Boston Caramel-Banana Cream Pie

Boston Caramel-Banana Cream Pie (from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 Graham Cracker Crust Pie Shell

·         ¼ cup margarine

·         ¾ cup  packed brown sugar

·         3 Tbsp. bourbon

·         1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

·         1 cup milk

·         ¾ cup Sour Cream

·         2 small bananas

·         1 cup thawed Whipped Topping

Directions

1.      Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add sugar; cook and stir 3 min. or until sugar is melted. Remove from heat; stir in bourbon. Cool.

2.       Beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in sour cream. Let stand 5 min.

3.       Meanwhile, slice bananas; place in single layer on bottom of crust. Pour bourbon caramel sauce over bananas (reserve 1 Tbsp. for serving). Spoon pudding mixture over sauce; top with whipped topping. Refrigerate 1 hour.

4.       Just before serving, pour 1 Tbsp. bourbon caramel sauce over pie.  Top with some banana slices if desired.

This was not a pie that would normally catch my eye, but I thought that my husband would enjoy it.  Again, not a healthy recipe, but one that can be made slightly more so by using fat-free sour cream and whipped topping as well as sugar-free, fat-free pudding mix and skim milk.

I made it for Easter lunch for my family, thinking they would enjoy it as well – and they did! I thought the taste of bourbon/caramel was overwhelming, but the rest of my family seemed to really enjoy it and even went back for seconds!  The pie did not set properly, most likely because I used fat-free sour cream and skim milk.  Just be careful if you make it – it needs to be on a flat surface.  If you use the adjustments I did, you may want to try freezing it for 1 hour prior to serving.  I also used fat-free whipped topping, and my family didn’t seem to mind at all!

Tomato Pie

Tomato Pie (adapted from AllRecipes, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes, 4 servings

Ingredients

7-8 plum tomatoes, sliced

½ cup chopped fresh basil

3 green onions (green and white parts), thinly sliced

1 package Yves vegetarian pepperoni

½ - 2 tsp. garlic powder

½ - 2 tsp. dried oregano

½ - 2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 cups shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese

¼ cup reduced fat mayonnaise

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.      Spray a pie pan with cooking spray.

3.      In alternating layers, fill pan with tomatoes, basil, scallions, pepperoni, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper.

4.      In a small bowl, mix cheese with mayonnaise. Spread mixture over top of pie. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

5.      Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from top of pie and bake an additional 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Oh my goodness!  Flavor explosion!  I didn’t measure the garlic, oregano, or red pepper – I just sprinkled some on top of each layer (I ended up with three) and this pie ended up so delicious!  Everything works so well together.  I was a little concerned that the mayo would overpower the cheese, but it didn’t at all.  I didn’t use a pastry shell with this dish because I made a Garlic Basil Bread (courtesy of Betty Crocker and my breadmaker) that served as a great side.  I sprinkled the tomatoes with salt before putting them in the dish, but I should have pressed them between paper towels to draw out the excess liquid.  I had a little on the bottom of the pie pan after cooking.  I couldn’t find one fault with this dish.  The original recipe calls for bacon – so I may try a mixture of Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips and the pepperoni next time.  And there definitely will be a next time.

P.S. – Hubby liked it too, even though he gets slightly overwhelmed by tomatoes.  Win!