I made the cheater version of Boston Cream Pie this weekend and it tasted great!
I made a yellow box cake mix in two 8” pie pans just like it says on the box. They cooled a little too long in the pans, which I almost never do, but got sucked into Twitter! When I did take them out of the pans, I had to manhandle them a little, but they came out and did not break. Love that!
In the middle, I put vanilla pudding. I bought a large box (as opposed to two small boxes) and it was too much. I had extras (that were great for lunches and stuff) but I also thought I could put more in and it just squeezed out the side. It tasted amazing, but did not look as pretty as it could have.
On top of the two layers, with the pudding in between I put chocolate frosting from a can. It was also too much, so please, if you do this, start with ½ can. It slid around a lot while I tried to frost it. I am sure part of the reason was that there was too much pudding between the cake layers, but I was also trying to spread too much frosting.
All in all, it tasted amazing and was about $3 and I am sure it would have been a little less if I had gotten the smaller pudding and used a lot less frosting. That is not bad considering that our family of 5 ate only half of the dessert this weekend and will have the other half for another meal.
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Cherry Pie
Yes, I made cherry pie this past weekend. I had some leftover cherries in the freezer and a frozen pie crust as well. The pie crust was broken, so I had to smoosh (the technical term) it together and roll it out again. It ended up working out OK, but using store-bought crust when it is broken is SO not worth it. If I want it to look like that (not good!) I can just make the crust from scratch. So I plan to learn to make pie crust.
I took a few recipes for cherry pie and made up my own recipe for the pie. It was a little dangerous, but hay, I am just that way! I took a chunk off the cherries (the bag had 6C and I used a little more than 1/2, so it was slightly more than 2C, I think). I added 1.5C sugar and 2T corn starch to that. When it was all mixed it, I poured it into the pre-baked crust (10 min at 350F). I baked it at 400F for 20 minutes. I took it out at 10 minutes and it was not quite done yet. So I put it back in for the remaining 10 minutes. At that point, it looked like it was done and the crust was getting a little dark, and I know you can cover the crust with foil, but I did not want to do that. When it came out, like I said, it looked done, so I went with it. The pie was a little runny when I cut it, it filled in a little bit with the liquid. It tasted amazing!! (Despite that fact that it did not look perfect, it tasted perfect!) After the pie sat for a while, it did not run at all either, so the key here was to let it set, I think.
I took a few recipes for cherry pie and made up my own recipe for the pie. It was a little dangerous, but hay, I am just that way! I took a chunk off the cherries (the bag had 6C and I used a little more than 1/2, so it was slightly more than 2C, I think). I added 1.5C sugar and 2T corn starch to that. When it was all mixed it, I poured it into the pre-baked crust (10 min at 350F). I baked it at 400F for 20 minutes. I took it out at 10 minutes and it was not quite done yet. So I put it back in for the remaining 10 minutes. At that point, it looked like it was done and the crust was getting a little dark, and I know you can cover the crust with foil, but I did not want to do that. When it came out, like I said, it looked done, so I went with it. The pie was a little runny when I cut it, it filled in a little bit with the liquid. It tasted amazing!! (Despite that fact that it did not look perfect, it tasted perfect!) After the pie sat for a while, it did not run at all either, so the key here was to let it set, I think.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
pumpkin cake
So this is the first week we have moved my weekly dessert night from Sunday to Saturday so I am not so rushed to get out the door. Tonight was my first night and it was after a birthday party for my youngest at McDonalds (of course!). I decided to make a pumpkin cake in the microwave. It was so good and so easy!
It has only two ingredients. I bought a box of spice cake mix (Yes, a box! And to make it better, they were on sale this week at the grocery store.) I added a large can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just the pumpkin.) I think it was about 28 ounces. I just mixed those two ingredients really well. I suppose you can use an electric mixer, but I did it by hand, so I know it is possible. I used a spatula and it took some stirring, but it eventually got very well mixed.
Then I cooked it in the microwave for about 20 minutes (and the time depends on your microwave) and I used a microwave cooker. I used to sell tupperware (a fact I am not proud of, but I do have a lot of containers!) and they have "heat 'n serve" containers that are so amazing to cook inside. I am sure there are others, but the tupperware ones are easy and you can store stuff in them too. In fact, DH had frozen something in it that I had to thaw out because I wanted to use it tonight.
