Graham Cracker or Cookie Crust

     Pie crust can be a make it or break it factor when you want to really impress someone with your culinary expertise, but that doesn't mean it has to be difficult. A little, and I mean a VERY little work, and some forethought are all it takes to turn an ordinary Pie or Cheesecake into something that gets trumpets played when you enter a room. And here's how: once you decide what king of pie you want to make really consider the crust for a few minutes. A traditional fruit pie is usually best suited to a traditional crust, there are a million places to find recipes for traditional crust, so I won't bore you with it here. But chocolate pies, cream pies, anything outside the narrow mold of the traditional deserves a little something extra. That's where Graham Cracker and Cookie crusts come in, they add a flavorful base to showcase the wonders of your pie. Think of the overall layout of flavors you're trying to build, does your big bold filling require a big bold crust to balance it out, or does it need a more subtle pairing to showcase its power? Once you've decided that peruse your local grocers cookie aisle, or if you are an obsessed baker with cookies on hand *tries whistling non-chalantly* decide which option best suits. Oh, and one caveat, steer away from any cookie that has chocolate chips, or little candies of any sort in them, the candy will melt to your pan and make the crust fall all to Hell when you try to serve your pie. Then it's on to the extremely easy part, making the crust.

Here's What You'll Need:

1 1/2 or 2 Cups of thoroughly crushed Graham Crackers or Cookies (Crushed BEFORE you measure.)
4 Tablespoons of Melted Butter

Here's What You'll Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix both of your ingredients until fully moistened.
3. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of a pie pan, or spring form cake pan.
4. Bake for 5 minutes.
5. Allow to cool.
6. That's it.
7. No more instructions.

Mochanut Pie

     Chocolate, Coffee, Coconut, Crust, four C's worth sailing in my opinion, if you care about my opinion. Better yet if you can take them all in one trip to tantalize the taste buds and titillate the tongue, and my Mochanut Pie is just the ship to sail you there .

Here's What You'll Need:

3 Cups Heavy Cream (1 Cup Reserved)
1/2 Sugar
1/2 Cup Toasted Coconut (Reserved)
1/2 cup Chocolate Syrup
3 Packets Hot Cocoa Mix
8 Tablespoons cornstarch (Reserved)
3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee (This is optional, but it's exclusion would make it a Choconut Pie, you can't have Mocha without Coffee.)
1 Graham Cracker or Cookie Crust (Store bought also works)

Here's What You'll Do:

1. Mix all ingredients except those reserved in a medium sauce pan and place over medium heat, stirring frequently.
2. In a small bowl mix reserved Heavy Cream and Cornstarch until fully integrated. Make certain your crust is sitting nearby.
3. When the contents of the sauce pan reach a boil add the Cream and Cornstarch mixture and whisk as though your life depends on it until the mixture is the consistency of thick pudding.
4. Pour immediately into your crust.
5. Sprinkle Toasted Coconut over the top of the pie and gently press down to insure that the Coconut sticks to the surface of the filling.
6. Allow to cool for 30-60 minutes, until the filling is warm, but not hot, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
7. Cut into no fewer than 6 pieces ( Okay, this is really your call, but this pie is extremely heavy and rich, if you cut it in quarters you might as well schedule in a  delightful Chocolate Coma Time afterwards.)
8. Enjoy!

(Bonus Points: Sliced Almonds, Pecans, Peanuts, Chocolate Chips(you masochist), crumbled Oreo's, all make excellent additions in Step 5, or even Chopped Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans if you want to make people fawn over you and leave you uncomfortably intimate Thank You letters.)

Stuffed Pepper Soup

     No need for mincing words about this delicious recipe, just mincing onions, oh, and garlic, but no words.

Here's What You'll Need:

1 1/2 Pounds of Multi-colored Bell Peppers (sliced)
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Ground Italian Sausage
1 46 Ounce Can of Tomato Juice
6 Cups of Marinara Sauce ( Home Made or Store Bought at your preference)
4 Cups of Pre-Cooked White Rice (Made ahead of time, or purchased from your local Chinese restaurant, whatever)
3 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Garlic
2 Teaspoons Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt (Granulated, Kosher, or Sea, whatever takes your fancy)
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Here's What You'll Do:

1. Brown the Beef and Sausage over low heat in a large frying pan, adding the Peppers, Onions, and Minced Garlic when half of the meat is done.
2. When the meat is browned, drain it, and pour it into a large pot.
3. Combine all remaining ingredients except rice and bring to a boil.
4. Add rice and serve.
5. See, no word mincing, just a simple, delicious soup.

Wait, is that Beef or Beets? and Cabbage Soup

     Well, after many minutes of staring, eyes watering at a much stained and wrinkled old recipe I found in my stack of culinary creations I determined that I had in fact written a pretty simple (though large portion) Beef and Cabbage Soup recipe, and not a recipe for Borscht, which I never recalled making, ever. But further thought and a look around at other Borscht recipes indicate that the Beef/Beets switch isn't outside of reason. Try it and let me know what you think.

Here's What You'll Need:

2 Pounds of Cabbage (Diced)
1 1/2 Pounds of Cubed Beef {or Beets (diced finely)} (Minced)
1 Pound of Carrots (Sliced)
10 Cups Water
3 Tbsp Beef Base
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tsp Fresh Minced Garlic
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
1 Tsp Black Pepper

Here's What You'll Do:

1a. {With the Beets variation} Combine Water, Carrots, Beets, and all seasonings, boil for 30-50 minutes, beets take forever to get tender, make sure they are soft enough to at least poke a fork into before moving on to the next step.
2a. Add Cabbage and boil until cabbage is tender.
3a. (Probably) Enjoy that red shining bowl of goodness, remember, Beets are Natures Candy.

1b. {The 'b' is for Beef, get it? Don't worry, you'll be rolling on the floor laughing later.} Combine Water, Carrots, Cabbage, and all seasonings, boil until cabbage is tender.
2b. {Not making the obvious played out joke} Reduce heat to a simmer and add beef.
2c. This is where is gets a bit off my recipe card and into your hands. Beef is about the only meat conventionally seen in this country as having various degrees of cooked where it is edible. If you like your beef dripping with blood then this part shouldn't take all that long. A couple minutes will have that beef warm and somewhat ingrained with the surrounding flavors and it will be pretty damn good. But you can just as easily cook it until that meat is 'low and slow'ed to bits floating in your broth, and that can also be pretty damn tasty. That's all on you now.

Also, just because I like it and it seems appropriate Killer Tofu by The Beets

Hiatus Over

Sorry about the long delay there folks, we should be returning to our regular schedule of lot and lots of posts very shortly.