Fruit Crisp

This has long been a summer favorite around here. I either make it with peaches or apples, usually fresh from the tree. The recipe comes from my tried-and-true Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that I've used for 30 years. :)

5 cups sliced, peeled apples, pears, peaches, or apricots; or frozen unsweetened peach slices
2 to 4 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup regular rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger (I use cinnamon)

1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup chopped nuts or coconut (we love the coconut!)
Vanilla ice cream or light cream (optional)

     For filling, thaw fruit, if frozen. Do not drain. Place fruit in an 8x1.5-inch round baking dish (I just use my 8x8 square glass baking dish). Stir in sugar.

     For topping, in a mixing bowl combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon (or nutmeg or ginger). Cut in margarine or butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts or coconut. Sprinkle topping over filling.

     Bake in a 375º oven for 30-35 minutes (40 minutes for thawed fruit) or till fruit is tender and topping is golden. (I usually bake for 25-28 minutes in my oven.) Serve warm with ice cream or light cream if desired. Serves 6.

Here are a few options included with the original recipe that I haven't used, but I'll include them just in case:

Microwave directions: Assemble filling as above. Cook filling, covered with vented plastic wrap, on 100% power (high) for 5-7 minutes or till fruit is tender, stirring twice.

     Assemble topping as above. Sprinkle over filling. Cook, uncovered, on high about 3 minutes or till topping is heated through, giving the dish a half-turn once.

Blueberry Crisp: Prepare as above, except, for the filling, combine 4 Tbsp sugar and 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Toss with 5 cups fresh or frozen* blueberries.

Cherry Crisp: Prepare as above, except, for the filling, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Toss with 5 cups fresh or frozen* unsweetened pitted tart red cherries.

Rhubarb Crisp: Prepare as above, except, for the filling, combine 1 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Toss with 5 cups fresh or frozen* unsweetened sliced rhubarb. 

*Note: If fruit is frozen, thaw, but do not drain. 

Mini Pavlovas

I love Pavlova. I've loved it since the first time I had it way back in 1990. Sadly, I've only had it a few times in my life, but that's about to change. I happened upon this recipe last week and it was so much easier to make than my previous experiences that I'm going to be making it regularly. :) The recipe I've made in the past makes one 11" pavlova. This recipe makes eight 3-4" pavlovas and comes together, ready to eat, in just over 2 hours. You're gonna love it! (Recipe from Our Best Bites found here.)

Pavlova:

1 cup sugar
1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

4 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. white vinegar

Whipped Cream:

1 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. sugar

Fresh fruit for topping (like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi...)

Chocolate ganache (see notes)

Preheat oven to 275º. If desired, trace 6-8 circles onto a piece of parchment with a pencil (the top of a large, wide-mouth mason jar or drinking glass works well). Flip paper over and lay on baking sheet. Set aside.

Place sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk together. Place egg whites in a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat for 1-3 minutes, until soft peaks form. with mixer running on medium-high speed, slowly add sugar mixture, one spoonful at a time until all is incorporated. Increase speed to high and continue mixing 3-4 minutes longer, until mixture is smooth and glossy and holds stiff peaks.

Add vanilla and vinegar and mix to combine, scraping down edges with spatula. Place mixture in a piping bag and pipe rounds onto prepared sheet. (Alternately you may simply spoon mixture onto the 8 rounds and shape with a spoon.)

Use a spoon to make a little indentation in the center of each mound, like a bowl. 

Place pan in oven and decrease temperature to 250º. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until edges are set and sound hollow when tapped. Turn off oven and with oven door cracked open, let pan cool completely. 

Pavlova shells may then be stored in air-tight containers for a day or two, or filled.

To fill, whip cream, vanilla, and sugar until soft peaks form. Spoon into center of each shell and then top with desired fruit. Drizzle with chocolate ganache (instructions below), if desired. 

Chocolate Ganache:

Use equal parts of heavy cream (by volume) and chocolate chips (by weight). I've found that 2 ounces of each is enough for all eight pavlovas.

Instructions: Heat 2 ounces of heavy cream and pour it over 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips. Let sit for about 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth. So easy and SO delish!! 

Photo from Our Best Bites

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Have you ever tried Dairy Queen's Frozen Hot Chocolate? It is one of my favorite treats and, in my experience, it's always available even if it's not on their menu. Full disclosure - this recipe isn't as good as Dairy Queen's. I just can't duplicate that perfectly delicious chocolaty taste. But I did my best and, after several mediocre attempts, came up with a sufficient and surprisingly easy substitute. Plus, I can make this recipe 8-10 times for the price of one DQ serving!

