It was such a beautiful, sunny day, and I was in the mood to have some fun in my pretty cottage kitchen and bring that sunshine right to the table! 😀 Sunshine = yellow. Yellow = corn! Corn it is! 😀 But how do I take a plain old can of corn and make it fun?? I was tired of corn. Especially canned corn. BOR-RING.

I always seem to have dabs of this and bits of that, so I started on a quest to take that corn and turn it into something that would make us smile just looking at it! 😉   

I had an open pint of heavy cream leftover from something else, a nice ripe roma tomato, a lonely, sad pie crust sheet in the freezer, and plenty of assorted cheeses to choose from! Sounded like a solid start to me!

Awhile back, my hubby bought me the cutest mini pie pans and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to break them out and give them a try! Mini pies!! CORN pies….with cheese….LOTS of cheese!….and tomatoes on top! 😀 Simple – – pretty – – tasty. All you really need, right? 😉       

So that was it. I thought about adding some fresh chives, but I was so looking forward to the sweetness of the corn and the tomatoes, that I didn’t really want an onion flavor in them, so I decided against that idea.

I also almost added a little basil from my monstrous, out of control BUSH that I have growing on the deck, but that, too, could’ve easily taken over the flavor in these little pies. So I decided to leave them simple and sweet. Kind of like the cook! 😉  

My hubby FLIPPED over them! They came out so pretty and so stinkin’ cute, that I decided to name them “Sunshine Pies”! 😀  

Though these pans had a very slick surface and were non-stick, I wanted to make darned sure that the pies would not in fact stick and that I could remove them easily. So I decided to roll the pastry out a little thinner on some fine corn meal. As you saw in the photo above, I only use Indian head brand because the grind is much finer than most and doesn’t resemble pea gravel if you know what I mean. This is also what I always use to make my corn bread and coat my pizza peel with. 😉   

The pie crust sheet worked really well for this, and there was just enough to make 4 pies. Just trim the excess overhang off and use patch the spaces! 😀 Don’t worry what it looks like, the filling covers that. 😉   

The edges don’t even have to be perfect, because these sunny pies that look like a summer sunset are so beautiful that no one will even notice! (Although I thought they did come out pretty darned good, though, if I do say so myself! 😉 ) Just have fun with them! 😀  

So please do give these happy, sunny little pies a try! I guarantee that they will bring smiles by the miles all around the table! 😀 And they’re delicious to boot! Have a beautiful day all! 😀      

 *These “Sunshine Pies” were served with my Creamy Alfredo Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan, Asiago & Fresh Thyme and my Summertime Barbecued Pineapple Meatloaf! (Meatloaf recipe coming soon!) 

Yield: 4

3-Cheese Mini "Sunshine Pies" with Fresh Corn and Tomatoes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 Pillsbury Pie Crust sheet, room temp
• 1/8 cup yellow corn meal, I always use Indian Head Old-Fashioned Stone Ground
• 1 beaten extra-large egg
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 -1 3/4 cups fresh, frozen or canned corn, (14-15.5 oz. can/drained well)
• 1/4 cup packed grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup packed grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/8 cup packed finely grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 large roma tomato

Instructions

Bring pie pastry sheet to room temperature. Dust counter with corn meal, and rollout pastry a little thinner. Cut into fourths evenly with a pizza wheel. Place into mini non-stick pie plates floured side down. Trim off the excess corners that overhang, and use those pieces to cover and patch where pastry doesn't cover pie pan. (*Moisten edges to make it stick and press lightly.) When pans are covered with pastry, use a fork on edges pressing lightly to decorate edge. *I like to gently lift edges from pan to re-loosen so that the crust doesn't stick and pies remove easily from pans. Set aside.

In small measuring pitcher, beat egg well. Beat in heavy cream and salt.

Grate cheeses into small bowl and toss to mix.

Evenly sprinkle half of the corn to cover bottoms of pans. Evenly top each with all of the cheese. Top with rest of corn.

Evenly and slowly pour milk and egg mixture over pies.

Quarter tomato lengthwise, then thinly slice making small triangles. Place triangles on top of pie resembling a sun.

Place pies onto a baking sheet or pizza pan and pop into preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until no longer jiggly and set. Cool down on wire rack until just warm. Carefully remove from pans and serve warm.

Great as a side dish, or serve for breakfast, brunch or lunch!

Notes

I always use Indian Head corn meal because it seems to have a much finer grind to it. Do not skip this part, it prevents the pie crust from sticking to the pans so they can be removed whole and VERY easily.