PEANUT BUTTER PIE

We just ended our Summer Revival Meetings with The Tharp Brothers (Hubby & his brothers!) It was a TREMENDOUS meeting! I love my brother's in law. All 3 of these men are wonderful, Godly men, full of the Holy Ghost. Every time they come here to MO, they are such a blessing to us. Every year they look for something to do for us. This year just before they came, my washer AND dryer BOTH went capoot! Almost simultaneously! I felt awful about it. But appliance repairs just weren't in the budget, just yet. Especially TWO of them! I just made sure to have everything washed up at the Laundromat before they got here. But they, many times will throw their shirts or other personal laundry in while they are here. Well wouldn't you know on their last day here (which is supposed to be a "down" day of relaxing) they get up early and mow the lawn and then they tear into my machines! They fixed the washer! Hallelujah! But the dryer was beyond help. :-( But PTL for Craig's List! Hubby found a nice, very affordable, Kenmore gas dryer on there and now I'm back in business!
Since they are always such a blessing to us, I wanted to make sure to have some of their favorite things while they were here. My brother in law, Russ's favorite pie is Peanut Butter. So this one was for him!
There are at least 3 major variations on Peanut Butter pie. There is the pudding one, the cream cheese one and the chiffon one (made with unflavored gelatin). This the cream cheese one.  I think it has the best texture and balance of peanut butter flavor. I didn't get fancy enough to snap a pic of it garnished. But it's a REAL keeper! Goes together in a snap too!
Tomorrow I'll post my other brother in law's favorite pie: Coconut cream!

PEANUT BUTTER PIE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup Jif creamy peanut butter
• ¹⁄₃ cup milk
• 8 ounces Cool Whip  or 2 - 3cups of fresh whipped cream
• 1 graham cracker pie crust or 1 chocolate crumb crust or 1 baked pie shell.

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together and place in pie shell.
2. Chill for at least an hour before serving.
3. Can also be frozen.
4. If desired, garnish with additional whipped topping, drizzle with chocolate syrup, sprinkle with peanuts or crushed peanut butter cups.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY PIE

Wow, the first thing I notice about this pic is, the plate color doesn't blend with the pie AT ALL! Must have been in too much of a hurry that day! And I didn't garnish! How dare I? But... the pie was DEElicious! This is one of those easy, peasy, make-ahead pies that you can throw in the freezer days before your event! Love recipes like that! The only mistake I made with it, was not getting it out at the beginning of dinner, so it could thaw a bit before I served it. Trying to cut a frozen, rock solid pie is no small feat! Especially when the coffee is done brewing and you have waiting dinner guests at the table! Lesson learned! This recipe could be a bit versatile though. As I mixed together the ingredients, my husband and I dipped a spoon in to taste test. I realized then that it could also be served as a mousse. It's so yummy! I suppose you could also switch out the fruit in the basic recipe. You could probably sub fresh raspberries or blueberries for this pie .... OR a mixture of berries would be delightful too!

FROZEN STRAWBERRY PIE

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups chopped, fresh strawberries
1 (12 oz) container, frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
2 (9") chocolate crumb crusts (I used graham cracker crusts)

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla.
• Beat in the strawberries.
• Fold in the whipped topping (and pecans if you are using them).
• Divide & pour evenly into the 2 crusts. 
• Cover and freeze for 3 - 4 hours or until firm.
• Remove from freezer 15 - 20 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with chocolate curls or shavings if desired.

Yield: 2 pies - 8 servings each.

COCONUT CREAM PIE

Recently we hosted a Revival meeting at our church. My husband's brothers and lots of other family members traveled in from other states to do the special music and the preaching. Many of them stayed with us for several days. I wanted to be "on the ball" with meal plans this time! I knew coconut cream was a favorite pie choice for a few of them, so decided on this one. Then I asked my husband of 31 years what his favorite pie was. I thought it would be nice to make his favorite as well. What a surprise it was to me, to hear him say COCONUT CREAM! 31 years.... How did I not know that? I would have said Pumpkin! Wow, you learn something new every day, I guess! I have to confess, coconut cream pie is my LEAST favorite pie. So all I had to go on for a review was the truthfulness of our dinner guests! The pie got cleaned up, so it must have been pretty good! They all gave it a thumbs up! So if you have a hankerin' for coconut cream pie and want something a little different than the normal "pudding" type variety - this one is a real keeper!

COCONUT CREAM PIE

1 pkg graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup cream of coconut (sold in beverage flavoring section)

1 (3.4 oz) pkg cheesecake flavor, instant pudding mix
1 (6 oz) pkg sweetened, flaked coconut
1 (8 oz) container, frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350.

