Chocolate Almond Butter Pie

This pie is so sweet, creamy, and delicious. It's lusciously smooth with a crumbly chocolate crust. You can easily swap this for peanut butter, it follows the same recipe as a classic peanut butter pie but I can't eat peanuts and as a result my family has grown to love almond butter too. It's amazing. This has a chocolate crust and a layer of chocolate ganache underneath the almond butter filling. Heaven. We made this today to celebrate Pi Day. It was a quick and easy after school project and was chilled and ready to enjoy after dinner.

What you need:

1 1/2 cups of chocolate Graham Cracker crumbs or chocolate wafer cookies

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

1 cup of half and half

1 cup of Almond butter, the smoothest you can find. I like Barney butter.

8 oz block of cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

8 oz whipped topping like Cool Whip, thawed

First preheat the oven to 350° and then make your crumbs. I tend to eyeball it by adding a few sheets of crackers to my blender and then pulsing it into crumbs and adding a bit more as I go. I find the blender is easy to use because it has measurements on the side. Once I have enough crumbs I add the melted butter and blend for about 5 seconds and it's well mixed. Then slowly spread the mixture out evenly in a pie dish and gently push up the sides until the whole surface area is covered. Bake for 5-6 minutes then remove to cool.

Next make the ganache. Add 1 cup of dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60%) to a microwave safe dish and microwave in 30 second intervals and stir until it's smooth. Quit heating when there are still a few small lumps of chocolate and then stir until smooth. You don't want to overcook the chocolate. When the chocolate is smooth stir in the half and half with a fork or a whisk. It will take a minute or two to come together, be patient. All of a sudden it will start to thicken and be glossy and beautiful. Pour the ganache evenly over the pie crust.

Lastly, add the almond butter and cream cheese to a mixing bowl. You can use a handheld or a stand mixer. If using a stand mixer use the paddle attachment for easier cleaning. Mix until well combined then add the powdered sugar slowly until well combined. Lastly, stir in the whipped topping until smooth. Pour the almond butter mixture carefully on top of the ganache. If you have extra chocolate chips you can give them a rough chop and scatter on top.

In the past I have crushed up various cookies (Tate's chocolate chip and Walkers shortbread both made excellent topping) and sprinkled on top to make it extra amazing. Use what you've got on hand and be creative! Everyone will love this pie. Yum!

Pesto Turkey Meatballs

I know, I know....I say it all the time but this recipe is truly so easy and really really good. Turkey anything is usually associated with dry and bland but these are neither! The olive oil in the pesto keeps the meatballs moist and using dark meat ground turkey adds just enough fat. With only a few ingredients these come together quickly. Fresh pesto would be awesome but seeing as its winter I went with the jarred stuff from the grocery store. Just make sure you like the taste of the pesto, buying good quality makes a difference here. If you like the pesto, you will like the meatballs. I served these on top of angel hair pasta with a dollop of ricotta cheese, a dollop of pesto, and some arugula swirled together (a pinch of salt and pepper too). This was a really rich and filling meal that is actually quite light.

What you need:

1 lb ground dark meat turkey

1 egg

3 tbsp good quality pesto

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/3 cup bread crumbs or cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients together gently and form into balls approx 1.5 inches

Bake at 350° for approx 20-25 minutes or until thermometer inserted in a meatball on middle of pan reaches 160...will finish cooking while resting, should finish at 165. I like to drizzle a little extra olive oil/pesto on top at the end to make them prettier. These reheat amazingly for leftovers too!

Pimento Cheese

I think more than half of my happiest memories in life can be traced back to pimento cheese. From weekly coffee hour at my childhood church, to tailgates, country store runs with my barn buddies, horse races, bridal and baby showers, engagement parties, graduations…the list goes on and on. It’s perfect as a snack on crackers or celery, on a tea sandwich at a celebration, or for a quick lunch on the run. There are good store bought versions and I have tried a few recipes but I’ve finally settled on this one. I‘ve taken inspiration from many other recipes I’ve tried over the years and this one has the perfect consistency. The pickles and mustard add a little interest and sweetness and Cholula hot sauce adds just a tough of spice. I love it.

What you need:

1/2 cup room temp cream cheese (can be microwaved for 30 seconds)

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup diced pimentos

1/4 cup diced bread and butter pickles (more or less to taste)

2 tsp whole grain mustard

A pinch of salt and pepper

A few dashes of hot sauce

12 oz sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated(1.5 standard blocks of cheese)

My go to brands are Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, Dukes Mayo, and Cholula hot sauce. Please do not use pre-shredded cheese, it won’t be as good!

In a large mixing bowl combine everything but the grated cheddar. Stir it well to combine and then slowly add the grated cheddar stirring and adding as you go. If you add all at once it will not mix evenly. Serve as you like : ) Will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.