Make a chocolate cake as directed on the box. I use German Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge, Devil Food… any kind of chocolate cake.

When cake gets out of the oven, poke holes all over the cake using the fat part of chopsticks, or anything that makes holes about 1/8″ to 1/4″ size.

Drizzle a 14 oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk over the entire cake. Let it set for about 5 minutes.

Drizzle/squirt on a 16 ounce bottle of caramel ice cream topping. Let it set for about 30 minutes.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve the cake, frost with an 8 ounce tub of Cool Whip. Sprinkle on a 12 ounce bag of English Toffee baking bits. Or crushed Heath Bars. Or crushed Skor bars.

• Mix together:
• 5 c. fresh blueberries
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1 t. lemon juice
• 1/8 t. salt

Pour into a pastry lined 9″ pie plate. Place on a top crust or make a crumb topping. Bake at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes. The pie often bubbles over and through the slits cut in the top crust so maybe line your oven with tin foil to catch the drips.

GF: To be gluten free, use a GF crust.

• 1 pound Nilla Wafer cookies, crushed fine
• 1 c. butter, room temp/soft
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 c. fresh raspberries
• 1 pint whipping cream, whipped

Place half of the Nilla wafers in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ pan. (I use the Tupperware brand 9″ x 13″ container with a lid ~ Snack Stor Container.) Beat the butter until it is creamy, about 2-4 minutes. Add the sugar and mix until blended. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well each time. When it is all well mixed, spread it gently over the cookie crumbs. Sprinkle on the raspberries. Top with the whipped cream. Sprinkle on the remaining Nilla Wafer crumbs and gently press them into the whipped cream. Refrigerate for AT LEAST 8 hours, but it’s best after 12 hours, before serving.

• Mix well:
• 16 oz cream cheese, soft
• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. cloves
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• Add:
• 2 eggs

Pour into a graham cracker crust (or a nut crust). Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Cool on the counter for 1-2 hours and then refrigerate for 3+ hours before serving.

• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. margarine
• 2 T. water
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Bring the sugar and margarine to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the water and 1 c. chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted. Cool for about 5 minutes. Beat the eggs in one at a time. Combine the dry ingredients, then stir into the melted mixture. Stir in 1/2 c. chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9″ x 9″ pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool on the counter. Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes, but do not let them freeze!

• MELT:
• 2 c. chocolate chips
• 2 T. shortening

Cut the bars into bite size pieces. Dip each one into the chocolate and then set onto waxed paper or parchment paper to harden. Store in a cool place but not a COLD place like the refrigerator.

• Mix together:
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 6-8 c. rhubarb (sliced/diced)

Pour into a 9″ x 13″ pan. Sprinkle one white or yellow cake mix (dry, NOT prepared) over the top. Drizzle on 1/2 c. melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

~ Notes: This recipe has been changed a few times! My son was good at making it with apples and rhubarb years ago. Sometimes we have done half rhubarb, half strawberries.

• Mix together well:
• 4 c. quick oats
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2/3 c. vegetable oil
• 4 medium bananas, mashed
• 1 c. nuts of choice
• 1 1/2 c. chopped dates
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. cloves
• 2 t. vanilla

Mix well. Pour into a greased 9″x13″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Note: You will see that there is no sugar added. You can add a desired amount of honey, stevia, sugar, or what sweetener you want. There never was sugar in the original recipe, but I added 1/2 c. brown sugar and to us we liked that.

• Mix together in order given (I leave the mixer on as I add each ingredient):
• 1/2 c. soft butter
• 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 c. flour

Mix well. Chill the dough for about 1 hour. Scoop about 1 teaspoon of dough into mini muffin/cupcake tins. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, press an indent in the center. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing from tins onto a piece of parchment paper or brown paper bag. Fill with the following filling:

• Melt together:
  1 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

• Mix together:
• 1/4 c. corn starch
• 1 1/3 c. water
• Stir in:
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg YOLKS, beaten
• Cook until thick & bubbly. Remove from heat. Add:
• 2 T. butter
• 1 t. vanilla

Cool slightly (15 minutes). Pour over 2 bananas, sliced and arranged in a BAKED pie crust. You can use traditional baked pie crust, a nut crust, graham cracker crust, GF crust, or make as a pudding!

Refrigerate until it is chilled and set.

Do you see all those wonderful pumpkins each fall at the store? At some point there are more pumpkins hanging around than people know what to do with! Some aren’t good eating pumpkins, but many of them are! Preserve them. Make pumpkin things all year long. The home canned stuff is WAY BETTER, more flavorful than the store canned pumpkin. It is easy, too. Yes, it takes TIME! Here is how easy it is:

Cook the pumpkin.

Mash and salt the pumpkin.

Fill HOT pint and quart size jars with HOT pumpkin.

Adjust lids and rings.

Process in a pressure cooker at 10 pounds pressure for proper time.

QUARTS: 80 minutes

PINTS: 55 minutes