• Stir together (first 3 ingredients) graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. 
• Meanwhile, bake 1/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut in a single layer in a shallow pan for 6 - 8 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and set aside for garnish.
• Beat cream cheese until creamy. Add cream of coconut and continue beating at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add dry pudding mix, beating until blended.
• Stir in the 6 oz portion of flaked coconut. Fold in thawed, whipped topping. Spoon into prepared, cooled crust. Cover and chill 2 hours or until set.
• Beat heavy whipping cream at high speed until soft peaks form. Spread over top of pie. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

HOT CHEESECAKE W/ FRESH RASPBERRIES

This is an awesome cheesecake. The crust is a bit involved. But if you don't mind working with a yeast dough, you won't have any problems. This tastes like the freshest raspberry, cream cheese danish you've ever had! It really is worth the wait on this one! Trust me, if you love cheesecake and raspberries, this will become one of your new favorites!

HOT CHEESECAKE W/ FRESH RASPBERRIES

Dough:

1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled a bit
1 pkg dry yeast
1 Tblsp sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks

Dissolve yeast and sugar in milk. Set aside. Cut butter into flour (like pie crust). Add egg yolks to milk. Stir and pour into flour. Mix well. Divide dough in half. Roll out first half into 11 x 15 pan. (May need to add a bit more flour as you mix and roll, to keep it from being too sticky. Roll out second half into a rectangle on cotton towel and set aside.

Filling:

4 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients together and spread over dough in pan. Cover with 2nd half of dough. Sprinkle top crust with sugar. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm with raspberry sauce, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Or you could just serve it plain - it's just as good that way!
May be re-heated.

To make Raspberry syrup: Stir together in small saucepan: 1 cup fresh raspberries, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar. Heat over med-high heat until boiling. Turn down and simmer until berries are cooked down. Keep warm to serve over cheesecake.

CHOCOLATE & VANILLA DELIGHT

This dessert is a classic. I've seen it with lemon pudding, chocolate pudding and now here it is with two kinds of pudding, chocolate AND vanilla. It tends to be a bit on the heavy side, so serve it with a lighter meal, or else cut smaller portions. I made this in a prepared graham cracker pie crust, but next time will make it in a 9 x 13 cake pan. The prepared crust was convenient, but it made 8 very large slices of pie - not bad if you're a dessert lover! But I tried to "skinny" this down a bit, and putting it in a smaller pan, didn't help the calorie count much. 1/8 of the pie was 294 calories. If you make it in a 9 x 13 pan and cut it into 16 pieces, the calories drop to 147 - that's a lot more acceptable, especially if you're trying to watch your weight. If you're not dieting, feel free to make the full fat version! ;-)

CHOCOLATE & VANILLA DELIGHT

1 prepared graham cracker pie crust

1 (8 oz) pkg light cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (16 oz) light Cool Whip, thawed

1 (3 1/2 oz) pkg sugar free, instant chocolate pudding

1 (3 1/2 oz) pkg sugar free, instant vanilla pudding

3 cups cold 2% (or skim) milk (divided)

Chopped pecans

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy. Stir in 1/2 of the 16 oz Cool Whip. Spread evenly in bottom of crust. In separate bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups milk with chocolate pudding mix. Beat with whisk until combined. Let sit until thickened. Then spread evenly over cream cheese mixture. Again, in separate bowl, combine, remaining 1 1/2 cups milk with vanilla pudding mix. Beat with whisk until combined. Let sit until thickened. Spread evenly over chocolate pudding. Spread remaining Cool Whip over vanilla pudding. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings if using prepared Graham cracker crust.

Makes 16 servings (with fewer calories) if you use a 9 x 13 pan and make your own graham cracker crust.

CHERRY CHEESECAKE

Today was Amy's birthday. She is my favorite bus kid! I used to pick her up for Sunday school when she was just a little girl. Now she is a grown young woman, graduated from Bible college. She is such a blessing to my heart. Now she works with me on my bus route. Talk about full circle! A former bus kid picking up bus kids for church! I love it! She loves cheesecake, so I made this for her birthday today. She came over after the bus route tonight and we sang to her and gave her a few little gifts and ate cheesecake with her! haha

I was surprised today as I sifted through the dozens of cookbooks I have, that so many of them didn't have a simple cheesecake recipe. Either it was a jello type cheesecake (no bake) or a full on NY style cheesecake (time consuming). Then I found this in an Amish cookbook. It turned out so yummy. After my first bite I realized it was the same cheesecake my Aunt used to make when I was growing up. I loved it then and I still love it today! This went together in a snap - so quick and easy - and so tasty!

