Taste-bud Journey: Hot Caramel Chocolate Cake

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for a Hot Caramel Chocolate Cake as opposed to a Hot Fudge Cake. It was inspired by my memories of eating many a Hot Fudge Cake at Shoney's, back in the day, and wanting to create a different but equally delightful taste combo by using hot caramel sauce instead of hot fudge. I must admit that my taste buds did quite the 'happy dance.' LOL!

  

Recipe

• A piece of chocolate cake (See recipe link below.)
• Vanilla ice cream (See recipe link below.)
• Hot caramel sauce (See recipe link below.)

Procedure

• Step 1: Place a piece of chocolate cake on a plate or in a bowl.


• Step 2: Cover cake with one to three scoops of vanilla ice cream.


• Step 3: Ladle hot caramel sauce over all of that. Eat and enjoy!

The blogs and links will open in a new window.

• Taste-bud Journey: Caramel Sauce made in Microwave


• Taste-bud Journey: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream using Dash Ice Cream Maker


• Taste-bud Journey: Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe could be Keto if you use the right Sugar

• Dash Mini Bundt Maker - Aqua from Target

Cake recipe source came from the following diet plan. I do not have the exact link. I am listing the website for this plan, in case you're curious. [FYI - It worked while I was on it for four months in fall of 2017, but I gained back the 40 pounds I lost, plus friends, since I went off of it. LOL! Personally, I enjoy my less-restrictive current diet rather than being limited to a maximum of 20 carbs a day. Now, I am just a foodie living my lifestyle change that no longer views carbs as my 'enemy.']

• The shepherd’s diet food list & diet plan by Kristina Wilds

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe could be Keto if you use the right Sugar

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for a Chocolate Bundt Cake baked in a DASH Bundt Cake Maker. 

If you use the correct sugar, this recipe could actual be a Keto recipe. The recipe originated from Kristina Wilds. I don't recall if I made any creative changes to the recipe. This is actually a cake that came from Kristina Wilds' Shepherd's Diet collection. That was a diet I experimented with back in the fall of 2017. I held on to the recipes I enjoyed the most during that time period. [FYI: In my opinion, this recipe is one of the few recipes that has almost just as nice of a texture made in the microwave as when it is baked using a DASH Bundt Maker. Aesthetically-speaking, I much prefer its appearance and final taste baked instead of microwaved.] 

Conclusion: Discerning taste buds will definitely be able to detect that almond and coconut flour were used instead of regular flour; however, the cake is quite delicious and moist. It is actually sweet enough on its own to not require icing. But since I had quite a bit of caramel sauce left that I had made the previous day, I decided to ice it with that. YUM! 

[FYI- I suppose, with the right kind of sugar used, the caramel sauce could probably be used on the Keto Diet, as well. But don't take my word for it. I am definitely not an expert on that diet by any stretch of the imagination. LOL!]

Keto Cake Recipe by Kristina Wilds from the Shepherds Diet - Makes 4 servings

• 1 large Egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp Erythritol Sugar [FYI - I used regular sugar as I no longer had the keto-sugar on hand.]
• 2 tsp coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• Top with caramel sauce [FYI - That is an optional, non-keto, addition.]

Procedure

• Step 1: Melt the butter in the microwave. Whisk butter into all other ingredients in a large measuring cup or a greased mug.

• Step 2: If you are making a mug cake, microwave for 90 seconds or until a toothpick comes out clean. If you are baking it in a DASH Bundt Cake Maker, bake for 8 minutes.

• Step 3: If desired, top with Caramel Sauce. I will link the easy recipe I used to make this sauce below. It takes less than 3 minutes to make and is a super yummy addition.

The blogs and links will open in a new window.

• Taste-bud Journey: Caramel Sauce made in Microwave


• Taste-bud Journey: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream using Dash Ice Cream Maker


• Dash Mini Bundt Maker - Aqua from Target

Cake recipe source came from the following diet plan. I do not have the exact link. I am listing the website for this plan, in case you're curious. [FYI - It worked while I was on it for four months in fall of 2017, but I gained back the 40 pounds I lost, plus friends, since I went off of it. LOL! Personally, I enjoy my less-restrictive current diet rather than being limited to a maximum of 20 carbs a day. Now, I am just a foodie living my lifestyle change that no longer views carbs as my 'enemy.']

