Banana Pudding

 

The Alabama in me needed some Banana Pudding and it NEVER disappoints.  It's so rich and delicious and perfect.

2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 (8oz) block of cream cheese, softened

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5oz) box instant banana pudding mix

1 cup whole milk

1 box Nilla Wafers

6-8 bananas, sliced

Lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

Using your stand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla using the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.  It usually takes around 5-7 minutes.  Transfer the whipped cream to a medium mixing bowl and place in the fridge for later.

To the wiped out stand mixer bowl, add the cream cheese and whisk for 30-60 seconds, until fluffy.  Add the can of sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain.  You'll need to scrape the bowl a few times.

Add in the dry pudding mix and mix well.

Add the milk and mix until fully combined.

Add 2/3 of the whipped cream you made earlier and gently fold it into the pudding mixture until no whipped cream streaks remain.  Set aside.

In your baking dish, place an even layer of Nilla Wafers and top each wafer with a sliced banana coin.

Top the bananas with half of the pudding mixture and spread evenly.

Repeat the layers again; Nilla Wafers, banana coins, and pudding mixture.

Top with the remaining 1/3 of the whipped cream.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Puff Pastry Braid

 

Lately this has been my go-to dessert for everything!  It's SO versatile and the easiest thing ever to make.  My most recent one was an Apple Cinnamon one and it was DELISH!  I'll put more suggestions at the bottom of the recipe, but the possibilities are endless.  This recipe is enough for two braids.

2 puff pastry sheets, thawed (I buy the Pepperidge Farm two pack, found in the freezer aisle)

1 block cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 can of pie filling

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  Set aside.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, lay out one sheet of puff pastry.  Cut slits on the outer thirds as shown in the picture. 

Place half of the cream cheese mixture down the center third of the puff pastry.  Top with half of a can of pie filling.

Take the pastry slits and begin placing them on top of the fruit filling, alternating each side to give it a braided look.

Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.  Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pastry.

Repeat the process for second puff pastry.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

If you want it to look extra fancy you can drizzle it with a topping of your choice.  You could make a powdered sugar glaze or drizzle caramel or nutella over it depending on what flavors you're going for.

Filling Ideas: (Keep in mind the cream cheese mixture stays the same.)

Apple Pie Filling (sprinkled with cinnamon)

Cherry pie filling

Blueberry Pie Filling

Raspberry Pie Filling

Strawberry Pie Filling

Peach Pie Filling

Lemon Curd

Nutella

Chocolate Chips

Banana Nut Muffins

 

Do your kids ever go through bananas like they're the best snack EVER so then you buy more and then they're totally over them?  Yeah, mine too.  I had six...SIX bananas in our fruit basket that no one would touch.  So I decided I wasn't going to make breakfast for the next few days and pumped out 3 dozen of the most delicious banana nut muffins I've ever made.  I was able to use all 6 bananas and everyone had grab-and-go breakfast for several days.  Win WIN!

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

6 very ripe bananas 

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp. cinnamon 

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 cups chopped walnuts

*Optional Topping (but you should totally do it!):

additional chopped walnuts

about 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Fill 3 muffin tins with cupcake liners (I ran out and just sprayed the muffin tins with cooking spray and it worked just fine).

In a large bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

Using a paddle attachment cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes.  

Add in the bananas.  No need to mash them before hand.  Let the paddle attachment do all the work.

Once the bananas are incorporated (the mixture will be runny), add in the vanilla and eggs.  Mix until well combined.  

Add the dry ingredients and the walnuts to the wet ingredients and allow the mixer to stir the ingredients together until just mixed.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to add the batter to the muffin tins.  I used a heaping 1/4 cup.  Just make sure the muffin cups are 3/4 full.

If you're doing the topping (DO IT) sprinkle about 1/2 tsp. of granulated sugar to the top each muffin and sprinkle with a few more chopped walnuts.  I just eyeballed it.

Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Mine are never done by 30 minutes so I continue baking in 3 minute increments until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tins and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies

 

Oh-muh-word...these are amazing!  Alaska has some of the most amazing little wild blueberries!  There are patches and patches of them, you just have to know where to go find them.  It's not super hard to find them, but they can be VERY difficult to get to.  Alaska is wild and rugged and very unforgiving.  So if you want what it has to offer, you have to work for it and you have to be smart and safe.  Thankfully, we have some awesome friends who teach us all the things and they took us blueberry picking with them.  You have to be very aware of your surroundings because you're not the only one who is after those blueberries.  Bears are abundant and they're on a mission to gain as much weight as they possibly can during the short Alaskan summer months.  They only have a matter of weeks to bulk up and they loooooove blueberries.  Just like with almost everything else, you never go blueberry picking alone and you always have a couple of different types of protection on you at all times.  It's a lot of fun, the kids always eat way more than they put in the bucket, you're in the middle of the wild Alaskan wilderness where it's quiet and beautiful beyond description.  If you visit us at the end of July-beginning of August, we'll take you!  It's funny because the other thing about blueberry picking here, is EVERYONE is SUPER secretive about where "their spot" is.  We're not so much that way.  We want you to come hang out with us and we'll protect each other from the bears. ;)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

2 cups white chocolate chunks

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (and thawed) or dried but use 1/2 cup

(If you don't have blueberries you can also use Craisins!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until completely incorporated.  Fold in the oats, white chocolate chunks, and berries.  Drop by the tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes (do not over bake!).  Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Banana Bread

Day 13727239 of quarantine has lead to baking.  Boredom baking.  Need to use up the bananas baking.  And it makes me a rock star with my family so I'll take it.  I love using my bread machine for this recipe because it does all the work for me.  Obvi you don't need to use all organic ingredients if you don't have them but it does make a difference in the taste, IMO.  

Dump into the bread machine:

-2 cups organic flour

-1 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. baking soda

-3/4 cup organic sugar

-pinch of Himalayan pink salt

-3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil

-2 organic eggs

-2 organic bananas, mashed

-1 glob of raw local honey

-1 drop of YL Cinnamon Bark essential oil (or 2 tsp. ground cinnamon)

-A splash of vanilla extract

-Optional: chopped nuts such as chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, or sliced almonds

I use the "quick bread" setting on my bread machine.  My quick bread setting runs for 2 hours.  It beeps at 1 hour and 30 minutes and that's when I take it out.  If I leave it in there the remaining 30 minutes, the outside is too dark for us.  A friend of mine's quick bread setting isn't long enough and she has to bake hers an additional 10 minutes.  So there seems to be some differences between bread machines and how long each quick bread setting runs, so just keep an eye on it.  When your bread is golden around the edges and slightly soft but not gooey on the top, you're done!  Let it sit in the bread pan for 10-15 minutes to cool slightly, then remove the loaf from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.  We like to eat ours warm out of the bread machine with a thick layer of grass-fed butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Caramel Apple Dessert Pizza

Ohhhhhhh MUH WORD you guys.  This.Is.Amazing!  It's everything you want in an apple, Fall dessert.  Like, everything.  

1 roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough

2 Honeycrisp Apples, diced

1 1/2 (ish) cups of Club Soda

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 jar Smuckers Caramel Sauce (the kind in the glass jar)

1 (8oz.) block cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

cinnamon

2 tbsp. half-n-half or heavy whipping cream, if necessary

Preheat your oven according to the sugar cookie dough instructions.

Spread the dough in an even layer over the bottom of a 9" spring form pan.

Bake for 11-15 minutes.  Mine took longer than this.  If the dough is still super jiggly (technical...I know) in the center, put it back in.  You want it to be set, but still nice and soft.  Mine probably baked for closer to 20-25 minutes, but I kept checking it until it wasn't super jiggly anymore.  Allow the baked cookie to cool COMPLETELY.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the butter and beat again until smooth and well incorporated.  Scrape down the sides.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar into the cream cheese/butter mixture.  Once all of the powdered sugar has been absorbed, beat on medium-high speed until it's soft and creamy, about 5 minutes.  If it's too stiff, add some half-n-half or heavy whipping cream to make it the consistency of icing.

