grandma's lemon cake

This is one of my favorite cakes that my grandma makes.  It's incredibly moist and is a great break away from the chocolate cakes that I love!  It's also INCREDIBLY easy with just a few ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 box of white or yellow cake mix

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1 small box of lemon jello

1 cup hot water

Glaze:

1 cup of confectioners sugar (or a little more if desired)

4 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

Pour 1 cup of hot water in a measuring dish and dissolve the lemon jello.

Mix the cake mix, egg, oil and water with lemon jello together for several minutes. 

Spray bundt pan with Pam.

Pour into a bundt pan (or a 9x13 pan) and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until toothpick is clean and edges are pulled away from pan.

Let sit for 10 minutes before turning over onto a platter.  (sometimes I have to run a spoon down the side in order to get it to loosened from the pan).

Pour the glaze over the cake.  Wrap the cake up nice & tight (and place in fridge if you'd like) -- it's best when it's super moist!

Amy's Tips:  You can make this into a lime or orange cake as well!  Just use the appropriate jello (lime jello, orange jello), and then lime juice or orange juice for the glaze.  My grandma also uses either white or yellow cake.  She did say at one time the white cake mix will bring out the lemon flavor more (in this case of the picture above, I used the yellow cake mix because it is what I had on hand).

Seven Layer Bars (7 layer bars)

I have heard of these 7 layer bars (or seven layer bars) ... and thought I'd try it out last week. 

They were gone in a day and a half.  My family LOVED this recipe!  Not to mention super easy to make.

Actually, for me, it's a 6 layer bar.  I didn't add nuts to it.  I'm not fond of nuts in my food.  Separate?  Yes.  In my food?  No.

Here is the recipe (from Eagle Brand)

1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs

1/2 c butter/margarine

1 can sweeten condensed milk

1 c chocolate chips

1 c butterscotch chips

1 1/3 c coconut

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt the margarine/butter and then mix it with the crumbs.  Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam, and then add the crumb mixture, pressing down.  Pour half of the sweetened condensed milk over the crumbs.  Add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and coconut (nuts too... if you wish).  Finally, pour the rest of the milk over the top, and then back for 25 minutes or until light brown on top.

Let it sit for 10 minutes, and then take a knife and lightly make indentions on where you want the bars to be cut.  Let sit for another 10 minutes, then place in the fridge.  Cutting it will be much easier when it is cold and hardened.

I also took pictures!!  (surprise surprise!)

Yummm.... look at it up close!

Spreading the rest of the milk on top.

What it looks like when it comes out of the oven!

Wait about 10 minutes after pulling from the oven.  Then, lightly cut into squares (I managed to get 35 bars).  Let it sit for a bit longer, then place in the fridge for a few hours.  You'll be able to cut into bars MUCH easier when it's cold since it has already been cut.

Peach Crisp

Book Club was last Thursday night, and I'm hankering for fall desserts.  Even when it's 99 degrees outside in the middle of September... I want it to be fall!

Found this recipe online at allrecipes.com, and modified it a little to fit my needs.

It's most definitely a keeper!

List of Ingredients

6 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted & sliced

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 c flour

1/2 c oatmeal

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

couple shakes of nutmeg

1/2 cup butter

**Note:  I used canned peaches!!  I just didn't add any of the juice to the pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8 inch square baking pan.

Place peaches in the bottom of the baking dish, and sprinkle them w/ almond extract.

In a bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, brown sugar, spices and salt.  Cut the butter into the flour mixture w/ a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles crumbs.

Sprinkle the flour mixture in an even layer over the top of the peaches.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the peaches are bubbling and the topping is browned.

**Amy's Notes:  I doubled the recipe to make a 9x13 pan, and got the big can of peaches at Sam's Club ($3.90).  I didn't use all of the peaches, but I did make sure I got a lot in the pan.  I also used half margarine and half butter -- make sure it's softened first!  Serve with vanilla ice cream!  Super yummy!

