Strawberry Candies

15 oz can Eagle Brand Milk

1 pound ground fine coconut

7 oz. almond paste

2 boxes Strawberry Jello (regular size)

4 oz. red sugar to roll berries in

strawberry stems

Mix Eagle Brand Milk, coconut, almond paste, and Jello. Refrigerate for one hour. Roll into small balls and shape like strawberries. Roll in red sugar. Insert strawberry stem.

Refrigerate in tins or Tupperware containers. This also freezes well.

Cream Cheese Mints

otherwise known as : Wedding Mints

3 oz cream cheese at room temperature

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar peppermint oil, or other flavor of your choosing

granulated sugar

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Start with 4 drops of flavoring, and then carefully add flavoring and coloring as desired. Knead until consistency of pie dough. Add more powdered sugar if necessary. Take a small pinch and roll into a ball, and roll the ball in granulated sugar. Press into molds, and unmold at once onto waxed paper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freezer.

Grape Salad

2 lbs. green grapes

2 lbs. red grapes

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1. Wash and stem grapes.
2. Set aside.
3. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla by hand until blended.
4. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl or a large rectangular baking dish.
5. For topping: Combine brown sugar, and crushed pecans.
6. 
   Sprinkle over top of grapes to cover completely. Refrigerate overnight.

This recipe could easily be halved.

Strawberry Pinwheels

Strawberry Pinwheels
recipe from Sarah at Short Stop

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup strawberry jam or preserves
1/2 chopped almonds, optional

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla. Gradually add flour and salt and beat on low speed until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. On a generously floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness to make a large rectangle. Trim off edges to make perfect rectangular shape. Cut into 2-inch squares with pizza cutter, making as many rows as the rectangle will allow. (I made 6 rows across, 5 rows down).

On each square, cut from each corner to 1/4 inch from center. Spread with 1/4 teaspoon jam. Bring every other point to center and press together to form pinwheel. Sprinkle with almonds, if desired.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling racks. Cool completely.

Paula Deen's Coconut Cake

One 18 1/4-ounce package yellow pudding cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
12 ounces shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350*

Make cake by following directions on the package but substitute milk for the water. Divide and bake in three 9-inch round cake pans for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove from pans.

Stir together sour cream, sugar and coconut. Spread between slightly warm layers, piercing each layer as you stack them. Store cake in container in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. This allows cake to soak up moisture from the coconut.

On the third day, prepare icing for cake.

ICING

2 unbeaten egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons light corn syrup or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup cold water
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (I use clear vanilla to keep the icing white)
Additional coconut to top icing (about 1/2 cup )

Place all ingredients except vanilla and additional coconut in top of a double boiler, but do not place over heat. Beat for one minute with an electric hand mixer.

Place over boiling water and cook, beating constantly, until frosting forms stiff peaks (about 7 minutes). Remove from boiling water.

Add vanilla and beat until it reaches spreading consistency (about 2 minutes).

Frost sides and then top of cake. Sprinkle with additional coconut.

Cover and store cake at room temperature.

Derby Pie

Derby Pie

2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. softened butter
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
9" unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in softened butter. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake 55-60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean, and top is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Vanilla Yogurt

Jan, a reader, emailed to ask me why this recipe wasn't on Mama's Fixins. Did I prefer the first recipe, or this one that I had posted at Unless the Lord. THIS is the one that I make several times a week for my own family. The other yogurt recipe is great, too, but my family prefers the sweeter, vanilla version. You could still make this version minus the sugar and vanilla to make it plain if you like.

Vanilla Yogurt

8 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 packet unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c plain yogurt

Preheat the crockpot on high. On the stovetop, combine milk, heavy cream, sugar, gelatin and vanilla in a large pot. Bring to 200 F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Place pot in a sink filled with ice water, stir constantly until milk mixture is 115 F. Spoon out 2 cups, and whisk in plain yogurt. Add all to crockpot, unplug, and cover with bath towels for insulation. Let sit for 8 hours. Uncover and refrigerate.