1 c. crushed ice
1/2 c. chocolate milk*
1 packet Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix**

Combine ingredients and blend until ice is broken down to almost a milkshake consistency (there will still be tiny beads of ice). I use an immersion blender, but a regular blender should work just as well. Recipe can easily be doubled.

*I use the premade chocolate milk from the store. I tried chocolate almond milk and didn't like it quite as much. I haven't tried any of the powdered versions like Nestle, etc.

**I tried other brands and flavors of Hot Cocoa and Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate was always our favorite. But use what you have on hand. A different brand isn't a good enough reason to miss out on this yummy treat!

Easy Ice Cream

You know it's going to be a good day at school when you get to make and eat homemade ice cream in science class. Thanks to Sadie's 8th grade science teacher for this fun hands-on experiment and treat. :)

1 quart freezer bag

1 gallon freezer bag

1 c. milk

1 c. half & half

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

ice

1 c. rock salt

        Pour milk, half & half, sugar and vanilla into a 1 quart freezer bag. Empty most of the air from the bag and carefully seal it completely. Mix well by shaking.

        Place the quart bag into a 1 gallon freezer bag. (Make sure the small bag is completely sealed!) Fill the large bag full of ice and add rock salt. Seal the large bag. Make sure that the ice mixture coats the entire outer surface of the smaller bag. 

        Put on your gloves/mittens and shake, shake, shake...(shaking up and down works best!). Continue to shake until you have ice cream.

        Remove the small bag from the large bag. Reseal the large bag and throw it in the trash. Wipe off the outside of the small bag around one bottom corner. Cut the bottom corner of the bag and carefully squeeze your ice cream into cups. Enjoy!

Blondies

My friend, Dana, has the best treats. These are so yummy!

1 cube butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt
1 c. flour
½ to 1 cup chocolate chips (can replace with M&M’s or another flavor of chips)
½ to 1 cup nuts (optional)
        Preheat oven to 350°. Butter an 8x8” pan. Mix melted butter with brown sugar. Beat until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. (If doubling recipe in 9x13, cook 10-15 minutes longer). They are done when the top looks golden and the edges are browning. Test the middle to make sure they are done. Cool before cutting.

Pumpkin Bars

These yummy bars from my friend, Susie, really hit the spot once September rolls around and everyone starts craving pumpkin everything. Yum!

4 eggs
1 c. cooking oil
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
        Beat together eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread batter in an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Frost with cream cheese icing (recipe below) and cut into bars.

Cream cheese icing:
1 cube butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
2-3 c. powdered sugar
        Combine butter and cream cheese until creamy. Stir in vanilla and salt. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and mix well. Add additional powdered sugar, up to 1 cup more, to attain a fluffy frosting consistency.

Cheesecake

This is my mom's no-bake cheesecake recipe. It's the one I grew up on and as far as I'm concerned, it's the best. Period. My mom had a unique twist to her presentation. She topped each piece with crushed pineapple. I know. It doesn't get much better than that!

Crust:
1 sleeve graham crackers, crushed (~11 crackers)
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. melted margarine or butter
        Combine these ingredients to make the crust. Press down in pie dish or square baking dish. Set aside. (Optional: use a premade graham cracker crust if you must.)

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk*
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
        Mix the cream cheese and condensed milk together well, stirring out any lumps. Gradually add the lemon juice and vanilla. (The filling will thicken upon addition of the lemon juice.) Pour filling over prepared crust. Refrigerate a few hours to set. When serving, top each piece with a spoonful of crushed pineapple, if desired. 

*To make your own Sweetened Condensed Milk:
1 heaping cup powdered milk
½ c. hot water
¾ c. sugar
        Mix ingredients together very well, making sure there are no lumps. (Hint: dissolve the powdered milk in the hot water before adding the sugar.)

Brownie Delight

This is the traditional birthday cake in our home. Always. Fortunately, with 6 kids who all have birthdays in different months, we've enjoyed it regularly over the years. I originally found the recipe when I subscribed to Quick Cooking magazine a hundred years ago. I've altered it slightly over the years so here's how we make it:

1 package brownie mix (9x13 size)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
16 ounces cool whip, divided*
1 ½ c. cold milk
1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix
       

Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions using a greased 9x13 glass baking pan. Cool completely. 

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar for 2 minutes. Fold in 2 cups cool whip. Spread over brownies. 

In another bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix; beat until smooth – about 2 minutes on low (I usually skip the mixer and stir for 2 minutes with a whisk or spoon). Refrigerate for 5 minutes; spread over cream cheese layer. 

Spread with remaining cool whip. Garnish with chocolate shavings or sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate until serving. Makes 12-15 servings.

