Lemon Meringue Pie

Pudding ingredients:

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

1 1 /4 cups sugar

1 /4 cup lemon juice

3 tsp lemon extract

1 tablespoon of grated lemon rind

3 egg yolks

1½ cups of boiling water

1 - 9" baked pie shell

 Meringue Ingredients

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

6 tbs sugar

1 - 9" baked pie shell

Instructions

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, 2tsps lemon extract and lemon rind.

Beat egg yolks; add to cornstarch mixture, gradually adding boiling water.

Heat to boiling over direct heat and then boil gently in 6 minutes, stirring constantly.

Cover and cool for 30 mins

Pour into pre-baked pie shell.

Beat egg whites until foamy

Gradually beat in 6 tablespoons of sugar.

When meringue starts to form soft peaks add 1/4 tsp cream if tarter and 1tsp lemon extract

Continuing beating until it forms stiff peaks

Dump meringue in the middle of the pie and push out to the edges, sealing against the pie crust

Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes until browned. Cool and serve. Keep refrigerated

Coconut Cream Pie

I recieved a coconut cream pie recipe from a family friend the other day and compared it to mine only to find that the descrepencies were few.  It was a proud moment!! 

Pie Filling

3 cups whole milk 
4 eggs separated, 
1 cup sugar 
1/8 tsp salt, 
1 tsp vanilla extact, 
1/2 tsp coconut extract, 
6 tbls flour, 
3/4 cup flaked coconut.. 


Meringue-

4 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp  cream of tartar
1/4 cup coconut


Mix flour, salt, and sugar together, set aside. 
Separate eggs , put whites aside, combine yolks and 3 cups milk in heavy sauce pan, heat until scalded, whisk in flour/sugar mixture, whisk continually until thick, add vanilla and coconut extract, and 3/4 of the coconut. 
Remove from heat and let cool. 
Put in baked pie crust. 

Then whip the egg whites and 1/8 tsp salt until they start to foam, slowly add 1/2 cup sugar beat until glossy, add 1/4 tsp coconut extract and 1/8 tsp cream of tarter and beat until stiff. 

Top pie with meringue and remaining 1/4 cup coconut, bake at 350 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. cool on counter before placing in fridge to keep meringue from 'weeping'

Snickers Salad

Almost every 4th of July our family gathers at our lake in Northern Missouri for our annual reunion. These reunions have been the basis for many a wonderful memory and a smorgasbord of delicious food. Last year it was my Niece Natalie that took the show with this, simple yet oh so wonderful salad. (i like calling it a salad, it makes me feel better about myself when, I am on my 3rd or 4th helping)

Ingredients:

2 boxes instant vanilla pudding

2 cups milk

4-5 apples

4-5 snickers (big bars)

12 oz cool whip

Cut up apples in small pieces

Cut up Snickers in bite sized pieces

Add milk to pudding & stir, add cool whip and fold in gently

Mix in apples and Snickers 

Enjoy!!

Deluxe Pecan Pie

For years I wasn't much of a Pecan Pie fan. But, I had family members that would request them from time to time.  I finally realized that for me, there wasn't near enough filling for my liking so, I began to experiment and this is the result of my effort.  At least for me it did the trick, it is now among my favorite pies.

Ingredients:

1 piecrust*
1 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs
2 1/2 cups toasted pecan halves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make the piecrust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Whisk the corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, then whisk into the corn syrup mixture.

Finely chop 1 cup pecans and spread evenly over the piecrust.

Take remaining 2 cup pecans and mix into the corn syrup mixture, then pour the filling into the crust.

Bake the pie, 40 to 50 minutes. (it will appear to be VERY loose, don't worry it will be perfect when it cools) Cool completely on a rack.

Piecrust recipe can be found- http://thymesweetenedhoney.blogspot.com/2013/07/hot-water-pie-crust.html

Chopped Apple Cake- by Helen Rooks

This is one of the first recipes of my Moms that I learned to bake.  It's easy and delicious!!

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
4 cups diced raw apples
2 tsp soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans or walnut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Sift together soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and flour

Cream together butter and sugar

Add eggs blend well

Add sifted dry ingredients

Stir in apples and nuts

Bake in a 9 x 5" loaf pan for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Cool Cake-by Mike Rooks Family

Every family recipe archive has a 'poke cake' in it's files.  This one is ours and I know, I am probably biased but, it is so much better than other similar cakes I have tried.

Many years ago my brother Scott had an occasion to visit our older brother Mike at his home in Aurora, Il. For dessert they had this Cool Cake, Scott came home singing the praises of this unique dessert so, my Mom requested the recipe.  This quickly became a standard at many family gatherings.

Cake Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix
1 1/2 cup flavored soda pop (strawberry, orange, pineapple...)
1 large box of Jello (the same flavor as your soda pop)
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Make and bake cake according to package directions.  After baking cook cake and poke holes with toothpick. (you want lots of small holes, do not use a wooden spoon handle as with many poke cakes)

Combine Jello and boiling water and stir until completely dissolved, add pop, stir together and immediately pour slowly over cake.

Refrigerate until cold. 2-3 hours

Frosting Ingredients:

1 Large box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
2 cups cool whip

After cake has chilled-

Mix pudding and milk together and whisk to combine.  Fold in cool whip.  Frost cake and return to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Keep refrigerated.