CHERRY CHEESECAKE

Mix:

16 graham crackers, crushed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 stick butter melted

I placed the graham crackers in a heavy duty, gallon size ziploc baggie and crushed them with my rolling pin. Then opened the bag and pour in the sugar and melted butter. Reclosed the bag and shook it to mix in the sugar and butter. Then patted it into the pan.

Press into 9 x 13 pan

Mix:

2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten

In a large mixing bowl beat softened cream cheese with sugar until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat for approximately 5 minutes more, or until it loosens up and feels fluffy. Spread over graham cracker mixture. Bake at 375 for 15 min. (that's not a typo! 15 minutes!) When cool, pour cherry pie filling over the top. Then chill. Serve with whipped cream on top. Other fruits may be substituted in place of the cherries. Blueberry would be nice too.

This is dear sweet Amy, in the middle, between my two precious girls. Aren't they all so 'perty?' She has made herself a part of our family! We all just love her!

KEY LIME CHEESECAKE

This recipe goes WAAAAAY back for me. My Mom used to make this when I was just a little girl. I don't know why I've always called it "key" lime cheesecake, because no key limes are used in it! Maybe it just sounds better than plain ol' lime cheesecake! LOL At any rate, this is an old family favorite. For those of you that have been following my blog, you will notice I've been MIA for a few weeks. My mother got very ill and passed away last week. I've been doing a lot of traveling back & forth to my old home town, for the past couple of weeks. I made 2 of these pies for the funeral luncheon afterward. I heard several people talking about the lime cheesecake earlier in the week and thought it would be a nice way to remember her.
This one is super easy, I actually do a shortcut on this one that my mother never would have done. I use Cool Whip in place of the dream whip. When I have the time to fuss over it, I'll use dream whip - it does make it heavenly creamy!

KEY LIME CHEESECAKE

2 Graham cracker crusts
1 lg box lime jello
2 cups boiling water
1 brick cream cheese, cut into chunks
8 oz Cool Whip

In large mixing bowl, pour boiling water over lime jello. Stir well until jello is completely disolved. Carefully drop cream cheese chunks into hot jello. Stir briskly with whisk until cream cheese is completely stirred in. You shouldn't see "chunks" of cream cheese anymore. Now add 4 or 5 ice cubes to it to cool your jello mixture down a bit. Stir until they are disolved. Carefully fold in the Cool Whip and stir until combined. Pour into prepared graham cracker crusts and refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours or until set. Garnish with more cool whip and fresh lime slices.
Yeild: 16 servings

BANANA CREAM MOUSSE DESSERT

First of all, let me tell you, this is like no banana pudding dessert you have ever had! This one is, how does my Honey say it, "make your socks roll up and down on your legs good!" haha
I've been making this for years. It was one of my precious Father-in-law's favorites. The only thing about it is, the Chessmen cookies can sometimes be a challenge to find in your store, if you live in a smaller town. But don't substitute - it is worth the hunt for them! You can usually find them at the larger chain grocery stores, like Walmart or Meijer.

BANANA CREAM MOUSSE DESSERT

2 bags of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 bananas, sliced
3 1/2 cups low fat milk
2 small boxes, Instant, Sugar free, French Vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 oz) 1/3 less fat, cream cheese
1 (14 oz) can, fat free, sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz) Light Cool Whip, thawed

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with 1 bag of the chessmen cookies (single layer). Top with the sliced bananas (you don't have to lay the bananas neatly, just pile them evenly over the cookies). Blend milk with pudding mix and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the condensed milk and beat with mixer until smooth. Fold in Cool whip. Add pudding to this mixture and fold with rubber spatula until well combined. Pour mixture over the top of the bananas. Cover with remaining bag of Chessmen cookies (single layer). Refrigerate for at least an hour or two, to allow time for the pudding & cream cheese to set up and get thick. Serves anywhere from 12 - 20, depending on the size of your servings. It's a thick dessert, so I cut mine where the cookies separate and get 20 - 24 servings out of a pan.
*NOTE* Don't make this too far in advance, as the cookies will get soggy if left in the fridge too long. It's much better when the cookies still have a bit of a crunch to them.

