Pumpkin Pie Recipe

By Tracey Feist, Freelance Writer
Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine

This is my Mum’s recipe?—?every fall at our Church’s turkey dinner’s I would search out her pumpkin pie. It has just the right amount of spice and the real pumpkin is what makes it amazing. The recipe was her mother’s (my grandmother-who is still going strong at 92). It is now my son’s favourite pie, and instead of birthday cake each year, this is his choice!

Filling

  • 1?½ cups pumpkin (MUST use real pumpkin meat)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1?½ cups whole milk
  • 2?3 cup brown sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • Pastry
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1?½ cups Tenderflake lard

Mix all ingredients together for the filling and set aside to make pastry.

Mix flour, salt and baking powder, adding in lard with pie cutter; keep adding VERY cold ice water until the dough resembles oatmeal. Roll out for pies.

Add filling to pastry and bake at 450°F for 10 minutes; then reduce to 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. This will make two smaller pies or one large one.

Danish Apple Dessert

By Guy and Moneca Heintz

Danish apple dessert is always a favourite and compliments almost any dinner! 

  • 8 apples, peeled, sliced and cored
  • 1?¼ cups sugar (brown or white)
  • 2?¼ cups fine bread crumbs
  • ½ cup butter (approximately)
  • 1?½ cups whipping cream
  • ½ cup almonds, chopped (optional)

Cook apples in a small amount of water on medium heat until tender for about 15 minutes. Melt butter in large frying pan; add bread crumbs, sugar and mix. Add almonds if you choose. Fry until mixture turns light brown (careful not to burn). Remove, but keep stirring until pan cools. Layer apples and bread crumb mix in bowl, ending with bread crumb mixture. Top with whipping cream and cool for a while before serving!

I like to make this dessert in a nice glass bowl with straight sides, so you can
see the layers! 

Caramel Pecan Ice Cream Dessert

By Luke Tournier

This is one of my faves.

  • 1?¾ cups flour
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup melted butter (not margarine)
  • 1?½ cups caramel sundae sauce (bought or homemade) 
  • 8 cups vanilla ice cream, softened

Combine flour, pecans, sugar and rolled oats in a large bowl. Add melted butter; mix well. Pat in a thin layer on a baking sheet with sides. Bake at 400°F stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until golden. Crumble while warm. Cool. Press half of the crumb mixture into 9″ x 13″ pan. Drizzle with half the sauce. Spread with ice cream and remaining crumbs. Drizzle remaining sauce over crumbs. Cover and store in freezer. Soften 10 minutes before cutting.

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup milk or cream
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ½ tsp vanilla

Mix together in a saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute  (stirring constantly) and remove from heat.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

By Avril Chattaway

  • ¼ cup shortening
  • ½ cup oil
  • 1?¾ cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2?½ cups flour
  • 4 tbsp cocoa
  • 2 cups zucchini, grated
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup sour milk 
  • (adding 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice will sour milk)
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp soda
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cloves

Combine all ingredients and bake in a 9″ x 13″ pan at 325°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

No Bake Sour Cherry Pie

By Bill and Zita Borgwardt

The cherries we use are also known as the Evans Cherry. It’s a long story but my mother was the one who developed the original cherry trees from which the Evans Cherry was derived. We still grow the original trees on our acreage and most years we get enough cherries to make several pies and also freeze some for winter use. 

The same recipe can be used as a dessert without putting it in a pie crust.

  • 1 pie shell baked
  • ¾ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 (3 oz) pkg cherry Jell-O
  • 2 cups sour cherries, drained (using fresh cherries preferably as frozen cherries are rather mushy rather than firm and round, but still work!)
  • 1 cup Dream Whip, whipped

Boil water, sugar, cornstarch until slightly thickened approximately 2 minutes, stir in Jell-O and cool until mixture begins to thicken for about 10 minutes. Stir in whipped topping, fold in cherries and pour into pie shell. Let set in fridge until ready to serve.

Cool Whip works too and you can substitute a graham crust for a baked crust.