Posted by: Kathryn Pless

1 cake mix
2 packages of pudding mix
4 cups of milk
1 tub of Cool Whip

Bake cake according to directions on the box in a 9 x 13 pan. Allow cake to cool to touch. Take a large wooden spoon and using the handle poke holes into the cake. Don’t worry about making the rows even, just get in there and give it a good poke all over. Pour pudding over cake saving about 1/2 cup for topping. Make sure there aren’t any air holes in the pudding/cake combination. Mix remaining pudding and about 2 cups of Cool Whip and use as frosting. This cake gets better with age, so you can make it a day ahead if you like. Be sure to put it in the fridge to store it. You can use sugar-free pudding to save calories and sugar.

Posted by: Margaret Watson

This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated, which is my favorite source of new recipes. They have a semi-monthly magazine and they also publish cookbooks which are compilations of their recipes. If you like to cook, check them out. They’re awesome!

Key Lime Pie

LIme Filling
4 tsp. grated zest plus 1/2 cup strained juice from 3 to 4 limes.
4 large egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk.

Graham Cracker crust
11 full-sized graham crackers, processed to fine crumbs (11/4 cups)
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

1. For the filling: Whisk zest and yolks in medium bowl until tinted light green, about two minutes. Beat in milk, then juice; set aside at room temperature to thicken.
2. For the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and sugar in bowl.. Add butter, stir until well-blended. Scrape mixture into 9-inch pie pan; press crumbs over bottom and up sides to form even crust. Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack, cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
3. Pour lime filling into crust; bake until center is set, yet wiggly when jiggled, 15-17 minutes. Return pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 3 hours.

I serve it with sweetened whipped cream.

Posted by: Julie W.

My wonderful friend Julie brought this cake to CreativeFest ’04. It is TO DIE for, truly delish!

Every time I have lemons now, I think of the great fun and inspiration the CreativeFest brings to my writing.

Julie’s Lemon Cake
(This is my version of a cake I saw the Barefoot Contessa make)

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)

2 cups superfine sugar

4 eggs (use pasteurized eggs if you want to lick the bowl!)

lemon zest from 4 or 5 lemons

3 cups cake flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut extract (I think it adds to the buttery flavor. Yum.)

Syrup-glaze

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup water

½ cup sugar

4 tablespoon butter

Bake at 350 degrees. Grease and flour (2) 8″ loaf pans (Thatâ 1 to keep and 1 to share!)

Cream the butter and sugar until it lightens in color. Add the eggs slowly, then the zest. (No tasting yet!)

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Mix the liquid stuff (lemon juice, buttermilk, extracts) in a container with a pour spout. It makes the next step easier. (I use my big glass measuring cup.)

Alternate adding wet and dry to the fluffy sugar. End with dry ingredients–it makes the batter smoother. Divide the batter into the two loaf pans and smooth it flat. (Oops! Is there batter left on the spatula? Better lick that clean before you put it in the dishwasher. You wouldn’t want to clog the machine.)

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour and enjoy the scent of lemons, sugar and butter wafting through your home. No tasting yet! The cakes need to cool at least 10 minutes or they will mush and crumble when you try to take them out of the pans.

While you’re standing around drooling, make the syrup glaze! Melt the sugar, water and lemon juice over low heat. Bring it to a simmer, and watch it reduce and thicken. (You baking know-it-alls probably recognize we are making a simple syrup with lemon juice for extra zing.) Plop the butter in a tablespoon at a time.

Spoon the syrup over the cakes. Poke some small holes to let the liquid seep into the cake. (Use a toothpick or a kabob stick. No fingers!) Don’t try to sauce the cakes while they are in the pan. The syrup gets hard and sticky fast. You’ll have to scoop and scrape the cake to serve it. Not a fabulous presentation. (Although no one in my household complained.)

Dust with powdered sugar just before you serve it. Enjoy!

This recipe came to me from my darling friend Joan, with whom I have Lucy and Ethel adventures whenever we go shopping! We’re a laugh riot, let me tell you!

I can’t believe this recipe actually works, but I’m assured it does. Joan got it from a friend who got it from a fundraiser–so…good luck!

Peanut Butter Cookies for Dummies

1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
(no flour)

325 degrees 14-16-ish minutes

Drop by tsp on baking paper (?) – flatten with fork (as per usual PB
recipes) sprinkle with sugar. LET COOL COMPLETELY OR COOKIES CRUMBLE
INTO ICE CREAM TOPPING!)

(Apparently this looks like mud before baking, but the cookies actually
somehow turn out.)