A Favorite Holiday Recipe - Chocolate Delight Pie

I'm sorry that I don't have pictures for this recipe, but Mama is making it for our Thanksgiving meal, and I won't have it here until Tuesday evening. But it's such a holiday staple with our family, and it is so easy to make and most of all, incredibly delicious, I wanted to share it with you so if you choose, you will have time to make it for your Thanksgiving feast!

Chocolate Delight Pie

Layer One - Crust

• 1 cup flour - doesn't matter if it is self rising or plain/all purpose - both work
• 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter or margarine, melted
• 2/3 to 1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix flour, butter and pecans together well and press into bottom of 9x11 glass baking dish (Pyrex) until evenly distributed. (Note: I put the dish on a low burner on top of the stove and melt my butter in it and then add flour and pecans - it's one less dirty dish!)

Bake at 325 degrees until lightly golden and you smell the roasty pecan smell.

Allow to cool completely.

Layer Two - Cream Cheese Layer

• 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
• 1 cup Cool Whip

Mix all ingredients together well, spread evenly on top of crust, chill in refrigerator.

Layer Three - Chocolate Pudding Layer

• 2 small boxes instant chocolate pudding mix
• 3 cups cold milk

Blend pudding mix and milk well. This recipe calls for 1 cup less milk than the instructions on the box so that the pudding will be very thick and rich. Spread pudding on top of cream cheese layer, cover and keep chilled.

Layer Four - Cool Whip

• Cool Whip

Spread chocolate pudding layer evenly (and thickly) with Cool Whip. If desired, garnish with chocolate curls or shavings, or even finely chopped nuts. Keep refrigerated until just before serving. Please note: You can make this a day or two in advance, but it is better if you don't put the last layer of Cool Whip on until just before serving.

So, that is it! Although there are several steps, this is an incredibly easy recipe, and well worth the effort. Our family just L*O*V*E*S this dessert, and no holiday would be the same without it. I'll try to get a picture of the pie on here later, but I'm not promising someone won't get to it and cut it before I have a chance!

Have a wonderful, thankful, special Thanksgiving, friends! Becky

Tasty Thursday - A New Twist on an Old Favorite!

This time of year, probably seventy five percent of the meals I cook are at least partly cooked outside on the grill, and probably ninety percent of our meals are eaten out on the deck. By that time of day the sun has lowered behind the trees and isn't too hot, and we are shaded fairly well.

Last night we had burgers, baked beans and chips. Not a very exciting meal, until we got to the dessert. Now, we don't have dessert every night, or even every week, but I wanted to do something different last night, and am I ever so glad I did!!!

I did my grocery shopping yesterday and they had fresh strawberries for $1.65 per pound box. I brought home two boxes. They also had cool whip on sale for $1 per 8 ounce carton. I came home with 4 cartons - 3 for the freezer, one for the here and now! I also had a $1.00 off coupon, so I got one, basically, for free!

When I got home I sliced the strawberries into a bowl with a little sugar, then I pulled out a box of Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Fudge cake mix, and mixed it up according to package directions - almost! The only changes were:

1. I added about a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Vanilla doesn't make chocolate taste more vanilla, it makes it taste more chocolate! Or, it brings out the flavor that is already there.


2. The box called for 3/4 cup of water, and I used 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of Kahlua. Kahlua is a coffee flavored liqueur, and it makes chocolate more chocolaty, and somehow adds moisture, but don't ask me how!

I baked 1/2 in a 9 inch round pan, the other half in muffin tins. I'll freeze the cupcakes for later use, but the one in the 9 inch pan will be eaten - quickly!

So, here's what you do to finish this wonderful treat:

Take a slice of the wonderful chocolate fudge cake, and put it on a pretty plate. In this case, my blue toile everyday dishes.




Place some of the strawberries on top and around the cake.




Drizzle a little bit of the juice from the strawberries all around, just for good measure.



Top the cake and strawberries with a generous,


and I mean GENEROUS! dollop of Cool Whip or your whipped topping of choice.



And then dig in! Enjoy every morsel because, I promise you, it is delicious to the very . . .



. . . last . . .

. . . bite!!!

Oh, and on the menu for dinner tonight . . .

Grilled Boneless Pork Loin Chops

Oven Roast Parmesan Potatoes

Grilled Fresh Asparagus and Zucchini

A Tall Glass of Sweet Iced Tea,

and you guessed it, more of this delicious, chocolaty twist on an old favorite

Strawberry Shortcake!

Blessings friends! Becky