How to make whipped cream

I have the hardest time remembering how to make whipping cream.  It NEVER turns out right!  Thankfully, I found a good tutorial online ... somewhere... and I tried it out last night when I made my husband's birthday cake.

Cast of Ingredients

16 oz of heavy whipping cream

sugar (start with 2 Tbsp)

vanilla (1 tsp)

First of all, get the mixing bowl you are going to use, and the mixer tool (not the actual mixer, but those ... things!)  and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

After the bowl and beaters are chilled, pour the heavy whipping cream in the bowl, and add the vanilla and sugar.

Whip on medium until soft peaks are formed when you left your mixer.

Taste ... if it needs more sugar, add a little at a time.  **NOTE:  some people add sugar and vanilla at the end .. I added it at the beginning by accident and it still was OK. 

If you want to make chocolate whipping cream, add 3 Tbsp of cocoa powder plus another 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar (taste it as you go). 

Here is a GREAT link for more flavors and whipping cream recipes

Just an FYI:  One cup of whipping cream equals 2 cups of the whipped cream.  For the above recipe, you can always cut in half for a smaller portion!

Death by chocolate cupcakes.... literally!

A few weeks ago I found this amazing recipe on Amanda & Kevin's blog and I knew I had to try it out.

Chocolate cupcake.

Chocolate Mousse inside chocolate cupcake.

Chocolate frosting on top of chocolate cupcake with chocolate mousse inside.

Chocolate candy on top of chocolate cupcake with chocolate mousse inside with chocolate frosting on top.

I mean... what's there not to love about this cupcake?  It's a recipe that was created JUST FOR ME!!

So, I made these for Katie's birthday.  Let me say... it was divine!!  and time consuming.....

Here is the recipe: 

List of Ingredients:

1 box Devils Food Cake Mix

1 small box Jello Chocolate Fudge instant pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

Chocolate Mousse Filling

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 stick softened butter

2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup of boiling water

1 bag mini Snickers (I used Reese's Peanut Butter cups)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners. To prepare the cupcakes, place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, milk and sour cream into stand mixer. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Scoop the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes are cooked through and a toothpick comes clean from center. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let cool.

2. To prepare the mousse, melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream with a stand or electric mixer until it looks like whipped cream and stiff peaks form. Fold melted chocolate chips into whipped cream until well combined, then transfer batches into a piping bag. When cupcakes have cooled, press the tip of the piping bag into the center of the cupcake, about 1 inch deep. Squeeze the mousse into the cupcake while pulling the tip out. It doesn’t take much, just one firm squeeze is perfect. Continue filling all the cupcakes.

3. To prepare the frosting, beat the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla & hot water until well combined and a nice frosting consistency. Spread over cupcakes then top with chopped Snickers (or other candy).

Makes 24 cupcakes.  (actually, for me, it made 33)

While I loved Amanda's directions and beautiful pictures on her blog that went well with the recipe, I found that I had a few more steps that I needed to do. 

• First of all, chill the chocolate mousse!!  After you get done making it, put it in the fridge for a bit to harden up. 
• Let your cupcakes TOTALLY cool (like, for several hours!) before you pipe it inside the cupcake. 
• If you do the Reese's PB Cups, buy like 3-4 of the packages of candy (I'm talking about the individual sized that has 8 in a package?... like for $1 each?  I bought only 1 package, and it only covered 8 cupcakes).
• and finally, Amanda didn't have anything liquid for her frosting, and I used this recipe that came out of my Better Homes & Garden cookbook (it's the no-cook Fudge frosting), but it calls for boiling water... butter, vanilla, cocoa powder & confectioners sugar is NOT going to make frosting, something liquid needs to be added, so start w/ 1/4 cup of boiling water and go from there).

This recipe is MOST definitely a keeper for our family!  I think I'm going to try a French Vanilla cake mix next to see how that would taste w/ chocolate mousse!!



