Banana Blueberry Pie

One of the recipes that my family has been making for years and years is a dream whip recipe -- Banana Blueberry Pie. First made by my grandmother, then my aunt Sandy, the recipe is now being made by my sister Lindsey every Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

9-inch deep dish pie crust
2 bananas
1 pkg. DREAM WHIP
1/2 cup cold milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
8 oz. Cream Cheese
12 oz. can blueberries
8 oz. COOL WHIP

Directions

1) preheat oven to
2) cook the pie crust as directed on package and let it cool.
3) Slice the bananas and layer into the bottom of the cooled pie crust
4) In a separate bowl, mix DREAM WHIP with milk and vanilla (prepare as directed on package).
5) Add sugar and cream cheese to the prepared DREAM WHIP. Whip until fluffy.
6) Pour mixture over sliced bananas.
7) Refrigerate for about 4 hours to firm.
8) form a little hole into the dream whip mixture. Pour the blueberries into the hole.
9) Refrigerate until ready to eat.
10) Serve and enjoy!


(This is a Kraftfoods recipe)

Baked Brownie

Holy baked brownie Batman!!! THESE ARE GOOD! These are so good I made them twice in one week. I was told by multiple people that it is the best brownie they've ever had. My husband, who doesn't like chocolate wolfed these down. Make them, and thank me afterwards.

I found this recipe through the Brown Eyed Bakers website, and she in turn got it from the Baked cookbook. The original recipe called for espresso. I didn't have instant espresso at home so I left that ingredient out. It was still fabulous.

Ingredients

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350
2) Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×13-inch glass or light-colored baking pan and then line with parchment paper.
3) whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together in a bowl.
4) melt chocolate and butter in a dutch oven (set a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water). Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.
5) Add the sugars to the chocolate butter mixture and whisk until completely combined.
6) Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined
7) Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined
8) Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
9) Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture and fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
10) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
11) Bake for 30 minutes in the center of the oven
12) Rotating the pan halfway through,
13) check to see if the brownies are done by inserting a tooth pick into the center of the brownies. If it comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it it is done.
14) Let the brownies cool completely.
15) Lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper and cut into squares .

(Recipe adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker, who in turn adapted it from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)

Tomato Corn Pie

I love it when I find a tasty meal that is easy to make. This tomato-corn pie (from eatingwell.com) that my mom makes is both. I always cheat when making this recipe and use a store bought pie crust. I think the store bought crusts are smaller than a traditional pie pan so I've adjusted the recipe, decreasing the amount of milk in the egg mixture, to prevent the egg from bubbling over the pan. I've also increased the amount of cheese from 1/2 a cup to 1 cup (because I just like cheese).


Ingredients

3 large eggs
2/3 cup low-fat milk
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400°F.
2) Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl.
3) Sprinkle half the cheese over the crust
4) Layer half the tomatoes evenly over the cheese
5) Sprinkle with corn, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup cheese
6) Layer the remaining tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
7) Pour the egg mixture over the top.
8) Bake the pie until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
9) Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

(Recipe adapted from Eatingwell.com)

Mom's Meaty Tomato Sauce

This is a sauce that is best made when you have a full afternoon to let things simmer because it tastes best if the juices from the meat have time to really simmer in the sauce. But holy batman, is this sauce tasty! Use it in lasagna, or on plain spaghetti... you won't be disappointed.

The recipe makes a really big batch. If you aren't cooking in bulk, you might want to half it.

Ingredients

• Italian Sausage – 2 hot and 2 mild (in casing)
• 2 lbs of Ground beef
• 1 onion
• Garlic
• 2 – 28oz cans of crushed Tomatoes
• 2 – 28 oz can of Tomato puree
• 2 - 28 oz can of Diced Tomatoes
• 2 – small cans of Tomato Paste

Directions

• Saute onions and garlic (the amount of garlic depends on your preference.
I’d probably use 8 – 12 cloves).
• Add ground beef and brown.
• Cook sausage in a pan or in the oven. Once cooked (not too hard) slice into bite sized
pieces.
• Combine all tomatoes into a large pot with cover.
• Add meat, onions, and garlic. Cook on medium until bubbling.
• Simmer all day, the longer the better.
• Add to your favorite dish, or just sop up with bread.
• Enjoy!