• The shepherd’s diet food list by Kristina Wilds & diet plan

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Hot Caramel Sundae

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for making a Hot Caramel Sundae using homemade sauce and homemade ice cream. It was inspired by a wonderful recipe for caramel sauce made in the microwave that I found on Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking site. I blogged about that process. I will link both to my previous blog and Gemma's recipe below. I will also link to my blog about  how to make homemade vanilla ice cream using the DASH Ice Cream Maker.

Conclusion: I only gave myself a small serving of both ice cream and caramel sauce as I was only a little bit hungry but extremely curious to test the combo out. It was truly divine! LOL! I will most definitely repeat this particular combination of flavors again!

 

   

Recipe

• Bowl of ice cream
• Caramel Sauce

 

Procedure

• Step 1: Dish out a bowl of ice cream.


• Step 2: Top the ice cream with warm caramel sauce.


• Step 3: Eat, enjoy, and savor the aftertaste! Try not to lick the bowl at the end. LOL!

Here are my two blogs about how to make the caramel sauce and the ice cream. Both links will open in a new window.

• Taste-bud Journey: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream using Dash Ice Cream Maker


• Taste-bud Journey: Caramel Sauce made in Microwave

Gemma's recipe link will open in a new window. Microwave Salted Caramel Sauce by Gemma from Bigger Bolder Baking

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Caramel Sauce made in Microwave

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for making caramel sauce in the microwave. I found this yummy recipe on Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking site (linked below). It takes about three minutes or less to make, and it is truly yummy.

 

  

Recipe (FYI - This is a half recipe - feel free to double or triple amount)

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

 

Procedure

• Step 1: Load large measuring cup with butter, cream, and brown sugar. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Then microwave for 30 seconds more.


• Step 2: Add salt and vanilla. Whisk.

• Step 3: Taste to see if you need to add either more salt and/or more vanilla. (FYI - I felt no need to add anymore as the taste and texture was perfect for me.)


• Step 4: It is ready to dribble on ice cream or cake or whatever else you desire.


• Step 5: This should last 2 weeks in the refrigerator. To get it a bit more fluid after refrigeration, you can microwave for thirty seconds, stir, and then see if you are pleased with the results. If necessary, microwave it a few seconds more.

Gemma's recipe link will open in a new window. Microwave Salted Caramel Sauce by Gemma from Bigger Bolder Baking

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: My first attempt at making Pourable Pepperoni and Bell Pepper Pizza

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for my first attempt at making a Pourable Pizza topped with pepperoni and bell peppers. It was inspired by watching several of the Pourable Pizza videos on YouTube. I will include the link to the first one that I watched near the end of this blog. 

Conclusion: This was super easy to make. It tasted pretty good. Like the video chef linked below, there is something slightly lacking in the flavor of the crust. It beats some of the microwave pizzas I have eaten in the past. I love the fact that I have total control of the ingredients. I also love the fact that I don't have to knead the dough, flip it, or use yeast. I adore the fact that the edges of the pizza crust are so crispy. However, I will likely use baking powder the next time I make it simply to see if that makes any kind of a difference in the texture or flavor.

  

Recipe - This is half of the recipe to make a smaller pizza. Feel free to double it to make one that is full-size. My recipe makes two 5.5 inch pizzas.

For crust:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder [This is what I think I should have added and will in the future.]
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)

For toppings:

• As much meat toppings as you desire
• As much pizza sauce as you desire
• As much veggie toppings as you desire
• As much mozzarella cheese as you desire

Please note: The recipe does not call for baking powder. I did not use it in mine, but I intend to add this, from now on.

 

   

Procedure

• Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, mix together dry ingredients for the pourable pizza dough.

• Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Stir. This will be the consistency of a pancake batter.

• Step 3: Either use a cast iron pan or silicone molds, as I did. Butter the total inside surface of the pan you intend to use.


• Step 4: Pour the batter into the pan. Make certain that it has spread out to cover all the bottom surface of the pan. It will be between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch thick.

• Step 5: Add the meat distributed around the pizza dough.


• Step 6: Place this pan into the oven on the bottom rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and crispy-looking. [FYI - I think I should have taken my pan out at 17 minutes.]

• Step 7: Leave the oven on. Remove the pan from the oven. Add as much pizza sauce as you desire.

• Step 8: Add any veggies you desire. Then, cover the pizza with as much mozzarella cheese as you desire.

• Step 9: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned a bit. [FYI - I think I should have used the bottom rack as the crust almost got too well-done using the top rack.]


• Step 10: Turn off the oven. Remove the pan from the oven. Place the pizzas on a cooling rack.