Once the cookie is completely cooled, spoon the cream cheese mixture over the cookie crust.  Spread it almost to the edges, like you would pizza sauce on a pizza.  *Note* I didn't use aaaallll of the cream cheese mixture...I had a little bit left over.  Sprinkle the cream cheese mixture with as much (or as little) cinnamon as you like.

Now...what is the club soda for?!?!  I did NOT know this before I made this recipe.  Get ready to have our mind blown.

Take your club soda and pour it into a medium size mixing bowl.  As you're dicing the apples, put them INTO the Club Soda.  Once they're all diced, let them soak in the Club Soda for 3-5 minutes.  This will prevent them from turning brown!  And it works REALLY well!  I had always used lemon juice and I never liked the taste of the apples after using it.  I like sweet, crisp apples.  The Club Soda doesn't leave any after taste AT ALL!  Once they've soaked, dry them off with a paper towel and sprinkle them on top of the cream cheese mixture.  

Next, sprinkle your toasted pecans on top of the apples.

Then, take your caramel sauce (I warmed it up in the microwave for a few seconds so it drizzled prettier) and pour a generous drizzle aaaaalllll over the entire pizza.  

Release the spring form and remove it from the pan.  For me, it was easier to serve the pizza from the bottom of the spring form, but you can remove it if you like.

ENJOOOYYYY!

*If you've never toasted pecans, it's super easy.  Chop them up into nice chunks...not too small.  Put them in a dry skillet and turn the burner on Medium-Low.  Keep an eye on them because once they start to toast, they can burn quickly.  I sprinkled cinnamon on my pecans as they toasted and OH MY WORD my house smelled like Christmas!  

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Is there anything better than a recipe from your grandma?  Nope.  I think not.  This freezer jam is incredible.  Like...I can't even.  I could literally eat it with a spoon strait from the jar.  I don't.  But I could.  It's amazing on toast, rolls, waffles, on top of yogurt...basically anything carb.  Just put it on all the carbs.

2 cups crushed strawberries

4 cups sugar

1 box Sure-Jell (the yellow box...she said that's important)

3/4 cup water

Clean, dry, and remove the tops of your fresh strawberries.  Crush 'em up (blender, food processor, potato masher...whatever) and add the sugar.  Mix the sugar and crushed strawberries really well and let them sit for 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan combine the Sure-Jell and water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.  Pour the boiled Sure-Jell into the strawberry mixture and stir for 3 minutes.

Ladle the strawberry mixture into clean, dry jars and place the lid on the jar.  Allow the jam to sit on the counter for 24 hours.  Pop in the freezer and store until ready to use.  When you're ready to eat it, thaw the jam in the fridge for 24 hours.

Apple Crisp

I LOVE all things Fall.  Pumpkin Spice, Caramel, Apple, Mulled Cider, Cinnamon...all of it.  Give me a cup of Pumpkin Spice coffee and a few great Fall scented candles burning and a blanket and that's my happy place.  This dessert is SO amazing and as it's baking it fills every corner of your house with it's amazing scent.  

For the Crumb Topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 pinches of salt

2/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

For the Apple Filling:

8 large Honey Crisp apples, peeled and sliced thin (Honey Crisp!)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 pinches of salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, combine all of the Crumb Topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs.  Stick it in the fridge while you prepare the Apple Filling.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and flour.  Whisk until it's well combined.  Add the lemon juice, milk, and vanilla.  Stir well.  Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Pour butter mixture over sliced apples and toss to coat. 

Spray a 9x13in. baking dish with non-stick spray.  Place the coated apple slices in the baking dish.  Sprinkle the crumb topping allllllll over the top of the apples in a nice even layer.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crumb topping is set and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream.