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

Have you ever made a pecan pie? I love it but had never personally made one, until this year for Thanksgiving. And now, it's going to be a yearly thing! It got rave reviews, especially from my Honey! I guess I always thought pecan pie was difficult, or too expensive, but neither is the case. If you like it all, don't hesitate to try this recipe - it's a piece of cake. OOPS! I mean a piece of pie! *hehe*

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

4 Tblsp butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tblsp flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup light Karo syrup
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecan halves (roughly chopped - or whole, it's your preference)
1 (9") pie crust

Preheat oven to 325. Cream the butter, brown sugar, flour and salt until smooth. Add the Karo syrup, eggs and vanilla, then fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or utnil firm to the touch.
Serve the pie warm or cool.

*One thing I noticed as I was scouring the many recipes, out there, for pecan pie. The argument over whether to leave the pecans whole or roughly chop them. I've always felt that roughly chopping them, helps them stay in place better on top of the pie as you're cutting into it. I like pecans with each bite, and if they are whole, chances are, that won't happen as you're eating it. So for my pie, I roughly chopped them. But if you prefer them whole, by all means, leave them that way!

FRESH PUMPKIN PIE

Sing with me.... All I want for Christmas is a new digital, a new digital, a new digital. All I want for Christmas is a new digital..... then I can take better picture!! Pictures! LOL
Well, I think you can get the idea anyway. Have you ever made a pumpkin pie using fresh pumpkin? There is NO comparison! This version is so light and smooth, you almost forget you're eating pumpkin! And we like just a "tad" extra Cool Whip on ours! Ha ha! It really isn't hard at all to make this. You should give it a trial run before Thanksgiving, so you can surprise & impress your family with it!

FRESH PUMPKIN PIE

1 medium sugar pumpkin (2 cups cooked & mashed)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Crust:

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 400. Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy portions. Lay pumpkin flesh side down on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool just until warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Puree in food processor or blender.
Prepare pie crust by mixing together the flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour, add 1 tablespoon water to mixture at a time. Mix dough and repeat until dough is moist enough to hold together. With lightly floured hands, shape dough into a ball. On a lightly floured board, roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. With a sharp knife, cut dough 1 1/2 inches larger than the upside down 8-9 inch pie pan. Gently roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it right side up on to the pie pan. Unroll, ease dough into the bottom of the pie pan.
In a large bowl,with mixer on medium speed, beat the 2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin, heavy whipping cream, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well (will be thinner than a normal pumpkin pie) Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake 40 minutes or until when a butter knife inserted comes out clean.

*If you have extra pumpkin left - you can use it to make pancakes, muffins, cookies, milkshakes, etc...

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE

We got invited to our son and daughter-in-law's house for dinner today and they asked me to bring dessert. OF COURSE I would pick a new dessert that I've never made! DUH! I know my Honey loves pumpkin pie and my son loves pumpkin chiffon pie. I had never made this one, so thought I'd give it a go. I got in a hurry and started rushing through the recipe without reading the directions at the bottom - DON'T do that! I ruined the first attempt and had to start all over on a new one! This would be a good one to make the night before, so it will have plenty of time to chill and set up nice for you.

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE

• 1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups pumpkin
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the gelatin and water in a small bowl, and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick. Mix in 3/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, evaporated milk, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger.
3. In a double broiler, cook the mixture over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thick. Mix in the gelatin. Stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to thicken until it mounds when dropped by the spoonful.
4. In a clean, dry medium bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually mix in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and continue beating until firm. Fold in the pumpkin mixture. Transfer to the pie crust. Chill until firm, about 1 hour, or overnight.
   

SNICKERS PIE

I apologize once again for a horrible picture. We had company for dinner and I can't spend very much time playing with angles and lighting when people are waiting to be served! LOL
This pie is really yummy, but also very rich. It's the kind that you cut in small pieces - LOL.
If you love Snickers, this will be a favorite of yours! Super easy to put together. I should have let mine chill a little longer, but everyone begged me to get it out and serve it! LOL That's why it looks a bit "soft" on the sides. This is definitely a keeper.

SNICKERS PIE

4 king size Snickers bars
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tblsp heavy cream or 1/2 & 1/2
4 cups Cool Whip
1 deep dish (9") graham cracker pie crust
Additional whipped topping and chocolate syrup for garnish

In the top of a double boiler, melt together Snickers bars, peanut butter, and 1/2 & 1/2, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Fold in Cool whip and pour into crust. Freeze for 4 - 5 hours before serving. When ready to serve, top with additional Cool whip and drizzle with Hershey's chocolate syrup. Store in refrigerator.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE #1

