Scratch Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 + 1/2 cups half-and-half
5 egg yolks (if you want, keep the egg whites for spreading over the crust before baking)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 + 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 + 1/2 cups flaked coconut

1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted (for garnishing the top of the pie)
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine coconut milk, half-and-half, and egg yolks. Whisk together till smooth. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the cream and egg mixture into the saucepan and whisk till smooth. Over medium heat, gradually bring mixture to a boil, stirring CONSTANTLY with a rubber spatula. (Mixture should be thicker once it reaches boiling point.) Remove from heat, and stir in the butter and vanilla till smooth. Add the 1 + 1/2 cups of coconut and mix well. Pour into pie shell cover the custard portion with plastic wrap. Chill 2 to 4 hours, or until firm. Top with whipped topping and toasted coconut.

Note: To toast coconut, spread it in an ungreased pan and bake in a 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes plus a few hours chill time
Recipe Origin: http://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/04/18/coconut-cream-pie-recipe/#.UiOWeYI5mc1

Blackberry Cheese Streusel Pie

Ingredients:

Crust: (makes 2 pie crusts)
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup + 1 Tbsp. shortening
1/3 cup ice water
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 egg, beaten

Cheese Filling:
1 - 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 T. lemon juice

Topping:
6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
6 tablespoons whole almonds
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 1/2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Directions:
To prepare your crust combine the flour, salt, sugar, and shortening in a medium bowl and mix with a pastry tool (or fork) until the shortening is cut into the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the water, vinegar, and egg and mix well. Then combine the wet ingredients with the other ingredients and mix till just blended. Divide dough in half and wrap the two halves in plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes. Once chilled, roll the crusts out on a floured surface and line 2 - 9 inch pie tins with the dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork and set aside.

To make the cheese layer, first preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the cheese is fluffy. Add the sugar, salt, egg, and lemon juice and mix well. Pour the cheese filling into the pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the cheese layer is baking, prepare your streusel topping. Place the brown sugar, almonds, butter, oats, and flour in a food processor and process them to your desired consistency. (Note: Instead of using a processor, I placed the almonds and oats into a nut chopper and chopped them until they were small pieces. Then I added that to the other ingredients and used a pastry tool to cut in the butter).

After the cheese layer has finished baking for 20 minutes, remove the pie from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and top the cheese layer with a can of blackberry pie filling. Top the pie filling with the streusel topping and continue to bake it at 400 degrees for another 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes is over, remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

Note: This pie can be made 1 day in advance, but should be stored in the refrigerator once it is cooled.

Difficulty: medium
Time to Make: about an hour
Recipe Origin: combination of several recipes

Pear Puree

Ingredients:
6 Pears, ripened, peeled, and cored

Directions:
Place cored and peeled pears in a food blender. Blend till smooth and then pour into ice cube trays. Cover with plastic wrap and place in trays in the freezer. Once frozen, remove pear cubes and place in a freezer bag or container. Thaw in a plastic bag under hot water just before serving and mix with baby cereal. Add water if necessary to get the desired consistency that you want.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 10 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown
Introduce to Baby: Makes a good beginner food.