Pudgie Pie "Recipes"

In my previous post, I mentioned that while we're boiling down the sap to make maple syrup we like to use the fire to make pudgie pies, too. My friend Carla asked me to share my pudgie pie recipe - which made me laugh, since we don't really use a recipe; we simply think, "Would this be good toasted between two pieces of bread?" and if the answer is yes, we try it!

What is a pudgie pie, you ask? It's also sometimes called a Hobo Pie, and it's basically a sandwich toasted over a campfire using a special iron (click here or see the link below). I recommend using the cast iron version rather than the aluminum kind (I don't use aluminum for food preparation in general, and I also feel that the cast iron heats more evenly).

To make a pudgie pie, you butter two pieces of bread and place them into the iron - butter side out, touching the cooker. Then you fill the sandwich with your filling of choice - either sweet or savory - close the cooker, and set it into your campfire to cook (a nice hot bed of coals works best). It's done when you say it's done - a light golden brown or almost black, everyone has their own personal preference, just like roasting a marshmallow or making toast. As long as your ingredients are pre-cooked, it doesn't really matter.

Our favorite savory pudgie pies are hot ham and cheese. Think paninis - it's basically the same idea. My husband likes to make his with turkey, cheese, avocado slices, and crushed garlic (he really likes his garlic!) Another favorite is Pizza Pudgies - pizza sauce and mozzarella, with your choice of fillings: pepperoni, mushroom, black olive, green pepper, etc.

But of course the best pudgie pies are the dessert pies. Growing up, we always had pudgies with canned pie filling (cherry is my favorite!) It wasn't until I was married that I tried other options, like PBJ (if you haven't had melted peanut butter and jelly, you haven't lived!), peanut butter and chocolate (think a melted peanut butter cup), or my all-time personal favorite: dark chocolate covered cherry.

The possibilities are endless, and kids love the chance to make their own special sandwich, just for them. When cooking with kids, however, be careful; the irons get very hot! It's helpful to have a heat-proof table nearby to set your irons on when filling and emptying them (plastic folding tables are NOT good for this - mine now has a permanent pudgie pie iron mark melted into the top!)

To serve your pie, simply pull the handles apart so that the pie is on one side and the other is empty, then flip it out onto a plate. If you added enough butter at the beginning, it should fall out easily. This part can be tricky for kids with shorter arms, so it's best for adults to work with the hot irons after they've been taken out of the fire.

So as you can see, pudgie pies can be a super simple, family-friendly meal, or just a special treat around the campfire. They've always been a camping tradition in our family, and I have a feeling it's one my kids will be passing on to their children someday, too.

How about you? What are your favorite pudgie pie "recipes"?


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Echinacea Lemonade Popsicles

Summer colds are no fun - but popsicles are! Here's a fun way to give the kids' immune system a boost during warm weather.

Echinacea Lemonade Popsicles

3 cups of water
3 bags of echinacea tea
1/2 cup of honey
3/4 cup lemon juice
Steep tea according to directions; discard (compost!) tea bags. Stir in honey and lemon juice. Pour into popsicle forms and freeze.

Tips:
Use echinacea elderberry tea if you have it, for extra immune-boosting power. Or alternately, use elderberry syrup instead of the honey (I like to use my homemade elderberry honey - elderberries harvested from my garden, and honey from my own bees - so I am completely sure of the quality of the ingredients).

Pumpkin Puffs

. . . because cream puffs are the best dessert ever, and because it's fall, so everything must be pumpkined!

I was reading through a fun book I saw at the library - The Year of Cozy by Adrianna Adarme - and found (among many other things I immediately bookmarked) a recipe for No-Bake Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. The author said she "fell in love with chiffon pies a few years ago; they're wonderfully light, and their texture is silky smooth." Maybe it's just me, but this description immediately cried, "Cream Puff!" in my mind. So I tried it. The original recipe calls for rum, which my kids didn't like, and beaten egg whites for its lightness. So I decided to try it again, after tweaking the recipe to our taste. First step: compare all of the pumpkin pie recipes I could find with all of the Boston cream pie filling recipes I had. So I pulled out my book of family recipes, my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, and, of course Joy of Cooking.

