Very Cherry - My Recipe Rotation - Millionaire's Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I first saw and skimmed the ingredients list for this pie, my response was a quite decisive, "No way!" The problem is the recipe was found by the Silver Fox who thought it looked pretty good. Now you may or may not know about his tenacity, but suffice it to say, the Fox is like a shark and once he has an idea or yen, he bites and simply will not let go. He also lurks while waiting to strike. He remembered the recipe when I was puzzling how to entertain a young visitor who was housebound for the day. Guess what we made? Now, I must admit I was really surprised at how good this pie turned out to be. It comes together easily and it's good enough to hold a spot in my permanent recipe rotation. While not at the top of the list, it's there because it is as delicious as it is different and kids of all ages love it. I probably should be ashamed of myself, but I've actually come to like the pie. Here's what I had to say about it when it was first featured on my blog.

We Are Back with a Cream Cheese and Cherry Loaf Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We are back and I have many a tale and recipe to share with you in a series that I'll begin tomorrow. I had planned to start those features today, but I had an outstanding obligation to the volunteers who have been working phones for Tuesday's election. I still haven't been to the grocery store, so I had to use what I had on hand to come up with the cakes I made for them today. This is a simple, quite basic recipe that produces a really lovely cake. On an even happier note, it gave me the opportunity to use a jar of maraschino cherries that's been staring me in the face every time I open my pantry door. I am, as you have probably surmised, not a big fan of said cherries and, truth be told, I'm not very creative when it comes to using them in anything other than a Shirley Temple. I decided to use them because I knew they would add a lovely jewel-tone color to the loaves and appeal to those of the crew who like really sweet things as well. My only caution for those of you who decide to make the cakes, is to make sure you pat the cherries dry before you add them to the batter. While little girls love pink cakes and they might work for Valentines Day, I suspect the country at large is simply not ready for them. The cake is appropriate for brunch, tea or dessert and I think those of you who like sweet things will really enjoy the loaves. Here is how the cakes are made.

Child's Play - Millionaire's Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had an unexpected visitor this weekend, and our unseasonably rainy weather meant my 5 year old guest would have to be entertained indoors. I floated the idea of a tea party, but she thought Shirley Temples would be a better way to go. Now, I'll let her mom and grandmother deal with the long term implications of that, but short term she and I had a mocktail party that left me with a rather large jar of opened maraschino cherries and lots of time to kill. Those awful cherries brought this pie, which has gone through waves of popularity, to mind. It's most outstanding feature is the ease with which it comes together and I thought it would be a perfect project for my guest. Now, whenever I cook with children this young, I stack the deck in their favor. That means I pre-chop and repackage ingredients that they can then measure and fold into the mix. I also try to find dishes that require no cooking and have the children rename them. This dessert, called Millionaire's Pie in the real world, quickly became Pink Princess Pie and it was a great project for a five year old to undertake on a rainy afternoon. She did well! I had to freeze the pie to get it to set before she had to go home, but the kitchen gods were on our side and she got to have a slice with extra cherries of it before she left. If you make sure the pineapple and cherries used in the pie are well drained, you will have no problems with this dessert. It is truly effortless and those of you who like maraschino cherries will be in red-dye heaven. Here is how the pie is made.