Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

I first heard about making a Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey on The Food Librarian's blog.

Two weeks ago I read about another food blogger, Jennie, who's husband, Mikey, suddenly died of a heart attack leaving her and their two young girls behind.  She asked that in his memory everyone make a "peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on."    You can read her blog here: In Jennie's Kitchen

This sad event really spoke to me as I constantly put myself in other's shoes when thinking about things like this.  I tearfully thought about how I would feel in that same position and suddenly got very overwhelmed with grief for her.  Then, as in all situations when I get feeling this way, I turned to The Only One Who can help in these situations and I prayed to the LORD for this little family who I don't know.   I really hope all of you will too.  Pray for mending of their broken hearts, and that they will find Christ if they don't already know Him.

Well, I didn't immediately go out and make a pie and it wasn't on a Friday, but the point was still there - to share it with those you love.  So, our dear friends came over and we shared a delicious chocolate peanut butter pie, had a bon fire and enjoyed our children playing together in the yard.

My brother-in-law shared this recipe with me that he found online from a cookbook called The Thrill of the Grill by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. It's absolutely amazing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

For the graham cracker crust
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling
1½ cups heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla

For the chocolate sauce
¾ cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, grated

1. Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, blend the dry ingredients
well. Drizzle in the melted butter and process or blend
until the dry ingredients are well moistened. Press the mixture firmly
into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing another pan on top to distribute the
mixture evenly. Freeze for at least 1 hour, or until ready for use.

2. Make the filling: Whip the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks.
Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add
the sugar and mix well. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix
well, scraping the sides of the bowl. Fold in the whipped cream.

4. Place the batter into the frozen pie shell and put it back in the
freezer for 1 hour.

5. Make the chocolate sauce: In a heavy saucepan, slowly bring the
heavy cream to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the chocolate, and
cover the saucepan, leaving it on the stove. After 10 minutes, stir
the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted. Cool slightly
(room temperature is best).

6. Pour the chocolate sauce on top of the pie, place it in the refrigerator
for 30 minutes, and serve chilled.

Enjoy your loved ones - every second you can!

Here are some other loved ones that we had fun memories with this summer:

Lucy's bath time in the kitchen sink with Mommy!

 We met Aunt Sue at the park and she put Lucy to sleep by swinging.

Jeremy surprised us all by getting up early and making the girls breakfast over a bonfire in the backyard. He's such a great dad!  (and husband too!)

Grandma Bessie getting to meet Lucy and seeing her first time to pull herself up to a standing position in her crib.

A New Twist on an Old Favorite

The fad this week on many blogs was homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies similar to those made by Little Debbie Snacks.  Well, as you know I have so many zucchini coming from our garden that I wanted to incorporate it somehow.  Since I needed a snack for the Kid's Club that my husband and I teach on Sunday mornings, I gave it a whirl.  Being a parent myself, I don't want to just fill the kids with sugar and candy.  Although all of that is used, I want some nutrition in there.  I found and used a recipe for Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies from the Family Fun website.

I doubled the recipe and altered it a little by using vegetable oil instead of corn oil and by using 3/4 cup of the oil and 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce for the double batch.

I found the marshmallow filling recipe from the Macaroni and Cheesecake blogsite and doubled that as well.

With doubling the recipes it yields about 36 sandwich cookies.  They're good, so enjoy!

I almost forgot!  The reason I even made these today is because the girls wanted me to add eyes to them so they look like little cookie monsters.  So, without further adieu, I give you the cookie monsters!

Squash Pizza

I know, I know - I didn't make the name of this pizza sound too appetizing.  But it's the truth!  It's topped with summer squash and zucchini (and carrots, mushrooms, spinach, red onion, white pizza sauce, extra sharp cheddar cheese, fresh mozzarella, and ham).  It was delicious!!!!

First I made my pizza dough using this recipe from my friend, Jeanne:

1 1/2 c. warm water
1 TBL yeast
2 TBL sugar (or honey)
Mix together and let sit for a minute or two.

