Pi Day

Happy Pi Day!  

It's a great excuse to make a delicious savory pie for dinner and a sweet pie for dessert.

Shepherd's Pie

Photo: Ditch the Wheat

  

Pizza Pie - Sweet Potato Crust

Photo: Delectably Domestic

 Pizza Pie - Cauliflower Crust

Photo: Carly Johnson

Chocolate Pie

Photo: Paleo Magazine

Pumpkin Pie

Photo: The Paleo Mom

Apple Crumble Pie

Photo: Our Paleo Life

Thanksgiving 2013 Menu

This year our Thanksgiving will be a much needed low-key, super mellow family day.  And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17 HCSB

Our menu:

Alton's Roast Turkey 

see recipe below

Stuffing Stuffed Acorn Squash

Traditional Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

 Bacon Garlic Green Beans

Mom's Pumpkin Pie

Apple Crumble

Good Eats Roast Turkey with minor modifications:

Photo: Food Network

Ingredients:

• 1 14-16 lb frozen organic, free range turkey

For the brine:

•  1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 gallon bone broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 sage leaves
• melted butter

Directions - 2 to 3 days before roasting:

1. Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38˚F.
2. Combine the bone broth, salt, coconut sugar, allspice berries, and ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil.  Remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
3. The night before combine the brine, water, and ice in a 5-gallon bucket.  Place the thawed turkey (innards removed) breast side down in brine.  If necessary. weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in a cool area for 8 - 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Directions - day of:

1. Preheat oven to 500˚F.  Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water.  Discard the brine.
2. Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage.  Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with melted butter.
4. Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500˚F for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cover breasts with a double layer of foil.  Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.  Set the thermometer alarm to 161˚F.  A 14-16 lb bird should require a total of 2- 2/12 hours of roasting.  
5. Let turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving.

Apple Crumble

To round out our Thanksgiving feast here is Cooper's favorite: apple crumble.  

Photo: Our Paleo Life

Ingredients for pie crust:

• 3/4 cup raw walnut halves or pecans
• 1/2 cup pitted, medjool dates
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Grind nuts in a food processor until finely ground and almost starting to turn into butter, or just starting to clump together.
2. Add dates, butter, and salt to the food processor, pulse until combined.
3. Press into a 9” pie plate.
4. Set aside.

 For the pie filling:

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 4 apples, peeled, cored, cubed
• 1/4 cup apple cider 
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add apples.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until just starting to soften.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except arrowroot starch, and mix to combine.
4. Remove from heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer ingredients to prepared pie dish.
5. To the remaining liquid add arrowroot starch and whisk over low heat for about a minute until mixture is thickened.  Pour over apples.
6. Bake for 10 min.

For the streusel topping:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• a pinch of cardamom
• a pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons raw honey

Directions:

1. Pulse all ingredients, except honey, together in a food processor until coarse crumbles.
2. Add honey and mix with hands to form a sticky, crumbly mixture.
3. Remove pie from oven and top with struesel.
4. Return to oven for 5 more minutes.
5. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.  It is best served warm.