by Sarah Price
Simple Pie Crust
Ingredients
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup shortening
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
In a bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in the shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until a ball forms. Roll out pastry to fit a 9-inch or 10-inch pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry to ½ inch beyond edge of pie plate; flute edges. Fill or bake shell according to recipe directions.
Yield: One 9-inch unbaked pastry shell.
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
½ cup sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon maple flavoring
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked pie shell
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, beat the first 10 ingredients until smooth; pour into pie shell. Cover edge loosely with foil.
Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 40–45 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack.
If decorative cutouts are desired, roll additional pastry to -inch thickness; cut out with 1-inch to 1½-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutters. With a sharp knife, score leaf veins on cutouts.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 6–8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Arrange around edge of pie. Garnish with whipped cream if desired.
Yield: 8 servings.
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1½ cups milk
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup peas
1 cup corn
2 unbaked pie shells (one for the bottom of the pie, one to cover it)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook potatoes and carrots for no more than 10 minutes, until tender.
In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chicken, peas, corn, and potato mixture; remove from heat.
Unroll a pastry sheet into each of two 9-inch pie plates; trim even with rims. Add chicken mixture. Unroll remaining pastry; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in tops.
Bake 35–40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.
Freezing option: Cover and freeze unbaked pies. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Preheat oven to 425°F. Place pies on baking sheets; cover edges loosely with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°F; bake 70–80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°F.
Yield: 2 pot pies (8 servings each).
Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla; beat well.
Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets.
Bake for 9–10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.
Yield: About 5 dozen.
Don’t miss any of the books in Sarah Price’s Amish Fairytale series!
BELLE
An Amish Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
In author Sarah Price’s fresh and inspirational retelling of a beloved classic, a dutiful young Amish woman agrees to marry a notorious recluse for her family’s sake—but the consequences are more than either bargained for . . .
To most townsfolk, he’s known simply as The Beast. Annabelle Beiler has little interest in gossip, but she’s heard about Adam Hershberger’s scars and his gruff, solitary ways. Though he sounds like a character from one of Belle’s treasured books, the man is real and, it turns out, just as unreasonable as the rumors claim. When a buggy accident wipes out the last of her daed’s money, forcing him to sell their farm, Adam buys it. Then he offers Belle a deal—marry him, and her family can keep their home.
Everyone is shocked by Belle’s decision, but she’s determined to be a good fraa, cleaning Adam’s run-down house and tending the overgrown garden. Breaking through her new husband’s icy reserve will be another matter. Belle’s courage and strength are abundant, but it will take true faith to guide Adam back to the heart of his Amish community—and to the loving marriage they both deserve.
ELLA
An Amish Retelling of Cinderella
In Sarah Price’s heartwarming Amish version of this best-loved fairytale, a hardworking, overlooked young woman is rewarded in unexpected ways . . .
“Be kind and have faith.” Ella Troyer strives to abide by her mother’s final words, although life in the small Amish town of Echo Creek isn’t always easy. Her new stepmother, Linda, treats her coldly, and her two stepsisters, Drusilla and Anna, delight in gossip and laziness. After her father’s death, Ella’s stepsisters are free to attend youth singings while Ella stays at home to manage the household chores, rarely seeing another soul. Until one day, while running an errand, she has a chance meeting with a young Amish man from a nearby town.
Drusilla and Anna are full of admiration for charming, affluent newcomer Johannes Wagler, and Linda hopes to ensnare him as a husband for one of her girls—while keeping Ella out of the way. As for Hannes, he longs to catch another glimpse of the mysterious young woman who can sing so sweetly and bake the most delicious pie he’s ever sampled. Now, with a little help from some unlikely sources, Ella dares to hope she might find her heart’s dearest wishes—for love, family, and a home of her own—coming true at last . . .