• Step 11: Then, plate, slice, and serve.

This Amazon link will open in a new window.

• Palksky 3 Pcs 2-Cavity Round Silicone Rainbow Cake Mold, 5.5 Inch Large Circle Disc Resin Coaster Mold, Layered Cake Pan for Baking Vegetable Pancakes, Whoopie Pie, Mini Pizza, French Desserfrom Amazon

This video link will open in a new window.

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Cinnamon Walnut Mini Bundt Cake

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for making a Cinnamon Walnut Mini Bundt Cake. It was inspired by seeing a mug cake recipe by Beth from Budget Bytes; however, per usual, I adjusted the recipe to suit my particular taste-bud preferences. Additionally, she made her recipe using a mug and a microwave. I cooked my cake in my tiny DASH Bundt Cake Maker to give this its first trial-run.

Truth be told, I got a case of the 'munchies' at 2:00 in the morning. I did a quick web search for intriguing recipes. Then, about 20 minutes later, I had a small cake all ready to eat and enjoy. What fun!

Conclusion: It tasted like a moist cake-type donut. It lacked a cinnamon taste. I only added 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. I think I should have added an entire tablespoon. So, I have adjusted the recipe below. 

I ate half the Bundt cake, but ended up adding cinnamon sugar to it to compensate for the lack of cinnamon flavor in it. 

When I got hungry enough to eat the second half of this cake, I mostly followed Martha Stewart's recipe for making a brown sugar glaze to put on top of the cake. I don't think I made it just right as the texture was rather strange and the aftertaste was not great. I would not make this glaze again; however, I definitely would make the cake again, only with additional cinnamon.

(Both of those recipes are linked near the end of my blog.)

 

Recipe for the Bundt Cake

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp ground flax meal
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Martha Stewart's recipe for topping 

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup tightly-packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

My adjusted topping recipe since I only have half of a Bundt cake to cover. 

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Procedure for making the Bundt cake

• Step 1: Chop nuts. Set aside. Melt butter. Set aside.

• Step 2: Mix all dry ingredients together with exception of nuts. Stir.

• Step 3: Add wet ingredients. Stir.

• Step 4: Stir in walnuts. Then, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes while Bundt Maker is preheating, seasoned with cooking spray, and your ingredients have a chance to gel (due to the addition of the flax seed which acts like a binding egg).

• Step 5: Place batter into preheated DASH Bundt Maker. Set timer for 8 minutes.

• Step 6: Pull out finished cake and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

• Step 7: If desired, make the buttery-cinnamon swirl mixture to drizzle on top of the cake. Then, serve and enjoy!

Procedure for making the topping

• Step 8: Heat butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved. I think the butter should have been room temperature rather than straight out of the refrigerator.

• Step 9: Add cream, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil.  I think the cream should have been room temperature, as well.

• Step 10: Remove from heat. Dribble over the cake right away before it has a chance to crystalize.

In case you are interested, the link to the Target Bundt Maker will open in a new window. 

  Dash Mini Bundt Maker - Aqua from Target

The two recipe source links, that inspired me, will both open in a new window.

• Cinnamon Nut Swirl Mug Cake made by Beth from Budget Bytes


• Brown-Sugar Glaze by Martha Stewart

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Pasta Dish with Tuna, Veggies, and Special Sauce

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for a Pasta Dish with tuna, veggies, and a special sauce that is similar to Thousand Island Dressing. It was inspired by the desire to repurpose the leftovers of a tuna dish I had made a couple of days back. My other incentives were to prevent food-waste and to give my palette some varied tastes and textures.

Conclusion: The special sauce was the most distinctive flavor to this meal; however, I could definitely fully taste the pasta and the tuna. I was not able to detect the flavor of the bell peppers and broccoli that were part of the make-up of the tuna patties; however, my mind knew that this little bit of nourishment was there. Although this was not the most delicious meal I have ever eaten, it met all my criteria. All in all, I enjoyed the meal. I even have enough to get one more meal out of this effort. Plus, since I was using leftovers, both food prep and clean-up were a relative breeze.

FYI - By the way, my motive in blogging about my taste-bud journeys is more about having a pictorial repository of my cooking efforts that I can refer back to later than trying to represent myself as some kind of cooking expert. Instead, I like to think of myself more like a student scientifically experimenting with various food combinations to see what does and does not work. 