*A few times, I've only had 8 oz. cool whip on hand. I used just less than half in the cream cheese mixture and spread the rest on top. The top layer didn't have as much as usual, but no one knew the difference.

Amish Oatmeal Cake

As someone who doesn't like cake, this is one of the rare exceptions. It's SO moist and delicious. I love the coconut in the topping. This is a combination of two recipes. I don't remember where I got the cake recipe, but I switched out the topping recipe I used to use once I tried this one from my friend, Jeanee. So good! 

1 c. rolled oats
1 ¼ c. boiling water
½ c. butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 2/3 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
        Mix oats and boiling water together; set aside for 20 minutes. Cream butter or margarine and sugars together thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Blend in oatmeal mixture. Sift together remaining dry ingredients. Fold into batter. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. (22 minutes is long enough in my oven.)
   

While cake is baking, make the following topping:
2 eggs
½ c. evaporated milk
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1 c. butter
        Boil for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tsp. vanilla and ½ - 1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans.
        Allow cake to cool until just warm before pouring topping over the cake.

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake

This delicious dessert from my friend, Jennifer, has such a unique flavor. Peaches are not something I naturally think of to pair with cheesecake, but this just works. It's so satisfying!

Batter:
¾ c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter
1 egg
½ c. milk
One small package instant vanilla pudding mix
        Mix these ingredients together and spread on bottom of glass pie dish. Drain one can (15-20 oz.) of sliced peaches. Save the juices. Spread peaches evenly over the batter in pie pan.

Cream together:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. sugar
3 tsp. juice from peaches
        Drop cream cheese mixture in blobs over and around peaches then smooth with a knife to fill in cracks. Sprinkle top lightly with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.

Apple Crisp

This is the crisp recipe we've been making for 25 years. It's straight out of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook we were given for our wedding. The topping is perfect!

5 cups sliced, peeled apples (Granny Smith are best)
2 to 4 Tbsp. sugar
½ c. regular rolled oats
½ c. packed brown sugar
¼ c. flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ c. butter or margarine
¼ c. coconut
        Place fruit in a square baking dish. Stir in sugar. For topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in coconut. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or till fruit is tender and topping is golden. Serve warm with ice cream or light cream, if desired. Serves 6.

Easy Two Egg Pavlova

The first time I ever had pavlova was when I was visiting someone's home in Washington state. I still remember the pretty presentation with kiwi, strawberries, blueberries and other fruits on top. It tasted so good, but the taste was only part of the experience. There was also the satisfying outer crunch and the chewy middle, but it somehow melted in my mouth. Fast forward a couple years and I had it again in Scotland at the end of a lovely meal. It was every bit as good as I remembered and I've loved it ever since. Sadly, it's not very easy to make. I've only been successful about 50% of the time. But I'm willing to keep trying because it's just so good when it works out. This is the recipe I got from Isobel Jackson in Beith, Scotland over 25 years ago. (For an easier, smaller version, click here.)

2 egg whites
1 ½ c. powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cornstarch
4 Tbsp. boiling water

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix on high speed until mixture is very stiff (approx. 15-20 minutes). Spread in a circle on foil or parchment covered baking sheet. Makes one 11” pavlova. Bake at 300° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200° and continue to bake for 1-1 ½ hours. Turn off heat and cool in oven. Top with cream and fruit. (Raspberries or a combination of mandarins, kiwi and strawberries are great!) Or top with ice cream.

Chocolate Cloud

This was one of my favorite desserts growing up. I still love it! I know I'm not the only one because the last time I made it, I took it to a friend's home who had invited us over for dinner. Her little boy loved it so much that he couldn't get enough and licked his plate completely clean. It was the cutest and made me feel like the best cook ever. :)

1 pkg. (9 ounces) Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers*, crushed
¼ c. margarine, melted
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. milk
1 lb. marshmallows
1 pint whipping cream, whipped
1 tsp. vanilla
        Mix wafers, margarine and nuts in a bowl and spread half of mixture on bottom of 9x13 pan. Melt marshmallows with milk in top of double boiler or in microwave, stirring often. Cool a bit. Fold into whipped cream. Add vanilla. Pour over wafer mixture. Top with remaining wafer mixture. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. 

*These wafers are hard to find, so you can sub chocolate sandwich cookies, with or without the cream in the middle. I've used both with success.

Blueberry Banana Pie

The best thing about this delicious recipe is that it makes two pies. That way, you can take one to a friend and still have one for your family because it's their favorite. :) Thanks to my friend, Dawn, for sharing her pie - and the recipe - with us over 20 years ago. We've been sharing and loving it ever since. :)

Makes 2 pies

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (Neuchatel works, too) 
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
8 ounces cool whip
2 graham cracker crusts
3 bananas
1 can blueberry pie filling
        For filling, mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer. Add cool whip and mix well. Slice bananas into graham cracker crusts, 1 ½ bananas per crust. Pour filling over bananas. Top each pie with ½ can blueberry pie filling. Chill until ready to serve.