The latter was, as usual, the most helpful in "reinterpreting" a recipe - there I found that folding in whipped cream to the the cooled custard would give it the lightness I was looking for. I served them to my kids (and also to my husband, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and niece and nephews, who were visiting that day - a good excuse, I thought, to try out an extravagant new dessert. Thankfully, they're used to being experimented upon (and when it comes to dessert, they don't seem to mind!) Plus, Debbie brought a back-up dessert of leftover apple crisp, so even if it flopped, we were covered). The verdict: an unqualified success (Debbie even asked for the recipe - and took all of the apple crisp back home).
So Debbie (and everyone else who shares my love of all things pumpkin and all things cream puff) here you go:

Pumpkin Puffs
Puff pastry:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat water and butter to boiling in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour all at once, stirring until mixture forms into a ball and leaves sides of pan (about 1 minute - I like to use my Kitchen Aid hand blender for this). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. When all of the eggs have been added, drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until puffy and dry. Cool, then cut off tops and scoop out any soft dough remaining inside.

Filling: 
3 Tbsp water
2 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup maple syrup (honey or sugar work fine, too)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp maple syrup (honey or sugar work fine, too)
In a small bowl, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the water and let rest. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, mix the pumpkin, heavy cream, maple syrup, eggs, salt, and spices.  Cook until mixture begins to thicken. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the rum and gelatin. Refrigerate. 
Whip the cream and maple syrup. Beat chilled custard to soften; fold in whipped cream. Spoon into prepared puff pastry.  
 

Chilled custard

Blended custard

Folding in the whipped cream

Ready to spoon into the puffs

Chocolate Sauce:
1/3 cup maple syrup (honey or powdered sugar would also work)
1/2 cup butter (coconut oil is fine, too)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
dash salt
Mix together in a double boiler until melted and smooth.

 Drizzle over pastry top.

 Devour!


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Pumpkin Pancakes

After all of the traveling we did over the holidays (we were only home one of the last six weekends - the rest were spent visiting family and friends), it feels good to enjoy a relaxing Saturday at home. After doing chores, we came in and made a big double batch of these light and fluffy pancakes, and topped them each with a dollop of honey butter. Perfect!

Pumpkin Pancakes
2 cups flour (I like to use sprouted whole wheat, but white works fine, too)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk (or buttermilk - I even used (unsalted) whey this morning, and they turned out wonderfully!)
3 Tbsp honey (or sweetener of choice)
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin or squash
Stir together wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients and mix until slightly lumpy. Fry as you would any other pancake. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

One last pumpkin recipe before Thanksgiving . . . and this is a good one!

Brownie Batter:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup maple syrup (or sugar, or sweetener of choice)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup flour (sprouted flour works great in this, but white flour is fine, too)
Pour half of this batter into an 8x8 pan. Then, in a separate bowl (or blender), mix:

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
3 Tbsp sugar (or sweetener of choice)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Layer the pumpkin mixture over the brownies, and top with the remaining brownie batter. Run a knife through the layers to swirl them together. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. Store covered in a refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast Bake

As it is the time of year for all things pumpkin, I decided to try combining two of our fall favorites into one pan of warm, yummy comfort food.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast Bake
Line a 9x13 pan with crumbled bread (dry or fresh is fine)
Mix together:
3 cups pureed cooked pumpkin (or squash)
1 cup milk
1 cup maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
6 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
Pour over bread and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

This post is part of Thank Goodness It's Monday at Nourishing Joy.

Fudgy Maple Syrup Brownies

This has become my go-to dessert recipe; my husband asks for it all the time (and my brother- and sister-in-law always request it when we visit them on Friday nights (with homemade ice cream on the side, of course!)
And of course I always oblige, because they're so easy to make!
 

Fudgy Maple Syrup Brownies

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa

2 eggs

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Mix all together, pour into 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Whipped Cream

I made this as the frosting on my husband's birthday cake today - yum! And so easy!

Chocolate Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
Mix cream and cocoa powder well, then whip until soft peaks form. Slowly drizzle in the maple syrup and continue to whip until stiff.

Raw Egg Nog

I was so excited to find this recipe - it's so much easier to make than my old recipe (which needed to be cooked carefully and strained to get out any clumps in the cooked eggs - plus I hated to cook my good, raw milk!) This one just needs to be mixed together (use your blender for a regular batch, or a stick blender for a double batch), and it's ready! We had this for breakfast Christmas morning with our cinnamon rolls. YUM!

(If you're not into raw eggs, you can cook this in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to thicken.)

Raw Egg Nog  

(you can make this with pasteurized milk and cream if you don't have access to quality raw milk)

2 cups raw cream

2 cups raw milk

3 fresh organic pastured eggs (or more, if desired) (only use raw eggs if you're confident of your source!)

1/3 cup raw honey*

1 tsp vanilla extract

rum to taste

Mix all in a blender and enjoy!

*Update: Instead of using raw honey and vanilla, you can make this with maple syrup instead. I like it even better this way!

