Growing up I mostly spent my time in front of the TV. I did play out side some, but not having neighbors or siblings who liked me at the time meant I was outside alone. There's only so much you can do alone, especially when you have a lazy streak. My lazy streak ran from head to toe! Around 11/12 I began watching cooking shows on PBS and really fell in love with them. Justin Wilson, Martin Yan, Jacques Pepin, Camile, Jeff Smith--The Frugal Gourmet were to name a few of my friends that really truly loved to watch. Jeff Smith taught me how to "rock chop" with a french knife and fold my fingers up so I wouldn't chop them off. I practiced and practiced. These cooks made me want to get in the kitchen and cook. Martin Yan really drove me crazy, because I LOVE Chinese food and he always made it look so good. His show was on during lunch which meant that I had to endure the visual images and then go eat a bowl of cereal or something. Not fair. If my sister were home we had to watch soaps all the dad gum day.
Some of the very first things I made as a kid were macaroni and cheese (not from a box), Egg McMuffins, and Impossible Pies. I found the recipe for Impossible Pie on the side box of a Bisquick box and decided since I had all of the ingredients I'd give it a go. I've been making them ever since. There's nothing impossible about it! It's so easy and really good, plus the variations are only limited by your imagination. I'll give you the recipe for my version of Impossible Pie and then give you some suggestions on how to make these babies all on your own.
I made this pie for Levi and Emma while Kendra and Titus were at karate last Saturday and they both loved them. Titus had the leftovers and even asked for more! So there you have it, out of the mouths of babes. My kids lean to the picky side and for them to like it was a big deal to me, since they resist the home cooked for frozen packaged nuggets and sticks!
Having this recipe, if you are a new bride, or just learning to cook is also very helpful. It's also helpful to have a blender for this because it makes mixing up the custard mix all the more easy. All you do is add all of the custard ingredients into the blender and viola! No lumps and it's ready to go. Speaking of ready to go:
Possible Pie
For Custard:
3/4 cup Bisquick baking mix
1 1/2 cups Milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. Salt
Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth.
Filling:
1 lb. Ground beef (90% fat free ) or better
1 cup onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
2 cups Shredded Cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9' glass pie plate with non-stick cooking spray, set aside. In a medium skillet, over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and cook over medium high heat 3-5 minutes. Add ground beef, breaking up with potato masher, and cook until ground beef is no longer pink. Stir well, add garlic and seasonings. Taste and adjust taste to suit.
Cut into slices and decorate with more cheese, tomato slices or just a simple salad. It's really a quick delicious main dish meal for your family. Now for variations.
Italian: Small can of drained Mushrooms, 1 Red Bell Pepper diced, 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning, Italian Blend Cheese, fresh Parmesan cheese, Parsley.
Mexican: Small can of diced green chilies or 1 cup Salsa; Mexican blend cheese; Cilantro, 2 tsp. Oregano.
I could go on, but you get the picture. If it fits into a pie plate and can be covered by the custard--bingo! There are endless recipes online for these pie variations, give one a try and let me know what you think.
SUPER NOTE: I also think these could be portioned out in muffin tins (1/2 cup filling each w/ 1/4 cup custard) and baked then frozen for individual portions. Haven't tried that, but I'm sure it would work. If you do let me know.
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