Pecan Pie Cobbler

Pecan pie and myself became close friends a long time ago.  I remember first discovering this tasty treat at a spaghetti supper at my school.  Oh, how I loved going to the spaghetti supper every year (and barbecue lunch at the fall festival) because you got to pick out a slice of any kind of pie you wanted.  Back then I ALWAYS went for chocolate fudge.  This lovely pie also ranks very high on my list to this day, but back then it was all I would eat.  Then there was this one year that there was no chocolate fudge pie to be seen.  I was oh so disappointed.  Then my dad told me to try the pecan pie.  I wrinkled up  my nose  but picked it up anyway.  Best.  Decision.  Ever.

So I have never made a pecan pie to this day.  I have made little pecan tarts that resemble tiny pie like morsels, but never made a normal sized pie.  Then this recipe came through my pinterest feed, and I got pretty excited.  You see, Sunday dinner is a big deal in my house.  We ALWAYS have a big, yummy meal, and that weekend would be no exception.  By the way, I just happened to take pictures of our food from that meal so I will share that with you as well.  Yes, I enjoy taking pictures of my food.  Yes, some might think that it is a little strange.  But I digress.  This is an entirely different topic all together.


I made the pecan pie cobbler from the Betty Crocker Website.


VERDICT:  This was not a winner in my house.  I was actually pretty disappointed in the result.  I'm a texture person, and I did not like the texture that came with this dessert.  It was not like pecan pie to me at all.  Now, that is not to say that I will not try it again and put my own spin on it, but overall it was not good.

This outcome has made me decide that I need to learn how to make a good pecan pie.  A serious, homemade pecan pie.  So stay tuned because it is now a mission.

Ingredients 

1

box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

2

1/2 cups light corn syrup

2

1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

4 1/2

teaspoons vanilla

6

eggs, slightly beaten

2

cups coarsely chopped pecans

Butter-flavor cooking spray

2

cups pecan halves

Vanilla ice cream, if desired

 ~ Heat oven to 425°F. Grease 13x9- inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray. Remove 1 pie crust from pouch; unroll on work surface. Roll into 13x9-inch rectangle; trim sides to fit baking dish. Place crust in dish.

~ In large bowl, stir corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs with wire whisk. Stir in chopped pecans. Spoon half of filling into pastry-lined dish. Remove second pie crust from pouch; unroll on work surface. Roll into 13x9-inch rectangle; trim sides to fit baking dish. Place crust over filling. Spray crust with cooking spray.

~ Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

~ Carefully spoon remaining filling over baked pastry; arrange pecan halves on top in decorative fashion. Bake 30 minutes longer or until set. Cool 20 minutes on cooling rack. Serve warm cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

This was our Sunday dinner.  Grilled barbecue chicken wings & legs,
homemade pasta salad, and a baked potato.

This sure does look yummy, but it sure was disappointing.

I thought I would throw this one in here because this was Sunday morning breakfast.
This was another Pinterest find that I will share in another post.  

Spaghetti Casserole

What family doesn't love spaghetti?!  I'm sure there are a few out there, but my family is not one of them.  However, my husband is just now starting to like pasta and anything Italian so I figure that I need to try new recipes and ways of doing typical dishes so that he will love them too.  Let's face it; if he isn't happy then I'm not happy.  And then EVERYONE is unhappy.  And there is nothing happy about that.

I have tried baked spaghetti dishes in the past, and I have not been a huge fan.  This one intrigued me, though.  I have never seen a dish like this with its layer of cream cheese and french fried onions on the top.  While I am not a huge cream cheese fan, just about everyone else that lives here is a fan.  Well, except for Wil the Picky Eater.  He's truly only a fan of chicken, fries, pizza, and cheeseburgers.  Anyway, cream cheese and I have a love/hate relationship.  While I do not mind it cooked in things and I LOVE cheesecake, it is not my personal favorite.  But in my house majority rules and it was 3 to 2 on the cream cheese deal, so in it goes.  Plus we all know my rule about following the directions the first time and adjusting it from there.  I do think that I will keep it when I make this dish in the future because it would definitely be lacking in something without it.  Here is the link for Spaghetti Casserole.

The VERDICT:  Another winner in my house!!  We will keep this recipe in our rotation.  I could not get the Picky Eater to try this one, but 4 out of 4 others (one of my husband's friends came by) loved it.  I served it with salad, and I forgot to take pictures of the process.  But this dish was super easy and super fast, so a great choice for a busy weeknight.  Plus you could make it ahead of time and then put it in the oven.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup chopped green peppers (I usually omit or substitute red peppers)
• ⅓ cup chopped onions
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• French-fried onions (small can)

Instructions

1. Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
3. Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on HIGH until soft.
4. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, nuke it for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.)
5. Using a 12 x 8-inch baking dish (or something close), assemble in the following order: thin layer of spaghetti sauce, cooked spaghetti, cream cheese/vegetable mixture, remaining spaghetti sauce, parmesan cheese (amount subject to your own taste)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with french-fried onions and continue baking 5 more minutes. (This is the secret ingredient–don’t let them burn.)