Fruita Tart

This recipe is courtesy of my sissy, Melissa, who lives in Fruita, CO and is a pro at making these. She perfected these for my wedding reception. I made it for mothers day this year and the filling went off without a hitch but the crust didn't work out so well so I'll ask Melissa what I did wrong and then update this. The crust tasted great but didn't roll out so well and then melted down the sides of the pan so it didn't extend up the sides of the dish. Oh well--still tasty!

Crust:
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1 1/2 t clear vanilla
2 1/3 c all-purpose flour

Beat butter and sugar on med speed until very fluffy and well blended. Add the egg, baking powder, salt and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stir in flour until well blended and smooth.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3-4 hrs. Divide dough in half and roll out to 1/8" to 1/4" thick on a lightly floured surface. Place in tart pan, press into fluted edges and bottom gently and press of excess to make smooth, crisp edges.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 7-10 mins, checking every minute after 7 mins. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Place crust in gallon sized bag and store in freezer until ready to serve.

Filling:
1/2 c whipping cream
1-8oz pkg cream cheese
1/3 c sugar
2 t milk
1 t clear vanilla

Chill a medium mixing bowl and beaters of mixer. In the chilled bowl, beat whipping cream with mixer on med speed until soft peaks form; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on med speed until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gently fold in whipping cream. Turn mixture into cooled, thawed crust.

Place fruit on tart. Brush apple jelly topping on top of fruit to seal in color and flavor.

Apple Jelly Topping
1 c apple or apricot jelly
2 T water

Heat jelly until melted. Simmer for 1 min; add water to thin and boil for a while.

Cool 'n' Easy Strawberry Pie

Gotta love that name, right? This one was a big hit with my husband's family on Easter. I used a Oreo cookie crust rather than a graham cracker crust like it says. I also doubled the recipe for our large group and made it in a 9x13 Pyrex dish with the crust just on the bottom and it worked well. It sets up nicely so you can cut it into squares. This recipe is from the Jello website. They have lots of yummy looking dessert recipes ending in "pie."

2/3 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
Ice cubes
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed (Lite tastes fine)
1 cup chopped, fresh strawberries
1 graham cracker (or Oreo) crumb crust
1 cup sliced, fresh strawberries

STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to measure 1 cup. Add to gelatin; stir until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice.

ADD whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in chopped strawberries. Refrigerate 20 to 30 min. or until mixture is very thick and will mound. Spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE 6 hours or overnight until firm. Top with sliced strawberries. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Photo is from jello.com

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Cake

2/3 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 c baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c milk
4 egg whites
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

Frosting:
7 1/2 c confectioners' sugar
1 1 /2 c baking cocoa
3/4 c butter, softened
1 c milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c sliced fresh strawberries
8 whole fresh strawberries

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 1/4 c sugar. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites on med speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold into batter. Fold in strawberries

Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a large mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Beat in butter and milk until smooth. Beat in vanilla.

Spread frosting over bottom cake layer; top with sliced strawberries. Top with remaining cake layer; frost top and sides of cake. Dip while strawberries into frosting; arrange around and on top of cake. Refrigerate leftovers.