Strawberries.....Finally! I'm Making a Pie.

Just when I thought I had seen everything weather wise here in North Idaho, this spring was the coldest, wettest, most slowest to start we have ever seen in our 15 years of living here. Our garden has really paid the price this year. Never had I my sugar snap peas fail to germinate, they literally rotted in the ground and I had waited till May to plant them, too. Other than the radishes and lettuce the garden hasn't produced much to eat until finally this last week the June-bearing strawberries have kicked in and I was actually able to pick enough to make our favorite fresh strawberry pie: Strawberry Glace Pie.

I personally love this recipe because it's so easy and since it's so loaded with fresh strawberries you feel like you are eating something that could actually be good for you. Here's what you'll need to make one for your family:

• 6 cups of washed and cored fresh strawberries
• 8oz package of softened cream cheese ( you can use the reduced fat type, I do)
• 3 TBS corn starch
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 baked pie crust (store bought or homemade, it's all good)

Beat the 8oz of cream cheese until it's smooth and easy to spread.
Spread the cream cheese evenly in the bottom of your cooled pre-baked pie crust. Set aside.
Crush enough of the strawberries to make one cup of crushed berries.
In a small sauce pan, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together.
To the sugar and cornstarch add your 1 cup of crushed strawberries and the 1/2 cup of water. Blend together then heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it get to a good strong boil, let it boil for 1 minute and keep on stirring. You will feel it thicken a bit. After 1 minute of boiling, remove from the cooktop to cool.
While your strawberry sauce is cooling, arrange the remaining strawberries pointy end facing up in your pie crust on top of the cream cheese you already spread there. Depending on the size of the strawberries you may have to slice some in half to fit around the outside edges.
Once the strawberry sauce has cooled pour over your lovely strawberry arrangement to cover it completely. Place your pie in the frig for at least 3 hours to set up, the longer the better.

After chilling, your pie is ready to eat....Enjoy!

Want More Room in Your Freezer? Bake a Pie!!

Well, it's attempting to be Spring here. This is when I look in the freezer and say to myself "We have got to use up some of these things up!" We grow a lot of strawberries and raspberries and there were still about 3 gallons of 2008 raspberries in our freezer. So, I decided to bake myself a raspberry pie.

I took a rhubarb pie recipe that I just love and switched the filling on it to one of raspberries. One reason I like this recipe is that it is a little lower on the fat being a one-crust pie. Also, it uses a no-roll pie crust where canola oil is used instead of shortening. But believe me this is no Weight Watchers recipe by any stretch! Here's what you'll need:

Crusty Raspberry Pie

No-Roll Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 cup canola oil(or other vegetable oil)
2 Tbs milk

Filling:
4 cups raspberries (fresh or defrosted frozen berries)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbs Clear Jell or 1/3 cup flour
2 Tbs chilled butter cut into pieces

Topping:
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
1/4 sugar
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350F.

To make the crust, mix flour with salt and sugar then pour in oil and milk. You can mix it with well with a fork or put it in a food processor and give it a few pulses until it is crumbly in texture.

Transfer the mixture to a deep-dish pie pan and press with your fingers to spread it over the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and Clear Jel (or flour) together. Add the berries and gently toss to cover with the sugar mixture. Pour this into the prepared pie crust. Dot with the butter pieces.To make the topping, mix the butter, sugar and flour with a pastry blender until crumbly or place it in the food processor and give it a few pulses until crumbly. Sprinkle over the berry mixture.

Place your pie in the oven and bake for one hour or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is browned. It's great topped with ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!