30/30 - #1 Strawberry Pie

I'M 30!! Hard to believe that I have officially entered another decade of my life. Instead of being sad and depressed about getting older, I am excited! Life is good, especially in the kitchen ;)

So here it is, the favorite everyone has been waiting for, the #1 recipe in my Top 30 favorites - Strawberry Pie! Not just any strawberry pie, but my Grandma's Strawberry Pie!

This pie doesn't just taste amazing, but it brings me back to my childhood every time I make or eat it. When I first started KettlerCuisine, this was one of the recipes I knew I had to post. I struggled with the recipe for a while since Grandma didn't leave very detailed instructions, but relied on my experience in the kitchen and my Aunt Liz to figure it out. I miss you Grandma!

During strawberry season, I make this pie almost every week. Poor Hubby doesn't get much variety on desserts during that time, but he doesn't mind it. At the peak of the season, I don't even add sugar to the strawberries, I just let their natural sweetness shine through. I couldn't think of a more fitting #1 favorite for the Top 30 than Grandma's Strawberry Pie.

I CRAVE it every year, I MAKE it every year, and I DEVOUR it every year! 

Find the recipe for Grandma's Strawberry Pie here.

Here are other favorite strawberry recipes:

• Strawberries with Lemon Honey Ricotta
• Strawberry Almond Tart
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
• Grown Up Fruit Salad
• Strawberry and Cream Scones (Smitten Kitchen)
• Honey Balsamic Strawberry Galette (Honey & Jam)
• Strawberry Meringues (Bakers Royale)
• Strawberry Jam (Deliciously Organic)

OK, now time for me to go celebrate! Hopefully you have enjoyed seeing me every day for the past month, but I am going to take a little break now and party!!

Betty's Date Pinwheels - Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Cookies, cookies, cookies everywhere! Yes, it's that time of year again! Time for the Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap!

I discovered this massive cookie swap last year and made my Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies for three lucky bloggers across the US :) Since last year, I have really improved my baking skills to include pies, cakes, muffins and of course cookies. I was on a roll the other weekend, baking up a storm of Christmas cookies. My kitchen was covered in powdered sugar and softened butter. 

It is amazing how popular you become in your office when you bring in treats every Monday. Not to mention the Hubby is loving all these cookies that magically arrive on our doorstep. We first received some Brownie Drops from Satisfy My Sweet Tooth. I had to hide them so Hubby and his buddies wouldn't devour them before I could get pics for this post!

        

We then received some delicious Cinnamon Pecan Tea Cakes from Being the Secret Ingredient. These were moist, flavorful bites that were perfect with my morning cup of coffee (yes, I had some for breakfast)!

As for my contribution to the Cookie Swap, I went back in time. I have written about my grandmother in several posts and what an amazing cook she was. She especially had a knack for baking and didn't even write down recipes, just made things from memory and sensory. A favorite in my family are the Date Pinwheels, which basically mixes a sugar cookie with a shortbread cookie and fills it with a fruity, nutty paste. I had to track down the recipe from my Aunt Liz so I could test it for the swap. TEST RUN APPROVED!!

These cookies do involve a few extra steps, but they are totally worth it, especially if you are a date fan. Eating them just made me miss her even more! I hope that all the recipients of my cookies enjoyed them (I know at least one of them did since she sent me a note the day she got them). These cookies are very special to me, so be sure to include lots of love when you make them.

Betty's Date Pinwheels

Yields: 25-30 cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

7 oz (200g) pitted dates, chopped
1/3 cup water
1 cup walnuts, chopped

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a small saucepan, bring the dates, water and 1/4 cup of the sugar to a simmer and cook, while stirring for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Set this aside and cool.

In a standing mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and rest of granulated sugar until light in color. Stir in the egg, vanilla, salt and sifted flour and baking soda. Mix until all the ingredients are combined. 

Split the dough in half and roll each dough ball out until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Spread some of the prepared date paste and gently roll the the dough to create a log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Unwrap the dough logs and slice into 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Grandma's Strawberry Pie

Strawberry season came early this year, which means only one thing, Grandma's Strawberry Pie!

One of my favorite things from childhood was going to visit my grandparents at the beach. Not only were they the most wonderful people, but my grandmother was an amazing baker! When strawberry season came around, she was known for two things; freezer jam and strawberry pie. 

Her pie is definitely not traditional. Most people think of a baked strawberry rhubarb pie, but this is a cold fresh strawberry pie.

When Grandma passed away, we were sure to save her recipe book. But we quickly learned that she never actually followed a recipe, but did it all from her head. The recipes she passed on were all very short, vague and left a lot of room for imagination.

For some reason, I just couldn't get it right. I called on the help of my Aunt Liz, who provided advice and my mother who remembers Grandma making this several times when I was growing up. After several failed attempts over the years, I was determined this early strawberry season to finally nail it. 

Well, Grandma, I am proud to say that I think I finally produced a successful one today. I have added in necessary notes and changed the recipe a bit to make this a foolproof pie. Each time I make this, I will still think of the wonderful woman, Betty Hegele, my grandmother.

Strawberry Pie

Yields: 9 inch pie
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:12 minutes for the pie shell

*1 Baked pie shell 

5-6 cups of fresh strawberries (in season)
3/4 cup sugar
2 T corn starch
3 oz. of cream cheese

1 T fresh basil, chopped (optional)

*For the pie shell: you can either get a rolled up pie dough in the refrigerator section (Pilsbury makes a decent one), or make your own pie crust. 

Wash the strawberries well and let dry completely. Cover the cooled pie crust with the cream cheese and place whole strawberries (cut-side down) to cover the bottom of the shell. Take the remaining strawberries and lightly puree in a food processor (or mash well in a bowl if you don't have a processor). The pureed or mashed strawberries should produce about 1.5-2 cups.

Place pureed strawberries into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, slowly add in the sugar and cornstarch and stir continuously so the bottom won't burn or turn into a gel. You just want the mixture to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool, stirring a few times to release the heat.

Pour the mixture over the whole strawberries in the pie shell and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. 

I like to serve this with freshly made whipped cream, flavored with 2 T powdered sugar and 1 T Grand Marnier Liqueur.