Pink Lemonade Pie

Pink Lemonade Pie

1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups whipping cream (you can substitute Cool Whip or similar)
1/4 cup pink lemonade powder mix (such as Country Time)
1/4 cup water
1 graham cracker crust

Set out ice cream to thaw for a few minutes or pop into a microwave for about 30 seconds to soften slightly. Beat cream until stiff peaks form. Combine lemonade powder and water in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add ice cream and beat on low speed until smooth - you can use a wooden spoon to do this as well, it will just take a little extra effort to make it smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust. Freeze at least 4 hours until set. Remove from freezer about 5 minutes before slicing.

Thick & Soft Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are similar to the Lofthouse sugar cookies you get at the grocery store. They start out with a box of cake mix - which isnt usually on my grocery list but I happened to have a box in the pantry from a while back so I figured I would try them. The recipe said to make sure you use the kind with pudding in the mix as that helps with the softness. They turned out really, really good. I loved the texture of these - they are so soft - and they stay that way for several days too.





The frosting on the storebought version of these cookies is never great in my opinion, so using a homemade buttercream frosting adds a special touch. You can decorate these however you want - they would be really cute for Halloween if you tinted the frosting orange and used some black sprinkles or nonpareils.




Soft and Thick Sugar Cookies
Recipe adapted from Noshings

Cookies:
1 18 oz box white cake mix with pudding in the mix
2/3 cup flour
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
2 T sour cream (I used reduced fat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together cake mix and flour. Add eggs, oil and sour cream and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Batter will be fairly stiff. Use a cookie scoop or roll into approximately one inch balls and bake on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. This will help keep the bottoms of the cookies from browning. Use the heel of your hand or a glass dusted with sugar to gently flatten cookies to about a half inch thick. You don't want the bottoms to be browned or you've overbaked these. Bake approximately ten minutes until just set. Let cool about one minute on the pan and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 T heavy cream
1 T vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 T meringue powder
Food coloring or sprinkles as desired

Beat butter on medium speed for about two minutes until smooth. Add cream and vanilla and beat about one more minute to incorporate. Add sugar, one cup at a time mixing on low speed until incorporated until you reach the desired consistency. Add meringue powder (this will help your frosting crust so that you can stack the cookies without smearing your frosting all over the place, I use a sheet of wax or parchment paper in between layers). You want the frosting to be fairly stiff so that it doesnt run off your cookies. Frost cooled cookies and decorate as desired. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Becky's Hershey & PB Cookies

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Machine Shed Applesauce Sweet Bread

This recipe is from The Machine Shed, a restaurant in Iowa (http://www.machineshed.com/)

1.5 cup + 1 tbsp butter

3.5 oz evaporated milk

3.5 cups applesauce

2 tsp salt

3 cup sugar

5 eggs

1 tbsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

5 1/3 cup flour

Topping

1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon

With mixer, cream sugar and butter for 3 mins on medium speed. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Add salt and baking soda. Mix 3 additional minutes. Add applesauce and mix for 2 more minutes. Add flour until fully blended (Do Not Overmix).

Place batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake at 300 until toothpick comes out dry (Approx 1.5 hrs).

Mixed Berry Iced Tea

4 black tea bags
4 berry-hibiscus herbal tea bags (like Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger)
8 cups water
1/4 cup super fine sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
ice cubes
1/2 cup raspberries and blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries, quartered
thin lemon slices

1. Place tea bags in heatproof pitcher. In a 4 qt saucepan, heat water to a boil. Pour it into the pitcher and steep tea bags for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags. Let cool and refrigerate, covered, until cold (about an hour).

2. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Add ice, berries, and lemon slices to pitcher.

Serves 10.