble with rolling them out and getting them in the pan. So I gave up and I buy them at a bulk food store where they’re in the pan ready to go and all you have to is bake them. Very convenient!! I’ll have to give this a try sometime. Thanks for the good tips!
Shannon on August 4th, 2008 7:38 pm

Hum, I like that saran wrap deal. I always had trouble dealing the dumb stuff off the counter. The last pecan pie I made, the crust SOME HOW lifted off the bottom of the pan while baking and all the filling went underneath, so the crust was right up against the top… explain that one to me. I was mad! I am going to try this again. I really am. Maybe soon you can just make all my pies for me. Please?
Freida on August 4th, 2008 7:44 pm

I’d say you got it pretty good. The saran wrap is defintely not a quirk. I do that too, altho I use wax paper. Probably not much difference. Looks good. Puts me in the mood for pie again. I should do your peanut butter pie.
Kay on the farm in Neb on August 5th, 2008 4:51 am

Do you have trouble with the dough developing gluten by mixing the water in quickly? I was taught to always “gently” toss the flour/shortening (yes an “e”) with the water, a tsp at a time. Next time I’ll just dump and stir.
Peaches are coming into the stores now. Colorado peaches…mmmmmmm
Jan on August 5th, 2008 5:52 am

Thank-you! I’ve been wondering how to make a buttery pie crust, like I’ve had elsewhere. Bingo: butter Crisco! I’ve been getting hungry for pie and will try this one out. My crust recipe works, but I never was quiet satisfied b/c it wasn’t buttery.
Cordy on August 6th, 2008 8:07 pm

Your kindness just blesses me! Thanks SO much Kay!
Suzanne on December 28th, 2008 6:12 pm

I don’t know if you guys have done this, but with the extra pie crust clippings, my grandma always (and to this day still does), takes the leftovers and rolls them out into an oval-type shape. She then sprinkles cinnamon sugar on it and rolls it up. She calls them “roly-polies.” They are almost as good as her pie!
Rhoda on June 16th, 2009 7:54 am

I used to work at a bakery and we would always insert another pie pan on top of the crust and then bake it…an easy alternative to the ‘beans’ you were talking about. i never heard of using the beans. what do the beans do? I still use the extra pie pan inserted on top of the crust when i bake my own crusts.
Ashley Nicole on August 25th, 2009 7:45 am

Hey SuzAnne. I always do that w/ my pie crust. Thats my favorite part when it comes to making pies. Thankyou Kay for this recipe. I used it last night and it turned out perfect. It was easy too.

Pies

Peanut Butter Pie!

August 2, 2008 December 12, 2019

Posted on August 2, 2008
Filed Under Pies

I get cravings for this pie. And it’s so easy to make. And you can make it and put it in the fridge and it cools down and firms up in less than 3 hours. I’ve already got the craving in the morning, made it, and had a piece for lunch. Mmmmm, now I’m thinking afternoon snack today…

This recipe comes from the Derstine cookbook. But I skip the meringue. Meringue on peanut butter pie?! No way! What’s crazy is that most regular peanut butter pie recipes have meringue. One time I tried it and it just seemed really weird. Maybe because Mom always made it without the meringue. I guess people put it on because the filling takes egg yolks and then what do you do with the eggs whites?

I should actually study up on eggs a bit. When I make something that takes yolks only, I throw away the whites. When I make something with whites only, I throw away the yolks. I do wonder how long yolks or whites would last in the fridge if I’d save them. And I also wonder about freezing them… on that laminated substitution chart that I have (part of it is posted here), for the “when you’re out of eggs” part, one of the substitutions is 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp thawed frozen egg. Probably they would only work in baking or cooking. I’m out of eggs right now and couldn’t even make pancakes this morning! And I can’t even make that peanut butter pie that I’m craving! Oh, hey, speaking of peanut butter pie…

Peanut Butter Pie

Printable recipe

1/3 c. peanut butter
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 9″ baked pastry shell

Filling:
1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. white sugar
2 c. milk (always use whole milk, it turns out much better)
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

Combine filling ingredients and cook in heavy saucepan over medium heat until thick, stirring often.

Blend peanut butter and powdered sugar. Sprinkle 2/3 of mixture into baked shell. Pour filling on top.

Sprinkle with remaining peanut butter crumbs.

I think I’ll just leave the meringue details off of here because I’m afraid then you’d be tempted to make it with the meringue.

Note of interest: That picture up there where I’m pouring the piping hot filling into the crust was taken at 8:54 a.m. on July 10. And this picture was taken at 11:39 a.m. on July 10. That’s how fast it cools down and sets up!

I won’t clutter this post with it, but sometime I want to feature making a pie crust, how I do it anyway. I’m not a pro and don’t really have secret tips and techniques, but they don’t shrink and they taste fine. I counted up what I can remember and I’ve rolled out about 20 pie crusts in the last 2 months, and enjoyed every minute of it. Most of those pies were for bake sales, we don’t eat THAT much pie! Two of those pies were peanut butter pies, um… not for bake sales. But I did give one of them away. I made one to go with a meal for a new mom and then got home and was feeling like I had slighted myself by not getting to eat any (I could not figure out a way to take a piece without her noticing it, that’s what’s nice about bars… you can bake a panful, put them out on a plate, snitch a few, and the recipient will never know ???? ). So, anyway, this no-peanut-butter-pie-for-me thing was still bugging me the next day, so I made one for me… the very one that’s featured above.