Icebox Cake-by Helen Rooks

Holidays were a veritable feast around our house growing up.  There were a few dishes you could always count on being served.  We never grew tired of some of these simple recipes and I hope future generations will love them too!!

This particular recipe was one of my Mom’s 'go to', recipes for every event.  She was extremely picky about the cookies.  We always had to use Hydrox, NEVER Oreo.  Always Nilla Wafers by Nabisco and never the ‘other’ brand. 

I must admit, I have lived in some places that just didn’t carry the ‘must’ have brands and I have had to resort to using the taboo ingredients.

I am pretty certain no one noticed and it all came out delicious….sorry Mom…

Ingredients-

1 pkg  Hydrox  chocolate cream filled cookies (Oreos)

1 Box Nilla wafers (Vanilla Wafers)

2 small bananas, peeled and sliced in to ¼ inch slices

1 small carton cool whip

1 small jar maraschino cherries

1 cup pecan halves

Grind in a grinder or food processor both packages of cookies, mix together and press into a 9” x 11” casserole dish. 

Add sliced bananas, cover entire cookie surface

Spread cool whip on top

Cut Cherries in half and alternate cherry halves and pecans in rows 1” apart down the length of the dish this should give you roughly 3 long rows.

Refrigerate overnight-

Chocolate Cake (chocolate suicide)

I have had this recipe for years, I found the orginal recipe in a magazine while sitting in a doctor's office 30 years ago.  

I took it and began to tweak it just a little so that the cake was so unbelieveably moist you wouldn't be able to resist it.  

Then I began to make adjustment to the frosting, I wanted a frosting that wasn't overly sweet, that would stand on it's own without the cake, I think this is it.  Rather than see people scrape the frosting off to the side, I see them plowing right through and threatening to lick the plate.   

I have come across a few chocolate cake haters in my time, I fix this cake for them and have yet to not have a sold out convert.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

1¾ cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa 
1½ tsp baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk 
½ cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mayo
1 cup strong  hot coffee

Frosting:

1/2 cup softened butter
2/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2/12 to 3 cups powdered sugar (for your own consistancy and sweetness)
1 tbls cream
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff


Instructions:

Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans

In a mixer, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 

Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, mayo and vanilla extract and beat until smooth

Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with a spatula. 

Batter will be very runny.

Pour batter evenly between the two pans and bake on middle rack of oven for about 35 minute, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Allow to cool 15 minutes in pans, then remove from pan and place on wire rack.  Cool for another 15 min and then frost while still warm.


This also works well in a 9x13 pan!

Lemon Loaf

I have to admit, this is a new favorite. It happened soley because a co-worker had a son who was hooked on Starbucks lemon pound cake.  She was in the process of attempting to eliminated chemicals and food dyes from their diet and found the restraurant version to be a violent offender.

I quickly went to work with a combination of pound cake/lemon cake recipes I had in my arsenal.

Below is the results of this experiement.  My coworkers son was my sounding board as, I considered him to be my resident expert.

He has proclaimed this to be, 'better than Starbucks'. -Thanks Ethan, I have yet another great recipe, because of you!!

Ingredients:


Cake:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature*
2  cups granulated sugar divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature*
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature*
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Syrup:
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. 

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, add the eggs, 1 at a time, 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. 

In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon extract.

Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour until incorporated, do not over mix. 

Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. 

When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. 

Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

* I cannot stress how important it is to have your ingredients at room temperature for this recipe.  I know its a pain to wait but, it really does make a difference.

Hot Water Pie Crust

No one in my family can take credit for this awesome pie crust.  It came from an ancient Hamilton Beach Manual/Recipe Guide.  However, I will credit my Mom for finding it, trying it, sticking by it, and teaching it to me and my family. Others might claim it couldn't be a decent crust because, Pie Crust recipes use 'ice water', they are just sadly misinformed.  This crust is simple, flaky and substantial enough to hold up to even very wet fillings.  It has never failed me, so I will likely never change.

Pie Crust 

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup shortening

1tsp salt

¼ boiling water

Mix together flour, shortening, salt, with your fingers work the shortening into the flour/salt until it is pea sized pieces.

Add ¼ cup boiling water- gently mix until incorporated

On a floured surface lightly knead dough (add a little flour as needed) 4 or 5 times.

Roll out and place in pie plate.

Makes 1 crust

*if you are using a very wet filling pre-bake for 10 min before adding filling

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients-

Crust:

1 3/4 c	Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 Tbls	Brown Sugar
½ tsp	Cinnamon
1 Stick Filling:	Butter
3	8oz packages cream cheese
2 c	Pumpkin (or 1 can)
3 ¼ c	Eggs + 1 Egg yolk Sour Cream
1 ½ c ½ tsp 1/8 tsp 1/8 tsp 2 tbls 1 tsp	Sugar Cinnamon Nutmeg Cloves Flour Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

For Crust:

In a medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter, press down flat into 9 in sprinform pan. Set aside.

For Filling:

Beat Cream Cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, eggs + yolk, sour cream, sugar spices. Beat well, add flour and vanilla mix to incorporate. Pour into pan and place pan in a shallow foil lined pan with 1 inch of water. Bake for 1 hour remove and refrigerate over night.