Banana Cream Pie

This recipe comes from my daughter's mother-in-law (Sheila Thorpe). It is delicious but don't be tempted to turn up the heat too much or it will scorch. She uses Marie Calendar's frozen pie crust but you can make a home made one if you want. Just before serving she tops it with whipped cream and slices bananas on top. Enjoy!!

Sheila's Banana Cream Pie (one pie)

3/4 c. sugar

3 rounded tbsp. corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. whole milk

3 egg yolks

2 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pastry shell

Combine sugar, corn starch and salt in a pan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until just a low boil. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. Take a little of the hot mixture into a separate bowl and mix in the egg yolks. Stir this mixture into the mixture on the stove. Cook on a low boil for another 7 minutes stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Remove and add butter and vanilla. Cool to room temperature and pour into pastry shell.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

This one is soooo good, I had to share! Try it this Christmas!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. pecans
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, flour, butter, salt, lemon juice and corn syrup. Mix thouroughly, then stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until set and golden.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I saw this recipe on Good Things Utah one day, and it looked so yummy so I wanted to post it here. I haven't tried it yet, although I need to soon, so if anyone tries it before I do, please leave a comment on what you think...


Prepared by GTU viewer Carrie Swenson

Ingredients:

2 T. yeast
1/2c. warm water
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
2/3 c. sugar
½ t. salt
1 egg, beaten
¼ c. melted, butter
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 t. cinnamon
4-5 c. bread flour
½ c. brown sugar, packed
2 T. cinnamon
2 T. melted butter
Method:


Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Wait 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, egg, sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon and cloves and mix well. Slowly add flour one cup at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl after each addition of flour. Turn into lightly greased bowl, cover and set in warm place until double in bulk. Punch down dough and let rest for 5 more minutes. Roll dough out into a rectangle.
Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle the dough with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Starting with long side of dough, roll up jellyroll style. Pinch seams to seal. With sharp serrated knife cut roll into 12 1 in. pieces. Place rolls, cut side up in greased 9*13 pan. Cover and let rise until double, 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake rolls at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with caramel frosting as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool until warm, add the rest of the frosting. Enjoy!

Caramel Frosting

¼ c. butter
½ c. brown sugar, packed
2 T. milk
¼ t. vanilla
Pinch of salt
½ c. to ¾ c. sifted powder sugar

In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over med. Low heat 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, salt, and powder sugar. Beat with Electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more sugar for desired consistency.

Fluffy Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

My daughter had this at her super saturday. It was delicious!!!! Enjoy!

1 Ready Crust Graham Cracker Pie Crust

12 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup 100 % pure pumpkin

2 eggs

Mix cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin pie spice on medium speed. Stir in pumpkin. Add eggs and mix until blended. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Serves 8.

Home-made Ice Cream Sandwiches

This recipe is from one of my college roommates. Her daughter posted it on her blog and I thought I would share!!!

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

*Just a note of warning, check your cupboard before you start these. You'll need at least 4 cups of chocolate chips.

2 C flour

1/2 C cocoa powder

2 t baking powder

3/4 t salt

4 large eggs

2 t vanilla extracct

2 t instant coffee (I didn't have any and they tasted great w/o)

10 T butter, softened

1 1/2 C packed light brown sugar

1/2 C sugar

16 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

2 C semisweet chocolate

Ice cream of choice

Whisk together all dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together effs, vanilla and coffee until coffee is dissolved. In mixer, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 3 min.). Beat in egg mixture until combined. Beat in cooled melted chocolate, until combined. Add flour mixture until combined. Stir in chips. Cover bowl and let rest for 30 minutes, until dough is a scoopable fudge consistency. Resist the urge to stick all five fingers in there to lick.

Once dough is rested, I scoop out in 1 T size balls onto and ungreased pan. You can use parchment paper if you're feeling sassy. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are a little cracked and the middle is soft set. Let cookies cool on pan for 5-10 min. then cool on a rack completely.

Get out your favorite ice cream (we used vanilla, so as not to be too rich). Place a small scoop on one cookie. Top with another. Do a little happy dance. Eat. Sigh. Eat some more. Sigh some more. Praise whoever invented the ice cream sandwich.

You could pre make a bunch and freeze them. Or just keep your cookies on hand in the freezer, bring them to room temperature and put the ice cream on then (that's what I prefer ... no crunchy frozen chips for me).

