Friday, January 1, 2010

Thai Basil Chicken

I got this recipe from Cook's Illustrated December 2009 edition. CI is American Test Chicken's Monthly Magazine. I love them. Such good food to be had!

The only problem making this dish is that you cant find Thai basil easily. My mom has a plant at her house so I will have to ask her where she bought the seeds and plant some of my own. But don't distress this recipe was written for Italian basil using Americans and is still so dang good! LOVE IT!


*American Test Kitchen Recipes are not for those who don't like cooking. They are all about getting the best taste not about one pan cooking. Lucky for me I like going dishes, I love cooking, and I love sharing my masterpieces with my family thus I appreciate them very much.

Note: This is a mild version of the Thai stir fry. It is a slow Thai stir-fry contrary to the super hot Chinese version. What makes Thai heat so delicious is the sugar they add to almost every dish. if you amp up the heat amp up the sugar too and if you cut back on heat cut back on the sugar. The ratio of heat to sugar is important in Thai food.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
2 green Serrano chilies or 6 Red Thai chilies, stemmed (cut out seeds) leave in the seeds if you
want it really hot.
1 TB fish sauce
1 tsp white rice vinegar
1 TB oyster sauce *
I did not have so I added 1 TB sweet soy sauce and then omitted the sugar
1 TB sugar
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast chopped super fine
* I asked the butcher to chop mine for me
but you can put it into a food processor and mince it yourself at home if you want. I used 1 1/2 lbs.
3 medium Shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cups)
2 TB vegetable oil

1.) Process one cup basil leaves, garlic, and chilies in food processor until finely chopped.Transfer 1 TB of the basil mixture to a small bowl and stir in 1 TB fish sauce, 1 TB oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12 inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet.

2.) Add 1 TB fish sauce and 1 TB water to food processor and turn on letting the liquid clean and gather the basil mixture. Pour over the minced chicken and cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. OR if you are mincing your chicken in the processor add the chicken cut into 2x2 inch cubes into the "dirty" processor with the basil traces and then added 1 TB fish sauce. Pulse 6 to eight times. Transfer to another bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3.) Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture on skillet. Heat over med-low heat after 1 1/2 min the mixture should start to sizzle if it dosen't in that time change heat accordingly. Stir constantly until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

4.) Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up chicken until only a few traces of pink remain, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserve basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook stirring constantly, until all traces of pink are gone. Add the remaining cup basil leaves and cook 30 to 60 seconds until the basil leaves are wilted. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

In Thailand they serve it with fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes and vinegar as condiments for people to add to the dish as they like.



Best EVER Sugar Cookies

I did not like sugar cookies. They were sort of fun to decorate and no fun to eat. blah. In my book they were a total waste of sugar and flour. I did however make them for the kids because they loved them and really loved decorating them.However it was a chore for me. BUT THEN I tasted my girl friend's sugar cookies and I FELL in L-O-V-E. These are the best sugar cookies in the world. Seriously, I cant stop eating them. Here is the go-to recipe if you want yummy sugar cookies. Please try next time you want to make sugar cookies. YUM!

* if you are a sugar cookie artisan and you want them prettier then they taste this is not the recipe for you. Otherwise these are THE ONES!


Sugar Cookies


1 cup Butter

2 cups Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla


Cream together in a very large bowl.

Then add:

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Salt

5 – 5 ½ flour - added a little at a time.


When mostly mixed add in


1 cup Sour Cream


mix well. If you are doing shapes wrap entire dough in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. Roll out and cut out shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. If you want rounds roll dough into logs and then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour and then cut dough into slices and bake for Bake 8-10minutes at 350 degrees.


Thai chicken Satay

This is a American Favorite of Thai food. I have made many American versions but this was my first time trying to make the real deal. Oh, it really tasted like good Thai food this way. Stewart said it tasted just like the real Thai thing. I didn't BBQ so I added some liquid Smoke to the marinade to give it a little smokey flavor and I broiled the satay in my oven flipping once. It is so nice to have this dish when you are eating a hot Thai main dish it really helps cool down your mouth.