Again, no picture, but it was so amazing!
It has only two ingredients. I bought a box of spice cake mix (Yes, a box! And to make it better, they were on sale this week at the grocery store.) I added a large can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just the pumpkin.) I think it was about 28 ounces. I just mixed those two ingredients really well. I suppose you can use an electric mixer, but I did it by hand, so I know it is possible. I used a spatula and it took some stirring, but it eventually got very well mixed.
Then I cooked it in the microwave for about 20 minutes (and the time depends on your microwave) and I used a microwave cooker. I used to sell tupperware (a fact I am not proud of, but I do have a lot of containers!) and they have "heat 'n serve" containers that are so amazing to cook inside. I am sure there are others, but the tupperware ones are easy and you can store stuff in them too. In fact, DH had frozen something in it that I had to thaw out because I wanted to use it tonight.
Again, no picture, but it was so amazing!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Apple Crisp -yum!
So Sunday night was my night to make dessert. I did NOT want to go back to the store so I looked around at what I had and went for it. Believe it or not, this recipe did NOT come from my favorite site - allrecipes.com. This is an old family favorite from my friend and old roommate, Jen.
I had some apples from someone's tree that were about a week old. They did not look great, but they tasted divine and in Apple Crisp, who cares how they look, right?
The recipe is SO simple and so good. I think of apple crisp like apple pie without the crust, and who does not love apple pie? And even in a pie, the crust is OK, but the insides are what it is all about. So this is the perfect dessert for me. Someday maybe I will be good at making pie crust and even love it, but that day has not yet come...
Ingredients:
6 large apples, peeled and sliced
sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
water
1 C flour
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter
The last three ingredients are the "crumb topping, so I mixed those up and set them aside until the rest was done. I think I am going to try to cut down on the butter next time because I want to at least try to make it a little healthier (although, with that much sugar, there is only so much you can do...).
I peeled the apples and diced them pretty big instead of slicing them. I don't think it matters much. I wanted them to be more in bite-sized chunks. Then I added a little bit of the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. I did not really measure them, but the spices were like 1/2 t and the sugar was about 1/4 C, I guess. Then I added a little water to the dish, maybe 1/2 C or so. Again, I did not measure this, so it is a guess and depends on how you like it. You do not drain anything when you are done, so I would not add too much...
I put the apples in a baking dish as I was peeling and dicing them to cut down on the dishes that would end up dirty. Why is it that men never think about how many dishes they use? I am sure some do, but MY husband never does...
Usually I use an 8" x 8" pan but that was in use for something else for dinner, so I used a slightly smaller round Corningware pan like this.
I put the first 5 ingredients in the dish, then added the topping, which was a little more than fit, but I just piled it up and didn't stress out too much if some spilled over the edge. Then, I baked the whole thing at 325 for 1 hour and it was amazing! I wish I had taken pictures of it, but I did not. And it was gone so fast!
We all had some that night after dinner, then I took the oldest to scouts, then I had some when I got home with whipped cream that was leftover and it was incredible! The next day, there was a tiny bit left for lunch and I had the rest of it and the rest of the leftover whipped cream, which meant I could wash or throw away two containers!
Since I am always in a hurry to eat dinner, let alone dessert, on Sunday night because of the Boy Scout meeting, I am switching dessert night to Saturday so it can be more relaxed. We will see how that goes! It might sneak up on me even more than Sunday did!
I had some apples from someone's tree that were about a week old. They did not look great, but they tasted divine and in Apple Crisp, who cares how they look, right?
The recipe is SO simple and so good. I think of apple crisp like apple pie without the crust, and who does not love apple pie? And even in a pie, the crust is OK, but the insides are what it is all about. So this is the perfect dessert for me. Someday maybe I will be good at making pie crust and even love it, but that day has not yet come...
Ingredients:
6 large apples, peeled and sliced
sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
water
1 C flour
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter
The last three ingredients are the "crumb topping, so I mixed those up and set them aside until the rest was done. I think I am going to try to cut down on the butter next time because I want to at least try to make it a little healthier (although, with that much sugar, there is only so much you can do...).
