Some of Jeff's extended family are visiting from Alberta this week and the weather was too perfect not to host a family barbeque. After a long week at work, I needed a quick dessert that was fancy enough for company but not a lot of fuss. Here's one of Jeff's favourites.
1 1/4 cups oreo or graham crumbs
1/3 cup butter or margerine
1 8-0z package cream cheese (or soy cream cheese)
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 cup milk (we use soy milk)
2/3 of a container of Cool Whip, thawed
To make the crust: melt butter and mix with cookie crumbs. Press into a 10-inch glass pie plate and bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes, just to set. I usually melt and mix right in the pie plate to make it even easier. Let it cool completely before filling.
To make the filling: Beat cream cheese at medium speed for 30 seconds. Add icing sugar and beat until completely smooth. Add peanut butter and milk and continue beating until it is well mixed. Fold in whipped topping by hand and pour into the crust.
To decorate: Melt 1 Tbsp. chocolate chips and add milk until the consistency is the same as a chocolate sauce. Drip dots of chocolate across the surface of the pie and run a butter knife through each dot to swirl. Freeze the completed pie several hours until firm.
To serve: Remove from freezer and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes. Enjoy!
I should have snapped a photo before dinner as there wasn't much left. You'll have to imagine how pretty it is before it's cut.
There was a day when I avoided using Cool Whip as a main ingredient, but I've become less of a culinary snob. It's also the only way my milk-allergic spouse can enjoy dessert.
Snobbery aside, I still LOVE having fresh flowers in the house. The great thing about a garden on steroids is that there is ALWAYS something to pull into a centerpiece 30 seconds before the guests arrive. You can see what was in bloom this weekend- I think I picked a little of everything.
Even the enjoyment of leisurely Saturday morning coffee/tea could not keep Jeff and I from facing the ugly reality that had become our back deck.
For Mother's Day, Jeff and I hosted lunch for his parents and local extended family- any occasion is excuse enough for us to get together for a party!
I'm so thankful for a spouse who never gave up on me and continued to be an unwavering source of care, support and encouragement. He didn't sign up for a spouse who would struggle so much in her own skin during the first year of marriage but he has handled it perfectly. He has also gone out of his comfort zone to help me create the social, church and personal connections I have needed to feel less isolated. For that, I am so very thankful. I could not have survived this move without him.
We walked up and down the strip several times- it certainly is a bright and loud spectacle at night.
Paris, anyone?!
In addition to the wedding and visiting with much-missed friends, the highlights for me were seeing Cirque du Soleil and the Bellagio fountains.
The weather has been a great excuse to stay inside and work on the quilt I am making as a wedding gift for one of my dear friends. I was not able to find a pattern that suited this modern and stylish couple so came up with something on my own. Once I get all the blocks sewn together and off my family room floor, I think it will be just right.
