Homemade Blueberry Pie

Homemade Blueberry Pie
by Michelle Jones, Founder @BetterBudgeting

Category: Recipes, Frugal, Pies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

If you've never made a homemade blueberry pie you must give it a try. It is so very good and your family will love it. If you usually make pies with those expensive cans of blueberry goop (pie filling), using fresh fruit isn't as difficult as you might think. Try this recipe when blueberries are in season, or on sale, or any time of the year. Especially during the holidays!

Ingredients:

4 c. fresh blueberries (yes, you can also use frozen blueberries)
3/4 - 1 c. sugar
1/4 c. quick cooking tapioca, gently crushed (find in pudding aisle)
Juice of 1 lemon (or 1 T. lemon juice concentrate)
Dash of sea salt 
1-2 T. butter
2 (9-inch) pie crusts, homemade or frozen

Directions:

Rinse and drain fresh blueberries, remove any stems. If using frozen blueberries, thaw slightly but do NOT rinse.

In a large bowl, add sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and salt to blueberries, stirring gently. 

Here's a great tip from member, Lora... divide berries in half, placing one half in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until slightly thickened, for about 15 minutes. (Helps to thicken the blueberry juice so it doesn't run, and pie will be easier to cut.) 

Gently stir together cooked and uncooked berries and place in thawed pie crust, top with a few pats of butter.

Place second crust on top of pie and vent with several cuts. You can also cut out 3 or 4 small shapes like hearts or diamonds. Or, cut second crust into 1-inch wide strips and weave back and forth for lattice design, as in the previous pie I made (photo at the top). Brush top of crust with a little milk or egg white.

Loosely cover edges of pie with strip of foil, then place on baking sheet in center of oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

     
Cool pie on wire rack and store leftovers in fridge; if there are any leftovers.

Note: I definitely prefer the lattice crust design for blueberry pies, don't you agree? They do take a bit longer to make, but they are so pretty. Whichever crust style you choose, your homemade blueberry pie will be DELICIOUS!!!

What's your favorite holiday pie? 


Enjoy!

Michelle

Get more recipes at www.FrugalFamilyRecipes.com and your free subscription to our money saving newsletter, Living a Better Life®, at www.BetterBudgeting.com

Fruit Salad with Fruit Dip

Fruit Salad with French Cream Dip
by Michelle Jones, Founder of @BetterBudgeting

Category: Recipes, Frugal, Fruit, Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 10-12 servings

I adapted this recipe to make it a bit quicker and much more affordable. The original called for expensive fruits but we selected in-season fruits that were on sale. Apples, grapes, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, and a fresh pineapple.

The biggest expense was the pineapple but I wouldn't skimp on that. It makes a beautiful container for the fruit dip and adds a nice citrus element to the fruit salad.

After selecting the fruits of your choice, wash and cut into bite-size pieces. If you're not using pineapple or other citrus, add a little lemon juice to keep fruit fresh.

Cut top off pineapple, then cut pineapple in half lengthwise. Scoop out fruit and cut into chunks. Add pineapple chunks to salad, and any extra juice. Stir salad gently and reserve pineapple halves for dip.

Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. confectioner's sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 T. granulated sugar
1 squeezed lemon and zest, or 1 T. lemon juice

Directions:

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until combined. In another bowl, whip cream and T. of sugar until soft peaks form. Combine cream cheese mixture, lemon and zest into whipped cream. Mix well and scoop finished dip into halved pineapple. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Serve salad with dip on the side, or let everyone get their own from the pineapple. YUM!

Variation: Use Greek Yogurt in place of the fruit dip, with a little lemon and lemon zest. :o)

10 Pancake Recipes to Try - Delicious!

Pancakes for Dinner!
by Michelle Jones, Founder of BetterBudgeting.com

Homemade pancakes are very frugal and so easy to make, and the kids love them. They can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and can be made with many different ingredients (even gluten-free). Pancakes can also be served as a special treat anytime of the year; January-December.

The best part is, we usually have all the ingredients on hand. If you prefer to substitute a pancake mix for any of these recipes that's okay.  You can also make extra and freeze them for up to 6 weeks. Freeze toppings separately.

Pancakes also make great fundraisers for churches and community groups. As I shared with you last week, IHOP is giving away free pancakes today (Sunday, February 26, 2012), while supplies last at participating restaurants. This is their annual fundraiser for Children's Miracle Network and other local charities.

Here's a collection of great pancake recipes I thought you might enjoy, starting with mine which is easy and quick. I sure hope you'll pick at least one and give it a try! :o)

Michelle

Easy Homemade Pancakes - Light, Fluffy, Perfect!

