Easter & Blueberry Banana Cream Pie

Easter means Pie.  I am looking for a delicious Easter Pie to feature on this blog.  I won't be making it until after Easter so that there is plenty of Ricotta available for this special time of year. (If you don't know what I am talking about stay tuned.) Please submit your recipes by comment or email to sabrinapea@gmail.com.  Thanks and Happy Easter!

The following is not a goat cheese recipe, but it is a Pie Recipe!

Ingredients (4 four inch pies):

Crust

1 1/4 C Flour 

1/2 t Salt

1 T Sugar

1/4 C Ice water

1 Stick of unsalted butter, cut into about 8 or 10 pieces. (Keep the butter refrigerated)

Cream

1 C whipping cream

8 oz cream cheese, soft

1/2 t Vanilla extract

1/3 C Sugar

Additional

1-2 Bananas

2 C Blueberries

Directions:

Mix together dry ingredients. Add in butter, and mix well. Slowly add in ice water. The crust should mold together if you press on it.  Put it in a ball, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease the pans.

Roll out dough until it is about 3mm thick (lets be honest, I just rolled it out so it was thin enough) and then cut out 5 inch circles and mold it into the pie tins. 

You might need to trim the excess dough coming out of the tins. Just do what makes sense, and what looks good.

You might also consider putting pie weights down, since you are baking these pies just for the crust.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden. 

Mix whipping cream with a whisk until firm peaks are formed. Remove from bowl, and put cream in fridge.

Whisk cream cheese in the same bowl until light and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla. Keep mixing until smooth. 

Fold in whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. 

Cut Bananas and line at the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Add cream on top, making sure it is smooth. Put lots and lots of blueberries on top (you should probably put as many as you can on there). 

Let set in refrigerator for an hour, mine were in there a lot longer and were not soggy in the least bit. 

Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Camilia Lund

Stuffed Shells with Sausage & Mushrooms

These stuffed shells are a great twist from the traditional.  It will satisfy your tummy and your tongue.  Serve with a loaf of garlic bread and a tossed green salad.                      
Serves 6-8

                                                           
Ingredients:                                                            

1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells                    1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter                                      1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
8 ounces mushrooms, stems discarded                12 ounces Italian sausage (sweet or hot),  
     and caps diced                                                          preferably without casing.
15 ounces (give or take) fresh ricotta cheese         1 (9-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed,
2 eggs, lightly beaten                                           or 6 cups loosely packed fresh spinach (opt)
1 teaspoon garlic powder                                    1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella sheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon onion powder                                 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesean cheese, divided
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves                                  or shredded hard goat cheese
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves                              1 (26-28 ounce) jar marinara sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta shells al dente according to package instructions.
3. Heat a medium skillet to medium heat.  Melt butter and add mushrooms.  Saute 3-4 minutes until mushrooms are golden brown.  Place ricotta in a large mixing bowl.  Add eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.  when mushrooms are cooked, add to ricotta mixture and return empty skillet to stove top.
4. Cook sausage in skillet (If cased, squeeze out).  Break up with a spatula while cooking until browned and crumbly.  Add sausage to ricotta mixture.
5. If using thawed spinach, squeeze out extra moisture from spinach and roughly chop.  If using fresh spinach, roughly chop.  Add spinach to ricotta-meat mixture and fold together.  Ad 2 cups mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan to mixture. Hint- Some kids may be picky of funny greens in their pasta, disguise it by adding the spinach to the marinara sauce instead and then pureeing it.
6. Spread marinara sauce evenly on bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan.  Fill each pasta shell with 2 rounded tablespoons of filling and nestle snugly in the pan on top of the sauce.  You should be able to fill and fit in about 24-26 shells.  Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheeses.  Cover with foil and bake 50-60 minutes or until bubbly all over.  Remove foil about 10-15 minutes before end of baking time. 

Make-Ahead & Freezer Instructions: to prepare ahead of time, cover pan tightly in plastic and then in foil.  Refrigerate 1-2 days and then bake as directed (making sure to remove plastic layer underneath foil), or freeze up to two months.  Thaw frozen dish in refrigerator overnight and then bake as directed, or bake from frozen, covered in foil (remove plastic wrap), about two hours or until heated and bubbly throughout.  Cooking times vary from frozen so check periodically during cooking.