TERESA HATCHELL WHAT ARE YOU COOKING?
My local library’s culmination of its colossal summer reading program was an “ice cream social” last week. And, to everyone’s delight, we were each given a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream with some of our favorite toppings. It was delicious and quickly cooled the harshness of August. When the library event was over, I went to the nearest grocery store. As I pushed my cart through the frozen food section, I thought about how a cute treat of any kind can be so great on really hot days. And, yes, I try to keep some such dessert near me to enjoy throughout the summer.
Maybe you have a sweet tooth too, but you don’t want to heat things up in the kitchen by baking a dessert. Take heart. There are many quick and effective recipes. You just have to remember to keep plenty of cookie-based pie crusts, graham crackers, instant pudding mixes, heavy and/or light whipped cream, frozen lemonade or limeade, caramel and/or chocolate syrup, and fruit on hand. of your favorites in case you want to whip up a no-bake dessert when the urge hits.
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To narrow down the sheer number of choices, I carefully went through my files and found some of the most delicious, virtually foolproof specialty recipes that I hope will appeal to just about everyone’s taste buds. If you follow the simple instructions, people around you can enjoy these homemade meals for days. These customizable creations are also good for all kinds of parties, receptions and showers. Just remember to keep them refrigerated when not being served or eaten.
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Million dollar pie
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
4 cups of your favorite whipped topping
1 cup chopped pecans (lightly toasted pecans are best)
20 ounces crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
2 graham cracker pie shells or 2 regular lightly baked pie shells
In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk and lemon juice until well combined. Then, add the remaining ingredients. Mix well and pour the pie mixture into the graham cracker shells. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours before serving.
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Caramel-banana-walnut pie
1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust
1 container of caramel dip
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 small container of Cool Whip
Slice the bananas into the pie shell. Mix pecans or walnuts with caramel dip. Spread the mixture over the bananas. Sprinkle with whipped cream. Refrigerate for two to three hours. Options: sprinkle walnuts on top of whipped cream or top with cherries. Lightly roasted nuts are much better than “raw” nuts in most recipes.
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Uncooked banana pudding
1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
Yogurt in an 8-ounce container
9-ounce Cool Whip container
6 large bananas, ripe, sliced
In a large bowl, beat the milk and vanilla pudding mix until well combined. Stir in the sour cream and whip with cold whipping cream to form a delicious “cream”. Layer a pretty glass plate with vanilla wafers, then bananas, then cream, then vanilla wafers, then bananas, then cream. Sprinkle the top with vanilla wafer crumbs. Refrigerate this pudding dish until just before you are ready to serve it.
WHAT’S COOKING?: ‘flavour-packed’ summer fruit recipes
Incredible chocolate eclair
1 large box French vanilla pudding
1 tub of chocolate fudge cream.
In a large bowl, make the vanilla pudding according to the directions on the box. Mix with cold whip until the mixture is smooth.
Use a 9×13 glass dish to make the eclairs. Place a layer of graham cracker squares at the bottom of the dish and pour a layer of the pudding mixture on top. Place another layer of graham cracker squares and top with a layer of pudding mix. Place another layer of graham cracker squares on top of the pudding mixture.
Remove the foil cover from a tub of chocolate frosting and microwave the frosting for about 30 seconds on HIGH. Stir to make sure the cream is very melted. Pour the batter onto the top layer of graham crackers and smooth it down to evenly coat the graham crackers. Leave it in the fridge for a few hours. This recipe makes plenty to serve a crowd.
Easy as 1-2-3-4 lemon or lime pie
4 cups of your favorite whipped topping
1 large frozen lemonade (or limeade)
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (or lime extract)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2 graham cracker pie crusts
In a large bowl, whisk together the whipped cream, half a can of frozen lemonade (or limeade), the extract, and a can of sweetened condensed milk until the mixture is very smooth. Pour half of the mixture into each of the pie crusts; Cover these pies loosely and refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve. These pies can be frozen and pulled to thaw in minutes.
Contact the writer at tgmhatchell@yahoo.com