Pie Friday

[valarltd]

Chicken Enchilada Pie

8 flour tortillas
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (19 oz) enchilada sauce
1 cup frozen white shoepeg corn, thawed, drained
1 cup salsa
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
Reduced-fat sour cream, if desired
Chopped green onions, if desired
Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch round (2-quart) glass baking dish or casserole with cooking spray. Cut 5 of the tortillas in half. Cut remaining tortillas into 2 1/2-inchwide strips.

2 In large bowl, mix chicken, rice, 1 cup of the cheese, the beans and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce.

3 Layer 4 tortilla halves in bottom of baking dish. Top with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce and half of the chicken mixture. Top with 2 tortilla halves; fill in empty spaces with 3 tortilla strips. Spoon corn over tortillas. Spread salsa over corn. Layer with 2 tortilla halves and 3 strips. Top with remaining half of chicken mixture. Continue layering with remaining 2 tortilla halves and strips, enchilada sauce, cheese and 2 tablespoons green onions.

4 Bake uncovered 35 to 45 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes. Top with sour cream and chopped green onions.


Caramel Apple Crumble Pie

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (half of one stick)
1 large egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely measured
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole rolled old-fashioned oats (not quick cook or instant)
one 21-ounce can apple pie filling (I used Comstock More Fruit Cinnamon 'n Spice Apple filling)
one 9-inch frozen pie crust (or make your own using your favorite recipe)
caramel sauce, caramel ice cream topping. Dark Rum Caramel Sauce or Vanilla Caramel Glaze, optional but recommended for drizzling
ice cream or whipped topping, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power. Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the egg; then add the egg, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt, and whisk to combine until batter is smooth (All spices and salt should be added to taste and use what you have on hand; omitting what you don't have and mixing and matching with other spices such as ginger or pumpkin pie spice is okay).

Add the flour, oats, and stir to incorporate. Fold in the apple pie filling. Pour filling mixture into frozen pie crust (I didn't bother pre-thawing it) and lightly smooth filling with a spatula. It's okay to fill pie crust up nearly to the brim; I did and it did not overflow. As insurance, place pie crust on a baking tray so if it does overflow a bit, it won't pool in the bottom of the oven. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until top has just set and is not jiggly, and is golden. I baked mine for about 54 minutes and when I took it out of the oven, the filling had risen and was a bit domed and puffed, and as pie cooled, the dome sank and it flattened out. Allow pie to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Prior to serving, optionally drizzle with caramel sauce or serve with ice cream.