Some of my cooking efforts have ended up in the trash can. LOL! I have not blogged about those. But if there was any level of partial or full enjoyment of the results, then I have felt motivated to create a pictorial blog about the process.

My other goal is trying to replicate one of the things I loved most about cruising which was that I got to try a huge variety of different kinds of food dishes. Since I am a widow and sheltering in place by myself, I am indulging in this cooking and blogging hobby to spice up my life, so to speak. If it sparks your imagination or brings you any kind of pleasure, for me, that would truly be a WIN-WIN.

 

Recipe

• Three of four (or more) leftover or fresh tuna patties, of any type. [FYI - In my case, I had seven tuna patties remaining from the recipe I had made two days prior that had made 16 patties to begin with. In case you're interested, the recipe for my particular tuna patties is linked directly below this ingredients list.]
• 1 cup (or more) of pasta. [I used Garden Rotini.]
• Special Sauce ingredient #1: 1 to 2 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish
• Special Sauce ingredient #2: 2 to 3 tablespoons of ketchup
• Special Sauce ingredient #3: 4 to 5 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• Sufficient amount of water to cook the pasta in (that will be drained off after it is done cooking)
• Olive Oil or other cooking oil to great the electric grill or pot on the stove
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to salt the pasta water

Here is the blog describing how to make the tuna dish that was the primary feature of this particular meal. This link will open in a new window

• Taste-Bud Journey: Tuna Patties with a Red Cooking Wine Twist

In case you're interested, this is the link for the FASTA PASTA I purchased on Amazon. There is even a demonstration video you can watch if you click on that link. This link will open in a new window. 

Microwave Pasta Cooker - The Original Fasta Pasta (Red) - No Mess, Sticking or Waiting for Boil - Container, Lid & Strainer All In One

Procedure

• Step 1: Using an electric grill or large pot on a stove, add a liberal amount of olive oil (or other cooking oil of your choice) to grease the grill or pot.

• Step 2: Add the tuna patties into the pot and use a utensil that can help mash the patty. I used a silicone ground meat masher.

• Step 3: In the meantime, either boil pasta on the stove in salted water or use a FASTA PASTA and cook the pasta in the microwave. I only microwaved mine for eight minutes as I know it would receive some additional cooking time in my electric grill. In other words, I didn't want the pasta to get over-cooked.

• Step 4: Stir in the three ingredients for the special sauce into the tuna mixture. Stir occasionally as it heats up and cooks.

• Step 5: When the pasta is done, drain it. Then, add the pasta to the tuna mixture. Stir. Cook for an additional minute or two.

• Step 6: Then, plate and serve.

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Green Beans and Onions Cracker Topped with Macaroni and Cheese

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for topping a Green Bean and Onion Cracker with macaroni and cheese. It was inspired by past memories of going to Cici's Pizza and ordering a macaroni and cheese pizza. Since the crackers have the texture of toast more than they do a crunchy cracker, I decided to risk combining the two together. It ended up being a delightful taste-choice that left me with the hankering for more at a future meal.

Recipe

• Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese (or whatever brand of this type of pasta you prefer)
• Green Beans and Onions Crackers (see blog linked below for recipe of how to make this)

Here is the blog describing how to make the Green Beans and Onions cracker. This link will open in a new window

• Taste-bud Journey: St. Patrick's Day Cracker vs Chip Recipe featuring Green Beans and Onions

Procedure

• Step 1: Prepare your macaroni and cheese mixture (either a TV dinner version or homemade).


• Step 2: Lay some Green Beans and Onions Crackers on a plate.


• Step 3: Dip out some macaroni and cheese and place it on top of the cracker. Eat and enjoy the lovely flavor- and texture-combination!

 

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Taste-bud Journey: Making a No-Fail Pie Crust for Apple Mini Pie

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for making a no-fail pie crust for Apple Mini Pies . It was inspired by watching a wonderful tutorial video by Mrs. Winter that I have included near the end of this blog. She was making a top and bottom crust for a full-sized apple pie; whereas, my crust is for a mini pie I made using my Wolfman Puck Pie Maker. For your convenience, I included both her recipe plus my halved-recipe below.

Conclusion: To my taste buds, the crust was flaky and quite tasty. I would definitely make this pie crust again, not only for sweet desserts but for savory meals, as well. The other perk was that it was quite easy to make and manipulate from rolling pin area to pie mold. Not only that, it did not make much of a mess as you don't have to flour your hands or workspace to work with the dough. That makes it a super-win, to my way of thinking.

