Key Lime Pie

Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk is one ingredient every Southern cook should always have in her pantry. Not doing so can result in a quick trip to the local (and expensive) nearby market. Been there, done that. This recipe comes from Carnation. Give it a try!

Carnation Key Lime Pie

1 nine-inch prepared graham cracker crust
1 can (14 oz) Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup (about 3 medium limes) fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 thin lime slices (optional)

Beat milk and lime juice in a small mixer bowl until well-blended. Pour into crust. Spread with whipped topping. Refrigerate 2 hours or until set. Use lime slices for garnish.

8 servings

Blackberry Cobbler

One day I went searching for a Blackberry Cobbler recipe. I couldn't find one that used the exact amount of blackberries I had so I modified one to suit my needs. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Blackberry Cobbler

3 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
9 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 1/4 sticks butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash blackberries, draining thoroughly. Mix berries with 3/4 cup sugar and set aside.

Mix remaining sugar, flour and milk. Melt butter in a baking pan. Drop flour mixture into pan. Top with berries. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

This is really good with vanilla ice cream!

Breakfast Quiche

This is another one of those magazine recipes I clipped a long time ago. I love quiche and this one is fairly easy.

Breakfast Quiche

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 eggs
2 cups whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes; remove foil. Bake 5 minutes longer; remove from oven and let cool.

Reduce heat to 425 degrees. Sprinkle bacon, cheeses and onion over the crust. In a bowl, beat eggs, cream, salt, sugar and pepper. Pour into the crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Bake 30 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Layered Mexican Dip

I've found that some of the best recipes are given out by the people selling food products. Hidden Valley is no exception.

Hidden Valley Layered Mexican Dip

1 packet Original Ranch Dip Mix
1 pint sour cream
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can (2 1/4 oz) diced ripe olives, drained
chopped tomatoes
green onions

Spread refried beans in a serving dish. Mix dip mix with sour cream and place on top of refried beans.  Spread cheese on top. Spread olives on top of the cheese. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and green onions.

Pepperoni Pizza Spread

This recipe came from a magazine some time in the past. I just have the clipped out version. Do you have any of those lying around? Yeah. Most of us do. I thought I'd go ahead and post this so I won't lose it -- and you get to try it too!

Pepperoni Pizza Spread

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (don't use reduced fat mayo as a substitute)
1 cup chopped pepperoni
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (6 oz.) ripe olives, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped stuffed olives
Crackers, breadsticks and/or French bread

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Spread evenly in a 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with crackers, breadsticks and/or French bread.

Makes six cups.

Peach Refrigerator Dessert

This recipe came from the folks at a peach stand up in Clanton.

Peach Refrigerator Dessert

1 small box vanilla wafers (20 to 30 wafers)
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 cup whipped cream
2 cups thickened peaches

Crush wafers and spread half on bottom of pan.

Cream butter, powdered sugar and eggs together until well mixed. Alternate layers of fruit, creamed mixture and whipped cream. Top with remainder of wafer crumbs.

Refrigerate for a few hours. Serve and enjoy.

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

Impossible Cheeseburger Pie

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9" pie plate.

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet until beef is brown. Drain. Stir in salt. Spread mixture in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

Use fork to stir milk, bisquick and eggs together until blended. Pour over beef mixture.

Bake pie for 25 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lemon Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake

1 cup (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened (Land O'Lakes butter recommended)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons grated lemon peel (about 3 medium lemons)
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.

Melt morsels in medium, uncovered microwave-safe bowl on Medium High for 1 minute. Stir. If morsels aren't fully melted, microwave an additional 10 to 15 seconds, stirring every 5 seconds, until morsels are fully melted. Don't overcook. Cool slightly.

Combine flour, baking power and salt in small bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and melted morsels. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternating with buttermilk. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick insert in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Make holes in cake with wooden pick; pour half of lemon glaze over cake. Let stand 5 minutes. Invert onto plate. Make holes in top of cake; pour remaining glaze over cake. Cool completely before serving.

Note: It's okay to substitute 3 bars (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Baking Bars for the morsels.