Caramel Pecan Pie

 Caramel Pecan Pie

1 pie crust (I prefer Marie Callender's)

36 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped

1/4 C. butter

1/4 C. milk

3/4 C. sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C. pecan halves 

In saucepan, over low heat, combine caramels, butter and milk.  Cook, stirring frequently, until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt.  Gradually mix in the melted caramel mixture.  Stir in pecans.  Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes.

recipe from Bridgette Grimmett

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

This pie is SO yummy & easy! I got the recipe from my good friend Rach & they have it for Thanksgiving every year. I think we'll make it a tradition at our house too! I forgot to put on the Reese's P.B. cups for the picture, but you get the general idea :)

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie


2 (9-inch) prepared Oreo pie crusts

8 oz. cream cheese (I used Neufchatel cream cheese--reduced fat/calories)

1 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1 C. peanut butter (I used creamy)

1 C. milk (I used fat-free)

1 (12 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed (I used Lite Cool Whip)

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed (I used Lite Cool Whip)

chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (I used the minis & cut them in 4)

hot fudge/chocolate sauce, to drizzle over top (optional--I didn't use this)




Beat together cream cheese & powdered sugar. Mix in peanut butter & milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in the 12 oz. of cool whip. Pour mixture into the 2 pie crusts. Top the 2 pies with the 8 oz. container of cool whip. Freeze until firm (About 4-6 hours). Let the pie sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving & top with chopped Reese's.





recipe from Rachel Holloway--you can go here for the original recipe

Pumpkin Pie

There's nothing like a yummy pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving & it's actually Danny's favorite kind of pie!

Pumpkin Pie 

3/4 C. sugar 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1/2 tsp. ginger 

1/4 tsp. cloves 

2 eggs (I used egg beaters) 

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin (100 % pure pumpkin--NOT pumpkin pie mix) 

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk 

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell (we prefer Marie Callender's)

Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, & cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin & sugar/spice mixture with the eggs. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (My pie took quite a bit longer, so I covered the edges of the pie crust with tinfoil so it wouldn't burn). Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. 

*I was lazy & used a frozen pie crust, but this is a good pie crust recipe if you want to make your own.

 recipe from Libby's pumpkin

Pear Crumble Pie

This is my favorite pie! It's my mom's specialty & we always have it for Thanksgiving & Christmas--it's a must try!

Pear Crumble Pie


6 medium Bartlet pears (ripe)

3 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)

1/2 C. sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. lemon zest

9-inch pie crust (unbaked)



Wash & peel pears & cut into thin slices (it works best to have a big bowl of cold water with some lemon juice (I used bottled) & a little bit of salt to put the pears in as you slice them, that way they don't turn brown.  Then just drain the water when you are all done cutting & ready to use them). Stir lemon juice into pears. Combine sugar, flour, & lemon zest & add to the pear & lemon juice mixture. Put into pie crust & cover with crumble topping.



Crumble Topping

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. flour

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. mace (not a commonly used spice, but it really adds to the flavor of the pie)

1/4 C. butter (cold)



Mix the sugar, flour, & spices together. Cut in cold butter. Crumble topping on top of pears. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until pears are tender & the pie is browned & bubbly.  You may need to cover the outer edges of the crust (with a pie shield or tinfoil) so it doesn't burn. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.




*These pies freeze great (for several months--wrap in 2 layers of saran wrap & 2 layers of tinfoil), so it's smart to make a bunch of pies all at once & then freeze some (I did a triple batch & it made 4 pies). Just put the pie into the oven straight from the freezer. It will just take longer to bake & you may need to cover the edges of the pie crust so it doesn't get over-done.






Pie Crust Mix


12 1/2 C. flour

2 Tbsp. salt

5 C. crisco (regular or butter-flavored, I use regular)




Combine all ingredients with a pastry blender (or use a fork) until you reach the consistency of cornmeal. This can be stored for several months in a cool place & in a container with a tight fitting lid.


* I did a quarter of a batch & it makes 4 pie crusts.  Here's the amounts:

3 1/8 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 C. crisco



Pie Crust


2 1/2 C. pie crust mix

1/4 C. very cold water

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar (I use fresh lemon juice)


Mix all ingredients together until just combined.  Roll out on a floured surface until you reach desired size & thickness.  The dough is quite sticky, so you will need to sprinkle it with a little flour (just not too much because you don't want the crust to be tough) before rolling it out. 


Makes two 9-inch pie crusts. Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 10 minutes (if you're making a pie that needs an already baked pie crust) or follow the pie recipe instructions for baking.



*You could do a smaller recipe of the pie crust mix if you wanted, but it's nice to have when you want to quickly make a pie crust.







recipe from Mom