I peeled the apples and diced them pretty big instead of slicing them. I don't think it matters much. I wanted them to be more in bite-sized chunks. Then I added a little bit of the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. I did not really measure them, but the spices were like 1/2 t and the sugar was about 1/4 C, I guess. Then I added a little water to the dish, maybe 1/2 C or so. Again, I did not measure this, so it is a guess and depends on how you like it. You do not drain anything when you are done, so I would not add too much...
I put the apples in a baking dish as I was peeling and dicing them to cut down on the dishes that would end up dirty. Why is it that men never think about how many dishes they use? I am sure some do, but MY husband never does...
Usually I use an 8" x 8" pan but that was in use for something else for dinner, so I used a slightly smaller round Corningware pan like this.
I put the first 5 ingredients in the dish, then added the topping, which was a little more than fit, but I just piled it up and didn't stress out too much if some spilled over the edge. Then, I baked the whole thing at 325 for 1 hour and it was amazing! I wish I had taken pictures of it, but I did not. And it was gone so fast!
We all had some that night after dinner, then I took the oldest to scouts, then I had some when I got home with whipped cream that was leftover and it was incredible! The next day, there was a tiny bit left for lunch and I had the rest of it and the rest of the leftover whipped cream, which meant I could wash or throw away two containers!
Since I am always in a hurry to eat dinner, let alone dessert, on Sunday night because of the Boy Scout meeting, I am switching dessert night to Saturday so it can be more relaxed. We will see how that goes! It might sneak up on me even more than Sunday did!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Banan Cream Pie - store bought!!
Last night was my night to make dessert again and with the extra hour, the theory is I would have used it for good, but theory and reality are often quite different and this was no exception...
And honestly, I forgot until about 2:30PM.
So I took a frozen banana cream pie out to thaw in the fridge for several hours. It was not enough time. At a little after 6PM, it was still frozen. (Although, it was amazing for lunch today!) I was even at the store yesterday getting stuff for dinner, so ingredients for dessert would have been so simple, had I REMEMBERED!
Either way, the pie was great and there is still some left over, so we will have dessert tonight for dinner and we almost never have dessert during the week, so it will be like a little treat! And now, there is no security blanket left in the freezer, so I will have to make dessert each weekend, but given my brain capacity, I think I am going to get a pie or two to have on hand in the freezer "just in case".
And honestly, I forgot until about 2:30PM.
So I took a frozen banana cream pie out to thaw in the fridge for several hours. It was not enough time. At a little after 6PM, it was still frozen. (Although, it was amazing for lunch today!) I was even at the store yesterday getting stuff for dinner, so ingredients for dessert would have been so simple, had I REMEMBERED!
Either way, the pie was great and there is still some left over, so we will have dessert tonight for dinner and we almost never have dessert during the week, so it will be like a little treat! And now, there is no security blanket left in the freezer, so I will have to make dessert each weekend, but given my brain capacity, I think I am going to get a pie or two to have on hand in the freezer "just in case".
Monday, October 27, 2008
Coconut Cream Pie
Last night was my night to make dessert, but we were gone all day. I didn't even have time to make dinner. So I went to Wal-Mart and got frozen food for dinner. Then I took out a few pieces of frozen pie and let the kids and DH go nuts on the pie.
I had frozen pie from the "backup pie" last weekend that I did not use. There were two pies in the freezer - one banana cream that required thawing overnight and one coconut cream that you can slice off a piece and just let it sit out for 15 minutes. So I went with the shorter time frame one and that was that. I am not a huge fan of coconut, so I did not have pie, but the kids and DH thought it was awesome!
I had frozen pie from the "backup pie" last weekend that I did not use. There were two pies in the freezer - one banana cream that required thawing overnight and one coconut cream that you can slice off a piece and just let it sit out for 15 minutes. So I went with the shorter time frame one and that was that. I am not a huge fan of coconut, so I did not have pie, but the kids and DH thought it was awesome!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Chocolate Pie
I made a French Silk Pie at the request of my DH for dessert tonight. Again, I went to allrecipes.com and got a recipe for it and it turned out really good. The whipped topping for the top was not part of the recipe, so I had to go back for that, but as soon as I made it, I knew it was missing something and needed that, so when my youngest woke up from his nap, I took him BACK to Wal-Mart (yes, on a weekend!) to get it.
