These are quick (under 1 hour start to finish (if you have the ingredients) RASPBERRY SQUARES Bottom layer: 1 cup flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 stick butter, softened 1 TBL milk 1/2 cup raspberry jam Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk the flour & baking powder together. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk & toss to combine. Spread the mixture in an ungreased 9x9" pan. Cover w/raspberry jam. Top Layer: 1 egg 1/2 stick butter, mleted 1 cup sugar 2 cups coconut flakes 1 tsp vanilla Beat the egg with the melted butter. Mix in the sugar, coconut & vanilla. Spread the mixture over the jam. Bake 30 miutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool 1 hour before cutting into squares.~~ FRUIT PIZZA 1 pkg sugar cookie mix or 1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough 8 oz pkg cream cheese 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 tso vanilla Sliced fruit of choice (fresh or canned) 1/2 cup peach or apricto preserves 2 TBL water Prepare cookie mix according to directions & pat out in a sprayed 14" pizza pan. Bake & cool. Blend softened cream cheese, sugar & vanilla. Spread over cooled cookie crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer. Glaze with preserves mixed with water. If using bananas, dip slices into lemon juice before placing on pizza.~~ LEMON CUP CAKE PUDDING QUICKIE (serves 6) 2 1/2 TBL flour 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 TBL butter 2 eggs, separated 1 cup milk Grated lemon zest 1/4 cup lemon juice Combine flour, sugar & salt with softened butter. Add egg yolks, milk, lemon zest & juice; stir. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into casserole & place in a pan of warm water. Bake about 35 minutes in a preheated 350° oven. Will form a delicate cake-top layer with a custard sauce. Serve warm or chilled.~~ COCONUT PIE (Makes its own crust) 4 eggs 1 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup flour 2 cups milk 1/4 cup melted butter 1 1/2 cups coconut 1 tsp vanilla Combine all ingredients, in order, in a blender. Mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into a greased 10" pie pan. Bake 45 minutes in a preheated 350° oven or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.~~

I baked this Upside Down Pineapple cake in a cast iron skillet. This cake is made using fresh pineapple. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Source: Thomas Keller Pan Schmear 8 Tbsp (1 Stick; 4 oz) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 1 ½ Tbsp Honey ½ tsp Dark Rum 1 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar ¼ tsp Vanilla Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract Sea Salt 1 Gold (Extra-Sweet) Pineapple Cake 1 1/3 Cups Cake Flour 2 tsp Baking Powder 8 Tbsp (1 Stick; 4 oz) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature ½ Cup Plus 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar ½ tsp Vanilla Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract 2 Large Eggs 1 Tbsp Plus 1 tsp Milk Method Preheat the oven to 350˚F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, honey, rum, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread 1/3 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch silicone cake pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (The remaining schmear can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using.) Cut the top and bottom from the pineapple and cut away the peel. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters, and cut off the core from each section. Cut each piece crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. Beginning at the perimeter of the pan, make an overlapping ring of pineapple slices with the curved side facing out. Make a second ring inside the first one, overlapping the slices in the opposite direction, working toward the center of the pan. Sift the flour and baking powder together; set aside. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Mix in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the second and scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the milk. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until combined. Pour the batter into the pan and spread over the pineapple. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan for even browning and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 to 40 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter, and serve warm. (Leftover can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.) ----------------------------------------------------------- This is my favourite Corn bread recipe. Corn Bread 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal 1 cup all purpose flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 eggs 6 tablespoons melted and cooled butter 8 tablespoons melted and cooled vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups milk Preheat the oven to 400°. sift into a mixing bowl the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat the eggs lightly, add the melted butter and shortening, and stir in the 1 1/2 cups of milk. Pour into the bowl of dry ingredients and beat together for about a minute, or until smooth. Do not over beat. Lightly butter an 8 x 12 inch shallow baking pan and pour in the batter. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the bread comes slightly away from the edge of the pan and is golden brown. If you wish you make bake the cornbread in a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan or in muffin tins. Increase the baking time to 45 minutes if using a loaf pan. Also great baked in a cast iron skillet.

RUSSIAN CREAM (serves 8) 2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half 1 cup sugar 2 tsp unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup cold water 2 cups sour cream In a small saucepan over medium high heat combine cream & sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. In a glass measuring cup stir together gelatin & water until gelatin has softened. Pour into cream mixture & stir over medium heat until gelatin is fully dissolved (if you rub a bit between your fingers, you shouldn't feel the gelatin grains.) Pour into a serving bowl or mold & refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.~~ I served it with fresh strawberries but fresh peach slices would be excellent. I think it was also called by some other nationalities, too.

This dessert is wonderful and I always make a double recipe. It is from Mark Bittman (NYT) with a few tweaks to make it more carb friendly for diabetics. He used a graham cracker crust which I've substituted with a pecan one. Almost No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars (Mark Bittman tweaked) Crust: 2 cups ground pecans (8oz of pecan halves yields ~2 cups ground) 4 tablespoons melted butter 1 1/2 packets Splenda (equivalent to 1 Tbs sugar) Combine the ground nuts, butter and Splenda. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish (glass is better than metal). Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes. Cool before filling. Filling: 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons honey or 3 packets Splenda Rind of a lemon, freshly grated Squeeze of lemon juice Pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups blueberries Using a standing or hand mixer, or a whisk, combine cream cheese, ricotta, honey, Splenda, lemon rind, lemon juice and salt, and blend until smooth. Spread cheese mixture carefully and evenly over crust, using a spatula or butter knife to smooth top. Cover with fresh blueberries and lightly press into filling. Chill for at least an hour, or until set. Cut into squares or bars and serve. Double the recipe if using a 9x13 dish. Using the zest of one lemon and one lime gives this a subtle key lime flavor. The longer the cheesecake is refrigerated, the better it tastes. Leftovers are great. Here is a link that might be useful: nyt article no-bake blueberry cheesecake