Cool Whip Cake

I was never good at creating names or titles, so this has just always been known as "Cool Whip Cake."  Like most things I make, it's ridiculously easy.  It is a perfect cake for spring or summer.  No need to remind me it's November.  It just sounded good today.  :o)  No matter the month, your family and friends want you to make a cake for them.

Cool Whip Cake

Bake white cake as directed in 9” x 13” pan.  Allow to cool.  After cake cools completely, use the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over cake (approximately 20 holes).

Variations:

• Strawberry: Mix strawberry flavored jello and pour over cake, making sure to fill in the holes.
• Chocolate:  Do the same, using chocolate pudding.
• Chocolate cake mix and cherry jello.  Top with canned cherry pie filling.
• Spice cake with cheesecake or vanilla pudding.

Use any desirable combination of cake mix and jello or pudding.  Cake should be refrigerated and topped with Cool Whip before serving.

Cheers ~

Cheryl

Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm on a diet.  Not the perpetual diet I've been on my whole life, but an actual, honest to goodness, diet.  Or as the center I go to calls it:  "Live-it", not "Die-it".  But if I weren't on a diet/liveit, I would make these cookies today.  And eat them all while they were warm.  And clean up the mess so my kids would never know of their existence.  But I have a dieting goal and am about two-thirds of the way there, so I have to focus and remember that smaller jeans are better than these cookies.  At least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.  In the meantime, if you aren't counting points, you should definitely go make a batch.  What the heck?  You can even share with your family!

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Soften peanut butter in microwave.  Stir in egg and sugar.  Form dough into 1” balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar.

Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes.

Cheers ~

Cheryl

Pumpkin Spice Cake

This recipe couldn't be easier.  Really.  My younger sister passed it my way when we were both on Weight Watchers.  I was a skeptic, but after making a batch, I was a believer!

1 box spice cake mix (carrot cake mix will work, too)
1 15oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1 egg, optional
Cool Whip

Here comes the hard part.  Combine all ingredients.  Wow.  Wasn't that easy?  Pour into greased 9"x13" pan.  Bake at 350* for about 15-20 minutes, until it tests done with a clean toothpick.  Allow to cool.  Serve with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Isn't that the perfect recipe for these fall days?

Cheers ~
Cheryl

Cake Mix Cookies

Time for something sweet!  3 main dish recipes in a row is ... well ... too many main dishes!  I think this is a pretty basic recipe that probably *everybody* has, but I have to say it makes one delicious cookie - and FAST!  When my girls were young, I baked most Fridays so we would have something sweet to snack on during the weekend.  Those days are gone, mostly because it would be ME doing more than my share of the snacking.  I still bake occasionally, but we are all more health conscious these days and just don't keep those things around regularly.  (Sigh.)

Cake Mix Cookies

1 dry cake mix, any flavor

1 large egg

¼ cup oil

¼ cup water

Combine well in large bowl.

Stir in one of the following:

1 cup oatmeal, coconut, cereal, nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, M&Ms, etc.

Spoon onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake 350* for 15 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack.

*Lemon cake mix, lemon juice in place of water, and Rice Krispies cereal make one yummy cookie.  I make a glaze of lemon juice and powdered sugar to ice these.

Cheers ~
Cheryl