Grasshopper Pie

A little while ago my little man tore out this picture in a magazine and ran up to me with eyes wide "Mom! We have to make this!"



I filed it away with promises of getting the ingredients at the store, but weeks went by and I never did.  Finally, last week he saw me making my grocery list and ran to get the recipe from my drawer "Oh, mom? Are you forgetting this?" So I piled the cart with ingredients for grasshopper pie, stuff like marshmallows, milk, whipping cream, green food coloring and Oreo's, all to Jeremy's dismay and much to the kids delight.

I was very glad to be able to make this with him before the new baby comes and my time will be even more limited. He was very proud of his green pie and loved that "grasshopper" was part of the name. He toted it inside my grandma and grandpa's house last week for a family get together and took the first piece come dessert time.





Cool and fluffy, green and minty, sweet and milky, grasshopper pie is a classic and should make an appearance on your table this summer if you have kids. We used a recipe from a kids magazine so it called for mint extract and coconut extract for flavorings instead of the usual creme de menthe and cream de cacao. I don't recommend this as my first choice because it tastes better using the liquers, and there is not enough in the recipe to hurt children. Made with the extracts it was a little sharper tasting and my daughter thought it was a bit too much like the flavor of toothpaste (but in all fairness she uses a fresh mint Tom's toothpaste, so it probably did). So, use the liquers if possible for a more sophisticated flavor.



Well, I'm officially two days past my due date. I had an ultrasound and non-stress test yesterday and all is well and I am fit to carry this baby a little while longer. But...They are pretty sure this baby is big. Like, 8lbs 7oz big, and putting weight on rapidly by the day. This is by far my biggest baby. Isabella was 7lbs 15oz, so we know I can deliver an 8lb baby, but my doctor is a little concerned with it getting too big if I go a week past my due date. We'll at least wait until I'm a week past my due date to even consider inducing, and then we'd only consider that if the baby was getting too big. I'm generally against inductions unless there is an emergency or the baby is in danger. However, if I let the baby get too big I risk having to have an emergency c-section so I have to weigh what's worse.

Hopefully it doesn't come to that and she just decides to make an appearance before then. After all, my original due date was June 24th before they moved it to the 30th based on ultrasound measurements. Come on baby!!!



Grasshopper Pie
adapted from The Pioneer Woman, by Ree Drummond and Family Fun Magazine
makes 1 9" pie

• 17 whole Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (we used Oreo's)
• 3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• 24 whole Large Marshmallows (or Container Of Marshmallow Fluff)
• 2/3 cups Half-and-half or whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons Creme De Menthe Liqueur (more To Taste)
• 2 Tablespoons Creme De Cacao Liqueur
• Drop Or Two Of Green Food Coloring (I think we used 3)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Extra Cookie Crumbs, For Sprinkling

Throw the cookies and melted butter into a food processor and pulverize (or, if you have some aggressions or energy to expend, you can crush them in a large Ziploc bag.) Pour into a pie pan and press into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set aside.

Heat marshmallows and half-and-half in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as it's all melted and combined, place saucepan in a bowl of ice to cool down quickly. (Stirring occasionally will hasten this process.) Or put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Once cool, add creme de menthe and creme de cacao. Taste and add more creme de menthe if needed. Add one to three drops green food coloring. Place back in the refrigerator to cool for another 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff. Pour cold marshmallow mixture into the whipped cream and fold together gently. 

Pour filling into chocolate crust (note: you might have a good 1/2 cup filling left over, depending on the size of your pie pan!) Sprinkle extra chocolate crumbs over the top. Place pie in the freezer and freeze until very firm, at least two hours.

Remove from freezer ten minutes or so before you want to slice and serve.