Passion is the spark in our soul that keeps our lives ignited with love and interest. Finding our passions is quite easy, as they are the things in our lives that we love to do, see, make, create, and be! Passion gives our lives purpose and allows our true souls to be exposed to our individual earthly delights. Having passions is a blessing and another secret to life. I believe that our own personal passions allow us to bring others happiness through what we have earned, learned, and loved.

Our lives, like an amazing pie, must be filled with passion—full of flavor and excitement!

Laura & Linda’s Holiday Eggnog Pie

Eat pie, keep holiday traditions.

Our family, like most families, had a few essential holiday traditions that we all cherished: holiday baking, midnight church service, watching Christmas television specials, cutting down the Christmas tree, and our love for eggnog! I can still see all five of us kids watching with excitement as my mom poured the creamy eggnog into our special Santa mugs, ensuring that we all had the same amount of the liquid gold. She would garnish each with freshly grated nutmeg, making them taste over-the-top Christmas delicious!

I remember a few times when the eggnog was so rich and thick, my twin sister and I would get tummy aches from drinking it too fast. We never cared, though, because this Christmas tradition was too delicious to pass up. Now that we each have our own families, eggnog is still part of our family tradition, a must-have at every holiday gathering.

Recommended: Sweetie-licious Cream Cheese Crust (page 2)

Filling

2½ cups milk

¾ cup half-and-half

5 egg yolks

1¼ cups sugar

¹/₃ cups cornstarch, sifted

Dash of salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Garnish—Optional

Freshly grated nutmeg

Sweetie-licious Whipped Cream (see recipe on page 8)

White chocolate shavings

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, half-and-half, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir constantly until the mixture boils and thickens for 1 minute.
2. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter, vanilla, and fresh nutmeg until well mixed.
3. Immediately pour the cream mixture into a piecrust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
4. Garnish to taste with freshly grated nutmeg, Whipped Cream, and white chocolate shavings.

Aunt Ella’s Cherry Berry Berry Pie

Eat pie, live well.

My great-aunt Ella called Northern Michigan her home for nearly ninety years. As a schoolteacher, she spent her summers baking at an inn located on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan and across the road from a cherry orchard: a perfect combination for breathtaking views and fresh, homemade cherry pies. Tourists would line up for hours to take in dinner, a golden sunset, and a piece of my aunt’s heavenly pie.

My aunt loved her life, inspiring both students in the classroom and pie lovers at the inn year after year. Unfortunately, time does not stand still, for the inn and my sweet aunt are both long gone. Thankfully, Aunt Ella’s cherished pie recipe was passed down to me, and it has become an all-time customer favorite. Aunt Ella’s passionate yet simple life was rich and full, a true testament that less is, indeed, more.

Recommended: Flaky Classic Piecrust, frozen (page 1), Sweetie-licious Crumb Topping (page 6)

Filling

1 cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

6 cups frozen unsweetened pitted tart red cherries

½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon almond extract

1½ cups frozen red raspberries

¾ cup frozen blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and cherries. Gently toss until the cherries are coated.
3. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until bubbly.
4. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the raspberries and blueberries, stirring gently.
5. Pour in a frozen pie shell. Cover with Crumb Topping, covering all of the pie filling. Bake for 50–60 minutes or until the pie filling bubbles over.

All fruit, chess, and nut pies should be stored at room temperature, on your kitchen counter—or possibly your bedroom nightstand, ready for an easy midnight snack!

Grandma Ferrell’s Caramel Apple Pie

Eat pie, simply love what you do.

There was nothing our family enjoyed more than our summers at my grandparents’ farm in West Virginia. The farm itself was a bit run-down, but beautiful to me, with plenty of flower and vegetable gardens and dozens of chickens running about. There was always plenty of fine storytelling, bluegrass music, and delicious, homegrown food to share at the farm.

I loved to watch my grandmother work magic in the kitchen. She was the head cook at the high school’s cafeteria, and a master of her craft. She claimed that she started cooking before she started primary school and that no one ever turned away one of her meals. She was known all over the county for her ability to fix up wild game with fresh herbs and dandelion wine. Everything she made was simply delicious—her fried chicken, biscuits, and gravy were legendary, but her apple pie was my favorite. The filling was tart, yet sweet, with a crumb topping that was buttery with just the right amount of cinnamon. I can still remember sitting with Granny on her porch swing, peeling apples and listening to her tales of her sweet and passionate life.

If you don’t feel like making homemade caramel, just be sure to buy good-quality caramel—it does make a big difference!

