CREAMY SUGAR-FREE PIE

 Good morning. We are in the heat of summer in Kansas City, MO, but it isn't as bad so far as forecasted. Seems the people south of I-70 are getting the hotter temperatures than we are but we are forecasted for 100 degrees for today and tomorrow. 

This kind of weather calls for cool, light desserts and that just what I made to share with the canasta group on Tuesday. There were only four of us to play at Friend Fran's house which meant the game didn't move as quickly as it does/can with six playing. I had posted a meme on Facebook early that morning that said - "Life is boring if you don't laugh, joke around and be a little crazy every now and then. At the end of the day it's about being happy." and said that was my plans for today. I knew that would happen later that afternoon at canasta and it did. 

Friend Fran had gone out to check her mail and then failed to raise her right leg high enough to step up to her front "porch" and had fallen skinning her upper foot and ankle area of her foot and skinned and bruised her knee. When Friend Janice and I showed up minutes later, she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to host. We of course took over and helped her put some ice on it and secure the towel with ice on her knee with a plastic bag. I kept having her bend her knee so that it wouldn't get stiff. With her knee "wrapped" and foot propted up on a chair, we started our game. Every time we play, craziness happens so my plans worked for all four of us. Janice and I stayed behind until the last two hands and ended up winning. 

At about half way in, I suggested we have dessert and everyone agreed. I had made the pie earlier in the morning. The recipe said to refrigerate for one hour. I wasn't sure that was long enough and actually my pie was refrigerated for probably five hours from the time I made it until the time I cut it for us to eat. Well, it came out easily so that was good. 

The recipe was one I had written down back in the 70s and was in my first "recipe box" that wasn't a box at all but a small binder meant for recipes with dividers for different food catagories. It was called Creamy Chocolate Pie and I intended making a chocolate pie until I actually started making it that morning. I was baking the crust as I started gathering the ingredients for the pie. In my stack of puddings in my pantry, I had two boxes of butterscotch pudding and grabbed one of them and put the chocolate one back. 

I love butterscotch. When I was younger I always had a butterscotch sundae instead of hot fudge like I do now. I loved butterscotch hard candy to suck one. On it really wasn't a hard decision to make. I even had some butterscotch chips that I sprinkled on top at the end to garnish it. That's why I named the post a generic Creamy Sugar-Free Pie because you can use any flavor of pudding for it. What I made was a Sugar-Free pie since I used a Sugar-Free Instant Pudding Mix. The recipe also called for nuts, but I didn't think nuts went with creamy so I left them out. I still think it was a good idea and I love nuts also. 

If you don't have a sugar-free instant pudding mix, of course. use a regular mix. 

CREAMY SUGAR-FREE PIE

1     (4-serving) sugar-free instant pudding mix (I used butterscotch but any pudding mix would work.)

1            cup milk (skim milk will work)

1      (8-ounce) container of sugar-free whipped topping, divided (Lite whipped topping only has 1 gram of sugar in the entire container.)

1             baked 8 - inch pie crust. cooled

Empty pudding mix in mixing bowl along with 1 cup of milk. Beat until dry mix has thoroughly dissolved and mixture is thick. This doesn't take long at all since you are using half of the milk that the box directions calls for.

Measure out 1-1/2 cups of the thawed whipped topping and blend into mixture until thoroughly combined.

Spoon into pie crust and

then top with the rest of the whipped topping.

May garnish top as you like.

I hope you will give this pie a try. Friend Vicky remarked it was so cool and light and we all agreed with her. Oh! Fran is doing well. A little sore but getting around. She was glad we were there and helped her out.

ELVIS SHAKES

 What a fun evening we had last night! Wayne and I had bought some prime sirloin steaks and our younger son Patrick grilled them for dinner at their house. He also roasted some cubed potatoes on the grill and we brought salad makings, fresh strawberries, and a watermelon that we didn't cut, but left with them to enjoy this week. It was a meal fit for a King. 

Granddaughter Madison soon to be twelve which is so hard to believe, had found a recipe that she wanted to make since they had all of the ingredients, but her daddy told her to wait until after dinner. She showed me the recipe for Elvis Shake and it did look delicious. In fact I took a picture of the recipe so I could make it later for us. 