Enjoy!!

Gooey Popcorn Treat

This is an old recipe from my husbands family - easy to make and delicious!!
1 bag of popcorn puffs
1 cube of butter
1 c. dark karo
1 c. sugar 1 c. nuts of your choice (I usually use Cashews)

Place the butter, Karo and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil 2 - 3 min and add the nuts. Pour over the popcorn puffs and mix well. (the recipe says to boil 3 min but sometimes that makes the mixture hard so I usually only boil it 2 minutes for a softer mixture.)

Enjoy!!!!

Frostings

Sugar cookie and basic cake frosting.

Frosting tips:
Use regular shortening and clear vanilla for white frosting.
Butter makes better tasting frosting, but frosting won't be as fluffy.
Shortening makes better frosting texture - especially if you are going to be decorating using tips.

Sugar cookie frosting (basic frosting)

1/2 bag powdered sugar
2 TB melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 TB milk

Mix until smooth and fluffy. Add food coloring.


Wilton Buttercream frosting (basic decorating frosting)

1/2 c. solid vegetable shortening
1/2 c. butter or margarine (substitute shortening if pure white needed)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar (about 1 lb)
2 TB milk

Cream shortening and margarine, add vanilla and powdered sugar. Add milk until frosting is the right consistency.

The best chocolate frosting recipe (Lionhouse chocolate frosting for chocolate cream cake. Tastes almost like fudge to me. Use for anything you need to frost.)

4 TB cocoa
3 c. powdered sugar
4 TB soft butter or margarine
1-2 TB milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix cocoa and powdered sugar in mixing bowl. Add softened butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

My favorite 3 sugar cookie recipes

Perfect sugar cookies for whatever time or occasion you need them for!

Sugar Cookies (the kind you roll out and cut)

1 c. shortening (butter flavored for best taste)
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/4 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, milk, vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until well blended. You may need a bit more flour if it is too sticky - but you want dough very very soft. Roll and cut. Keep dough thick for soft cookies. Roll thin for crispy. Roll out the minimum times necessary because each time you roll out, cookies will become tougher. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until set but not browned.

Pan Sugar Cookies (no need to roll out)

1 1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 cubes margarine, softened
2 TB milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and margarine; add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Spread in greased cookie sheet. Bake @350 for 20 minutes. Frost and cut into bars.

Sugar Cookie Doodles (made like normal cookies and rolled in sugar. No need to frost)

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add sour cream, vanilla and egg. Mix in dry ingredients. Refrigerate if too soft to work with. Get a spoonful of dough (or cookie scoop) and roll dough into ball. Roll in sugar or sprinkles. Set on cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until ball has started to crack, but not browned. Very yummy. No need to frost.

Chewy Brownies Supreme

I got this recipe from Hersey's cocoa yrs ago and have always loved these brownies. They always seem to turn out so moist and chewy.
½ c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs unbeaten
½ c. Hershey’s cocoa
3/4 c. sifted all purpose flour
½ t. salt
½ t. baking powder
3/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together shortening and sugar and add vanilla and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy
Add cocoa and mix thoroughly
Soft together the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients. Add ½ c. of the chopped walnuts if desired.. Spread the mixture in greased 3x3 pan and decorate top with
remaining 1/4 c. walnuts. Bake 350 for 25 minutes or until done.

“Whoopie” Pies

We love these little chocolate cookies. They never seem to stay around very long!!

½ c. shortening
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
½ c. hot water
2/3 c. buttermilk (I have used 2/3 c. milk with 3/4 T Vinegar mixed in)

Filling
2 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 egg white
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. butter or margarine softened
½ c. shortening

In mixing bowl beat together the first ½ c. shortening and granulated sugar on high speed till fluffy.
Add the egg and egg yolk. Stir together the flour, cocoa and salt; set aside. Dissolve baking soda
in hot water; cool slightly. Add flour mixture alternately with soda mixture and buttermilk to
creamed mixture. Blend till well mixed. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart
onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in 350 deg over for 8-10 min or til set.
Cool cookies on wire racks while preparing filling.

Filling: Combine powdered sugar, egg white and vanilla. Beating at low speed gradually add
butter or margarine and the remaining shortening . Beat at high speed til light and fluffy. Spread
some filling on the bottom side of one cookie and top with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in refrigerator. Makes 2 doz filled cookies