Recommended: Flaky Classic Piecrust, frozen (page 1), Sweetie-licious Crumb Topping (page 6)

Apple Filling

7 cups peeled, small-diced Michigan Cortland or Ida Red apples (5 medium–large)

½ cup sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Garnish

¹/₃ cup Homemade Caramel Sauce (see recipe on page 7)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all of the apple filling ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes. Pile the apple mixture high into a frozen pie shell.
3. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping just until the apples are covered.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife easily slides into the center of the pie with no resistance.
5. Cool. Top with Caramel Sauce, heating in the microwave for 20 seconds or until the caramel drizzles easily onto the pie.

Don’t forget salt—it is so important in all cooking and baking, as it brings out the flavor of foods.

The Moms’ Pumpkin Caramel Apple Pie

Eat pie, be creative in all you do.

My mother and grandmother taught me the importance of traditions and modeled their love of cooking and baking for me through their delicious homemade foods. Thus, I have always loved the traditional holiday of Thanksgiving, both for its simple meaning of gratitude, and for the glorious food associated with it. I adore all Thanksgiving pies, and can never decide between my mother’s pumpkin and my grandma’s caramel apple. My solution to the dilemma is this pie, incorporating both pies’ wondrous qualities. It has the classic, creamy pumpkin filling atop the timeless, caramel apple pie filling, a combination that completely satisfies your traditional taste buds with spice, creamy pumpkin, and tart apples all in one memorable crust. I love Franklin’s famous quote, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” as it surely has helped many worthy inventions be created, including this yummy pie!

Recommended: Flaky Classic Piecrust, frozen (page 1)

Pumpkin Filling

1¼ cups canned pumpkin

1 cup half-and-half

½ cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon orange zest

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin filling ingredients until well mixed. Set aside.

Apple Filling

3 medium Cortland or Ida Red apples, peeled, thinly sliced, and diced

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon lemon juice

¹/₈ teaspoon salt

½ cup Homemade Caramel Sauce (see recipe on page 7)

Garnish—Optional

Sweetie-licious Whipped Cream (see recipe on page 8)

Dried apples

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Freshly grated nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium saucepan, cook all of the apple filling ingredients except the Caramel Sauce on medium heat until the apples are almost cooked through. Add the Caramel Sauce and stir until melted. Remove from the stove.
3. Pour the apple filling into the bottom of a frozen piecrust. Cover with the pumpkin filling.
4. Bake for 45–60 minutes or until the middle of the pie quivers.
5. Garnish to taste with Whipped Cream, dried apples, and more Caramel Sauce, dusting with grated nutmeg.

Always use tart apples to counter the sweetness of the natural and added sugar in pies. Use firm apples to ensure that they don’t break down like applesauce during the baking process! I personally use Michigan apples; Cortlands, Ida Reds, and Northern Spies are favorites. Granny Smiths work well too.

Hill Sisters’ Creamy Chicken Pie

Eat pie, find the things that stir your soul!

Grandma Ferrell came from a family of sixteen children. She grew up in southern West Virginia in a mountain holler called Big Ugly. Her mother, my great-grandmother Hill, was a wonderful cook from necessity and passion! She taught all nine of her daughters how to bake delicious pies and cobblers, and how to cook an old rooster into a tender pot of chicken dumplings. My grandma and her sisters were quite passionate and competitive when it came to their cooking and were known to get in heated arguments regarding who made the best blackberry cobbler or chicken pie—even to the point of not speaking for months based on things that were said of one another’s culinary masterpieces. I have eaten simply remarkable dinners at all their kitchen tables, and can attest they all have the magical touch. They were all wonderful hosts, passionate about how food tasted and its presentation, and they loved to make folks happy with their talents. This adaptation of my grandmother’s chicken pie recipe is in honor of them all.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

—Eleanor Roosevelt

Recommended: Sweetie-licious Cream Cheese Crust (page 2)

Filling

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 boneless chicken breasts, roughly cut and cooked

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 baby red potatoes, diced

2 teaspoons garlic salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

¼ cup minced fresh thyme

½ cup white wine

2¼ cups chicken stock (not broth)

¾ cup half-and-half

1 cup frozen peas and carrots, partially cooked

1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the chicken, onion, potatoes, and garlic salt; cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
3. Stir in the flour, pepper, poultry seasoning, and thyme. Pour in the wine.
4. Add the chicken stock and half-and-half; cook until the mixture thickens. Add the peas and carrots.
5. Pour the mixture into a deep-dish 9- or 10-inch pie pan. Place a crust on top of the chicken mixture and crimp it into the sides of the dish. Brush with egg wash and cut three slits in the top crust to release steam.
6. Bake for 30–40 minutes or until lightly browned.

Buy pre-grated cheese, rotisserie chicken, and even pre-washed and sliced fruit and vegetables to make sweet and savory pies easier to make for speedy, yummy dinners!