Easter Rice Pie

My life this year has been a few days behind.  For someone who prides themselves as being on top of things, this has been a bit of a strain for me. I think it is the new normal though as life with a baby is more complicated and fun then ever expected. Hence, it is almost a week after Easter and I am just now posting our Easter dessert. In fact, I made this dessert about 4 days after Easter. 

Living in southern Connecticut means there are Italians everywhere. Every other shop is a pizza place.  We have several Italian bakeries within a 10 minute radius of hour house. Thus I am continually inundated with  Italian foods and pastries.  Oh the smells!  Whenever the holidays roll around there are extra special treats advertised.  

So this year along with the Italian Easter bread, I made some Easter rice pie.  I am pretty sure this is meant to be dessert but the pie itself isn't super sweet.  The more I read and talked to others I got the feeling that this pie sits on the dinner table itself.  Side dish perhaps?

The pie came out with two distinct layers. A rice pudding on the bottom and a custard layer on top.  The best of both worlds for most.  It was fun to try something new this year even if a bit tardy. 

Easter Rice Pie

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: bake dessert rice Easter pie

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Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 1/3 c cooked rice, cooled/room temperature
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2/3 c ricotta cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 pint half and half
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice, fresh
• 2 dashes cinnamon
• 1 9-10" pie crust (homemade or Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9.5"-10" deep dish pie dish with dough.

Beat together sugar and ricotta.

Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated. And then add half and half, vanilla, lemon juice, and 1 dash of cinnamon. Mix well.

Stir in rice.

Pour filling into crust and sprinkle lightly a dash of cinnamon on top.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 50 minutes. The pie will be lightly browned on top and may be very slightly jiggly toward center (will set up when cool).

Let cool completely before slicing. Serve chilled or room temperature.

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Easter Bread

Happy Easter! I remember a year ago Mr. J and I were still trying to figure out life with Miss O.  We didn't do a thing for Easter except cuddly up and stay close to one another.  Not a bad thing.

This year though I full of ideas on how we can develop our own Easter traditions with our little one.  I have a basket ready. We will have a mini egg hunt in the back year.  Brunch.  

Most of our plans stem from my own memories growing up with Easter.  However I want to add a few new ones as well.  I am sure they will develop over time as we learn and Miss O grows.  This year our "new" Easter tradition is Easter bread.  A sweetened dough, braided and topped sprinkles, sugar, and a dyed egg. The egg was a bit much for me this year but we did have fun with sprinkles. 

Easter Bread

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 20 minutes plus rise time

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: bake bread Easter

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Ingredients (6 loaves)

• 1 package Instant yeast, about 2-1/4 teaspoons
• 1.25 cups milk
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
• 6 dyed Easter eggs
• sprinkles

Instructions

*I chose not to use dyed eggs for my bread. If using, have dyed egg ready before you start the bread process. The Easter eggs do not need to be hard boiled. They cook when the bread bakes, just dye the eggs uncooked, without hard boiling them. Be careful they don't crack!

In microwave safe measuring cup, warm the milk until just warm. Combine with the melted butter.

In a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, salt, eggs and sugar. Add the warm (not hot - it will kill the yeast) milk and butter.

Add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook. Slowly add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Don't worry about how much flour it ends up being, just keep adding until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading until smooth.

Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

Punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 14 inches long and, taking two pieces, twist to form a "braid", pinching the ends, and loop into a circle.

Place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpats. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour again. Brush each bread with the remaining beaten egg wash.

Put on the sprinkles or sugar. If using eggs place one in the middle of each bread ring, making an indentation with the egg.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden - about 20 minutes. Cool on rack.

Although the eggs are edible, they are really just for decoration. Only eat eggs shortly after baking, otherwise they need to be refrigerated if you plan on eating them later. Do not eat eggs if they sit out for a long period of time.

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Italian Sweet Rolls ‪#‎thebookclubcookbookCC

Are you ready for Easter?  I think I will be but right now I am no where close.  My post today doesn't have anything to do with Easter but it did help me with my Easter planning.

I am super excited for today's post. March was my hosting month for  #‎thebookclubcookbookCC.  You can read my invite post here. I choose A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith for the March book.

As you know, I and several other bloggers are cooking and  baking our way through The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp.  Each month the host picks a novel and recipe from the book.  You can read the novel or not and to join you make a recipe, either from the cookbook, or your own inspired recipe. 

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is all about Francis Nolan, her life growing up in Brooklyn at the turn of the century.  I picked this book somewhat ignorantly.  It's classic, at times controversial, but read widely in schools.  I had no idea and had never read it on my own or in school.  Luckily though I fell in love with the story and Francie.  The book was somewhat long and I was a afraid with my busy baby life I wouldn't have enough time finish within the month.  The book drew me in though as Francis grows up and explains the world around her.  There are so many details.  Too many to share. All I can say is I would highly recommend this novel. 