Berry Parfait

This dessert is so. much. fun!  It's incredibly easy to make and the "messier" it is, the better it looks.  I LOVE the look of rustic, homemade food.  So when you make this, don't make it perfect.  Let it just become the glorious mess of goodness that it naturally is.  Enjoy!

8oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt

powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

8oz. cool whip, thawed

4 cups sliced strawberries

3 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the yogurt and vanilla.  Gradually add powdered sugar until the tanginess of the yogurt is replaced by sweetness.  (Maybe half a cup or so...depends on how sweet you like things.)

Gently fold in the cool whip.

Now, the fun part.  Get some pint sized mason jars!

Take a handful of blueberries and place them in the bottom of the jar.

Then add a dollop of the yogurt mixture on top of the blueberries.

Then grab a handful of sliced strawberries and put them on top of the yogurt. 

Then another dollop of yogurt.

Blueberries

Yogurt

Strawberries

Yogurt...you get the picture

When you get to the top of the jar, top it off with the yogurt mixture and garnish with a strawberry.

Place all of the filled mason jars in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.  I doubled this recipe and made 5 GENEROUSLY filled jars.

*Note, if you like the hint of lemon flavoring with this berry combo, substitute the vanilla for lemon extract or even better, a couple of drops of 100% therapeutic grade lemon essential oil from Young Living.  It is divine!

Mini Cherry Cheesecake Pies

These little guys are easy and DEEE-licious!  I think hands down, my favorite fruit pie would be cherry, so I chose to use cherry pie filling for them.  However, you can use ANY fruit pie filling you like.  Apple, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry...I think I'll make it my mission to use all of them at some point.  And while these are FABULOUS as a dessert, they also double for a nice little breakfast treat.  Christmas morning, maybe?

1 (21oz.) can Cherry Pie Filling (or whatever fruit pie filling you choose and get the kind with extra fruit if you can find it)

3 tubes crescent roll dough

1 (8oz.) block of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Spray 2 regular size muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.  (If you don't have 2 muffin tins, just do these in batches.)

Unroll each tube of crescent dough and separate them into their individual triangles.  Place each triangle in the muffin tin with the widest bit of the dough in the bottom of the hole.  Set the prepared muffin tins aside.

 

 

In a medium mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.  Mix until well incorporated and there are no lumps.  Using a teaspoon, place 1 tsp. of cream cheese in the center of the muffin tins.  Next, take your pie filling and place a little less than 1 tablespoon on top of each cream cheese dollop.

Once all of your crescent dough is filled, wrap the corners of the crescent dough around the filling.  It doesn't have to look perfect.  The dough will come together nicely as it bakes and some of the cherry juices will bubble out of the openings.  I like that look on a pie.  It lets the person eating it know what's in there.

Bake for about 13-16 minutes.  They should be firm to the touch and a nice golden brown color on the top.  Allow to cool completely in the pan.
Once the pies are cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until you get a nice, drizzly glaze.  Drizzle the glaze on the cooled pies and enjoy!

Bananas 'n Cream Bundt Cake

Uugghhhh....banana bread?  You've got super rip bananas sitting in your fruit bowl and you're so over it.  You're thinking about just cutting your losses and tossing them.  That's where I was.  I'm not much for banana bread.  Unless my grandma made it...'cause who doesn't like grandma's banana bread?!?!  But for me to make banana bread, I need to be giving it to someone.  Because if I don't, then I just have banana bread sitting on my counter going bad instead of the actual banana.  What's the point?  If you've read one of my previous posts, you already know I've had a lot of time on my hands recently and I've filled some of that time with baking.  This recipe came from some of that boredom.  And I'm SO glad!  Forget the banana bread...I'm making THIS with my super ripe bananas from here on out!  It's so, so moist and kinda dense and the flavor is out of this world!  Now, if you're going to make it, make sure your bananas are WAY ripe.  As in, if they sit on your counter another day they'll be rotten.  Really, really, REALLY ripe bananas are best for this cake.