———————————————————————————————-

Edit: (This will make more sense if you’ve read the comments on this post.) I tried peanut butter pie with Cool Whip…

It was great. It added something to the looks of it. I still prefer the taste of it without the Cool Whip though. I’ll put it on now and then, especially if I’m taking it away somewhere. But if I’m making it to settle a craving for me, it’ll be without. Richer-looking: WITH. Richer-tasting: WITHOUT. That is, of course, just my opinion.

Comments

15 Responses to “Peanut Butter Pie!”

Nancy on August 2nd, 2008 11:13 am

I’m not sure about egg yolks but I did freeze egg whites. Then I make angle food cakes. I do enjoy your recipes and trying then out. Thanks! Nancy
Shannon on August 2nd, 2008 11:19 am

I’m hungry for pb pie! Maybe I should make one for tomorrow. Can’t wait for the pie crust details. I’m a looser on that one!!!
Michelle on August 2nd, 2008 12:51 pm

Hmm… I’ve never heard of putting meringue on peanut butter pie. I think that would ruin it. I noticed that you didn’t top the pie with Cool Whip. Around here peanut butter pie always has cool whip on top. You should try it sometime. It’s delicious!
Lisa@The Cutting Edge of Ordinary on August 2nd, 2008 1:51 pm

That looks great. I’m surprised that the peanut butter didn’t make it look more, well peanut buttery. The paleness of the pie wasn’t what I was expecting. Oh well, as long as it tastes good!

Speaking of tasting good, I’m getting ready to make your Butter Pecan Turtle Bars in a bit. Check my blog later to see how I did! Thanks for that recipe. My husband can’t wait to try them.
Amber on August 2nd, 2008 2:48 pm

I was going to say, “you missed the Cool whip”, but someone’s beaten me to it. Definitely needs cool whip under those top crumbs! Awesome!
Kay on August 2nd, 2008 4:55 pm

Hey, c’mon you guys! I cannot believe you wreck peanut butter pie w Cool Whip! Really though, wouldn’t that kinda dilute the wonderful peanut butter/vanilla pudding taste?

I’m actually going to make one this weekend (it is about time for another one around here, the last one I had was nearly a month ago! :)) and I’m gonna put Cool Whip on it, then taste it with an open mind. ????
Angela on August 3rd, 2008 12:35 pm

It looks delicious, but I’ve stopped copying new dessert recipes awhile ago. Jeff doesn’t care for sweet things (he’s missing a gene somewhere I think . . !) so I’m the one that ends up having to eat most of it. I guess we’re better in the long run; I am a meat and veggies kind of girl.
Monica on August 3rd, 2008 6:10 pm

Mine’s gotta have Cool Whip, too! Then top with crumbs. Yummy! Wish I had some right now!
Carmen on August 3rd, 2008 6:42 pm

This was a specialty of my Mom’s, although she did always put the meringue on it. It is also a favorite of one of my cousins. I want some now!!
Cordy on August 3rd, 2008 6:49 pm

Sounds wonderful…..I’ll wait until the pie crust instructions come! Please don’t wait too long!!
Katrina on August 4th, 2008 7:56 am

My husband is a peanut butter pie finatic! Another quick tip is to just use 1 large box of instant vanilla pudding. (I never tried making my own, but I can only imagine it flopping.) I add the cool whip as well and then garnish the top with chopped/broken peanut butter cups along with the crumbs.
JoAnn on August 4th, 2008 2:34 pm

I’ve never had it without the Cool Whip, either. Trust me, it’s really good! That’s my favorite kind of pie–right up there with Shoo Fly Pie!
Jo on August 4th, 2008 6:20 pm

I’ve frozen egg yolks and whites and they’re fine. The first thing that comes to my mind to make with them is noodles and angel food cake. And by the way, whites will last a looong time in the freezer. My mom-in-law had some in the freezer for quite a few years and made some angel food cakes and they were fine.
Twila on August 5th, 2008 6:36 am

Oh, please don’t throw those egg whites away! I freeze mine, too, until I have enough for an angel food cake. Maybe you could mail them to me! We love angel food cake, and the mixes just aren’t as good as from scratch.
Elaine on September 28th, 2008 4:20 pm

I’ve made a version of this peanut butter pie for about 40 years. My recipe differs in that I use cornstarch, not flour, in the filling…….. and I always top it with meringue!! That’s what makes this version so delicious. I cannot imagine serving a homemade cornstarch pudding-style pie without homemade meringue. Some of the remaining peanut butter/10X sugar mixture gets sprinkled on the meringue before baking…..beautiful when it comes out of the oven. When I make this again, I’ll remember your suggestion of sprinkling part of the pb/sugar mix on top of the custard. Thanks for such an interesting blog.