I found this authentic recipe on the best Thai cooking resource for Americans; ImportFoods.com to see their helpful links for this recipe follow this link; Satay with Peanut sauce

Chicken Satay


Ingredients

1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 pound chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into bite sized pieces.
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder
pinch turmeric powder (as only a colorant, so very little!)
8 tablespoons coconut milk
3 tablespoons palm sugar

Directions

The chicken is beaten flat, using the flat of the blade of a heavy cleaver or using a meat tenderizing mallet. You can also use a rolling pin.

The coriander and cumin are toasted and then crushed in a mortar and pestle. The ingredients are then combined to form a marinade, and the chicken is marinated overnight. The pieces of chicken are then threaded on the 12" satay sticks, loosely folding them in half and piercing through the folded meat to form a loose gather.

The completed sticks are then grilled, broiled or barbequed on fairly high heat (they taste best done over charcoal, as they absorb the smoke). Turn them regularly and brush them liberally with the remaining marinade. Cooking should take between 5 and 10 minutes depending on the heat of your cooker.

Nam jim satay (Peanut Sauce).
A peanut dressing accompanies these snacks. A quick and delicious substitute to the recipe below is our Satay Seasoning Mix (Peanut Sauce Mix). Imported from Thailand and made of the finest quality ingredients.


Ingredients

4 ounces of roasted (unsalted) peanuts
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ounce chopped onion
1-2 tablespoon red or massaman curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
8 tablespoons coconut milk
4-6 teaspoons lime juice (to taste).
2-3 teaspoons palm sugar.

Directions

First grind or crush the peanuts to a fairly fine powder. Then combine them with the remaining ingredients (except the lime juice), to form a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with a little chicken stock. Now add the lime juice, tasting as you progress to check the balance of flavors is correct.

Spicey Spinach and Artichoke dip

My favorite party dip of all time. I found it on All Recipes. Sooooo good! Everyone loves it!


Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies,drained

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 (12 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup canned chopped jalapeno peppers, drained

1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained


Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the green chilies, Parmesan cheese, artichokes, peppers, and spinach. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish.

3.Bake in preheated oven until slightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Thai Beef Salad, Nam Tok

My mother found the the ultimate Thai cooking website and we are hooked! If you like Thai food this is the go-to recipe guide. Everything we have made from here is the best we have ever had. Seriously...at least for me maybe not stew. :) It is called Import Foods You can buy almost everything on their site to make the dishes and they have video of Thai vendors cooking the dishes so you can really see how it is done. FABULOUS!

This is one of Stewart's all time favorite dishes ever. It is an intensive recipe for the novice so I made Stewart make it all by himself. He loved making it and eating it too. It is at its very best when eaten while still very warm. In Thai language, nam tok is a waterfall. This dish is usually cooked using a barbeque (the juices drip onto charcoal hence the name waterfall) but you can fry or broil the beef just as well. It should be cooked rare to start with. Click here if you're interested in our instant nam tok mix.

Nam Tok


Ingredients:

You need a 1 pound steak, cut fairly thick.

Marinade

1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate mixed with 3 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped Thai chile peppers or if you cant get these use Sanaro peppers instead

Mix the marinade, coat the steak with it and marinade it for at least 3 hours.

The steak is then barbecued, broiled or grilled until on the rare side of medium rare, cut into half inch thick strips and the strips cut into bite sized pieces. The meat can be kept cool until just before you want to eat.

Remaining ingredients

1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup lime juice - ours was little too sour so we will use a little less next time, we had super juicy limes
2-3 tablespoons chopped shallots
2-3 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro (including the roots if possible)
2-3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons khao koor (see below)
1 tablespoon freshly roasted/fried sesame seeds
1-3 teaspoons freshly ground dried red Thai chilis.

Khao Koor: get a medium sized wok (or skillet is you don't have a wok) fairly hot, and add a couple of tablespoons of uncooked jasmine rice. Keep in movement until the rice starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Grind to a fairly coarse powder in a spice mill, or a mortar and pestle, or a pepper mill or a good clean coffee grinder (all of these work well but keep in mind that a coffee grinder tends to grind too fine--the powder should retain some "texture") We also offer ready-made Khao Koor in premium quality Hand Brand.

Directions

In a wok bring a little oil to medium high heat and add the strips of beef, immediately followed by all the remaining ingredients. Stir fry until heated through (about a minute).