As you know by now, we do not have dessert that often, but on Sunday night, it is sorta our tradition.
I did get a frozen pie as a backup pie, in case this did not turn out for some reason. Sadly, since I like to experiment, some of my experiments have not turned out great so the backup pie was a precaution. Since it is a frozen pie, it will last for weeks because we did not need to use it, so it was not a bad thing at all. I will just use it as a dessert some Sunday when I forget or am not in the mood to bake something…
The pie inside was pretty easy, but you do need an electric mixer. DH STILL has not fixed my stand mixer, even though the part has been here for over 2 weeks, so I am using the super-cheap backup mixer I bought at Wal-Mart for $7. It is not half-bad! If you do not have an electric mixer, this is a great one so far. I use it at least weekly and have for a month now. It has worked very well! It makes me wonder why I paid so much for the other one…
Again, no pictures, but it was your standard chocolate pie. It was so good. There are 2 pieces left but I am thinking they will be gone at lunch!
As you know by now, we do not have dessert that often, but on Sunday night, it is sorta our tradition.
I did get a frozen pie as a backup pie, in case this did not turn out for some reason. Sadly, since I like to experiment, some of my experiments have not turned out great so the backup pie was a precaution. Since it is a frozen pie, it will last for weeks because we did not need to use it, so it was not a bad thing at all. I will just use it as a dessert some Sunday when I forget or am not in the mood to bake something…
The pie inside was pretty easy, but you do need an electric mixer. DH STILL has not fixed my stand mixer, even though the part has been here for over 2 weeks, so I am using the super-cheap backup mixer I bought at Wal-Mart for $7. It is not half-bad! If you do not have an electric mixer, this is a great one so far. I use it at least weekly and have for a month now. It has worked very well! It makes me wonder why I paid so much for the other one…
Again, no pictures, but it was your standard chocolate pie. It was so good. There are 2 pieces left but I am thinking they will be gone at lunch!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Fresh Cherry Crisp - YUM!
I had fresh (relatively) cherries in the freezer and I wanted to make something yummy with them. I found a great recipe on allrecipes.com (again – this site is going to be a common thread here) so I made it. As I was searching for a good recipe I learned two things:
1. Everything is either made with canned cherry pie filling or maraschino cherries
2. Fresh cherries are not easy to pit or cook with, apparently
So I made cherry crisp with the fresh cherries with this recipe. It called for four cups of fresh berries and that is what the ziptop bag in the freezer said, so I went with it. I was a little concerned because they had been in the freezer a long time (too long?) and were juicy, so I was worried that the finished product would be too runny. NOT TO FEAR! It turned out great. It did make a huge amount, like a 9x13” pan, which for a dessert even with kids, is too much for us, so I think next time I would cut it in half and bake it in an 8x8” pan, but the taste was amazing, it was not too juicy and not only did I love it, but the kids did too! I wish I had taken a picture of it when it was still pretty. I have been eating off of it for 3 days now and it is almost gone and not eve close to pretty anymore...
A special thanks to DH who pitted the cherries as soon as they were picked which made making this dessert a whole lot easier. If you had to pit the cherries, I might go for a can as well!!
1. Everything is either made with canned cherry pie filling or maraschino cherries
2. Fresh cherries are not easy to pit or cook with, apparently
So I made cherry crisp with the fresh cherries with this recipe. It called for four cups of fresh berries and that is what the ziptop bag in the freezer said, so I went with it. I was a little concerned because they had been in the freezer a long time (too long?) and were juicy, so I was worried that the finished product would be too runny. NOT TO FEAR! It turned out great. It did make a huge amount, like a 9x13” pan, which for a dessert even with kids, is too much for us, so I think next time I would cut it in half and bake it in an 8x8” pan, but the taste was amazing, it was not too juicy and not only did I love it, but the kids did too! I wish I had taken a picture of it when it was still pretty. I have been eating off of it for 3 days now and it is almost gone and not eve close to pretty anymore...
A special thanks to DH who pitted the cherries as soon as they were picked which made making this dessert a whole lot easier. If you had to pit the cherries, I might go for a can as well!!
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