Maryland Peach and Blueberry Pie

Crust:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
10 TBS cold butter or margarine
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup or more ice water
2 Tbs milk, for glazing

For the Filling
3 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced fresh peaches
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp almond extract
2 Tbs butter cut in pea-size pieces

1. For the pastry, sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients as quickly as possible until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2.Mix the egg yolk with the ice water and sprinkle over the flour mixture. Combine with a fork until the dough holds together. If the dough is too crumbly, add a little more water, 1 Tbls at a time. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a dist. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate at least 20 min.

3. Roll out two-thirds of the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Use to line a 9-inch pie pan. Trim all around, leaving a 1/2- inch overhang. Fold the overhang under to form the edge. Using a fork, press the edge to the rim of the pie pan.

4. Gather the trimming and remaining dough into a ball, and roll out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut strips 1/2 inch wide. Refrigerate both the pie shell and the strips of dough for 20 min.

5. Preheat the oven to 400.

6. Line the pie shell with wax paper and fill with dried beans. Bake until the pie shell is just set, 7-10 min. Remove from the oven and carefully lift out the paper with the beans. Prick the bottom of the pie shell all over with a fork, then return to the oven and bake 5 min more. Let the pie shell cool slightly before filling. Leave the oven on.

7. In a mixing bowl, combing the peach slice with the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, flour, almond and nutmeg. Spoon and fruit mixture evenly into the pie shell. Dot with the pieces of butter.

8. Weave a lattice top with the chilled pastry strips, pressing the ends to the baked pie-shell edge. Brush the strips with the milk.

9. Bake the pie 15 min. Reduce the heat to 350 and continue baking until the filling is tender and bubbling and the pastry lattice is golden, about 30 min more. If the pastry gets too brown, cover loosely with a piece of foil, Serve the pie warm or at room temperature.

Banana Nut Coconut Cake

This Recipe is super sweet and really DELICIOUS! It's full of Banana goodness, and for me that, combined with coconut is a recipe for success!!

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed (if the bananas are small I add another)
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract


1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or one 9x 19 inch pan.

2. In a med bowl, cream together white sugar and 1/2 cup butter. Mix in eggs and 3 mashed bananas.

3. Sift together flour and baking soda in a bowl. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Blend in 1 tsp vanilla extract. Fold in 1 cup of pecans and 1 cup coconut. Pour batter into prepared pans.

4. Bake 45 to 50 min. in the preheated oven. Cool completely before frosting with Banana Nut frosting.

5. To make frosting: Cream together 1/2 cup butter and 4 cups confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in 1 med mashed banana, 1 cup pecans, 1 cup coconut and 1 tsp vanilla. Use to frost cake.

Rice Pilaf

2 cups of Uncle Ben's rice...uncooked
3/4 of a green pepper...diced
3/4 of med onion..diced
1/2 tsp rosemary..crushed in the palm of your hand...or buy it crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1 can of Campbell chicken soup broth
2 Tbs of olive oil

In a saucepan with a lid...cook the pepper, onion, rosemary and salt in the olive oil until the onion in translucent...but not brown. Pour the broth into a measuring cup and add enough water to the broth to make four cups of liquid in all. Pour the water mixture into the vegetables and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling ....add to cups of rice an turn the temperature down to low. Cover the rice and cook for 20 - 30 min until the water is absorbed.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter2 Tbs corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 min. remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Best Buttermilk-Blueberry Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs unsalted butter melted
1 cup fresh blueberries (optional...but essential)

1. Heat the griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 Tbs melted butter' whisk to combine. Batter should have small to med lumps.

2. Melt butter on the griddle.

3. Pour about 1/4 cup of pancake batter on the griddle and repeat until the surface is full. As the pancakes cook on one side....scatter with berries. When the pancakes bubble on the top and are slightly dry around the edges...( about 2 1/2 min) flip over. Cook until golden on the bottom...about 1 min more.

Mom's Pancakes

2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup veg oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

With a whisk....beat together the milk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix togeter the flour, sugar , baking powder and salt. Pour the flour mixture into the liquid mixture and beat with a wooden or plastic spoon until slightly mixed...then whist until only small lumps are remaining. This recipe will make at least 16 3 inch pancakes.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1-8 ounce can of crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups of grated carrots....about 5 large carrots
3 1/2 ounces of flaked coconut (about a cup to 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup of chopped pecans

Grease and flour a 9x 13 inch pan or two 9 inch cake pans. Sift together the first 4 ingredients...set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl beat the eggs and add oil, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture, pineapple carrots, coconut and nuts' mix well. Pour the batter into the pan, Bake for 55 min until done or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.


Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tbls butter at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces or pecans, chopped

Combine everything but the nuts in a bowl and beat until smooth.to assemble, set 1 cake layer on a serving plate and spread with one-third of the frosting. Place the second cake layer on top. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake, swirling it to make a decorat9ive finish. Sprinkle the nuts around the top edge.