No Bake Day

I recently had strep throat and let me tell you, I know I'm getting older now because my body cannot recover from it like it used to. I watch my daughter, who has it now, bounce around and still play with her brother and sister while having a 101 fever and it gives further evidence to my old body theory.

I have missed cooking and baking so much since I've been sick, I woke up this morning wanting to make something delicious for the family. Since I'm still recovering, but not running on all cylinders I knew I needed something easy, but decadent. I'm sharing two of my favorite no bake pies with ya'll today. Neither require baking, unless you bake your own pie crust. Today, I will refer to you as an overachiever if you do make your own crust. Yes, I'm jealous that you have energy and I don't. 

The first pie is called a Butterfinger Pie. My cousin shared this recipe with me and I could literally sit and eat the whole thing myself. The other pie is a Chocolate Cream Pie and it comes into my dreams sometimes and tells me I need to make it. It's just that good.

Butterfinger Pie

The Cast:

6 regular size Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

1 12 oz. carton Cool Whip

1 graham cracker crust

Directions:

Mix first three ingredients together.

Spread into pie crust.

Chill until set.

Top with crushed Butterfinger bits

Easy Peasy Chocolate Cream Pie

The Cast:

8oz. softened cream cheese

1/3  cup plus 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

½ cup sugar

½ sifted cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Graham cracker crust or cookie crust

(In this pie, I made a graham cracker crust and added cocoa powder. I also baked it in a springform pan.)

Whipped topping:

1 cup ice cold heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

3 tbsp granulated sugar

Chocolate Shavings or semi-sweet morsels (optional)

For filling:

Whip cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add in sifted cocoa powder and vanilla and whip until creamy. Spread into pie crust and refrigerate while making the whipped topping.

For Topping:

Combine all ingredients and whip on 4 in your KitchenAid mixer until fluffy peaks appear. Spread over chocolate mixture and sprinkle with chocolate shavings or chocolate chips if desired.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

I recently stumbled upon a fabulous concoction called Mexican Hot Chocolate. My first thought when I heard the name was, "Do you put jalapeños in the hot chocolate?" Yuck. 

I found a recipe on Pinterest that explained how to make Mexican hot chocolate and how it got it's name. Being the hot chocolate enthusiast I am, I had to try to make it myself. I have a homemade hot chocolate that I make often every winter, so I just changed it up a bit to give it a bit of South of the Border flavor. Cinnamon (I grind cinnamon sticks for this recipe) Nutmeg and a pinch of Cayenne takes this hot chocolate to the next level.  Fresh ground cinnamon will give you a stronger flavor and more spice, but you don't have to be an overachiever like me. 

The Cast and Crew:

1 cup water
4 tablespoons cocoa powder 
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups of whole milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon of Mexican vanilla
pinch of cayenne pepper
Mini Marshmallows or Coconut Whipped Cream to garnish

Begin by heating 1 cup of water to a boil. Add in the 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder (I sift mine so there are no lumpies). Yes, I said lumpies. Continue to stir until the cocoa is fully melted into the water. Add in the 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to stir. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, Mexican vanilla, and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir. You will stir A LOT with this recipe. 

Once all of the spices are combined into the mixture, remove from heat and add in you sweetened condensed milk. It will become thick at this point, but it will thin back out once you add the whole milk. Add in the 2 cups of whole milk and stir. Once the milk has warmed up slowly by mixing with everything, you can return the hot chocolate to the burner on a low heat setting. Do not heat the milk up quickly or you will cause it to curdle. You can allow it to heat for as long as you need on low and stir occasionally. 

Ladle the chocolate into your favorite mug and top it with marshmallows or something I like to call a little spoonful of heaven- Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe below).

Coconut Whipped Cream

The Cast and Crew:

1 can of Coconut Milk (not light)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Refrigerate your can of coconut milk overnight or freeze it for about an hour. This will cause it to separate and the cream will rise to the top, so make sure to not shake the can up when you remove it from the fridge. Open the can and scoop out the delicious cream off of the top of the liquid. 

Mix on medium speed in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer until soft peaks form. 

Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla to taste and continue to whip the mixture. You can adjust the sweetness to taste. You can store this whipped cream in a covered dish and it will keep for several days in the fridge. 
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Keeping It Old School

I've had several friends ask me to start a blog about my adventures in the kitchen and the rest of the insane things I come up with around the house, so now that I have finally taken the time to document my day to day life I can only hope that I am able to shed some new light on some old fashioned recipes while adding a little humor into everyone's day while I'm at it. 


Everyone has always asked me where I learned to cook. Well, to tell you the truth, it wasn't from a culinary school, or books, or cooking shows. I learned to cook incessantly watching my granny cook things from scratch throughout my childhood. My dad was the cook in our immediate family. My mother, sadly, can burn water (it's possible, I've seen her do it). So, I figured for my first recipe I'd share on my blog, I'd keep it old school and make one of my granny's specialties- Lemon Ice Box Pie. 

The cast: Pure Vanilla Extract, 6 egg yolks, lemon juice (freshly squeezed if you're really ambitious), 1 stick of unsalted butter, 2 cans sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, heavy whipping cream, and sugar (not pictured, it was shy)

In a mixing bowl, combine the two cups of graham cracker crumbs with @two tablespoons of sugar. Melt the butter in a saucepan or microwave and pour into your graham cracker mixture. You'll want the mixture to be moist, but not so much where it falls apart when you start to form your crust. 

Mmmm. Stick to your fork buttery goodness. 

I forgot to mention that this recipe is for a jumbo "pie". My grandmother fed 7 children on a daily basis, so none of her recipes are made for anything less than The Brady Bunch. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Now, dump your crumb mixture into a baking dish. I used a Pyrex dish, but you can use whatever blows your skirt up. Begin pressing the mixture down to form the bottom of the crust. When the bottom is fully covered, take a small glass or fork and begin to form the sides of the crust with the remaining mixture. Pop your crust in the oven and bake for @5 minutes and then allow it to cool while you mix the filling. 

Get the mixer ready, because we're about to have some fun. Begin separating out your six egg yolks. You can save the egg whites for omelets later, right now we just need the unhealthy part for this recipe. After you've separated your eggs, beat them on low until fully scrambled. Don't over beat those poor little egg yolks. 

Add in your two cans of sweetened condensed milk. Do you feel your thighs getting bigger yet? I know, me too. With the lemon juice, I do what my grandmother called "eyeballing" it. I add the lemon juice to taste with this recipe. Some like a really strong lemon flavor and other like a more subtle flavor. I personally love lots of lemon flavor, so I added about 4 tablespoons and about 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Mix everything together on low so you do not over beat your egg yolks. 

Pour the mixture into your cooled graham cracker crust and pop into the oven for @20-25 minutes or until the center doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan. Note: Please excuse the mess that is my oven. I wasn't blessed with a self cleaning oven and Lord knows I don't care enough to buy spray oven cleaner but once a year to clean it myself. 

After your filling doesn't jiggle when it wiggles anymore, take it out and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before putting it in the refrigerator. 

While it is chilling in the fridge, you have time to make some homemade whipped cream to go on top of your confection. Honestly, I planned on photographing that process and the finished product, but it didn't last 30 seconds in the mixing bowl once my family came in the kitchen. I'll still tell you how to make it though. Pour @ 1 cup of heaving whipping cream into your mixer bowl. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Beat on high (around a 4 or 5 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) until it begins to form stiff peaks. You can freeze or refrigerate before adding it to the lemon ice box pie or just eat it straight out of the bowl like my family does and save the pie for dessert. Enjoy!