Now I’m not the best baker in town, but I have a pie recipe that even those of us with a non-floured thumb can make.  I usually make this pie about a couple of times a year.  A must for New Year’s Day and any other occasion that someone asks me to bake a pie.

The best part is you DON’T HAVE TO BAKE THIS PIE!  Once again this recipe has been handed down to me from my mother who I must admit was the best baker of all times.  But whose mother isn’t? 

She found this Dream Whip Cherry Cheese Pie recipe on a dream whip box many years ago and maybe you can still find it on the dream whip box today.

Pie Shell: 

Go to the supermarket and buy – yes buy – a graham cracker crust pie shell.  I tried to do my own graham cracker crust shell but I found that the store bought kind works just as well.  They make two sizes – I always take the bigger size because you can get more slices. 

The pie shell lid has directions on how to get the graham cracker crust to brown up.  Believe me this is easy to do.  Just crack an egg in a bowl.  You need to separate the yolk from the white.  Use that egg separator that I’m sure you got from a Tupperware party many years ago!  Mix up the egg white and brush it onto the graham cracker pie shell.  Okay, this is the ONLY part of the pie you need to bake.  Follow the directions on the oven temperature and time and you’ll have a nicely browned shell.

Onto the pie filling – I promise this is a no bake pie – Honest!

Take out that mixer that your mother-in-law gave you many years ago.  You will finally get to use it!

Pie filling: 

1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese

1 cup confectionery sugar (powdered sugar)

1 Dream Whip package – if you want it more creamier use 2 dream whip packages

1 can cherries in syrup

In a small mixing bowl, mix together until creamy the cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Set it aside.

In a larger mixing bowl dump in the Dream Whip package and follow the directions on the package on how to make a creamy dream whip filling.

Pour in the cream cheese mix into the Dream Whip mix.  Mix all together until the mixture stands in peeks.

Once the filling is done, pour the filling into the graham cracker crust shell and then slowly pour the cherries on top.

Refrigerate over night. 

Now wasn’t that easy?  You will be the hit of any dinner party when you serve this pie for dessert.  Aren’t cherries one of the food groups that is suppose to be good for you?  Well there you go you are serving something nutritious as well.

Until later,

Linda

It’s that time of year when I get the urge to bake up a storm for the holidays.  So I have some easy to make and easy to eat holiday cookie recipe that is a keeper.

Ever since I was a little girl, my mother used to bake Russian Tea Cake/Cookies for the holidays.  Not until I got older did I realize why she enjoyed baking the Russian Tea Cake/Cookies.  Once again, they are easy to make and of course so easy to eat.

This recipe yields approximately 6 dozen cookies.

The ingredients you need are:

1 cup of butter

¼ tsp salt

½ cup of Confectioner sugar (powdered sugar)

2 ¼ cups of Flour

½ tsp of vanilla

¾ cup of finely chopped walnuts

Cream the butter then add sugar gradually and cream together.  Combine the flour and salt and add to the creamed mixture.  (Here is where the fun begins!)  Work the cookie mixture with your hands and then blend in the vanilla and nuts until all is mixed well.

Now, my mother used to refrigerate the cookie mix over night, but I have found that just as long as you chill the dough it works just fine.  So I recommend chilling it for just about and hour or two.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

You now need to take pieces of the cookie dough and form them into small balls.  I find using a teaspoon and filling it up with the cookie dough makes the right size, but don’t forget to work the dough into tiny little balls. 

Place the formed cookies about 2 ½ inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet – you can also cover the cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Bake the cookies for 14 to 17 minutes – you want the cookies to be lightly brown on the top.

Take the cookies off the cookie sheet but don’t let them cool you need to roll them in a bowl of powdered sugar.  After you rolled them in powdered sugar let the cookies cool.  But before you pack them away in a cookie tin, roll them again in powdered sugar and then pack them away.

Or do what I do – test a couple to make sure they are good.  And they are good!!!  They should be buttery, a hint of walnut and of course sweet from the powdered sugar.  They also should be easy to bite into but I have found that my sons and my husband just enjoy plopping the whole thing in their mouths!

Like I said, this is an easy holiday cookie recipe and so easy to eat.

Until later,

Linda

I’ve always enjoyed movies from Disney and really enjoyed the first Pirates of the Caribbean.  So I was looking forward to watching the DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest.  I thought Johnny Deep’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow was really good, comical but also creative in his approach to this notorious pirate.  He really didn’t disappoint me with the second of this trilogy of Pirates of the Caribbean.  I know some critics thought differently, but like I said, I like Disney movies as well as watching Johnny Deep perform.

Now this movie is rated PG 13 and I agree with the rating.  With sea monsters and Davy Jones’ crew looking like various sea creatures, younger children may have nightmares watching this.  Davy Jones of course is scary looking with his beard of tentacles and a lobster claw for a hand.  Also there are quite a few fight scenes which of course no one is killed but still a little violent for younger kids.  The scariest parts are when the sea monster attacks ships and breaks it in half and sucks the sailors into who knows where!  Even though this is rather gruesome, Disney still pokes some fun at it when Captain Jack Sparrow gets slimed by the sea monster just before being sucked into whereverville.  Sorry, back to the days of Ghostbusters.

The film moves along pretty well and has comical moments that even adults can laugh at.  Of course being a trilogy leaves the movie viewer knowing that there will be at least one more sequel. 

Heck, we’ve got to save Captain Jack!  He can’t give his soul to Davy Jones.  And who better but the former captain of the Pearl that Captain Jack pirated from. 

So if you are looking for some fun entertainment for your kids 13 and older, I would highly recommend this movie.  It will entertain them for over two hours so you can finish wrapping your Christmas presents or to just sit and relax and watch a movie for the holidays.

Until later,

Linda

I think I’m getting the idea of what’s going on with the TV show, Heroes.  Of course this is a sci-fi – drama but last night’s show started to explain to me about what is really happening.  Take for instance the cheerleader.  It appears that her “family” is not really her family but just a façade of what a family should be.  Her “dad” is really the guy in charge of keeping her in check.  And what is he up to?  Keeping some of these heroes and not so good heroes locked up?  And doesn’t it seem that the Jamaican guy is his stooge, maybe?

As for the Peter, it now appears that he easily absorbs the powers that surround him.  He can mend himself just like the cheerleader or he can read minds just like the cop or he can fly just like his brother.  This episode also shows that he has the ability to look into the future.  Will he truly be the one to blow up New York City???

Did you catch what happened last night with Niki – our split personality gal?  Her husband told her that there was medication and help for her problem.  See I told you so.  But then she goes and turns herself in to the police.  All she needs is a quiet little retreat in the mountains and some heavy duty meds to make her feel better.

Finally, Isaac got his strength to paint without drugs from Hiro.  I thought it was funny when Hiro told him to concentrate and then he squinted to show him how to concentrate.  Wasn’t it freaky how Isaac’s eyes got all white?  I just love sci-fi shows!

I think what this show is trying to say is that when all the “heroes” get together they gain strength from one another and can do amazing stuff.  We’ll just have to wait until January 22^nd to see how things start shaking out.