Mini Mason Jar Cranberry Pies

Mason jar pies are all the rage apparently. They are cute little individual servings and they have so many possibilities.
* They make amazing Christmas gifts. I am in a quandary over what flavor pie to make as gifts.
* Perfect Hostess gifts
* You can assemble the pie in the jars, put a lid on them and put them in the freezer until you are ready to bake or give away. You just take them out of the freezer and put in the oven. Simple!
* They make perfect single serving snacks or desserts that can be easily transported.
*They are as fun as cupcakes, especially if you make cute decorative lids.
Yep! this is my new pie obsession. As if I didn't have pie obsession issues already.

I also love cranberries and wanted to try this sweet and tart cranberry pie -- which is amazing deliciousness by the way. You are going to love it. The pecan crumb topping is fantastic and the filling is perfect. I added a good bit of sugar to mine but you could reduce the sugar if you really want. I like it just the way it is.

You can halve this recipe
2 pie crusts -- make 10 mason jar pies Bulk Pie Recipe
1 Bag Fresh Cranberries
1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
1/4 Cup flour

Streusel Topping
1/2 Cup chopped pecans
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup flour
1 tsp shortening

Directions:
Chop cranberries ( I used a food processor) and add sugar and flour. Mix together.
Create Streusel by mixing finely chopped pecans with brown sugar and flour. Cut in shortening with a fork.

Roll out pie crusts and cut appx a four inch circle. Press crust into ungreased the short squatty half mason jars. There is no art to this. You can piece it together and patch it. I press my crust within about 1/4 inch of the top.

Fill pie crusts with filling and add about a TB of streusel to each pie.

To Freeze: Cover with lid and ring and freeze until ready to use. Can be removed from the freezer and cooked in the oven at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until the crust looks done.

To Bake: Place pies (without lids) onto cookie sheet. (They will ooze.) Bake at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes.

Uses for Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Nobody in my husband's family likes cranberry sauce. So, it is usually just me and my daughters eating it at Thanksgiving dinner. But I don't care. I make lots of it anyway because I know that I am going to be eating the leftovers all week. And I have lots of delicious uses for leftover cranberry sauce.

Here are three of my favorites:

Cranberry pomegranate tarts.

Crust

1/2 Cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 Cup cream cheese, softened

1 Cup all-purpose flour

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour; and beat until a soft dough forms. Form into a ball and chill in plastic wrap for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 425.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place a ball into mini muffin or tart pan. Dip a spoon or tart shaper into flour; press into dough to form tart shells.

Filling

cranberry sauce

pomegranate arils

canned peaches or fresh peach slices

Fill tarts with a spoonful of cranberry sauce. Top with pomegranates and a peach slice.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, carefully remove tart shells from pan.

Stir it into your oatmeal for a warm tangy breakfast treat on a cold morning.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

OK I don't really know what the breakfast of champions is. But this breakfast makes me feel uber-healthy.

Plain yogurt for a little digestive health

a handful of uncooked oatmeal for cholesterol and heart health

and cranberry sauce for antioxidants.

A dash of cinnamon for blood sugar control.
Yep it is good stuff.

What is your favorite way to eat leftover cranberry sauce?

Cranberry Carrot Muffins

I watch the produce shelves, waiting for the day the cranberries will appear. Because it's virtually impossible to track down these seasonal gems the rest of the year I feel obligated to start using them the moment they make an appearance. So they are here and oh the plans I have. I got a special little sample package today from POM Wonderful full of pomegranate juice. I can promise you that the POM and the cranberries are going to get together soon but for now I whipped up some moist carrot muffins with sweet flavors of pineapple and tangy bursts of cranberry. I am afraid I can't tell you how many I ate by myself. What I can tell you is that I stayed true to the purpose of this blog and I experimented with one of my food storage items. I exchanged the shredded carrot for the dehydrated carrot pieces that have been waiting to be used. I am on a mission to learn how to use dehydrated carrots. These carrot muffins are a great pantry/food storage recipe. If you leave out the cranberries, the rest of the recipe comes straight from the pantry shelves.

Recipe adapted from recipe in Lunch Boxes and Snacks by Annabel Karmel

3/4 Cup flour

3/4 Cup wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup veggie oil

1/2 Cup sugar

1/4 of dehydrated carrots, re hydrated to 1/2 cup or 1 large carrot shredded

one 8 oz can of crushed pineapple, partially drained

3/4 Cup fresh cranberries or craisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line muffin tin

Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl beat oil, sugar and eggs until combined. Add carrot, pineapple and cranberries and mix. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Pour into muffin tins. Bake 25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to wire rack.

Pumpkin Super Foods

Photo by Basil Magazine

I have been waiting to share a couple of my favorite pumpkin recipes with you but I was waiting for them to come out with my article in Basil Magazine.

Check out the super-hero powers of pumpkins and cranberries and my recipes for Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse and Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. BASIL MAGAZINE