1/3 cup shortening

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cups ripe bananas (about 4)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup chopped nuts of your choice (optional)

powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Peel the bananas.  If they're ripe enough, you can just break them into 3 or 4 chunks and throw them in.  If they're not SUPER ripe, then you should mash them with a fork first.  Add the bananas to the mixing bowl and mix well.

  

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream, stirring just until combined.  Add the nuts, if you're using them.

Pour the mixture into a well greased bundt pan.  Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a plate.  Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar, if you're into that kind of thing. 

Grilled Cheese & Apple Sandwich

My husband turns his nose up and runs from the kitchen every time I make this sandwich.  He calls himself "a purist" when it comes to many things...meaning he doesn't want me messing with classic dishes.  But when it comes to grilled cheese, I like it many different ways.  While I also like a plain 'ol grilled cheese sandwich, if you add some thinly sliced apples to the mix, you get a pleasant surprise.  I realize this will sound weird to many of you...but it's good!  And if you have some sunflower seeds, add those too.

2 tablespoons butter

2 slices of bread

whatever cheese you like and however much you like on a grilled cheese

1 apple, thinly sliced

sunflower seeds, optional

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Instead of spreading butter on the bread, I like to melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pan and let it get nice and bubbly, but not brown.  Add 1 slice of bread to the hot pan.  Layer the cheese on top of the bread, followed by sunflower seeds, a nice layer of apples, and another layer of cheese.  Place the second piece of bread on top and allow the bottom piece of bread to become a nice golden brown color.  When the color is to your liking, lift the sandwich from the pan and melt a second tablespoon of butter.  When the butter is melted, place the sandwich back in the pan, untoasted side down, and allow it to become golden brown as well.  To serve, slice sandwich down the middle and enjoy.

Apple Tart

Mmmmm....Fall is in the air and it's my FAVORITE time of year!  If you've read through this blog at all, you already know that pumpkin and I are in a committed relationship.  Second to pumpkin, is apple.  I love throwing on a pair of jeans, grabbing a light jacket and heading to a local orchard to pick fresh apples.  Growing up, my grandpa had his own apple orchard on his farm and I can remember making gallons and gallons of fresh apple cider with apples grown on his trees and pressed with his cider press. Nothin' like it folks...nothin' like it.  But needless to say, we had apples EVERYWHERE in the Fall and an Apple Tart is a great way use some of them up.

What you need:

1 Grandma's Pie Crust (a refrigerated one will do, if you must)

4oz. (half a package) of cream cheese, softened

3 apples (red, green, both...whatever), thinly sliced

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup homemade whipped cream (or cool whip, thawed)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place 1 pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and spread the cream cheese in the center of the crust.

Toss the sliced apples with sugar and flour.  Spoon them over the cream cheese.

Fold the crust partially over the apples.  Sprinkle with cinnamon...ah heck, and a lil extra sugar.  Why not?  Bake for 25 minutes, covering loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.  

Allow to cool completely.  Serve with a nice healthy dollop of whipped cream.

Smile.

Watergate Salad

Ohhhh...watergate salad.  This is such a weird combo of ingredients, but I promise...it works!  You gotta try it!  I normally double this recipe because it doesn't last very long in my house.

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 (3.4oz.) instant pistachio pudding mix

1 (20oz.) can crushed pineapple (DO NOT drain!)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups cool whip, thawed

Combine all ingredients, except for cool whip, and blend well.  Gently fold in cool whip until completely incorporated.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Serve cold.

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

Strawberry Pretzel Squares are one of those desserts that you want to make when you want something sweet and salty and fruity all at the same time.  And they're pretty...so I like them.  