Serve with Thai sticky rice, or as part of a meal with pad Thai and a soup such as tom yum koong (hot and sour shrimp soup).

Enjoy. This is one of our all-time favorites.

Thai sweet sticky rice with mango, "Khao Neeo Mamuang"


My mother found the the ultimate Thai cooking website and we are hooked! If you like Thai food this is the go-to recipe guide. Everything we have made from here is the best we have ever had. Seriously...at least for me maybe not stew. :) It is called Import Foods You can buy almost everything on their site to make the dishes and they have video of Thai vendors cooking the dishes so you can really see how it is done. FABULOUS!

"Khao Neeo Mamuang"
Thai sweet coconut sticky rice with mango

A very sweet treat you'll absolutely love. Be sure to start with a mango that's nice and ripe, with a slight give to the touch. We like the Mexican mango sold throughout the year in the United States. These are tasty and sweet but not as fragrant as most Thai mangoes. The mango flesh should be bright and yellow, and we have detailed photos below showing you how to properly peel and slice them using a proper Thai Mango Peeler.

Ingredients
2 cups sticky rice
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ripe mangoes, cut into thick slices (see below)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon tapioca starch (optional - to me at least)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Prepare the 2 cups sticky rice as per our detailed instructions. While sticky rice is steaming, mix together 1.5 cups coconut milk, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool (for a more fancy preparation, you can strain the coconut milk in a cheesecloth before setting to cool, but this is not necessary). Immediately after sticky rice is cooked, and still hot, put it into the coconut sauce and stir together well. Cover for 1 hour (or less is ok) and let cool.


Topping
Mix 1/2 cup coconut milk with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and the tapioca starch. Bring to a boil.

Put the sticky rice and mangoes on a serving dish. Pour the topping sauce over the sticky rice and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Baked Mac and Cheese

I made this for Benjamin's birthday and it was really quite yummy. Rich and creamy. Just what you want out of your mac and cheese! I got the recipes from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
2 eggs
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), melted
2 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese,
divided
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese,
divided

Directions:
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, butter, mustard, seasoned salt and pepper until combined. Stir in the process cheese and 1-1/2 cups of each cheddar cheese.
2. Drain macaroni; stir into cheese mixture. Pour into a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are bubbly.

Favorite Tarts

Filo Dough is my favorite way to make beautiful and super yummy tarts! Here is how I did it. I bought some frozen filo dough at the store. I thawed it following their directions. Then using lost of slightly damp paper towels to help keep the dough from drying out as it does very quickly. I used three sheets of filo dough at a time brushing butter in between each sheet. Then I cut the three layered sheets using cooking scissors to cut them into small rectangles. Then I gently pressed then into a small cupcake pan. I think I baked them at 400 degrees. I baked them until light golden brown about 5 minutes. I removed them immediately from the pan to cool on my counter then I continued working with three sheets at a time. You get a lot of the tarts from one package. These can be made a day ahead of time and still be great.

I filled them with two different types of filling:

The raspberry ones I filled them with layered vanilla pudding, homemade raspberry syrup, and then whipped cream.

The chocolate tarts had vanilla pudding, homemade chocolate ganache, and whipped cream.

Benjamin's Birthday Cake - Peanut Butter and Chocolate





Fudge Version
Adapted from recipes from this blog
One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's CupcakesMakes 18 cupcakes
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. warm water
1 package of chocolate instant pudding mix

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners (Amy's note: I always use baking spray with flour instead). With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine dry ingredients. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and water; beat until smooth and combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. then stir in the box of chocolate pudding mixes.
2. Divide batter evenly among 18 cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto rack and cool completely.Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking BookMakes 3 cups, enough for 24 cupcakes or the top of 1 sheet cake

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Beat the butter, peanut butter, cream, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar, and beat until incorporated and smooth, 4-6 minutes. Increase the mixer speed and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 5-10 minutes.
Fluffy Version
One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's CupcakesMakes 18 cupcakes
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. warm water
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners (Amy's note: I always use baking spray with flour instead). With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine dry ingredients. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and water; beat until smooth and combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
2. Divide batter evenly among 18 cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto rack and cool completely.Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking BookMakes 3 cups, enough for 24 cupcakes or the top of 1 sheet cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1. Beat the butter, peanut butter, cream, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar, and beat until incorporated and smooth, 4-6 minutes. Increase the mixer speed and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 5-10 minutes.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Tarts

