Apple Pie

This homemade apple pie was my own first attempt at making an apple pie from scratch and it quickly became my favorite. It's one of those foods that reminds you of childhood happiness and days long passed.

Ingredients:

1 9 inch double crust pie shell
1 Pillsbury pie crust (the kind in a box that you can roll out & cut)
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored & sliced


Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste.
Add water, white sugar, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil.
Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Fill pie crust with apples, mounding high. Cover with a lattice work crust.
Gently pour hot liquid over crust, ouring slowly so it does not run off.
Bake for 15 minutes & then reduce temperature to 350 & continue baking for 45 minutes or until apples are soft.


*If you're as convinced as I was that there is no way the liquid will soak in between the lattice pieces, you can mound the apples, pour 3/4ths of the liquid over them, top with lattice & drizzle the rest of the liquid on top to soak the lattice with the liquid.

*You can peel the apples before you start & soak them in cold water to prevent browning,

Pecan Pie

Dad & Pop's favorite Pecan Pie. It's also the classic Karo Syrup recipe. 

Ingredients~

1 cup Karo® Dark Corn Syrup

3 eggs (lightly beaten)

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans

1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crust

Directions~

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a SPOON.

3. Place unbaked pie shells onto a large baking sheet & place on over rack.

4. Add pecans, pour filling over pecans.

6. Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for 2 hours before serving.

(Pie is done when center reaches 200°F. Tap center top of pie lightly - it should spring back when done. If pie crust is overbrowning, cover edges with foil.)

Kelsey's Peanut Butter Pie (no bake)

This is Kelsey's incredible Peanut Butter Pie! She searched high & low for the perfect recipe to make for her class's Dessert Day. This is what she came up with & it was a HUGE hit. She made 4 pies that day & they all disappeared in no time!

Since that day, Kelsey makes this pie for every single family gathering and they are always devoured! This is most definitely a family favorite!  

Ingredients~

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

Directions~ 

Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar.
Mix in the peanut butter and milk.
Beat until smooth.
Gently fold in the whipped topping.
Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm (overnight).

Tips:
*Don't skimp, use name brand when possible! 

*Freeze overnight or at least 8 hours!

*One Thanksgiving the pie wasn't quite frozen in time so we ate one but we let the second one freeze and then we cut it into bite size cubes and but them in a tupperware in the freezer to have with our coffee the next morning. It was the perfect size to sneak a quick treat!

Just line a square or rectangle pan with wax or parchment paper & make as normal. When it's frozen, pop it out of the pan onto a cutting board & slice into about 1 inch squares. 

Gooey Butter Cake

This cake is amazing! Absolutely amazing.

Ingredients~

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients & mix well.
Pour into lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Prepare filling.....

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar


Directions~
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs & vanilla. Add Butter; Beat well.
Add powdered sugar & mix well. Spread over cake mixture.
Bake 40-50 minutes. You want the center to be a little gooey, so do not overbake.




Variations~

Add 15-ounce can of pumpkin (and a dash of cinnamon & nutmeg) to the filling.

Add a 20-ounch can of drained crushed pineapple to the filling.

Use a lemon cake, add a little lemon juice & zest to the filling.

Use a spiced carrot cake mix, add chopped nuts & carrot slivers to the filling.

Use a chocolate cake mix, add 1 cup of peanut butter to the mix.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

INGREDIENTS

Cake
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pudding Mixture
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
Dash salt
1 1/3 cups boiling water

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, the baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla until well blended. Spread batter in ungreased 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan.
2. In small bowl, mix 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and dash salt. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Slowly pour boiling water over sugar mixture. (Don't stir!)
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Serve warm. If desired, serve with ice cream. Store in refrigerator.

Cinnamon Rolls

I started making these years ago & everyone still begs for them!

Ingredients

3 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup white sugar

Directions

1.In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2.In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the cake mix and 3 cups of the flour; stir to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
3.Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
4.Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 10x16 inch rectangle. spread the softened butter over the rectangle; sprinkle on brown sugar and cinnamon. Starting from one of the long sides, roll up the rectangle and cut into 1 inch wide rolls.
5.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Pour the melted butter into a small bowl and mix the white sugar and pecans in another small bowl. Dip the top of each roll in the melted butter, then in the sugar and pecan mixture, then place the topped rolls snugly into the prepared pan. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
6.Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until rolls are golden.

Banana Pudding

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 bananas, sliced
1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers

Directions

1.In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.
2.Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.