As for the food there are so many special and not so special moments that incorporate food. The Nolans were not rich and struggled to have enough food.  They were creative with the meals they did have, and dreamed out foods they didn't.  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a Food rich book.  A special treat for Francis and her brother were sweet rolls. Although just a few pennies at the time it was still a stretch to buy, normally they waited for day old rolls to save a bit more. Sweet rolls were the destination of after work courting trip.

These rolls came about as I was looking for some roll recipes for our Easter meal.  The dough is rich from sugar and egg but comes together very easily. The smell will fill your house as you bake them off.  I quickly ate three before they cooled and completely understood how Francie adored the rolls as an escape from her tough world.

Be sure to check out the other bloggers participating this month.

A Day in the Life on the Farm
Adventures in All Things Food
Cheese Curd In Paradise
Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Life on Food
Mostly Food and Crafts
The Pajama Chef
The Spiffy Cookie
Things I Make (for Dinner)
Tortillas and Honey
ZooeySuff

Italian Sweet Rolls

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 25 minutes, plus rise time

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: bake bread Easter

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Ingredients (24 Rolls)

• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• Pinch of salt (about 1/16 teaspoon)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon water

Instructions

Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Warm just until the butter is completely melted and remove from the heat. Let cool until just warm.

Combine the yeast, salt, eggs and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the warm milk and half of the flour. Knead with the dough hook until combined. Add more flour gradually until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the mixer. Knead the dough about 3-5 minutes longer, or until completely smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn it over once to coat the top. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place, about 1 hour.

Gently deflate the dough with your hand. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and pat it down slightly so that the dough has an even thickness. Cut the dough into 24 even pieces. Roll each piece to form a ball. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and let rise again for 1 hour, or until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the egg and 1 teaspoon water in a small condiment cup. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the loaves with the mixture.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and fragrant. Let cool until warm.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with a glaze if desired.

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Giveaway

As this month's host, I, am giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from March 1st till March 31st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Buttermilk Chess Pie

I just realized that Easter is coming right up at the end of the month.  I could be totally cliche and say that time is flying by. I won't. But it is.

Also in March we can celebrate Pi Day. March 14th or 3/14 is quickly approaching too.

I don't do pie too often.  Give me a cookie or cake any day. Pie I can decline and not regret the decision for the rest of the night. 

Mr. J however loves pie.  Mainly apple. He is also a fan of custards.  I am much more fond of custards than apple. Plus I am always up for a new recipe.  I was eyeing Chess pies for a while. Hearing and seeing that they were wonderful, but never trying them myself.  Well due to Easter and to honor Pi Day I decided it was time to make some pie.  

I went with a classic buttermilk version; however, there is also a chocolate version or you can make the classic with regular milk.  There are staunch supports of each on the web.

As for pies I quite enjoyed this one.  Be sure to have your sweet tooth ready because this pie is definitely sweet. Buttery and gooey too. 

I put this pie together in about 10 minutes. Just in the nick of time before Olivia decide she wasn't going to have her nap for the day.  

I enjoyed it warm but Mr. J preferred the chilled version the next day. Either way it was a good choice for my occasional pie making days. 

Buttermilk Chess Pie

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minues

Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert Easter pie

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Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 unbaked pie crust

Instructions

Heat oven to 350. Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add eggs and buttermilk, stirring until blended. Stir in melted butter and vanilla.

Pour into unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until set.

Cool on a wire rack at least an hour before serving. Store leftovers, well-wrapped in refrigerator.

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Hash Brown Sausage Egg Bake Casserole

A hearty casserole of potato, sausage, egg, and cheese. Sure to make everyone's morning a bit more delicious.

I am here today with another casserole.  Sorry I couldn't have given you a heads up yesterday. Mondays are hectic for us. And this casserole is going to save us from making breakfast a big to do this morning.    

Although this casserole is a cinch to put together it does time a while to cook.  I recommend enjoying a piece of this casserole on the weekend for a leisurely brunch and then taking advantage of the leftovers during the week. Of course you could make this as a crowd pleaser for Easter. We might be doing just that ourselves. 

You can make mix all of the ingredients together the night before or wait till morning. Either way the longest part is cooking the sausage. We enjoy a good breakfast and this Hash Brown Sausage Egg Bake Casserole does not disappoint. I stopped myself from eating more purely to have some left for Monday. 

Not a sausage fan? Don't forget about bacon. You can easily switch out the sausage for some bacon. 

Hash Brown Sausage Egg Bake Casserole

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast egg sausage potatoes

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Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 package (30 ounces) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• Paprika

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, sausage, 1/2 cup cheese and salt. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In another large bowl, beat eggs and milk until blended; pour over hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

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Coconut Cream Pie

Say hello to our Easter pie. It came a few weeks late but we were still happy to dig right in.  After the success of the banana cream pie I wanted to make a coconut version. I <3 coconut.="" font="" nbsp="">

We had a rough week the last few days as Miss Olivia came down with a cold.  Sick babies are the most awful thing ever.  You want to help them so much but you cannot make it go away. I know this feeling won't get easier as she grows but oh my. I am not sure if my heart can take it.  

