There is a special restaurant in Claremore, Oklahoma that is famous for its pies. For what it’s worth, everything on the menu is excellent, but the pies are over the moon!

Hammett House’ slogan, “As close to home cooking as it gets!” is an example of truth in advertising.

For any poor souls who may not live in Northeastern Oklahoma, keep reading! Hammett House is generous enough to include the recipes for three of their pies on the website, www.hammetthouse.com.

The restaurant has been a treasure in Claremore since 1969. And with food this amazing, their fame will doubtless continue to spread.

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

1 cup Sour Cream

1 cup White Sugar

2 Eggs

1 cup Raisins

½ tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Cloves

¼ tsp Salt

1 tbsp Butter

Cook until thick in a double boiler, then chill thoroughly (may be set in freezer to chill).

Pie Base:

1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese

½ cup powdered sugar

Mix well. Use 2/3’s of pie base to line bottom of 8″ pie crust, then pour filling on top and spread evenly. Take the remaining 1/3 of the pie base and mix with 4-5 cups of whipped topping. Top pie with whipped topping and base mixture, refrigerate.

German Chocolate Pie

4 cups Milk

¾ stick Butter

1 ½ cups Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Pinch of Salt

½ cup  Chocolate Chips

¾ cup Cornstarch

1 cup  Coconut

5 Egg Yolks

1 cup Pecans

Heat milk to scald. Mix sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a bowl, add dry ingredients to milk and stir constantly. Add one cup of mixture to egg yolks and stir. Add back to remaining milk and bring back to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cook until thick. Add melted butter, vanilla, coconut, chocolate chips and pecans. Stir until one color. Cool shortly and put into 9″ baked pie shell.

Topping: Mix 4 cups stiff shipping cream with chocolate syrup to color.

Add 1/3 cup coconut and 1/3 cup pecans. Pile high on pie. Decorate with chocolate syrup.

Lemon Pecan Pie

6 Whole Eggs

1/3 stick  Oleo, melted (do not used “whipped” oleo)

2 ¼ cups White Sugar

¾ cup Pecan halves or pieces

1 tsp  Lemon Extract (juice of ½ lemon)

Mix ingredients in order given, but do not use a mixer or beat until frothy. Pour into 8″ unbaked pie shell. Put in preheated oven (350°) and bake about 10 minutes. Then cut oven temperature to 300° (slow oven) and bake until crust is browned and pie is set. Too rapid cooking will cause pecans to scorch and crust to brown before center of pie has finished cooking.

For variety, try Orange Pecan Pie — substitute juice of 1/2 fresh orange for the lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of orange extract in lieu of lemon extract.

For more great holiday dishes, check out Family Holiday Favorites: 50 Delicious Dishes,  available online for only $2.99 at Amazon.

This collection of 50 tried-and-true recipes brings together the holiday favorites from several different families and groups. These are the dishes all the relatives rave about. These dishes are the most in demand!

Recipes were also selected based on ingredients and expense. All of these recipes use ingredients that can be found in most any grocery store and none use outrageously expensive ingredients.

This e-book includes color illustrations, holiday artwork, and a linked Table of Contents for easy navigation.

The book is divided into 2 sections:

– Sweet Treats, filled with desserts of all sorts, and

– Savory Dishes, other tasty fare.

The sweets include wonderful old-time baked goods like Buttermilk Pie, an amazing Apple Crisp, and spicy Molasses Sugar Cookies. A few newer recipes that are sure to become classics, such as Peppermint Bark, Pumpkin Gingerbread, and Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies are here as well.

For those who would rather not bake, try the No Bake Mints or Jan’s Pistachio Dessert.

The second section of recipes is full of great side dishes and a few main courses. Comfort foods like Best Ever Macaroni and Cheese or Smashed Sweet Potatoes are a sure hit at your next pot luck. Or surprise the crew with a new salad like Apple Cranberry Slaw or Kim’s Asian Salad.

These recipes will help spice up the holidays with new treats and tastes – from Thanksgiving all the way around to Easter.

Don’t forget New Year’s Day. Superstition says you should eat black eyed peas for good luck in the coming year. Unfortunately, many people dislike black-eyed peas, or at least think they do. Serve the Okie Hoppin’ John this New Year’s and you won’t be sorry.