Perfect Piecrust

Martha Stewart's recipe for 2 crusts:

2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces, divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup ice water

Lay out three-quarters of the butter pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate rest of butter.

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor.  Add refrigerated butter and pulse to combine 10 times.  Add frozen butter and pulse until mixture resembles course meal with some blueberry-size clumps.

With food processor off, add ice water all at once and immediately pulse until water is just incorporated- about 10 times.  Don't pulse so long that it forms a ball.  Squeeze a small amount of dough to see if it holds together.

Lay out two pieces of saran wrap.  Empty half the dough onto each piece.  Bring the edges of the dough together and press into disks.

Roll out disks, still wrapped in plastic, to 1/2 inch thick rounds 8 inches in diameter.  Refrigerate at least 45 minutes (and up to 2 days).  Can be frozen for 1 month.

Low-fat blueberry muffins

From Cook's Country

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated zest and 2 teaspoons juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.  Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.

Whisk eggs and brown sugar in medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in butter, buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until well-blended.  Fold into dry mixture (a few streaks should remain).  Toss blueberries with remaining tablespoon flour and gently fold into batter.  Bake 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.

Apple-Cranberry-Walnut pie

Ocean Spray recipe

4 cups sliced apples
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
two pie crusts (refrigerated store-bought or homemade)

Preheat oven to 325.  Line a deep pie plate with one pie crust.  Mix remaining ingredients, pour into pastry-lined plate, and cover with top crust.  Seal edges and cut several slits in top crust.  Bake 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Wild rice and goat cheese stuffed acorn squash

From Publix Family Style magazine...

to serve 4:

2 fresh acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped (or walnuts or almonds)
1/3 cup chopped pitted dates (or raisins or dried cranberries)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place squash halves on the baking sheet, cut side up.  Brush with some melted butter and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Roast 25-30 minutes or until tender.  Remove from oven.

In a bowl, combine rice, cheese, pecans, dates, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place mixture in the center of each cooked squash.  Turn oven to broil and .  Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is slightly melted.