CHRISTMAS DAY

Merry Christmas everyone! Today was a little odd to spend the day with only three of us kids and mom and dad. It was very relaxed and enjoyable. Stu and Amber came later and brought us gifts: chocolate covered macadamia nuts and cookbooks...I was very excited :) This morning I made breakfast for the family: french toast with homemade strawberry syrup, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. After unwrapping presents, I started baking pies. I made my three favorite pies: apple, pumpkin, and banana cream. They turned out perfect and were sooo yummy! Banana cream is now my favorite pie.

Apple Pie
1/2 c. butter
3 T. flour
1/4 water
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
8 apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
*Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Pumpkin Pie
2 c. pumpkin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
*Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, sugar, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean.

Banana Cream Pie 
Crust:
1 1/2 c. crushed vanilla wafers
6 T. melted butter
-Spread in a pie pan and bake for 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees 
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk (either 2% or whole)
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 bananas, sliced
*In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency. Slice bananas into the cooled baked crust. Top with pudding mixture. Cool in fridge. When ready to serve, top with homemade whipped cream and sliced bananas.