::drooling::

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

One final picture??

lemon bars

I was a lemon bar virgin. Never made them before... never *gasp* had them before! I really had NO clue what they were supposed to look like! I went searching for the perfect recipe, and found that almost all of the recipes were the exact same, only some had more flour, or less flour... some had less lemon, or more lemon... some called for lemon juice in a bottle, others said you HAVE to use fresh lemons. So, I used Paula Deen's recipe.

Ingredients
Crust:
2 c all purpose flour
1 c confectioner's sugar + more for dusting
pinch salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature, + more for greasing

Filling:
4 eggs
2 c granulated sugar
6 tbsp all purpose flour
6 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Make the crust by combining the flour, sugar & salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. You may need to dip your fingers in a little flour or confectioner's sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour & lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired, when the bars are done.

Amy's Notes: I used Pam, not butter to grease my pan. I baked everything according to the directions, and it all turned out very yummy! On the actual website, you can see all the "well.. I would have done this... or that" type of tips, but I didn't use any of those. When I pulled it out of the oven, I was sure I did it wrong. Nothing looked like jelly for the lemon filling. But, it was there. I made it Friday night, and cut it up on Saturday morning!

....no cook fudge frosting

In our family, we have a traditional birthday cake. I always make a two layer cake.... french vanilla for some, & some sort of chocolate cake for others. The topping is always the same: Better Homes & Garden's No-Cook Fudge Frosting. Every birthday my girls always request this cake & icing. One year I added canned strawberry frosting and piped big circles for Maddie's birthday cake. I remember when I was a teenager, and I wanted to make a chocolate cake. I added way too much hot water, and thought "oh, it's OK". Well, when I went to spread (OK, poured it on) my two layer cake... it went over my cake. Down the side. On the counter. Then on the floor. It.was.a.mess!! My mom came in laughing after shrieking my name a few times! Apparently, I have to add more sugar if I add too much water!

Ingredients
(taken from the Better Homes & Garden cookbook)
4 3/4 c sifted powdered sugar
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c margarine or butter, softened
1/3 c boiling water
1 tsp vanilla

Mix powdered sugar & cocoa. Add margarine, boiling water, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till combined. Cool for 20-30 minutes or till of spreading consistency. Frosts tops & sides of two 8 or 9 inch cake layers.

Amy's Notes: OK, I don't sift my powdered sugar. And I didn't know there was "sweetened cocoa powder!" I always use butter... and I now make sure my frosting is the right consistency before I frost. Sometimes that means adding more water b/c it's just too thick for me to spread. Don't want to get crumbs on my frosting! AND.. most importantly! Put your bowl in the sink when you mix this up w/ your electric mixer. Otherwise the fudge frosting will fly EVERYWHERE! Better to trap it in the sink than wiping if off the walls.

Warning! Warning! Warning! This recipe is VERY rich! But very delicious! Have milk on hand!

homemade hot fudge

A few weeks ago we had a few of Mike's work friends over, and for dessert we had brownie fudge sundae. I've been wanting to try this recipe of homemade hot fudge for SO long (like years!). Instead of forking over $2-3 for a small jar of hot fudge, I was able to make this for much cheaper, and had SO much leftover!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 can evaporated milk
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a pan, adding the chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Add the evaporated milk and the powdered sugar. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla.

mayonnaise cake

I know... the name sounds gross, right? But, it's the moistest, chocolatey'est (is that a word?) cake ever! And it's the ONLY thing I eat with homemade ice cream!

Mix together:
2 c sifted flour
2 tsp baking soda
3 large tbsp cocoa & more (& more?? How much is.... & more? I don't know!)

Add:
1 c cold water
1 c sugar
1 c salad dressing (y'know, mayonnaise?! Salad dressing! The cheap stuff!)
1 tsp vanilla

When mixed, pour in greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

chocolate angel food cake

Since I'm on a roll, and I'm doing chocolate stuff, here is another favorite my mom made when I was growing up. This is soooo yummy!