I have 2 or 3 versions of Peanut Butter pie that I make. One is this, one is the real creamy kind with the cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and cool whip, then the other is the Peanut butter chiffon (made with gelatin). At some point I'll have all 3 versions posted on here, this is the first of the set! LOL This is super easy to throw together, and as long as you have a box of graham crackers and a couple boxes of instant pudding among your pantry staples, the rest you will probably already have on hand. I love recipes that I already have most of the ingredients for! This is one of those.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE #1


CRUST:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
2 Tblsp sugar
2 tsp milk
*(or you can do like me, and just use a Graham cracker pie crust, if you're in a hurry)*

FILLING:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 (5.3 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix
2 1/2 cups milk
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9" pie pan.
Blend all crust ingredients together in a bowl with a spoon and press into prepared pan. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until brown. Remove and allow to cool.
For filling, using a fork, mix peanut butter and powdered sugar in a bowl, until crumbly (a pastry blender works really well for this step). Sprinkle peanut butter crumbles evenly into bottom of pie crust, reserving 2 Tblsp for garnish. In separate bowl, beat pudding mix with milk for 2 minutes, using a handheld electric mixer. Pour on top of the peanut butter mixture in the crust. Spread with Cool Whip. Sprinkle remaining peanut butter crumbles over the top and refrigerate several hours before serving. (you don't really need to cool it for "several" hours. I mixed mine up after church this morning and we ate it after Sunday dinner! LOL)
Serves 6 - 8

BANANA SPLIT CHEESECAKE

OH MY SOUL!!!!!! I love my Hot fudge pudding cake, but seriously, I think THIS has become my new favorite dessert! I made this for our 4th of July dinner today and it is INSANELY delicious! (what about the "flag cake" you ask? Been there done that, several years in a row! LOL) You freeze this cheesecake, so it gives it the texture of ice cream, which makes it taste even more like an actual banana split. It is just stinking good! You simply MUST try this one!
One thing about this recipe, is the fat and sugar content have been paired down considerably, but you SURE don't miss it. Nobody would ever know this was a low sugar, low fat dessert!

BANANA SPLIT CHEESECAKE

* 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, divided
* 2 medium firm bananas, sliced
* 1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (8 inches)
* 1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
* 1-1/2 cups pineapple sherbet, softened
* 1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
* 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat Cool Whip® whipped topping,
thawed, divided
* maraschino cherries
* chocolate syrup
* caramel ice cream topping, warmed
* chopped pecans

Directions:
Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In a small bowl, combine bananas and 2 tablespoons reserved juice; let stand for 5 minutes. Drain bananas, discarding juice. Arrange bananas over bottom of crust; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice. Gradually beat in sherbet. Gradually beat in pudding mix; beat 2 minutes longer. Refrigerate 1/3 cup pineapple until serving; fold remaining pineapple into cream cheese mixture. Fold in 2 cups whipped topping; spread evenly over banana slices. Make sure the pie is not mounded excessively. Try to spread the filling so it's fairly level. This will make garnishing it, much easier. Cover and freeze until firm.
Remove from the freezer 10-15 minutes before serving. Arrange reserved pineapple around edge of pie. Drizzle pineapple decoratively with chocolate syrup and then with warm caramel topping. Sprinkle chocolate & caramel with chopped pecans. Place 8 or 10 maraschino cherries around the edge on top of chopped nuts. Dollop remaining whipped topping onto center of pie. Sprinkle with pecans; top with another cherry or two (or three!). Yield: 8 - 10 servings.
ENJOY!Can you tell someone likes cherries? LOL

LEMONADE PIE

Somebody sent this recipe to me over my email last week. I was so excited to get it, because tonight is our ladies monthly Phebe Fellowship meeting. The theme is "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Of course, everything revolves around lemons and the color yellow. I knew as soon as I got this, that I'd be making it to take to the meeting. I've never had it before, but it is SO easy to make. I'm a HUGE fan of easy! As a matter of fact, I didn't make the homemade crust, I cheated and bought the shortbread crust already made. Hey! Sandra Lee says that is OK. LOL This pie is so refreshing! I LOVE it! My Honey, who isn't fond of lemon desserts just raved about it - and that was just licking the remnants out of the bowl! LOL Just wait until he finds out the 2nd one I made is an extra one for home! Next time I make this, I will freeze it for a while before I serve it too.

LEMONADE PIE

Graham Cracker Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
7 Tblsp melted butter
(a store bought graham cracker pie crust may be substituted)

Lemonade filling:

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz) container Cool Whip
1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Preheat oven to 350.

In medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and the Cool whip and fold gently. Add the thawed, frozen lemonade and continue to gently fold. Pour mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate until ready to serve.