Add:
1 1/2 c. white flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour (or you can use all white)
1 TBL salt
2 TBL olive oil

Add the flour,salt and oil. Mix well.
Add up to one more cup of flour to make soft dough. Knead for 4-5 minutes. . Let rise for 30 - 40 minutes.

Punch down and shape. Will make 1 thick 16" crust or 2 fairly thick 12" crusts.

I made my white pizza sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 or 6 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute longer. Add the cream, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the cream thickens and reduces slightly. 
Remove from the heat, stir in the thyme, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Then I added all my veggies in a nice and neat order:

Then after I took the picture, I dumped all the leftover pieces that I still had over the nice and neat pizza and covered the entire thing with delicious extra sharp cheddar cheese and discs of fresh mozzarella.  I baked it in a 500 degree oven for 18 minutes.  YUMMO!

Dessert Anyone?

Sometimes I really enjoy sabotaging myself and make desserts that I really don't need.  I believe part of the reason is that I enjoy making things with my girls.  Cooking and baking are a treat for us.  However, we need to find people to give these treats to instead of just keeping them.  Any suggestions?

Well, here are the most recent indulgences.  (I am proud of myself though.  I have held back a bit on eating these and so far have lost 2 pounds this week!)

First, we made the amazing Hershey's Chocolate Cake and Frosting - to die for!

Then I picked up these little sponge, tart shells and filled them with lemon curd and blueberries topped off with whipped cream.

Garden Omelettes

As you've noticed, our garden is going nuts and so I'm stuffing our meals full of veggies.  I wish we could enjoy this all year, but since I can't I'll just savor the moments of fresh veggies from the garden while it lasts.

I made omelettes for Jeremy & I full of mushrooms (okay - they're from the store),  onions, spinach, red peppers, ham and provolone from the deli, along with a side of grilled pitas.

The girls' breakfast was basically the same thing, only they requested to have scrambled eggs instead of omellettes.  Their pitas were mini ones that I cut in half.  It was a very tasty breakfast!

My Very Own Amazing Recipe

I've been really enjoying the use of pocketless pitas for meals lately.  They're pretty versatile and fun.  Last night I used them for pizzas and they were very good.  The last couple of days I've been making my very own amazing recipe.  My husband went to barber school with a Bulgarian man who would bring crepes filled with sour cream and feta cheese.  They were pretty good and I thought I'd add a little more of my own flare to it.  Seeing as we have a ton of cucumbers growing in our garden, I have to use them up.  My husband isn't a big fan of cukes, but he loved this dish!

To start add a little olive oil to a pan and heat over high heat.  Add the pita cook it until it starts to get crispy.  Place the pita on a plate.  In a separate bowl, add 1/2 cup sour cream to 1" cube of feta cheese that is crumbled. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.  Spread the sour cream & feta mixture over pita.  Top with very thinly sliced cucumbers and generously sprinkle salt over each cucumber slice.  Then garnish with dill and you have a very delicious lunch!

Cooking with Kids

My girls have been watching a new little show called Tasty Time with Ze Fronk online on Disney Jr.   It's a cute little cooking show of healthy snacks that kids can make pretty easily.  So far they've made the Banana-Strawberry smoothie, Coconut-Banana wheels, British Tea Sandwiches, and Pita Pizzas.  I have to admit they are pretty tasty!  Here are some pics of Angelina's endeavor with making the Coconut-Banana wheels & British Tea Sandwiches.

Then I made these little snacks for the Kid's Club that my husband and I teach at our church on Sunday mornings.  I wanted to make blueberry muffins, but wanted them to be a little more fun than just a muffin.  I also didn't want to use up all my good blueberries, so I cheated and got some Jiffy muffin mix and then topped off each one with a blueberry and a drop of frosting.  Make the muffins just like the instructions say except use ice cream cones.  I put the cones in my mini-muffin pan, but found the middle ones didn't bake well because they were too close together.  So, I think next time I'll use my regular muffin pan.  Oh well, they still turned out good and the kids really liked them.