Ingredients
2 12 oz pkg chocolate chips
4 eggs, separated
1 pint whipped cream (or 2 containers Cool Whip)
2 tbsp sugar (do not use if you're using Cool Whip)
1 Angel food cake
1 c nuts, chopped

Melt chocolate chips. Add egg yolks and beat. Set aside and let cool. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold in egg whites, then the Cool Whip. Break the cake in pieces and put in a 9x13 pan. Cover cake with chocolate mix. Sprinkle with nuts (I hate nuts in my food, so I disregard). Chill several hours. Can be made one day ahead!

chocolate mousse pie

Yummmm.... I love this frozen pie. My mom used to make this pie for Thanksgiving dinner, after the French Silk pie was retired from Thanksgiving at our house.

Ingredients:

1 pkg Baker's German Sweet Chocolate Bar
1/3 c milk
2 tbsp sugar
1 3 oz softened cream cheese
1 container Cool Whip
1 8-inch graham cracker crust

Heat chocolate and 2 tbsp of the milk in saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate is melted. Beat sugar into cream cheese; adding remaining milk & chocolate mix and beat until smooth. Fold chocolate mixture into whipped topping, blending until smooth. Spoon into crust. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Store in freezer.

rod's super fudge

Since it's the holidays, and that means my favorite foods come out at this time of the year! Every year since I can remember, as soon as Thanksgiving came, my dad whipped out his famous fudge. (hence the name "Rod's Super Fudge"). This is a family favorite, which has become MY family favorite, and it's the most requested recipe to have or thing I'm requested to make! The tip to this recipe is to keep the fudge COLD after you make it! Don't let it get to room temperature otherwise it's not as awesome.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
4 c sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 pkg chocolate chips (try milk choc or semi-sweet, they both give different flavors!)
2 giant sized Hershey bars
1 jar marshmallow cream
1 c nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter, sugar & milk in huge saucepan; after it starts boiling, cook for 5 minutes at a rolling boil. Remove from heat and beat in remaining ingredients. Will make one 9x13 pan and 1 9x9 pan of fudge, or will fit one cookie sheet (jelly roll pan). Let cool in fridge & cut. Make sure you keep it cold (best when it's cold!) and keep in airtight container.

Amy's Notes: Last year I noticed Hershey's stopped making their usual giant sized Hershey bars candy bar. Bummer. I used the slightly smaller bars, but I could tell it didn't taste as 100% as it could. This year I'm going to use another bar, but maybe half of a bar?

Another tip to have, is to have every ingredient unwrapped and ready to go. This is a FAST thing to make, and you're not going to have time to unwrap each thing and put it in. So prepare beforehand!

caribbean lime coolers

This recipe was featured in Betty Crocker's Cookies & Bars magazine this month, and it is out of this world! So delicious! If you love anything citrusy, then THIS is your cookie to try!

Caribbean Lime Coolers
(makes 2 1/2 dozen)

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 c coconut
1 tbsp grated lime peel (about 1 lime)
3 tablespoons lime juice (or about 2 limes)
6 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1/4 c powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, coconut, lime juice, lime peel, butter & egg until soft dough forms.
2. On ungreased cookie sheets (I used parchment paper), drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart (or do like Maddie did to get 4 dozen: make them really really tiny)
3. Bake 9-13 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4. With small strainer, sift powdered sugar over cooled cookies. Store covered @ room temperature.

homemade chocolate cupcakes

I recently found an awesome cupcake recipe on Bakerella .... a really cool blog dedicated to all things yummy & bake-able. (just click on the word Bakerella if you wish to see the website) She made cupcakes by scratch. Whoa.... by scratch? Never done it before! I'm usually using my trusty box of cake mix. However, this recipe was from Martha Stewart, and how could it be bad if it's from Martha Stewart??!! Well, the recipe was SO simple, so easy..... and involved few ingredients and ONE bowl! Away I baked...... and they were SO delicious! WAY better than cake mix cupcakes, I must say!