(Did you know maple syrup naturally has vanillin in it? So you don't need to add extra vanilla extract in recipes that include maple syrup. There's your fun fact of the day!) 😉

Sourdough Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Honey Butter Filling and Cream Cheese Honey Frosting

Wow, that's a long title! These are a little putzy to make, but so worth it. We made these for breakfast Christmas morning (with homemade raw eggnog on the side - yum!)

Sourdough Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
with Pumpkin Spice Honey Butter Filling
and Cream Cheese Honey Frosting 
(makes 12)

Sponge (must rise overnight):

1/2 cup starter, at room temperature

3/4 cup warm water

2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour

1/2 cup plain mashed potatoes (or pureed pumpkin works great, too!)

Mix these together in a large glass bowl, cover with cheesecloth, and let rise overnight, or until light and bubbly.

In the morning, stir down the sponge and add:

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil, lard, melted butter, or coconut oil

2 Tbsp honey

2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix all well (I start with a spoon and finish with my hands as it gets thick), and add more flour as needed to prevent stickiness. Dough should be soft and smooth yet pliable. Place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover and let rise until double in a warm place (about 2 hours). Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, about 21x16 inches and ¼ inch thick. 

Spread with filling:

1/3 cup butter, melted

½ cup honey

2 Tbsp cinnamon

Working carefully, roll the dough into a long tube (so that it stays 21 inches long). Cut the dough into 12 slices (dental floss works great for this – wrap it around the roll, then pull ends apart, and it will slice right through without squashing the dough). Place in a 9x13 glass pan, loosely covered, and let rise until double. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. 

While rolls bake, prepare icing:

8 oz softened cream cheese

1-2 Tbsp honey (more or less to taste)

1 tsp vanilla

Mix well and drizzle over rolls.

Pumpkin Spice Honey Butter

I came up with this recipe when I was attempting to make a sourdough pumpkin bread (I've been told that cinnamon doesn't react well with the sourdough starter, since it has slight antibacterial properties, and will mess up your wild yeasts. Not sure if that's true or not, but until I have time for more experimenting, I'll use this to top my toast). It is absolutely delicious (my kids were fighting over who got to lick the spoon I used to mix it up!) - perfect for any fall baked treat!

Pumpkin Spice Honey Butter
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla
1/8 tsp each cloves and salt
Mix all together well (it helps to soften the butter first) and it's ready!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

These aren't exactly healthy (except for the fact that they have a vegetable in them), but they're so soft and delicious I make them anyway (you know, for a special occasion . . . like when I finally get around to weeding my garden and find a bunch of volunteer squash . . .)

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter or coconut oil
1 cup sugar (I use sucanat)
1 egg
2 cups flour (whole wheat works fine - I like to use sprouted)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup grated zucchini (or carrots work, too)
1 cup chocolate chips (I use the Ghiradelli 60% cocoa chips - yum!)
Mix all together, drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Raisin (or Craisin) Bread

For a special treat, I'll serve this with breakfast (to rave reviews from the kiddos). Toasted and spread with some fresh butter, it sets a sweet tone for the rest of the day.

For the record, I always make this with dried cranberries (craisins) instead of raisins; I just like them better!

Whole Wheat Sourdough Raisin (Craisin) Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour (not sprouted! Read why not here)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup melted butter or lard
1/4 cup honey
2 cups sourdough starter
Mix until dough forms a ball (I use my trusty Kitchen Aid stand mixer). Add about a half cup of raisins and/or dried cranberries and mix until well incorporated. Place in your greased bread pan and let rise until doubled (about 4 hours). Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

I don't use cinnamon in this recipe because cinnamon is slightly anti-biotic, and inhibits the natural yeasts from making it rise properly.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday and Make Your Own! Monday.

Simple Substitute for Graham Cracker Crust

When I first started trying to cook from scratch, without any processed-food ingredients, I had a hard time with desserts. I would find a recipe that looked good (ooh, the cheesecakes!) but they all had a graham cracker crust! What to do?

Then I discovered this recipe, and a whole new world of baking opened up for me. It's NT-friendly, no-bake, and extremely easy to make!

Easy Nutty Crust
1 cup flour (sprouted whole wheat works great)
1 cup ground walnuts or pecans (I generally use NT-style crispy walnuts)
5 Tbsp butter (room temperature is fine)
Mix all together well and press into 9x13 pan. Top as desired.

See? So easy!



Pressed in the pan and ready for filling!

 Some of my favorite ways to use this (other than cheesecake, obviously!) is with Pumpkin Pie Bars and Poppy Seed Torte (I'm making myself hungry . . .)

