Make Your Own Cherry Pie Filling

This is a great recipe to use all of those fresh picked cherries! I got the idea from the wonderful blog, Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  I like to make a bunch of this recipe and put one pie worth in a mason jar and freeze it.  It is SO nice to go to the freezer when I want to make a pie, or use a recipe that calls for canned cherry pie filling, and grab a mason jar full of fresh cherries and thaw it and dump it in!
Make Your Own Cherry Pie Filling(like the canned version, but much better!)
3C cherries, fresh or frozen, pitted
11/2C sugar
cornstarch for thickening
Combine the cherries with the sugar in a big saucepan(I usually triple the amount to make a few batches at once). Bring this mixture to a boil while stirring.  Mix around 3T cornstarch with 2/3 C water(I like to use 1/3C water and 1/3C cherry juice, leftover from the fresh cherries) and mix this in a cup until well combined. When cherries are boiling add cornstarch mixture a bit at a time while constantly stirring until thickened. You may not need the entire amount of cornstarch mixture, just add a bit at a time while stirring and as soon as it starts thickening up like gel then stop adding it. You want it to resemble the gel like mixture that you would find in a can of cherry pie filling.  Use this right away in a recipe that calls for one 21oz can of cherry pie filling, or freeze in a clean mason jar for later use.
This recipe linked to Totally Tasty Tuesdays!

Cranberry Cherry Pie

Cherry season is upon us! We pick cherries from a neighbors trees each year and when we take our walk or bike ride each night we make it a habit to go by the trees to see if the cherries are ready for pickin. It is always around the Fourth of July when they are ready!!!  The kids LOVE picking cherries and then helping me pit them.  I pit some right away to make this yummy pie with and then I freeze some cheeries with the pit to use later and then I also like to make cherry pie filling and put it in mason jars and freeze.  This is a yummy cherry pie that comes together quickly if you use canned cherry pie filling.
Cranberry Cherry Pie
3/4C sugar
2T cornstarch
1(21oz can) cherry pie filling, I make my own
2C cranberries, I used dried
Pastry for double crust pie
In a bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in pie filling and cranberries.  Line a 9inch pie plate with bottom pastry and trim. Pour filling into crust.  Roll out the remaining top crust and make slits in it, or use a star shaped cookie cutter and make several stars in the top crust(looks very festive for the Fourth of July). Put top crust on pie and seal and flute edges. Arrange the star cutouts on top of pastry. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cover edges with foil. Bake at 375 for 55-60minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Banana Cream Pie

I love no cook recipes during the summer and this one is fast and easy and kids love to help make it!  You will have to plan on eating this whole pie in the same day you make it, or the bananas will be black by the next day and not so tasty...so I give you permission to eat a lot of this pie.....or, if you don't have a big family, you will need to share it with someone!   I like my grandma's homemade banana pudding pie MUCH better, but this is a quick version and still very tasty.
Quick Banana Cream Pie
1 graham cracker crust
5 bananas
1 tub cool whip, light
1 small package instant vanilla pudding
milk
Follow the pie directions on the pudding package.  Slice a layer of bananas on the bottom of the crust and mix the rest of the banana slices into the pudding mix, reserving a few slices for the topping.  Pour mixture into crust and spread cool whip on top.  Garnish top of pie with a few slices of banana.  Chill atleast a couple hours before eating.

Apple Crumb Pie

So, yesterday was sunny and short sleeve weather, overnight we had small hail and a thunderstorm and this morning it is snowing.....crazy Kansas weather! No worries though because it is FRIDAY!!!  I've been wanting to make this yummy apple crumb pie recipe ever since I spotted it over on the food blog Good Eats'n Sweet Treats.....it looked so simple, with very few ingredients.  I am use to apple pie with two crusts, which there is nothing wrong with that, but I thought the crumb topping sounded fun to try.  Let me tell you.....this was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! Very delicate, with the perfect amount of sugar and cinnamon and butter and the crust combined with the crumb topping was a perfect combination! The only thing I would do different is add toasted walnuts or pecans to the crumb topping, of course then no one else in my family would eat it if I added nuts to it....which of course may just be a pretty darn good plan!
Apple Crumb Pie
1 pie crust(I used Pillsbury!)

6C. or 5-7 tart apples, peeled and sliced

1C sugar, divided

1tsp cinnamon

3/4C flour

1/3C butter

Thaw pie crust and place in pie pan. Add sliced apples to the pie crust and combine 1/2C sugar and 1t cinnamon and sprinkle this over the apples.  Combine the remaining 1/2C sugar, the flour and the butter in a bowl and use a pastry blender(I just use my fingers) to incorporate the butter, until it resembles crumbs. 

Pour this over the top of the pie. Bake at 400 for around 40minutes or until apples are tender and the crumb topping is slightly browned. Cool completely before serving.