My fudge frosting is from my Betty Crocker recipe book. I use it on ALL of my chocolate cakes. So incredibly yummy!

Ingredients

Makes 18 to 24

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons safflower oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Amy's Notes: This was very runny batter ~ and I was very hesitant that I did it right (since cake mix batter isn't very runny)... but it's supposed to be runny, so you did it right! If you don't have buttermilk, just take 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar & add enough whole milk to make a cup, let sit for 5 minutes!

No-Cook Fudge Frosting

(from Betty Crocker's recipe book)

Cast of Characters:

4 3/4 c sifted powdered sugar

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 c margarine or butter, softened

1/3 c boiling water

1 tsp vanilla

Mix powdered sugar & cocoa. Add margarine, boiling water, and vanilla. Best w/ an electric mixer on low speed till combined. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Cool for 20-30 minutes or till or spreading consistency. Frosts tops & sides of two 8 or 9 inch cake layers.

chocolate covered bananas

My grandma made this for me when I was a kid... and I.LOVED.IT!

I think she dipped hers in chocolate chips that were melted. Then sometimes she rolled the banana in nuts.

My mom made some too, but she used Magic Shell, and those were so yummy too!

Peel & cut your bananas in half, and stick a popsicle stick in the middle of each one. Place on a tray and put in freezer for 3 hours.

Maddie brought home some Heath Magic Shell from a leftover ice cream party. I put it in the fridge.

Apparently it is the WRONG thing to do, because it was hard. There was a little section on the back (in tiny letters, I have to add!) that says "DO NOT REFRIGERATE!" Oops! So, I ran under hot water for a few minutes until I had some that poured out. The Magic Shell will harden almost immediately, so you will not be able to roll in nuts, M&M's or anything fun.

If you wish to use melted chocolate chips, don't freeze your banana first.... chop your banana in half, then roll in chocolate, then you can easily roll in a bowl full of nuts, chopped M&M's, etc. Just place in freezer for a few hours.

mike's favorite banana nut cake

Mike loves his Grandma... even more when she made him his favorite cake. Traditionally it's in a jelly roll pan (big oversized cookie sheet), with sliced bananas on top with whipped cream over that. Here is Grandma's Banana Nut Cake (or otherwise known as "Mike's Favorite Banana Nut Cake").

Ingredients:

2 c mashed bananas (4-5 bananas)
1 c buttermilk
1 c margarine
2 c sugar
3 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, separated
2 1/4 c sifted flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 c chopped nuts

Sift flour 4 times, then measure. sift all other dry ingredients 4 times (except sugar). Cream sugar & margarine. Add egg yolk then sifted flour. Mix, add milk, mix, add bananas & nuts. Add rest of dry ingredients. Fold in stiffly beatened egg whites. Bake in greased & floured deep cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Put in refrigerator after cool. When ready to eat, slice bananas and place on top. Whip real cream w/ 1/2 c sugar & place on top.

Amy's Note:
The first time I made this recipe, it took me FOREVER! So, I decided that the next time I made it, I wasn't going to sift my flour, and it still turned out great. I'm going to make it today in a bundt pan, but I'm not going to stiffen my egg whites either. I'll let you know if it turns out or not. :)

ETA: OK, Mike refused to touch it in a bundt pan. ::GRR:: I guess he wanted to put his sliced bananas & whipped cream on top, and doing it in a bundt pan didn't allow him that freedom. However, it was very delisious. I kept it in the fridge!