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday.

Honey and Maple Syrup Chocolate Cake

I finally got around to trying this recipe this morning, and now I'm kicking myself for not making it sooner! This is the perfect answer to the Birthday Cake Dilemma. As a Real Food lover, I want to give my kids the healthiest food possible, but on birthdays everyone expects a Birthday Cake. Since birthday cakes generally mean buckets of sugar, this was a problem.
But now I have a solution to the Birthday Cake Dilemma (and just in time - my daughter's birthday is a week from tomorrow!) I don't have to cringe at the ingredients, and friends and family won't cringe at the taste or texture.

Real Food Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour (I used sprouted whole wheat and it worked fine)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use the "Ghiradelli 60% Cocao Bittersweet Chocolate" ones)

Mix together all ingredients, reserving chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday and Simple Lives Thursday.

Nutty Whole Wheat Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes (Or Waffles)

I know I said I'd be posting about books, but I just had to throw in this recipe. We made these this morning, and they were so yummy!

Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes (or Waffles)
Overnight Sponge:
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup sourdough starter
Mix all together, cover loosely, and let rest at room temperature overnight.

The next morning, add:
1/4 cup melted butter or lard
1 cup pureed pumpkin
2 eggs
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup ground walnuts or pecans (optional)

Fry like pancakes, or you can also prepare these in a waffle iron.

Honey Sweetened Fruit Pizza

It's tough to think of Christmas treats that aren't completely centered around sugar. We do make cookies, but definitely not as many as we used to. One of my favorite things to make for Christmas Eve is fruit pizza. Thankfully, I've found a lightly-sweetened version that lets the natural flavors of the fruit shine through. This recipe is actually a combination of two recipes, given to me by two of my sisters-in-law, one for the graham cracker crust and one for the cream cheese frosting.

Fruit Pizza
Crust:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup milk
Mix well, roll out on a cookie sheet to 1/4 inch thickness (this is easier if you cover the dough with a piece of wax paper). Remove the wax paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown.

Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
Mix well and spread evenly over cracker crust.

Top with fruit and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sourdough Stollen

Being of nearly 100% German descent, this recipe is a must-make for Christmas. I tweaked the original recipe to make it sourdough, but it tastes basically the same. We like to have it for breakfast (smothered in butter, of course!) as often as we can during the Christmas season.

Sourdough Stollen
3/4 cup dried fruit (candied lemon peel, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc.)
1/2 cup brandy or water
Soak together at least 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 cups sourdough starter
Add fruit and mix well. Shape into loaves,* then let rise at least 4 hours. Brush with egg wash (1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 tsp water) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

*For braided stollen, cut into two loaves. Cut each loaf into three equal sections. Roll each section into a short rope about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and about 9 inches long. Lay these three side by side, pinch together at one end, and gently braid, loosely, just a few crossings. Pinch together the end pieces and shape with hands to make a nice oval shape.

Healthy (er) Peanut Blossoms

Peanut blossoms are one of my favorite Christmas cookies, but I'm always frustrated by the fact that they're full of sugar, rolled in sugar, and then topped with sugar-laden chocolate. Thankfully, I found this recipe for peanut butter cookies that are made with honey and maple syrup. I skip the rolling in sugar step, top them with homemade chocolate pieces, and voila! Healthy (er) Peanut Blossoms!

Healthy (er) Peanut Blossoms
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I use Smuckers organic creamy)
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup*
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour (I use freshly ground whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
Mix all well, then shape into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and flatten with a fork (or top with a piece of Super Simple Healthy Fudge). Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.

*you can play with the sweeteners as you like - use all honey, or all syrup, or less of each.

This post is part of the Meet Up Monday Link Party.

Healthy (er) Homemade Chocolates

Now that the Christmas season is upon us, I thought it might be time to share some of my favorite holiday recipes. I actually make this one all year 'round, but I use it most often in holiday treats, so I thought I'd share it here.

Healthy (er) Homemade Chocolates
1/2 cup butter (or coconut oil - gives it a lovely coconutty flavor, like a Mounds bar)
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Melt oil and honey, stir in cocoa and salt. Mix very well. Turn off heat; add vanilla. Pour into parchment-lined loaf pan (or shaped silicone pan) and let cool in fridge or freezer. Cut into squares (or other fun shapes) and enjoy!

As I mentioned, I make this all the time, not just at Christmas. I store it in the freezer, and whenever I get a chocolate craving, I have a small piece of this fudge. It's so rich, I only need a little bit, and I don't need to feel guilty about having a treat!