Please note: Even though I ended up using my mini pie maker, I left in the instructions for how to make a full-size pie crust for your convenience plus so I can refer to this for future cooking ventures in pie-making.

 

 

Recipe for 8-inch or 9-inch pie (Double-sided)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour less 2 tablespoons
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup oil plus 1 tablespoon
• 1/4 cup milk

Recipe for mini pie - double-sided

• 1 cup all-purpose flour less 1 tablespoon
• 1/3 tsp salt plus a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup oil plus half a tablespoon
• 1/8 cup milk

   

Procedure

• Step 1: Mix dry ingredients together.


• Step 2: Mix wet ingredients together.

• Step 3: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix together until you can easily form a ball of dough. If ingredients feel a bit dry, add a tiny amount of oil to it. 


• Step 4: Divide pastry into two balls: One for the bottom crust and one for the top crust.


• Step 5: For the bottom crust, flatten the ball into a disk. Place between two pieces of wax paper (about 14 inches by 14 inches) and use the rolling pin to flatten the disk into about 1/4 thick disk. Turn the wax paper a partial turn between rolls. Watch the video made by Mrs. Winter if this direction is unclear. This video is included near the end of this blog.

• Step 6: When the pie crust exceeds the diameter of your pie tin all the way around, carefully peel off the top piece of wax paper. Then, put it back on lightly. Flip the wax paper and dough disk over. Carefully remove the top layer of wax paper. Then, lay the pie tin upside down on top of the dough. Carefully flip all this over. Then, you can remove the wax paper altogether and start fitting the dough into the tin. Since there will be a top crust, no need to flute the edges of the pie dough yet. Once again, watch the video to further visualize this process.

• Step 7: Repeat this process for the top crust. Pour in your apple pie filling into the bottom crust.

1.   [FYI - I am using the Fried Apples cooked with bread cubes for my filling that I made the previous day. Here is the link to that blog in case you want to learn how I made that. I ate half of the mixture and noticed that it tasted like the inside of an apple pie. That's when I decided to not only learn how to make a pie crust but to use the pie crust with the fried apples mixture I had left.] 
2. Here is the easy two-ingredient recipe I used to make this dessert. This link will open in a new window. Taste-bud Journey: Fried Apples with Bread Cubes Dessert
3. Then, lay the top crust on top of your pie. Push the top edge of the crust into the bottom edge of the crust all the way around. Then, flute your edges. Once again, I refer you to the video to see an easy way to do this.

• Step 8: Use a knife to cut a few steam-release valves for the top crust. [FYI - See Steps 9 and 10 after the following photo-set for continued directions for how to make a full-size pie crust.]

• Step 9: Use aluminum foil to form a tent around the pie edges to keep the edges from burning. For a demonstration, see the following tip:

  Watch this video by a chef from Preppy Kitchen that has a great idea to tent aluminum foil all around the pie to keep the edges of the pie from burning. Fast forward to the 10:50 minutes to 11:40 minutes part of his video for his demonstration. This link will open in a new window.
  
  Pie Crust Recipe from Preppy Kitchen

• Step 10: To prevent the pie filling falling into the bottom of your oven, place the pie plate on a cookie sheet with ridges. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or so until you judge that the pie is fully cooked.





Please note that I did not do steps 9 or 10 since I was using my mini pie maker. I left those directions in for those of you making a full-size pie crust.




Here are two of my blogs that feature the apple pie filling plus the homemade ice cream seen in the photo. Both links will open in a new window.

• Taste-bud Journey: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream using Dash Ice Cream Maker


• Taste-bud Journey: Fried Apples with Bread Cubes Dessert



 



FYI - I won't bother to include a link to the Wolfgang Puck Pie Maker that I used to bake my mini apple pie as it appears that they are no longer available for purchase. I think I bought mine in late 2017 but never ended up using it until just now. I actually forgot I even owned it.

Amazon lists it as 'out of stock.' I saw several used models sold on eBay. I don't know about you but I would have little confidence in buying a used product that involves food preparation. But that's just my opinion.

It worked well enough that I would definitely use it again; however, I can't say that I would HIGHLY recommend it. Instead, if they still sold it, I would say that you might find it useful or fun to use. I will grant that it definitely was a time-saver as the pie only took twelve minutes to bake.






Recipe Source for Pie Crust by Mrs. Winter. This link will open in a new window.

Winter Family Easy, Never-Fail Pie Crust







Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.






Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com