Desserts!

Of course I had to do a dessert post! I love desserts. I haven't been doing too much baking because it has been pretty stinkin hot here so I haven't felt like making big cakes or anything. It's been good because it has made me bake things besides layer cakes. Some have worked out well....some not so well

I have made Grandma's Mud Hens a lot. I really really like them. Tyler always comments on how sweet they are but that is what makes them so great! Just in case you don't have this recipe, here it is. Be sure to use LIGHT brown sugar, I used dark brown once and they were weird.

Grandma's Mud Hens
Oven at 350

For the Base:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla

For the Meringue Topping:
1 egg white beaten
1 cup LIGHT brown sugar

To make the base: Cream the butter and sugar. Add egg and blend together. Add flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into 9" square pan that has been well greased.

To make the topping: Gradually add the brown sugar to the egg white. Beat well. Spread evenly over dough. **I do this with a whisk, no need for a hand mixer**

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

I love Grandma's recipes. They are so simple and easy.

A recipe that I didn't love very much was the recipe I used for this pie.


I am glad the picture is blurry because it hides some of the horrible aspects of this pie. It was wrong on so many levels. The crust didn't work, the filling was gross and it leaked everywhere in the oven. The crust did not come together the way the recipe said it would. It was difficult to work with and I had a hard time getting a good seal between the top crust and the bottom crust. The filling had blueberry jelly and tons of fresh blueberries in it. I don't think I cooked it long enough because it ended up being very thin and overly sweet. Since it was so thin, it was easy for it to explode and goo all over my oven. UGH. All I want is a simple summer berry pie. I want it to have a top crust and a bottom crust. I want a full top crust (not lattice) with a nice sugary coating on top. The filling should be either blueberry, blackberry or strawberry. Nothing weird and gross like apple. Any suggestions for a good berry pie? This was the first pie I made so I am sure that a lot of the problems were caused by my mistakes.

This week I made Butterscotch Bars. Not totally sure I love butterscotch but they were pretty good. They were chewy and had pecans in them which I liked. They came from All Cakes Considered by Mellisa Gray who works at All Things Considered. She brings a cake to work every Monday. These butterscotch bars were in her chapter about alternatives to cake. If you like butterscotch I can post the recipe.

Help me find a good berry pie to make!!! I am willing to try again but I don't want it to suck as badly as this one did!!

LTB!