Frozen Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches

Hello, yumminess.  Original and delicious dessert.  Perfect for summer entertaining!

Walnut-Cheddar Cheese Ball

I bet you are all jealous of my amazing book club.  Everyone who hosts always makes something delicious for the rest of us to nosh on while we discuss our book . . . and everything else.

Banana Bars

Another book club delight from my frienda, Brenda.  Also, I've been saving this clipart for just the right recipe card . . .

7-Layer Bean Dip

Perfect party food.  Easy, delicious, and feeds a crowd!

Pumpkin Bars

Mmmmmm . . . pumpkin. My frienda Brenda made these at book club and they were the perfect late-night comfort food. Or any time of day, really.

Dad's Oatmeal Cake

If nostalgia has a taste for me, this is it. Not only is this cake as healthy as you can get (and still be cake), it's totally delicious. We never ate it with frosting. My dad could whip this up in a few minutes, and it makes your whole house smell amazing while its baking.

I think I need to go make some right now . . .

Also, I entered this cake into a cake recipe contest sponsored by Hobby Farm Home, one of my favorite magazines.  And it won!  The category was . . . ahem . . . Best Animal-friendly Cake. Go ahead and laugh.  I promise you can't derive more glee out of this admission than my five sisters already have.

I knew my dad's oatmeal cake recipe would win, because it is delicious (when I called to tell him about my glory, his response was "You prostituted my recipe!").  Plus, I knew that perhaps not that many people would enter this shameful unique category.  And seventy-five bucks is seventy-five bucks, people.  (Plus I got three copies of the July issue, and my choice of two books published by HFH.  I chose Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a healthy planet, a caring economy, and lasting happiness, and Backyard Bounty: the complete guide to year-round gardening in the Pacific Northwest.)

However, I do take issue with the picture that the folks at HFH put with my prize-winner. I picture oatmeal cake being eaten by people, and perhaps shared with horses, goats, chickens, maybe even cows or pigs. But not with DOGS. Who gives cake to a dog??? You can have a dog and still not have a farm or even a hobby farm, so I don't know why Hobby Farm Home didn't create a photo-op for some goats.

Pumpkin Scones

My friend Julie made these and brought them to a lunch meeting we were having.  Hello, scrumptious!  I am a sucker for pumpkiny baked goods, and these were such an unexpected and delightful treat.  They are super easy to make, too.  It's rainy and cold where I live today, so these were the perfect comfort food.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This is my husband's favorite pie, though he recently told me that it was tied with apple pie.  It's a recipe handed down from his paternal grandmother, who is such a good Southern cook.  I made it for dessert on Sunday and it turned out beautifully, which isn't always the case with this pie--you have to have CONSTANT VIGILANCE (as Mad-Eye Moody would say) when you are whisking the filling over the stove--my arm usually aches before I am done.

I used my flakiest pie crust recipe for the crust.  Single crusts are harder for me than double crusts, because they sometimes slide down in the pie pan while they're baking.  I pressed the edge of the pie dough just over the edge of the pie pan, then pressed it all around with the back of a fork, and it turned out pretty well. You want to poke the crust all over with a fork, even around the sides, so it won't puff up.  Bake your crust for about 15 minutes at 350, until it's barely golden brown.

The filling in this recipe is soooo rich and good, and it doesn't rely on cornstarch to thicken.  Hard to believe there's only about a third a cup of cocoa in it.  You must use whole milk or evaporated milk, or it will be runny, something I learned the hard way.  On Thanksgiving Day.  Such memories . . .

For the meringue, I beat the five egg whites until they got foamy, then I added about 2/3 cup of white sugar, beating it in a tablespoon at a time, until it began to get glossy.  Then I added a teaspoon of vanilla and a tiny pinch of salt and beat it until it was stiff.  It took a long time, even with an electric beater.  Use a completely dry bowl, and be sure there is no yolk in your egg whites, or it just won't turn out.  (I beat the meringue with my electric mixer until its ready, then use the mixer, with a little meringue on the beaters, to beat the warm pie filling in the saucepan before I scrape it into my prepared crust.  Then I top the filling with the meringue.  That way I don't have to use the beaters, then wash and dry and re-use them)

Meringue before baking

To prevent weeping or shrinking, you want to put the meringue on the filling while it is still warm, and make sure that you spread the meringue right up the edge of the crust.  I used my silicone spatula to swirl a design around the meringue before baking it for about 8 minutes in a 400-degree oven.

Meringue after baking--and my favorite tablecloth that
originally belonged to Grandmother Renfroe

I always crave pie when I am pregnant.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), it's not a food that's readily available--grocery store pies do not do it for me, and we are at least an hour from any bakery worth trying.  if you want something done, you've got to . . . well, you know.

Divine Chocolate Sauce

Julie knows her chocolate desserts.  Everyone at book club raved about this delicious sauce.

Debbie's Cinnamon Rolls

A delicious book club dessert, made by one of my favorite people!