From Linda Larsen,
Your Guide to Busy Cooks.
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It's time for more Impossible Pies! With school underway and cooler weather approaching, I always start thinking about making hot baked entrees. Impossible pies are a fabulous last minute meal idea. If you're not familiar with the term, these quick and easy entrees and desserts are more pie-shaped than pie-like. A batter is poured over sweet or savory ingredients and, while baking, binds all the ingredients together so the finished product can be cut into pie-shaped wedges. The bottoms of the pies do become brown and crunchy, reminiscent of pie crust.

There are a few basic rules to follow when making these recipes.

• Make sure that the meats and vegetables are precooked if the recipe calls for it, and drain them very well. Watery vegetables or cooked ground beef with extra fat will change the batter proportions and you won't be happy with the result.
• The Basic Impossible Pie Formula can be used with just about any leftover meat, vegetable, or cheese. This can be a fabulous way to clear out your refrigerator before you need to go to the grocery store.
• Be sure to mix the batter ingredients just until combined. The batter is basically a quick bread, and overmixing will result in a tough product.
• You can blend the batter ingredients in a blender, but be sure to blend very briefly just until the ingredients form a batter and the separate ingredients disappear.
• If you use a homemade baking mix instead of a commercial variety, you can easily control the sodium and fat content. Salt can be totally omitted, although some flavor is sacrificed this way, and try reducing the vegetable shortening by up to 1/3. If the results are acceptable to you and your family, you'll save a significant amount of fat in the final recipe.

Enjoy these delicious recipes, and have fun creating your own! When you create a masterpiece, post it in the Busy Cooks Forum for all to see.

More Impossible Pie Recipes

• Impossible Roasted Red Pepper Pie
  Roasted red peppers add a smoky flavor and silky texture to this impressive main dish pie.
• Impossible Ham and Asparagus Pie
  Ham and asparagus is a classic spring combination that is wonderful any time of year in this easy pie.
• Impossible Tex-Mex Pie
  If you like more mild flavors, just leave out the jalapeno and use a mild salsa. To spice up this pie, spice up the salsa!
• Impossible Cheeseburger Pie
  The flavors of a cheeseburger come together in an easy to eat and easy to make pie. Your kids will love it.
• Impossible Chicken Broccoli Pie
  Chicken and broccoli, along with cheddar and mozzarella cheese, make a hearty main dish pie perfect to serve to the family.
• Impossible Beef Burrito Pie
  Use blue corn or cheese tortilla chips to add even more flavor to this south of the border pie.
• Impossible Shrimp Pie
  Shrimp and gruyere cheese make this easy main dish pie recipe elegant and delicious.
• Impossible Mac and Cheese Pie
  Macaroni cooks in the batter as the pie bakes! This really is an 'impossible' pie that's great for kids.
• Impossible Cheesecake
  If you love rich and creamy cheesecake but don't love the work involved to make one, try this recipe. And top it with any canned fruit pie filling.
• Impossible Chocolate Cream Pie
  This impossible pie has a rich, creamy chocolate center. Serve it with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
• Impossible Cranberry Pie
  Tart and beautiful cranberries make this pie a perfect choice for holiday or fall entertaining.