{amy's chocolate chip cookie}

This is actually the recipe from the back of Nestle's Tollhouse cookie recipe. This is literally the ONLY recipe that I can make a darn good chocolate chip cookie. I don't know why, but it's the only one. My trick is to use half shortening, and half butter (that is left at room temperature!). Oh, and I watch the timer, and pull the cookie sheet out when the cookies are just starting to turn a little bit brown, but not quite. They still remain very movable after they cool when I do that. Love these cookies!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 c butter (1/2 c shortening 1/2 c butter)

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 pkg chocolate chips

Combine flour, soda & salt. Put aside. Beat butter that is at room temperature (DO NOT MELT!!) & shortening with sugars, eggs & vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake for 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool and eat!

Amy's Notes:

**My mom introduced me to parchment paper. Now I never do any baking without this. My cookies literally slide off my cookie sheet and are baked PERFECTLY with this stuff!

**I never combine my flour, soda & salt and set aside. I do it all in one pan, but just start w/ the butter/eggs/sugar first, then add the flour, soda & salt. I'm too lazy to dirty up more dishes, I guess...

{crumb top for pies}

My sister in law Tiffany gave me this recipe, and hands down it's one of my favorite crumb recipes ever! I used this recipe to teach a "how to make an apple pie" class at our church's women's group years ago. It was "ooh'd" and "ahh'd" over & over. I think this would work well on peach pies, apple pies... anything! And, it saves me time from having to make a double pie crust (which I dislike very much!)

Ingredients:

2/3 c brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1/2 c oats

1/3 c softened butter

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients with a pastry blender or a fork. Sprinkle over the top of any kind of fruit pie (apple, peach, etc) or a crisp. Bake as directed with your pie.

Amy's Notes:

*If you forgot to pull your stick of butter out of the fridge or freezer to soften, pull it out, slice it through and lay it out in a circle. It will soften within minutes.

*Adding coconut is an option as well.....

{single pie crust}

My grandma makes the best pies. Her pies are always so flaky. I'm not a big fan of pies, since it takes FOREVER to make one. But, I always get so many compliments on my pies every single time I make it, so it makes it worthwhile..... sometimes. :)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c sifted regular flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c Crisco

3 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift flour before measuring, combine salt & flour. With a pastry blender, cut in Crisco until uniform; mixture should be fairly course. Sprinkle with water. Work dough into a firm ball with hands. Press dough into a flat circle with smooth edges (make sure flour is under your dough!!).

Amy's Notes:

*I have the hardest time transferring my pie crust over. Just wrap it around your rolling pin and transfer it over.

*I didn't add the baking time to bake this (sorry!), if you're making a cream pie. Most of my pies are apple or pumpkin, so it needs to be a raw dough when you add in the filling. If you do bake it by itself, then use a fork and punch holes throughout the pie so it doesn't bubble up, Then watch it carefully.

*One fun memory I have when my grandma or even my mom made pies. They would always use the leftover dough to make cinnamon crisps for us. LOVE it! So if you have leftovers, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it and put it in the oven for your kids. :)

{peanut butter easter eggs}

I found this on allrecipes.com, and I'm hoping to make this for this upcoming weekend!! There were too many "it's fantastic" reviews for it NOT to be bad, which is why I'm adding it before I'm even trying it!

Ingredients

1 (16 oz) package confectioners' sugar

1 c creamy peanut butter

1/4 c butter

1 tbsp milk

8 (1 oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate

1 tbsp shortening

In a mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter & milk (if needed for moisture) until blended. Shape mixture into two 1/2 pound eggs or make a bunch of smaller eggs. Freeze eggs for 1 hour.

While the eggs are freezing, cut semi-sweet chocolate into small pieces & place in top of double broiler w/ shortening. Melt over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Stick a long-tined ford in top of each peanut butter egg, dip it in melted chocolate to cover then drain on waxed paper. When the eggs are cooled & set, decorate the eggs to suit your fancy.

Amy's notes:

*Use more milk if needed to bring it together (not so crumbly)

*Use milk chocolate chips for dipping

*some people liked using half chunky peanut butter & half creamy peanut butter

*lessen the amount of sugar if it is too sweet

*can use a heart shape for Valentine's Day, etc