Cherry Berry Dump Cake

• 1 (21 ounce) can Cherry Pie Filling
• 1 (21 ounce) can Blueberry Pie Filling
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 12 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2.8L casserole dish or 9×13” pan with cooking spray.
2. Pour the cherry and blueberry pie fillings in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the nuts over the fruit. Open the cake mix and sprinkle the power evenly over the top.
3. Slice butter into small pieces and sprinkle evenly over the top of the cake mix. Make sure to make it even so that it all melts into the cake mix.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the fruit starts to bubble up around the edges and the edges start to turn golden. 
5. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Store covered in refrigerator.

Serves 12 - 416 calories per serving

My parents are moving.  They have moved so many times in my lifetime.  I would guess this may be their last move. 

Tonight I am going to their home to try to put all their stuff into some sort of order.  This has me a little worried.  As I have mentioned in this blog before, my mother LOVES dishes.  And Corning Ware.  And glassware.  And stuff.  She told me that she has been getting rid of "everything", and that there is almost nothing left.  Um, not according to my brother.  Seems that she is not able to part with quite a bit of it yet.  So, this may be a bigger job than I hoped/expected/wished for.

This is Father's Day weekend.  I made a lasagna for us to share tomorrow - in the middle of moving.  Should be a nice break - certainly better than a dry sandwich. 

My Dad's favorite pie is Raisin Pie.  I have never liked raisins, so I don't understand the appeal, but I try to make one for him each year. 

Simple Raisin Pie
     2 (9 inch) pie shell
     2 cups water
     1/2 cup white sugar
     2 tablespoons all-purpose flour    
     1/4 teaspoon salt
     1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
     1 tablespoon butter
     1 tablespoon lemon juice
     2 cups raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large saucepan, combine water, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla, butter or margarine, and lemon juice. Mix well, then stir in raisins. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Pour raisin mixture into pastry-lined pie pan. Cover with second pastry. Seal edges and cut steam vents in top.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes.

My Father-in-law loves Pineapple Upside-down Cake. Again, not my favorite, but i try to make one for him each year. 

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

     3 tablespoons butter

     1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

     8 maraschino cherries

     1/4 cup walnut halves

     2/3 cup packed brown sugar

     1/3 cup shortening

     1/2 cup white sugar

     1 egg

     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

     1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

     1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

     1/2 teaspoon salt

     1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Drain pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup of the juice.

Melt butter in a 9 inch round pan. Arrange cherries and walnut halves in the pan according to how many servings you want. Sprinkle with brown sugar, and then pineapple.

Cream together shortening and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add alternately with reserved pineapple syrup, beating after each addition.

Spread batter in pan over pineapple. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes in the pan, then invert onto plate. Serve warm.

My husband has a new favorite dessert: Buster Bar Parfait Dessert.  Now this is a dessert that I understand.  In the evenings, I sit in my chair next to my husband, and we hear the teeny, tiny voice calling our name from the freezer---"Marilyn.  Marilyn?  EEEaaattt me!  Eat me!".

Buster Bar Parfait Dessert

1 pound chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

1 1/2 cups dry-roasted peanuts

Combined crushed cookies and melted margarine and press into a 9x13 inch dish. Chill 1 hour in refrigerator. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine confectioners' sugar, evaporated milk, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Set aside to cool. Slice vanilla ice cream into 3/4 inch slices, and place them in a single layer over the chilled crust. Smooth the seams. Sprinkle the peanuts over the ice cream. Top with the cooled chocolate sauce. Cover and freeze 8 hours or overnight.

So, this is how I will spend the weekend.  Family, dessert....it is all good.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

1 3/4 cups boiling water

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Mix water and oatmeal in mixing bowl, and let sit 10 minutes.

Add sugars, butter or margarine, and eggs. Mix well.

Add flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Blend.

Pour into greased and floured 9x13 inch cake pan. Top with chocolate chips and chopped nuts.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 30-35 minutes, 8until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Banana Bars

½ cup butter

1½ cup white sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup sour milk (mix 1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 cup milk)

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time then soured milk, bananas and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Sift flour, salt and soda together and stir into mixture until combined.

Spread batter on a greased jelly roll pan and bake 30 minutes.  Cool banana bars and top with powdered sugar frosting.

Vi  Sjaardema

Marble Brownies (one of Dave’s favorite desserts)

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 squares baking chocolate

Preheat oven to350 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add milk, vanilla, then eggs, one at a time.  Add flour into mixture and beat until smooth.

Drop ½ of batter in spoonfuls into a greased 9x13 pan. 

Melt baking chocolate in microwave and add to the rest of the batter.  Drop spoonfuls of chocolate batter between the white batter and marbleize by drawing a knife through the mixture.

Bake 30-40 minutes until a wooden pick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.

Cool and frost with chocolate frosting.

Vi Sjaardema

Creamy Banana Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients and Directions

·         6 ounces cream cheese

·         1/3 cup sugar

·         1 tablespoon flour

·         ½ teaspoon nutmeg

·         1 egg

Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Beat egg into mixture until smooth.  Set aside.

·         ½ cup butter, softened

·         1½  cup white sugar

Cream butter, gradually adding sugar. 

·         2 eggs

Add eggs one at a time, beating until smooth.

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         3 tablespoons hot water

Combine soda and hot water and add to creamed mixture.  Stir until blended.

·         3 cups flour

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon nutmeg

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1/3 cup orange juice

Sift dry ingredients together and add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with orange juice.

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         3 ripe, mashed bananas

·         1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Stir vanilla, bananas and pecans (if desired) into batter. 

Spoon 1½ cup batter into a greased Bundt pan.  Spread cream cheese mixture over batter.  Spoon the rest of the cake batter over cream cheese. 

Bake 55-60 minutes.

Cool in pan 15 minutes then invert cake onto a wire rack.  Brush with 1 teaspoon melted butter and sprinkle with Cinnamon and sugar.

Debbie Weitzel

Pumpkin Trifle

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 5.1-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 12-ounce box Ginger Snaps

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin, spices, pudding mix and a good splash of water (about 1/4 cup). Using an electric mixer, beat everything together until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until blended and no streaks of pudding remain.
To assemble, layer the cookies and pudding mixture in a serving dish (or several individual dishes) in whatever fashion you like. Cover the puddings with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 8 hours (you want the ginger snaps to soften up from sitting in the pudding mixture).

Top with ground cinnamon or more whipped cream if you like, and serve cold.

Rachael Ray