German Chocolate Cream Pie

9" Pie

1 recipe Cheerios Chocolate Pie Crust

1-1/2  cups Sugar
1/3     cup Cornstarch
1/2     teaspoon salt
3        cups whole milk
4        each egg yolks, slightly beaten
1        tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla
2        oz. melted unsweetened chocolate
1        scant teaspoon coffee crystals

Prepare pie crust.  Stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan.  Blend milk and egg yolks, gradually stir into sugar mixture.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.

Yes the pudding is not perfectly smooth, this does not affect the taste.

Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat; blend in coffee crystals vanilla and melted chocolate. Immediately pour into pie shell:  press plastic crap onto filling.  Chill pie thoroughly, about 2 hours.

Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
1 cup flaked coconut
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a small heavy saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook 2-3 minutes or until mixture thickens and a thermometer reads 160°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla; cool 10 minutes.

Carefully pour over chilled filling; sprinkle with additional pecans.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until cold. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe for the topping from Taste of Home Magazine.

Chocolate Cheerios Pie Crust

This crust goes together in just a few minutes.  Works great when you are out of Graham Crackers for a crust.

2-1/2 to 3 cups Chocolate Cheerios

3 tablespoons Sugar

1 tablespoon  Cocoa

1/2 teaspoon Instant Coffee Crystals

4-5 tablespoons melted butter

Crush Cheerios with a roller or in your food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Press into a 9 inch pie plate. Chill until ready to use.

Hominy Side Dish...(Hotdish)

Adapted from Bush's South Coast Hominy

We had a very wet cool day here in Mid Missouri..  Turning on the oven just sounded like the perfect thing to do...Plus we seem to be on a cheese kick, so any recipe I find that uses cheese or cheese sauce MUST be tried.  "Old Goat" gave this a two thumbs up and he went back for seconds... so.....

Prep: 25 Minutes
Cook: 30 Minutes
Total: 55 Minutes
Servings: 6

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped onion  (We love onions)
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped red and/or green pepper
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
dash cayenne pepper
1  cup milk
1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (15 ounce) can white or yellow hominy, drained reserving 1/4 cup of juice
1/4 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 tablespoon chopped green chili's (Optional)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
In a skillet, saute onion and green pepper in 3 tablespoons butter until tender. Add flour, salt, mustard, cayenne and hot sauce; cook and stir until smooth and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and hominy juice; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese until melted.

Remove from the heat; add hominy and (chopped green chili's) if desired. Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. 

Melt remaining butter and toss with Panko crumbs and lightly brown in skillet; sprinkle over hominy mixture. 

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden.  Let cool for for 10 minutes before serving.