From FrugalFamilyRecipes.com

Chocolate Chip and Candied Bacon Pancakes with Nutella Maple Syrup

From evilshenanigans.com

Chunky Monkey Pancakes:

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup 

From ourbestbites.com

Nutella Strawberry Pancakes

From cakebatterandbowl.com

Gluten-Free Pancakes

From dailygloss.com

Buckwheat Pancakes with Blueberries

From 5minutesforspecialneeds.com

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

From dashofeast.com

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Fresh Raspberries

From foodnetwork.com (Bobby Flay)

Apple Pancakes

From penzeys.com

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese

From recipegirl.com

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Easy Homemade Pancakes - Light, Fluffy, Perfect!

Featured Recipe...

Easy Homemade Pancakes - Light, Fluffy, Perfect!
by Michelle Jones, Founder of BetterBudgeting.com

You know what makes an easy and fun frugal dinner? Pancakes! If you regularly use a store bought pancake mix I invite you to try our family's easy homemade recipe. It never fails. No buttermilk on hand, no problem. Our recipe uses regular milk and tastes just as good as 'buttermilk' pancakes. Add cinnamon, vanilla, or fresh fruit for variations.

I've been making these pancakes for about 30 years. We like to add fresh blueberries (not frozen or they'll turn the pancake batter blue), or our favorite... chocolate chips.

Our pancakes are so light and fluffy, they're even good without butter or syrup. You can also dust finished pancakes with powdered sugar instead of butter and syrup, or add 1 T. cocoa powder to the batter for chocolate pancakes--with or without chocolate chips. OH MY LORD!!!

Our recipe makes about 6 large (5-inch) pancakes. For our family of six I usually double the recipe for 12 pancakes.

Mix together:

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1 - 2 T. baking powder (Note: we have always used 2 Tablespoons of baking powder but if you are sensitive to the taste of baking powder it is perfectly fine to use less in this recipe. The pancakes will turn out a bit different - thinner - but I have no doubt they will still be delicious!)

In another bowl, whisk together:

1 egg
3/4 c. milk
2 T. vegetable oil

Heat non-stick griddle to 350. Stir together wet and dry ingredients, just until combined. Batter will be a bit lumpy. Pour batter onto griddle (or lightly greased skillet) in the size desired. We usually make large pancakes but sometimes we make small dollar size pancakes, about 3".

Here are some photos I took to help you every step of the way...

Enjoy! :o)

Baked Fruit Pies - Like McD's - Budget Copy Cat Recipes

Featured Recipe...

Baked Fruit Pies - Like McD's

I made my very own recipe yesterday. This resembles pies like you can get at McDonald's.

2-4oz cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups of fresh berries or 1 small jar of fruit jam
¾ chocolate chips
One store bought pie crust (the soft kind that comes rolled up), or make your own dough

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the first three ingredients together by hand or with a blender.  Cut out round circles from the pastry dough with a biscuit cutter.  Place spoonful amount of mix in center of dough circle and fold in half. Crimp edges. 
Brush egg wash over top of pies.  Cook on a greased cookie sheet for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.

These are delicious hot with whipped cream but are also good cold the next day.

Submitted by Dawn Farris
http://www.frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Pour Mans Pie

Featured Recipe...

Pour Mans Pie

This is my recipe for a faux peach cobbler. I grew up on it and it is very cheap and very easy. It is called "Pour Mans Pie" (a little play on words).

1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 large can of peaches
1 stick butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a 9x13 cake pan in the oven.  While the butter is melting, mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl.  When butter is melted add mixture to the butter (do not stir).  Drain most, but not all, of the juice off the peaches and spread out on top of flour mixture (again, do not stir). Sprinkle with a small amount of sugar and bake until golden brown. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Submitted by Carla Randall
http://www.frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Banana Boats

Featured Recipe...

Banana Boats

4 large Bananas
1 chocolate bar or chocolate chips (1 cup)
Foil

Slice the banana in half only going through one peel down the middle.

Fill with chocolate.

Place in oven with meal while cooking until chocolate is thoroughly melted. Can also be placed over campfire for 15 minutes outside.

Submitted by Jillian
www.FrugalFamilyRecipes.blogspot.com

Blueberry Syrup - Minced Garlic in a Jar

Featured Recipe...

Blueberry Syrup

I noticed you don't have a blueberry syrup yet... my grandpa shared this easy and QUICK recipe with me and I thought your readers might like this.

5 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (or any fruit you would like)
2 cups sugar
Enough for 2 people

Combine in microwave safe container and "nuke" for 1 minute. Take a fork and smash berries not all just enough for the juice. If you grow and freeze your own it only costs for the sugar. I made some today and it cost me about $2 for everything and I had enough berries to freeze for next time!

Minced Garlic in a Jar

OH AND instead of buying crushed garlic in the little jars, buy garlic, put it in the food processor then put in a jar with a little canola oil. You can have a Mason jar for the price of 2 of the little ones... just another little tid bit i picked up from grandpa!

Hope your kids love it as much as we do!

