cool strawberry pie

Living in a camper in sunny Oklahoma, it is too hot to cook! At supper time yesterday it was 101 outside and 84 inside. So this morning early I made this pie, which requires a little bit of stovetop cooking, and the pie can chill the rest of the day in the fridge.

A yummy cool light summer dessert. Strawberries are in season, it is HOT outside, perfect time for strawberry pie. If anyone remembers, it is kind of like Shoney's restaurant's strawberry pie. Top with your favorite whipped topping, this pie is a cool summer treat.

cool strawberry pie

1 small box of Jell-O Cook & Serve Vanilla pudding

1 small box of Jell-O Strawberry Jell-O

2 cups water

strawberries, sliced (3-4 cups)

graham cracker pie crust

whipped topping

Mix pudding mix with water in pan - heat up, stirring constantly, until it hits a full boil. Remove from heat and add Jell-O strawberry mix. Let cool to room temperature. Add strawberries to pudding mixture, coat well. Pour into pie crust. Refrigerate until set (about an hour). Makes 6-8 servings. May substitute different fruits and different flavors for the pudding and Jell-O. Must use Cook & Serve pudding!

Tips (discovered the hard way of course): Of the 2 cups of water, use a small amount to dissolve the strawberry Jell-O, and the rest to cook the pudding, otherwise, it might clump up. Option: Cut strawberries into bite size pieces, except for the top layer if you want to use halves to look pretty.

chex party mix

Chex Mix
 8 c. Crispix cereal                               1/3 c. margarine
1 ½ c. stick pretzels                            1 ½ T. Worcestershire sauce
6 oz. salted mixed nuts                       1 T. seasoned salt

Melt margarine, add sauce and salt. Pour over other ingredients into microwavable bowl.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Stir well.  Microwave on high for 1 minute.  Stir well.  Repeat two more times at 1 minute.  Spread onto paper towels to cool.

power snack

just 2 ingredients

Have you heard of the 2-ingredient muffin recipe?  Can you say simple? And delicious?

1 can of pumpkin

1 cake mix 

mix together, put into muffin pan, bake 20 minutes at 400

that's all

no water

no eggs

no oil

you can add things if you want to, like chocolate chips or nuts :) but the recipe is good just as is

I have tried spice cake mix, and devils food. Today I am making milk chocolate. 

A great pick-me-up about 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. or breakfast or bedtime... don't feel guilty, it is half vegetable! So make up a batch and have enough for the whole week.

Quick, easy, healthy, portable, and chocolate, what more do you need?

family recipes

This week Sarah and Kyle move into their first apartments. Kyle wants to cook and is going through his mom's recipes to try. So, an idea for a family recipe book came to mind.

I made some of these in the past for kids and nieces and nephews who moved out on their own, but they were just my recipes on index cards in an album.

Now I am thinking about gathering recipes from all the family, anyone who will contribute, like Sue's heavenly hash and Carrie's green bean casserole. And I know you guys out there that cook like Keith and Kennon and Ethan, you know you have favorite recipes too. 

I also want to include some recipes from folks that are no longer with us, like Inez's icebox cookies, Alma's peanut butter fingers, and Two-Mama's pound cake.

If the original used splattered recipe can be found (like the one above), I want to scan it for a picture, and type out the instructions so they are legible. It would be great to have a picture of the finished product also, but that would mean we would have to make all of these great dishes, a kind of test kitchen, which might be doable with some help.

As far as the recipe book itself, I am thinking an actual book, there are so many affordable options out there now for self-publishing, even at Wal-Mart.

The family recipe book would make great Christmas gifts for everyone.

Any other ideas are welcome, like maybe some family photos too?  And will need a name for the recipe book, send me your ideas!

So, attention family members: Find and send me your favorite recipes, if there is an original old version let me scan it and get it back to you, if not just a written recipe can be sent (e-mail or whatever). And if anyone has old recipes from Inez or Two-Mama please let me know. 

Thanks y'all! 

How to make fried pies

After mentioning fried pies in two recent posts, I received these questions from some friends north of here: "What exactly is a fried apple pie? How does one fry a pie?" I told them it must be a Southern thang, so this is for all my Yankee friends.