The Best Rhubarb Pie

Hands down, this is the best rhubarb pie ever. I didn't even know I liked rhubarb pie until I tried this. The recipe is from Jeff's Grandma Wavra and I hope it stays in the family for generations to come. Oh yum!

1 ½ c. sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
2 well beaten eggs
3 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. nutmeg
3 c. rhubarb, cut in small pieces
        This pie is best with a lattice crust, but a double crust works just as well. Can also be made without top crust. (I'm a lazy cook so I often opt for no top crust, but the lattice crust is prettiest if you're willing to take the time.) 
        In an unbaked pie crust (8-inch pie pan), arrange rhubarb. Blend sugar, flour, nutmeg and butter. Add eggs. Beat until smooth. Pour over rhubarb. Place lattice or full crust over top, if desired. Bake at 400° for 50-60 minutes.

Pie Crust

I got this recipe from my SIL, Tanya. She's a great cook! I will admit that I rarely make my own pie crust, generally opting to purchase it pre-made from the store. But if I wanted to make my own, I'd use this recipe. 

Makes enough for 2 double crust pies

3 c. flour
1 ¼ c. lard
1 tsp. salt
        Combine flour and salt. Cut in lard.

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 egg
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
5 Tbsp. water
        Put both mixtures together. Combine and proceed to roll out for pies.

Carolina Peach Pie

My friend, Helen Elliott, gave me this recipe many years ago and it's the only recipe I'll use for peach pie. At the time of this posting, Helen is still going strong at 107 years old. She's the most refined lady I know. ...And she has great taste in pie. ;)

Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pie
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
pinch salt
6-8 large peaches, peeled and sliced thin (about 5 cups)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, cut up
        Prepare your favorite pastry recipe. Preheat oven to 425°. Shape pastry into balls, one slightly larger than the other; flatten into disks. On a lightly floured surface, roll larger disk into 11-inch circle. Fit loosely into 9-inch pie plate.
        Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice to bowl; toss to coat. Spoon filling into pastry crust. Dot with butter. Roll remaining pastry into 9½-inch circle and cut into ½-inch wide strips. Arrange in lattice pattern over pie. Fold edge of bottom crust over strip ends; flute edge.
        Place pie on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake 40 minutes more, until fruit is tender when pierced with fork and center is bubbly. Makes 8 servings.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

I am not a cake fan, but this is one of the few cakes I'll happily eat. Thanks to Susan for sharing it with me all those years ago!

1 box yellow cake mix, plain, no pudding in the mix
2 small packages instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs, slightly beaten
½ c. cooking oil
1 ¼ c. water, not too cold
1 c. chocolate chips
        Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil and water. Beat length of time suggested on cake mix box. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake in well-greased bundt pan at 350° for one hour. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before turning cake out. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Butterfinger Ice Cream

When I think of homemade ice cream, this is the what comes to mind. That's probably because it's the first kind of homemade ice cream I remember eating. We didn't have it often, but when we did, it was a real treat!

1 pint whipping cream
4 c. milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
4 tsp. vanilla
3 regular size butterfingers, crushed with fork
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
        Mix all ingredients in bowl except butterfingers. Put in ice cream freezer. Towards end of cycle, add crushed butterfingers.

Bread Pudding

My friend, Penny, made this for us at the end of a particularly long and hard day. It just screams "comfort food!!" Okay, maybe it calmly whispers "comfort food" while playing soothing music in the background. ;) All I know is I have happy thoughts about this yummy dessert because it left me feeling like everything was going to be okay.

1 loaf white bread or French bread (Penny uses 1 ½ loaves Jimmy John’s bread)
4 eggs
1 ¼ c. sugar
4 c. milk (whole milk if you have it!)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. butter, cold
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
        Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter. Cut the loaves of bread into pieces by cutting it lengthwise into strips then again crosswise into one-inch chunks and put into pan. Beat eggs well in mixing bowl, then add sugar, milk, and vanilla and beat together well. Pour over the bread. Push bread down into milk with a spoon until bread is well covered with milk mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the top and dot with the cold butter. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with vanilla sauce (below).

Vanilla Sauce (double this recipe)
1 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. boiling water
½ c. real butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla
        Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Gradually add boiling water. Cook until sauce thickens. Remove from stove. Add butter and vanilla. Stir until blended. Spoon warm over bread pudding when served.