It didn't really register with me that she would make it while we were still there and we would get to sample it ourselves. I'm so glad she did though because it was heavenly. She had sliced the bananas and put them in the freezer in a bag so they would be ready when she made the shake. Now,  I can't wait to go buy some bananas and make it for Wayne and me.

Sure to please your kids (and maybe yourself) and it's so easy even a child can make it with a little supervision.

Print recipe.

ELVIS SHAKES

2        large bananas, sliced and frozen

1-1/2  cups milk

6        tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2        tablespoons honey

1/4     teaspoon cinnamon

3/4     cup crushed ice

slices of banana for garnishing

Prepare the bananas ahead of time. (Place in bag to freeze.)

Place milk and bananas in the blender.

Place lid on top and pulse several times to combine.

Remove the lid and

add the peanut butter,

cinnamon,

honey, and

crushed ice. 

Blend until smooth.

Serve into four glasses. Madison wanted to ad chocolate, so her mother Lori, drizzled some chocolate syrup on the inside of the glasses before Madison poured the shake into the glasses.

Add banana slices on a straw or short skewer to garnish.

LEMON-LIME CAKE

 It was a beautiful night last Friday when our Tasty Bunch met. One couple couldn't be there but the rest of us met at Chili's for dinner and all three of us ordered something different. It is the first time that all of us shared a meal with our hubbies. Everyone's meal looked delicious too. 

Afterwards we drove over to Friends (and hostess also for the evening) Carol and Keith's new house that is in construction. It was so much fun walking through walls and seeing their excitement with getting a new home. It wasn't really anything they had planned to do for probably another 4 or 5 years, but everything just fell into place so easily and quickly. Friend Janice and I couldn't help but be a little jealous.

Then we went to their current house for more conversation and DESSERT, of course. Carol said it was a Lemon-Lime Cake. The combination of the lemon and lime made for a deliciously tart dessert. We just couldn't help but rave about it as we ate it. She also served pistachio and nut ice cream with it.

PRINT RECIPE

LEMON-LIME CAKE

For the cake:

1     package of lemon cake mix

1     package (3.4 oz)  of instant lemon pudding mix

1     can (10 - ounce) of frozen non-alcoholic margarita mix, thawed

4     large eggs, room temperature

1/2  cup butter, softened

2     tablespoons lime juice

3     teaspoons lime zest, grated

For the glaze:

1-1/2  cups powdered sugar

3        tablespoons lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease and flour a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, margarita mix, eggs, butter, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and the lime zest.

Beat the mixture on low speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then beat on minimum speed for 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake unto a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean 40 - 45 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes.

Combine the powdered sugar and the remaining lime juice together into a glaze.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Cut cake into squares to serve. 

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

With mid to upper 90s forecasted for the next two weeks, I would think this No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake would definitely be on your To Serve list. If you don't want to be tempted to eat the whole thing, I would suggest you invite your friends over for afternoon tea. They will be your friends forever, trust me.

I got to enjoy this delicious pie when the Tasty Bunch met last month and Friend Patricia served it to us. It is so funny when the room gets quite and you realize it's because everyone is "stuffing" their mouths. I really tried to eat mine slowly or at least slower than I normally eat so I could savor every bite. It definitely won't be forgotten for a long time.

Thank you Patricia for sharing the recipe with me so I could share it here with you.

PRINT RECIPE

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE CHEEESECAKE

1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

12     ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2    cup sugar

1/4    cup butter, softened

2       cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

1       graham cracker pie crust

More whipped topping for topping

Mini-chocolate chips for garnish

Melt the chocolate chips over low heat in a saucepan or microwave, stirring frequently until smooth. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and butter until smooth.

On low speed, blend in the melted chocolate.

Fold in the whipped topping until blended.

Spoon blended mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust.

Cover and chill until firm, about 2 to 4 hours.

Garnish with whipped topping and mini chocolate chips, if desired when serving.

Patricia was to quick for me so I had to take a picture of the whole pie when it was just half of a pie.