RECIPES

I promised to send 2 recipes that I made earlier this week and I got busy yesterday and did not get to send them out. Sorry!!!

The first recipe is for a delicious lemon pie. It is similar to a chess pie. I love it and whenever I take it places, I get real good reviews on it!! It is a wonderful Southern Comfort food to me and is especially yummy with real whipped cream on top. I got the recipe from my sweet Mom, who also loves to cook.

Lemon Pie

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

6 tablespoons lemon juice (about 3 lemons, depending on their size)

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 frozen 9-inch deep dish pie shell

-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack in lower third of oven.

-Stir together sugar and flour in a bowl. Add to eggs in another bowl and beat

until light in color and slightly thickened (with electric mixer), about 3 minutes.*

-Stir in lemon rind, lemon juice, butter, vanilla and almond extract. Pour into pie shell (it has to be deep dish). Place pie on a baking sheet.

- Bake in lower third of 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is set and lightly browned.

-Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool.

-Serve with whipped cream on top

*Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Don't overbeat. I just set my oven timer to do this.

I hope you like this pie. It is one of my all time favorites, because I love anything lemon and it is real refreshing and tart! Enjoy!!!

This second recipe is for all you chocolate lovers out there, me included! It is a very easy cake recipe that you make with a cake mix. One thing nice about this cake is that it does not have an icing and it makes a great cake to travel with, because of that.

Inside Out Cake

1 box Devil's Food cake mix

1 (4 oz.) package of instant chocolate pudding

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1 (12 oz.) package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Mix all ingredients by hand and pour into a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.

Let cool and then turn out of pan.

I hope you will enjoy these recipes. As you can see, I LOVE sweets!!! I especially love to bake and I am always the one to volunteer to bring a dessert to Bible study or to a meeting,etc. I buy flour and sugar at Costco in 25 pound bags and keep it stored in large plastic cans in my basement, so I always have plenty of flour and sugar to cook with.

I view my cooking as my ministry to others. I share my talent and love of cooking with others through the food I make. If I am stressed, I can get in the kitchen and cook and it is relaxing to me.

I get my love of cooking from my Mom, who is 84 years old. Mom still loves to cook and she delights in fixing wonderful meals for our family. Both of my Grandmothers were wonderful cooks as well.

Although I like to fix more current recipes (pastas & stir fries) and things that are healthy, I am a Southern home-style cook at heart and I still love to make the comfort foods that we Southerners love: mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, country style steak, biscuits, meatloaf, etc.

With my girls gone, it is frustrating to cook for just the two of us. Plus, my husband doesn't like sweets. Can you believe that? I told him that in my next life, I am going to marry a man who loves sweets. His Mother was a diabetic, so they never had sweets. My Mom made homemade sweets every day and I was used to that growing up. Pies, cakes, cobblers, cookies, etc.

Sweets are definitely my downfall and my love. Give me a piece of pie or cake or a cookie any day!!! I have been known to order a meal out at a restaurant based on what I am going to get for dessert afterwards!!

Take care and have a wonderful day!