2 cups finely crushed pretzels

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 (8oz. each) package cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup cool whip, thawed or homemade whipped cream

2 cups boiling water

1 (6oz.) package strawberry gelatin

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 qt. fresh strawberries, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust:

Mix pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter.  Press into bottom of 9x13 inch baking dish.  Bake 10 minutes.  Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Layer:
Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, and milk until smooth.  Fold in cool whip and spread over crust.  Refrigerate.

Strawberry Layer:

In a large mixing bowl, combine boiling water and strawberry gelatin.  Stir 2 minutes, until completely dissolved.  Stir in cold water.  Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours or until thickened.  Stir in strawberries and spoon over cream cheese layer.  Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

I first had these little beauties when my friend brought them to girls night.  They are little bite sized pieces of heaven.  And just for fun, you can top some of them with graham cracker crumbs and some of them with oreo crumbs.

1 lb. large strawberries

1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you like things

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 - 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs and/or oreo crumbs

Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry.  Remove the top and clean out with a paring knife, if necessary.  Some strawberries are already hollow in the middle.  Prep all strawberries this way and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Add cream cheese mixture to a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped.  Pipe the cream cheese filling into the strawberries.  Once all strawberries are filled, dip tops in crumbs.  If not serving immediately, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberry "Shortcake" Trifle

I absolutely LOVE trifles!  They are so pretty and impressive to take places.  I have many trifle recipes so just sit back and browse.

3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

3 tablespoons sugar

2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups milk

1 (3.4 oz.) package vanilla instant pudding

2 cups cool whip, thawed and divided

2 cups pound cake, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1 square semi-sweet bakers chocolate

Combine strawberries and sugar.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.  Gradually add milk.  Add pudding, mixing well.  Fold in 1 1/2 cups cool whip.  Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture into the bottom of a trifle bowl.  Top with cake cubes, then berries, and remaining cream cheese mixture.  Refrigerate 4 hours.  Before serving, melt bakers chocolate and drizzle over top of cream cheese mixture.  Garnish with chocolate covered strawberries and additional cool whip.

Apple Pie Filling

My childhood memories are filled with days on my grandparent's farm.  We learned all kinds of valuable life lessons from those days.  One of my favorite memories is sitting on the front porch with my grandma, peeling apples and peaches or pitting cherries, getting ready to make batches and batches of homemade pie fillings.  I can remember opening her chest freezer in the basement and just seeing a wall of ziploc bags full of different fruit pie fillings.  Here is her recipe for apple pie filling.

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

dash of salt

6-8 cups of apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together, except butter.  Place 1 Grandma's Pie Crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling to crust.  Dot filling with 4-5 pats of butter.  Add second crust to top of filling, making 6 slits in the top to allow steam to escape. (Or top with Crumb Topping.)  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until crust/topping is golden brown.

Peach Crumb Pie

I love fruit crumb pies.  My favorite is probably peach...but you can use ANY fruit you'd like for this recipe.  Make sure to use Grandma's Pie Crust  for these pies.  It just adds that little bit of extra lovin'. 

1 Grandma's Pie Crust

 (The pie crust recipe is enough for 2 crusts. If you're only making one pie, shape remaining half of pie dough into a ball, wrap tightly in saran wrap, and freeze.)

Filling:

1 bag frozen peaches (I don't remember the size...just so it fills a good portion of the pie)

1 can peach pie filling

Topping:

2 cups quick oats

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 stick butter, melted

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a 9-inch pie place, place 1 unbaked crust.

Add frozen peaches and peach pie filling.

Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle over peaches.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, until crust and crumb topping are both golden brown.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is my all time favorite summer salad!  It's sweet from the strawberries, tangy from the feta cheese, and crispy from the romaine and onions.  I like to add a bit of a crunch too by adding slivered almonds.  Take this to your next summer barbeque with a side of Poppy Seed Dressing...you'll be invited back.

1 bag chopped romaine lettuce

1 bag baby spinach

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

5 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
slivered almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts...whatever nut you prefer (optional)

Toss all ingredients together in a festive summer bowl.  Serve with Poppy Seed Dressing.