Gather the ingredients - pie filling, canned biscuits, flour, oil.

Pie filling - this can be your choice, even canned pie filling. Here in Georgia we prefer apple or peach - fresh fruit, peeled, cut up, cooked and sweetened to taste - add cinnamon if you wish.

Canned biscuits? Of course you can make home made pie crust if you want, I prefer the quick-n-easy way. (click photos to enlarge)


gather ingredients

roll out biscuit

add filling to one half,
moisten edge with water

fold over

seal with fork

place in medium hot oil, turn once

and voila!
fried apple pies


Note - You could use the same oil to fry up some okra, unless y'all don't know what that is either?

cool recipe

Weight Watchers Yogurt Pie

1 graham cracker crust (reduced fat)
1 package lime Jell-O 0.3 oz (sugar free)
1/4 cup boiling water
1 8-oz container Cool Whip (fat free)
12 oz key lime flavor yogurt

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in yogurt with wire whisk. Fold in whipped topping. Spread in crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Makes 1 pie, 8 servings.

Try other flavors - like strawberry or lemon!

Happy 4th of July!

Wave Your Flag Cake

Red jello, strawberries, blueberries, pound cake, Cool Whip, recipe here. Instead of pound cake, I used the individual dessert cakes (no sugar added), used sugar free jello and fat free Cool Whip. First layer before the Cool Whip icing:



Independence day foods include hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon, and today something red, white, and blue! Happy 4th everyone

quick fix

Have you ever just had to have some chocolate and couldn't find any in the house? You look in the obvious (public) places, pantry, cookie jar, end table... the (hiding) places - bottom of purse, car console, hidden in the back of the fridge... and it is nowhere to be found!



But not to worry! I bet you will have all the ingredients for this delicious

"5 minute Chocolate Cake in a Mug"



Just get out one of those souvenir mugs like this one given out every Christmas by the now defunct Gilmer County Bank... hey, a collector's item!

Mix up the following ingredients:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
small splash of vanilla extract
in
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)



Place mug into the microwave and cook for 3 minutes. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, fun to watch, but not to worry!





Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. Enjoy! Serves 1 or 2, depending on how big your craving is!

recipe found here

comforting thoughts

Comfort food… what is your favorite? Mac n cheese? Mashed potatoes? We were brought up on these great filling carbs, only to find out as an adult that they are not so comforting… they still fill us up, but also fill us out… they turn to sugar and fat and like to settle into low lying areas...

After years of being borderline diabetic, Buddy officially now has the dreaded disease like so many of his ancestors and siblings. So we are learning about carbs and counting carbs and reading labels differently. And we are learning about changing old eating habits. Instead of a big plate of pasta and meat sauce and a couple of slices of garlic bread, let's try this instead… a big salad and some big meatballs and a little bit of spaghetti noodles.

Searching my kid's favorite recipe site - allrecipes.com - found this meatball recipe that sounded good but of course I didn't have half of the stuff listed, so as they say - necessity is the mother of invention. I added some of this and that to my basic ground beef and came up with this recipe which we tried last week:

MEATBALLS and spaghetti
1 # ground beef
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 dashes of garlic salt
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
6 Ritz crackers crumbled
1/2 cup water
Your favorite bottled spaghetti sauce - 23.5 oz (Prego Italian Sausage and Garlic)

Mix all ingredients except sauce together well, shape into eight 2" balls. Brown in a little oil in saucepan, cooking slowly and turning to brown all sides - cover for a little bit to make sure the middle gets done. Remove from pan, pour off grease, wipe out pan. Return meatballs to pan, add sauce, simmer for 15 minutes.

Carbs are a necessary nutrient, so don't cut them out altogether, but should be eaten in moderation. We are working on cutting down on carbs, it would be easier if they didn't taste so dang good!

Friday nite fare

8-can Soup recipe

Open the 8 cans (pictured), pour into big pot without draining. Add 1 can of water. No other seasonings needed. Bring to boil, simmer 15 minutes. Serve with cornbread.


Apple Pie recipe

Unbaked pie crust, 3 Rome apples - grated, 1 stick margarine - melted, 1 egg, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon.




Mix together margarine, egg, sugar, and grated apples, put into unbaked pie crust, sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.