Strawberry Pie

This is a new recipe for me, but so far, it has received rave reviews. Try it - I guarantee you won't be sorry.

Strawberry Pie

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup grenadine syrup (You can find grenadine syrup with drink mixers.)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

1 9-inch baked pie shell (Graham cracker crust recipe is below.)

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in vanilla and almond extract. In a separate bowl, whip cream until peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread over bottom of baked pie shell. Chill.

2. In a saucepan, mix together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water until smooth. Add grenadine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until thickened. Allow to cool, then chill.

3. Just before serving, stir together strawberries and cooled cornstarch mixture until evenly coated. Spread over cream cheese layer.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar, add butter and blend well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate.

2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before filling, or bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack before filling.

Another classic....

I haven't made this one in a while, but I always get requests for the recipe when I do.

Apple Cobbler

1 1/2 cups butter

6 cups peeled and sliced tart apples (I usually use Macintosh or Granny Smith or a combination of the two.)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups + 1-2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 eggs

3 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat the oven to 375. Melt 1/2 cup of the butter and pour it into a 9x13 cake pan. Spread it evenly and arrange the apples over it. Mix 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar and sprinkle evenly over the apples. Set aside. Melt the remaining 1 cup butter in a small pan, remove from heat, add the milk and egg, and beat well. Mix the flour, baking powder, the remining 1 cup sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Stir in the milk and egg mixure and beat until smooth. Pour over the apples. Mix 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon with 1-2 tablespoons sugar and sprinkle over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Just for Peter

Below is the recipe you requested. :)

1 pkg oreos *
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
Two kinds of dipping chocolate **

Mash oreos until fine. I usually put them in a ziploc and use a rolling pin to mash them. A food processor would probably work as well.

Thoroughly blend in cream cheese (fingers are usually the best option on this one). Roll into small balls. If the mixture is too sticky to work with put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and dip each ball and place on wax paper on a cookie sheet. The best way I have found to dip them it to place them on a toothpick and set it in the melted chocolate. Use a spoon to cover the ball with chocolate and then remove it with both the spoon and toothpick. If you just use a spoon, you will end up with huge globs of chocolate at the base of each bonbon, but if you use a toothpick the ball generally falls apart. The two together seem to work well. :)

Drizzle each bonbon with the opposite color of chocolate. This is easiest if you put the melted chocolate in a small ziploc and cut off a corner then drizzle. Thanks to Jeanette for this tip. :)

Place the cookie sheets in the freezer until chocolate is hard.

Now for more of my personal notes:

* Any kind of oreo is fine. I usually just use the regular but most recently I tried mint and they were really good as well.

**Almond Bark dark and white chocolate work really well for the dipping. :)

Enjoy!

A Spicy, Fall Recipe

I love fall, and I love this recipe! I made this for our church potluck on Sunday, and I felt like sharing it with all of you. It's from my Grandmother...I think.

Rose's Raisin Spice Bars

Boil the ingredients below, and let it cool.
1 C. sugar
1 C. water
1 C. raisins
1 stick of butter

Add:
2 C. flour
1 t. soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg

Spread on a cookie sheet (Grease and flour the sheet)-Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Icing:
1 C. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. rum
1/2 t. lemon
Add milk as needed to spread. Spread the icing on the bars while hot. Cut into bars and enjoy!

July...the perfect month for ice cream

I just tried this recipe for the first time today. It was actually on the side of our rock salt box. I have ignored recipes on boxes for years and have only recently discovered that most of them are REALLY good!

In some homemade ice cream the egg flavor is way too strong, but this one is much better (I think it's because the eggs are cooked).

French Vanilla Ice Cream

3 egg yolks (slightly beaten)
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix sugar, salt and egg yolks. Pour on milk and mix thoroughly. Cook mixture in double broiler until it coats a spoon. Cool, strain, add cream, vanilla and freeze (according to directions on rock salt box...or bag, depending on which you get :-). Makes 1-1/4 quarts or 6-8 servings.

Oh, and just one quick note from my personal embarrassing experience.

Make sure that you use ROCK SALT and not regular salt. My first attempt at making ice cream I didn't realize there was much difference between the two. Needless to say, after my brother and a friend cranked it for two hours and there was not an ice crystal in sight, I had to admit that I must have done something wrong. Ah...you live and learn, right?

Another Incredible Dessert

While we're in the dessert mode, here's one of my favorites.

Creamy Banana Pudding

1 14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding (I usually use the larger package)
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream, whipped
24 (approx) vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced and dipped in lemon juice

1. Combine sweetened, condensed milk and water. Add pudding mix and stir well. Chill for 5 minutes.
2. Fold in whipping cream.
3. Pour 2 cups pidding into bottom of bowl. Layer bananas and wafers and pudding (3 layers) ending with pudding. Chill.

This is definitely the best banana pudding I've ever had. Though, who knows, I've heard that time changes things...

Enjoy!