We had stuffy nose galore and both mommy and daddy spent the night staring at her to see if she was still breathing.   I now only refer to myself in the third person as mommy. Mr. J is officially daddy.  Is this going to continue till she is in college? Not that I mind too much.

Any how this pie got us through. Lots of pie.  I might have single-handily eaten 3/4 of the pie. 

I think the cure for parents during times of sickness is pie.  The grab a big spoon and throw it in a bowl kind of serving.

For all others this pie is still good. Add it to the list for Easter next year but you will want to make it sooner. 

Coconut Cream Pie

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert coconut pie

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Ingredients (serves 6-8)

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 1/2 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

For the Coconut Filling:

• 5.1 ounce box instant vanilla or coconut pudding
• 15 ounce can cream of coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup toasted coconut

Instructions

For the graham cracker crust:

In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well.

Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.

Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack before filling.

For the pie:

Spread the coconut out onto a baking sheet. Toast for 3-5 minutes, until just golden. Then remove and cool. The coconut cooks extreme fast in a matter of seconds it will go from white to burnt black.

Place the instant pudding mix in a medium bowl. Add the cream of coconut and milk. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream with 1 tsp vanilla and 3 Tbsp sugar. Be sure the cream is whipped till stiff peaks. Transfer to another bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Slowly, beat in the pudding mixture. Add a little at a time and scrape the bowl regularly, to ensure there are no clumps.

Finally fold in half the whipped cream. Carefully mix until smooth.

Scoop the filling into the cooled pie crust. Top with the remaining whipped cream and sprinkle generously with toasted coconut. Chill for at least 4 hour or overnight.

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Coconut Carrot Cake Bread

I spoke too soon about things going well on the home front. Baby and I had quite a day.  

5 outfit changes before noon

a walk that ended in a rain storm

the precious bear chair got major spit up

no morning nap

we (or I) am counting down the hours till Daddy comes home.

This bread is no substitution for the major chocolate fix I am craving right now but it is pretty darn fantastic.  It also is fitting for this weekend's holiday feasts.  It is cake with no frosting. Of course you can totally frost it.  I left it frosting free and called it breakfast. Whatever floats your boat. 

This bread has carrots (a veggie serving), coconut and applesauce. It is basically a health food. It is also super moist.  No dry cake...rrr...bread here. One big slice leaves you totally satisfied.  Of course a big smear of butter is pretty good on top too. 

Coconut Carrot Cake Bread

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: bake dessert bread coconut carrot Easter

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Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups packed freshly grated carrots
• 1 cup packed shredded, sweetened coconut

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, put the butter and sugar and mix on medium until it is combined and somewhat smooth.

Turn mixer to low and add in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Then add the applesauce and coconut milk and continue mixing until incorporated.

Add in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined, and then add in the carrots and coconut. Stir just until the batter comes together and the carrots are evenly dispersed.

Spoon the batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until the cake is no longer jiggly in the center. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Remove from the pan and let cool completely before serving.

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Scalloped Potatoes

Super cheesy scalloped potatoes

I am not a potato lover per se but every once in a while nothing sounds better. Normally this happens when said potatoes are jazzed up with extra seasonings or cheese. For Easter I got to craving scalloped potatoes after seeing tons and tons of Pinterest posts.

I couldn't help myself. When I suggested a cheesy version for Easter dinner Mr. J was in.  We always grew up with scalloped potatoes but they were the box version. In fact when I first think of scalloped potatoes a picture of a red box pops into my head.

These are not those kind of potatoes.  These come together very quickly as soon as you take the time to slice the potatoes as thin as possible. Then you just layer the rich ingredients and like the potatoes do their thing in the oven.  30 old minutes later you have have a decadent dish of creamy, cheesy potatoes that melt in your mouth.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake side cheese potatoes

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Ingredients (serves 6)

For the potatoes:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a oven safe deep saute pan, lightly oil bottom of pan and heat on medium. Add onions and cook until just soft and then add garlic. Cook for another minutes.

Combine heavy cream, garlic, thyme and nutmeg and add to pan for about 1-2 minutes until heated through.

In two or three batches, add a layer of potatoes to prepared baking dish in an overlapping pattern; season with salt and pepper. Use 1/3 of the cheddar and Gruyere cheese mixture to top each layer of potatoes. Repeat with remaining potato slices and cheese. Gently push down on the potatoes so they are almost completely covered with the cream.

Top with Parmesan cheese and additional salt and pepper to taste.

Bake potatoes until bubbly and the top begins to brown, 25-30 minutes, or until top becomes golden brown and crusted. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

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