Submitted by Leslie

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Fresh fruit is so delightful, thank you for sharing this recipe with us, Leslie, and extra food tips are always welcome! :o) - Michelle

Baked Fruit Pies - Budget Copy Cat Recipes

Featured Recipe...

This is a recipe I just came up with, resembles the pies like you can get at McDonald's:

Baked Fruit Pies

2-4oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. of fresh berries or 1 small jar of fruit jam
3/4 c. chocolate chips
One store bought pie crust (the soft kind that comes rolled up) or make your own dough

Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix the first three ingredients together by hand or with a blender. Cut out round circles from the pastry dough with a biscuit cutter. Place spoonful amount of mix in center of dough circle and fold in half. Crimp edges. Brush egg wash over top of pies.

Cook on a greased cookie sheet for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.

These are delicious hot with whipped cream but are also good cold the next day.

Submitted by Dawn Farris

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Mmmmm, what a treat! - Michelle

Frosty Breakfast Smoothies

Featured Recipe...

Frosty Breakfast Smoothies

When fruit is on sale (or better yet, on the reduced rack), buy as much as your budget will allow. Wash well and run through a juicer or blender (I prefer a juicer because you don't have to peel or core anything). Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Remove from trays and store cubes in freezer bags. When needed, throw a handful of cubes into a blender with a little milk, yogurt or protein powder (or all three!) and whizz away. The result is a fabulous thick smoothie that will stay cold for a long time... perfect for a long morning commute. Kids especially love this as they think they're getting ice cream for breakfast!

Submitted by Marilyn A.

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Sounds delightful, Marilyn, and great for the coming summer months too! :o) - Michelle

Simple Fruit Cobbler, Iron Skillet Cooking

Featured Recipe...

Here's one that my mom always found a way to make during tough times. With this recipe it can be whatever you happen to have on hand that makes it special.

Simple Cobbler

If using fresh fruit, add 1/2 cup sugar to 2 to 3 cups fruit and slightly mash to release juices and let sit while continuing. You can also use anything left over, such as apple sauce, peaches, plums, apples that you really don't want to throw away but are to far gone to eat, cans of pie filling you might find on sale, pears your children picked from the neighbors tree, even ground cherries, etc...

Set oven temperature to 350 degrees. Put 1 stick butter into an iron skillet and put into oven to melt. (You don't use iron skillets? Just use a baking pan of choice. Takes about 5 minutes or so.)

Blend dry ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
(she only used King Arthur flour)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

After blending well, make a slight well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Add:
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of milk

(Mom always used dry milk as it was more readily available. I found a dry cultured buttermilk mix that works great as well.)

Blend well.

Pour the melted butter from the iron skillet into the mixture.

Blend well.

Pour the entire batter into the iron skillet.

Pour the fruit of your choice into the middle of the batter.

Do not mix.

Put into the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. It may take a little less time, check for doneness.

Your pocket book, your taste buds and your children will thank you!

Submitted by Carol Winters

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Note from Michelle... Hi Carol! We are big cobbler fans, being from the south, and make it in large pans as well. Your recipe can be doubled to make larger quantities for church suppers so I'm listing it under this recipe index too!

Recipe Update: 2/14/09 After we posted this recipe we had a reader write in to say she had a little trouble; when she baked the cobbler it turned out to be only 1" thick. So after talking with her a bit I decided to make up a quick batch myself to check it out and I'm happy to report the recipe is quite delicious! The only thing I would do is cut back on the sugar in the dry ingredients to 3/4 cup, possibly even less. I took a bunch of pictures of the cobbler I made and hope y'all enjoy them! :o)

The batter should resemble pancake batter when you mix it up, I also used almost 3 cups of cut up fresh apples for our filling. I suspect that is what the original cook usually did when she made this cobbler. Other fillings used may produce a thinner final product. And when baking, always be sure your baking powder is not out of date!

I would also like to add that as with many recipes, cooking this cobbler in the skillet is fantastic!!! I have two iron skillets that I purchased new and seasoned myself when my husband and I first got married, 23 years ago. Actually, one is that old the other one I think I added later on as our family grew. Anyhow, it really makes the cobbler extra crispy and delicious. YUM!

This particular recipe is very sweet though; much sweeter than most cobblers. As I said earlier, I think it would be perfectly fine to cut back on the sugar a bit.

Enjoy!

All photos copyright by Michelle Jones and Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc.

www.BlueRidgePublishing.com

Cream Cheese, Pineapple, Pudding Dessert

Featured Comment by Opal...

I have only made this one time and it was a hit at our church thanksgiving dinner.

In a 2qt. casserole line the bottom with cream cheese, be generous. Make a layer of pineapple chunks, small marshmallows, blobs of cream cheese. Cover with vanilla pudding. Make another layer of all. Add more marshmallows on top. Bake at 350 degrees just until marshmallows are light brown.

Can be served warm or chilled.

(Thank's Opal, I bet our kids would love this!)