A Taste of Summer - Banana Split Pie

One of the best parts of travel is the new food to try. For this recipe I didn't even have to leave home, just read a travel magazine! Southern Living's Drives and Dives offers many places I'd like to visit as well as several recipes to try.


This spring has been a long cool one, true we appreciate the rain but now we're anxious for warmer weather and the foods that taste special in the summer. This recipe combines many of those tastes in an easy to make dessert that looks rich but tastes light. Using some substitute ingredients such as lite whipped topping and egg substitute help keep the calories lower, but it is still a dessert with sugar and butter, not completely a 'free food'. I made this for a covered dish lunch of our Women's Educational Club and because it was a day of many desserts was able to bring a couple of pieces home for supper. For the lunch I did cut it into 12 smaller pieces because everyone wants to try lots of foods at these gatherings.

Banana Split Pie

1 cup powdered sugar

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup egg substitute

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 (6-oz) ready-made graham cracker piecrust

2 bananas, sliced

1 (20-oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

chopped pecans

toppings: maraschino cherries

chocolate sauce

Beat first 4 ingredients (powdered sugar, butter, egg substitute, vanilla extract) with an electric mixer until smooth, spread in piecrust.

Top filling with banana slices, pineapple, and whipped topping, sealing topping to edges.

Sprinkle topping with pecans.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Before serving, add toppings (maraschino cherries and chocolate sauce).

Makes 8 servings.

From Southern Living Drives & Dives (summer 2015)

Tip: Be sure to use the egg substitute, as this filling is not cooked! Look for egg substitute in the dairy/cheese/egg section of the grocery store. The carton is equal to 8 eggs or 2 cups. You only need 1/4 cup, equal to 1 egg for this recipe. To save the extra, I poured it into small plastic cups with lids and froze it in 1/4 cup portions. I've frozen it before, but not in portions, and this will be much easier to thaw and use when I need it. 

Easy Lasagna

It was a week of Lasagna! After our Community LinC team tried a new recipe for the group meal and it was a success, it was suggested it could be a funeral dinner menu at the church. So within a week or so I was making Easy Lasagna for 150, then for 75, and in-between a pan at home to check the family size portions and directions.
This recipe is easy and good. Using dried noodles (not lasagna noodles) simplifies the preparation of lasagna for a large quantity. With pasta, tomato sauce, beef and cheeses it is a nutritional and filling dinner.

Easy Lasagna 

for a 9"x13" pan:

6-8  ounces egg noodles

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 pound ground beef

1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles (oil in the water helps keep them from sticking). Layer cooked noodles over the bottom of a greased baking dish.
Brown hamburger, drain fat and mix with sauce.
Mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream with parsley, basil and pepper. Pour over noodles.
Put hamburger and sauce mixture on top of cheese mixture .
Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

When we served this in for a large dinner, it worked well to cover the pans with foil and keep them warm in the oven which had been turned off. After a short time to set they were easier to cut into servings.

The steps, from right to left - noodles, cheese mixture,
meat/sauce mixture

Top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses
and into the oven.

Baked, maybe a bit too long, but still good.

Cut into serving pieces

Our finished plate for the community meal.