Shortcut Carrot Cake

I love a good shortcut, and this is no exception! Check it out!

Shortcut Carrot Cake


Prep: 30 min
Ready In: 1 hr 30 min
Serves: 18

1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix
2 cups shredded carrots (about 1/2 lb./225 g)
1 can (14 fl oz/398mL) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped toasted pecans, divided
2 pkg. (250 g each) PHILADELPHIA Brick Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; stir in carrots, pineapple and 3/4 cup of the pecans. Pour into two 8-inch square baking pans. Bake 25 to 30 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centres comes out clean. Cool 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer or wire whisk until well blended. Stir in whipped topping.

PLACE one cake layer on serving plate. Spread with 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture. Carefully place second cake layer on top of first layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans. Store in refrigerator.

Substitute
Substitute yellow cake mix plus 2 tsp. ground cinnamon for the spice cake mix.

Jazz It Up
For a special decorative design, use a wooden toothpick to draw four diagonal lines across top of cake; sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pecans over lines.

Variation
Try using raisins instead of the pecans.

Courtesy of Kraft

Spam Crescents

I'm going to preface this recipe by saying that yes, I do love spam. And also by saying that I grew up in Hawaii. Spam, eggs and rice was breakfast. Spam was a huge part of life in Hawaii. (Well I'm sure it still is, but *my* life isn't *in* hawaii anymore, so that's why I used it in the past tense.

I'll also say that I love gmail. Every time I go to empty out my spam folder, I get a new spam-related recipe! It's so great! (Well, it is for me anyway!) Enjoy!

SAVORY SPAM CRESCENTS

Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Sandwiches

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
10 sl Bacon, cut in small pieces
1/4 c Finely chopped onion
1 cn SPAM Luncheon Meat, cubed
- 12 oz
1 Egg, beaten
3 tb Grated Parmesan cheese
2 tb Chopped fresh parsley
2 tb Dijon-style mustard
1/8 t Pepper
2 pk Refrigerated crescent roll
-dough (8 oz)

Heat oven to 375'F. In skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is
crisp; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients except crescent roll
dough. Separate each package of crescent dough into 8 triangles.
Spread top half of each triangle with SPAM mixture; roll up. Place on
baking sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pineapple Buttermilk Meringue Pie

Pineapple Buttermilk Meringue Pie


1 9-in pie crust (homemade), prebaked
20-oz can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup pineapple juice (reserved from canned pineapple)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Meringue
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F.
Drain can of crushed pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup of pineapple juice (listed in ingredients above as a reminder not to discard the juice!).
In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Stir in pineapple, reserved pineapple juice, buttermilk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir well, then turn on the stove to medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. It will have a lemon curd type of consistency with slow bubbles when it is done.
Cover pan and cool to room temperature.

While filling cools, prepare the meringue.
In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and becomes clear. Cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar, followed by the cooled cornstarch mixture (add in dollops with mixer on medium speed). Beat in vanilla extract.

Pour cooled pie filling into baked pie shell. Top with meringue, spreading it to the edges of the pie crust to cover the filling completely. Smooth top with a spatula.
Bake pie at 375F for 10-12 minutes, until meringue is lightly browned. Pie may also be put under the broiler to brown.
Cool, then refrigerate before serving.

Makes 1 pie; serves 8-10.

From bakingbites.com

Single Pie Crust

Single Pie Crust

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 tbsp butter, chilled in about 4 pieces
2 tbsp shortening, chilled in about 4 pieces
3-4 tbsp ice water

Whisk together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter and shortening with your fingertips until mixture is very coarse, but no pieces larger than a large pea remain. Using a fork, stir in ice water until dough almost comes together into a ball. Press dough into a ball with your hands and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 30-60 minutes before using.

To prebake, preheat oven to 375F. Roll dough out to fit a 9-inch pie pan and trim the crust. Prick the bottom with a fork a few times. Line the inside of the crust with aluminum foil, not covering the edges, and fill with pie weights or about 2 cups of dried beans. Bake for 25 minutes, until very lightly browned. Remove foil and weights and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until medium brown at the edges.
Set aside to cool.

From bakingbites.com