Labor Day Dessert Recipes

When I look through my recipes I always find something that I had forgotten about and is totally interesting. Sometimes this leads me off in a totally different direction that I was headed and I lose track of what the original intent was! Let's see...I'm looking at dessert recipes, oh but wait, here are directions on how to clean with vinegar so let's look at that! (or) we must remember to not mix ammonia and bleach unless we want to create mustard gas! Back to dessert recipes.

SIMPLE AND VERY EASY ICE CREAM: This recipe doesn't require an ice cream maker. Mix one can of sweetened condensed milk with 1 pint of cream, whipped. Add whatever flavorings you want according to your taste and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into a container and freeze for 45 minutes. Take out of freezer and using an electric hand mixer re-mix ingredients. Put back into freezer for another 45 minutes and re-mix. Now freeze until firm or if you like eat it soft serve. Now...because there is pure whipping cream in this it's loaded with calories; in fact the fat will come off onto the spoon while you are eating it. My thoughts on this? It's the dog days of summer, last hurrah, going back to school, you'll need the calories to burn while you're doing the fall cleaning inside and out. So go ahead---indulge.

NOODLE PLUM CRUNCH: 1 (1 lb. 14 oz.) can plums--save syrup; 2 cups chow mein noodles--coarsely crushed; 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1/4 tsp. cinnamon; 1/4 tsp. nutmeg; 1/4 tsp. salt; 1/4 cup melted butter. Drain plums, saving syrup. Halve plums and remove pits; Combine noodles, sugar, spices, salt and butter. Spread 1/3 of crumb mixture in bottom of greased 1 quart casserole. Layer half of plums over crumb mixture; spoon 3 Tbsp. syrup over plums. Repeat layers using 1/2 the remaining crumb mixture, the rest of the plums and 3 Tbsp. syrup. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Cover baking dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes; remove cover and bake 10 minutes longer. Serve warm or cold, plain or with ice cream or just pour cream over it.

BANANA-PECAN CAKE: 1/4 cup softened butter or margarine; 1 1/4 cups honey; 2 eggs; 1 tsp. vanilla; 2 cups unbleached flour; 1 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. baking soda; 3/4 tsp. salt; 1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream; 1 c. mashed, ripe bananas (about 2 bananas) 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Beat butter until fluffy; very slowly drizzle with honey. Continue beating and add eggs. Stir dry ingredients together, then add to butter mixture beating only until moistened. Add vanilla, sour cream bananas and pecans, and stir together on low speed. Turn to high speed and mix for 1 minute; pour into 13 x 9 inch greased pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until it tests done. Serve with icecream or sweetened whipped cream.