Peanut Butter Pie

Sorry no picture, I made this one for the guys on the field and transported it on a slightly slanted surface so by the time I got to the field most of the whip cream and chocolate syrup had run off. Definitely not worthy of a picture that day!

• 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 carton (12oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 1 chocolate crumb crust (8 inches)
• 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp hot fudge ice cream topping, divided

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 cup peanut butter and sugar; mix well. Fold in 3 cups whipped topping; spoon into chocolate crumb crust. In a microwave safe bowl, heat 2/3 cup hot fudge topping for 30 seconds. Pour over the peanut butter layer and spread to the edges of the crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Spread remaining whipped topping over pie. Cut into slices. Place the remaining hot fudge topping and peanut butter in two separate plastic bags. Cut a small hole in the corner of each bag; pipe topping and peanut butter over each slice of pie.

Yield: 8 servings

* Personally I leave the piping of peanut butter out! It definitely has a nice rich taste of it without the extra on top!

Carrot Casserole

I was looking for a recipe that used carrots, as I have a long row of them in my garden. I tried this casserole recipe was pleased with how it turned out. The harvest crew were my guinea pigs. ;) I only used half of the recipe for half a dozen guys - big recipe!

Sorry, not the greatet picture! Was in a hurry to get the meal out the door to the hungry guys in the field.

• 8 cups sliced carrots
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 5 tbsp butter, divided
• 1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup seasoned croutons

Place carrots in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Cook until tender-crisp. Meanwhile in skillet, saute onions in 3 tbsp butter until tender. Stir in soup, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Drain carrots, add to soup mixture. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with croutons. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Freezer Corn

All year long we wait for the corn to be ready. So delicious! We really like the super sweet variety. This recipe is so buttery, sweet and salty all at the same time - perfect!

• 8 cups of corn (cut off cob)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Put all ingredients in a large pot and boil for two minutes. Cool, bag and put in freezer. Include the water that is in the pot. When taking it out to use, put in corn in pot and heat on low until it's heated through. No need to add extra water, etc.

* I got this recipe from my Grandma, who said to use less sugar for super sweet corn, because it's already so sweet. I must have a hard time listening to directions; I ended up using the full sugar amount and found it to be great just the way it was. So adjust accordingly to your liking.

Strawberry Punch

This is a delicious punch and it's relatively inexpensive to make, which is always a plus! Thanks to my friend Claudette for sharing the recipe.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 litre of pink or regular grapefruit juice
• 1 can of frozen lemonade
• 1 can of frozen berry punch
• 1 package strawberry koolaid
• 4 cups frozen sliced strawberries
• 2L sprite
• ice cubes

Mix all ingredients in a large punch bowl. Do not add water.

Serve over ice and enjoy!

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

• 3/4 oz (22g) pkg dried porcini mushrooms
• boiling water

• 1.5 cups (375 ml) medium bow (or other) pasta
• boiling water
• salt

• 1 tbsp Cooking oil
• 3 cups Sliced brown (or white) mushrooms
• 1 cup Chopped low-fat deli ham

• 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup low-sodium prepared chicken broth
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp Pepper

• 1 cup Frozen peas
• 1/4 cup Chopped fresh parsley

• 2/3 cup Grated light sharp Cheddar cheese

Put porcini mushrooms into small bowl. Pour boiling water over top until covered. Let stand for about 20 minutes until softened. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Squeeze to remove excess liquid. Discard stems. Thinly slice caps.

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Cover to keep warm.

Heat oil in large frying pan on medium-high. Add porcini mushrooms, brown mushrooms and ham. Stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms start to brown.

Add flour. Heat and stir for 1 minute. Slowly add milk, broth, mustard and pepper, stirring constantly. Heat and stir for about 5 minutes until boiling and thickened.

Add peas and parsley. Heat and stir for about 5 minutes until peas are heated through. Remove from heat.

Add cheese. Stir until melted. Add to pasta. Stir until coated. Serves 4.

1 serving: 503 Calories, 14.4 g fat, 5 g fibre, 870 mg sodium.

Zucchini Tomato Spaghetti

• 13oz/370g Whole Wheat Spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive or cooking oil
• 4 medium zucchini, with peel, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 4 Roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 4.5 oz light feta cheese cubed (about 3/4cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in large frying pan on medium. Add zucchini and garlic. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is softened.

Add tomato. Heat and stir for about 3 minutes until tomato just starts to soften. Add to spaghetti.

Add remaining 4 ingredients. Toss gently. Serves 6.

1 Serving: 328 cal, 8.2 g fat, 55 g carbs, 3 g fibre, 14 g protein 257 mg sodium.

Ham and Cheese Tarts

These are so delicious!! A recipe I got from my friend Julie. Nice to serve for breakfast/brunch when you have company.

• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 2/3 cup chopped ham
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 1/3 cup sour cream*
• 18 unbaked tart shells

Mix filling ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake empty shells at 375 for 10 minutes. Fill. Bake another 10 minutes until hot and melted.

* I usually add a bit more sour cream