" OOOOO, Fancy!" were the words out of Bridger's mouth when he saw these babies lined up in the Refrigerator. My girlfriend decided that I should give catering desserts a try. So I thought I would just that for my friend's birthday party. Since they are close friends I experimented a little bit. I wanted to find out what was the best crust for my mini tarts. I tried sugar cookie, sugared pie crust, and puff pastry dough. The results, to my complete surprise, was that we liked the pie crust the best. Cookie was ok but I thought it'd be better with an apple filling, and puff pastry didn't get to puff enough to reach its potential in that form so we all thought they were best in their fully puffy state as tartlets. - I loved those :O) I made lemon cream filling (vanilla pudding, lemon curd, and whipped cream) and creamy chocolate filling ( chocolate fudge, vanilla pudding, and chocolate mouse) for my experimental mini tarts. Oh, the fancy goodness!

Lemon Cream Tarts
Chocolate Mouse Tarts
Tartlets

Halloween Monster Pancakes

On Halloween morning I thought I would start our day off with a spooky grouse monster breakfast. The kids thought it was great but that snot buttermilk syrup was bit too real in consistency for me to really enjoy it. It was thick and gooey and I really did have a hard time eating it. But he kids thought it was great fun!

"Monster Snot"
Green Buttermilk Syrup

"Monster Head"
Our died Orange German Pancake

The monster combo! Yum!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Halloween Feast

This year I thought we should start doing a tradition of a spooky Halloween dinner. The kids thought it was really fun and helped me make dinner every step of the way. Next year I think I will make orange mashed potatoes and monster brains (soupy pot roast). We'll see, it is over a year away. ;)
Mummy Dogs
Witches Fingers
Worms in Dirt
Chili

1 TB oil
1 large onion
1 clove garlic chopped
3 pieces bacon cooked and cut into big chunks to easily be removed later
1 lb. ground turkey
2 tsp Beef bullion
2 TB Chile powder
1 tsp garlic pepper
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 can kidney beans
1 can beef consume
1 cap petite diced tomatoes
1 small can tomatoes sauce
1 can of Rotal mild lime and cilantro diced tomatoes

I totally made this up and loved it. Who knew cleaning out he pantry could be this much fun. In a large soup pan saute onion in oil until transparent. Add bacon and garlic. cook until aromatic. Push onion to side of pan and add the Turkey cook until browned through. Seasoning with beef bullion, chili powder. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes letting flavors meld. Remove bacon pieces. Add all the canned goods. Add garlic pepper and Oregano. Bring to a simmer and then cover and continue to simmer for 45 + minutes. Adjust flavors to your liking. Serve warm with cheese and a side of chips, rolls, crackers or corn bread.

* I also added a few dashes of Tabasco sauce and Louisiana seasoning salt.
* the Rotal tomatoes are spicy if your family is spice sensitive I would just buy a good brand of Mexican seasoned tomatoes like green chilies and garlic tomatoes or something like that.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Bread Pudding!

I found this on AllRecipes.com the commenters gave a lot of good suggests: use half white chips, use half and half instead of milk, use less sugar, add raisins, use raisin bread and cinnamon chips, use really nice french bread,...all sorts of things. So follow your heart if you don't like butterscotch then use something else. I used this recipes because I had a bunch of old bread to use up and Stew told me he did not like bread pudding. I thought this one could win him over. I am not sure if it did. Next time I think I will use thicker bread, add a few dashes of cinnamon, and let it sit for an hour before serving. I melted the leftover butterscotch chips and drizzled it on top. I think it could be a good breakfast for Christmas morning or something.

*I love the thigh comment. I think after making this one a few times we'll know exactly what she means by a "well endowed thigh".


Ingredients:

1 (10.75 ounce) loaf day-old bread, torn into

small pieces

4 cups milk

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 cup butterscotch chips


Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2.) In a large bowl, combine bread, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and butterscotch chips; mixture should be the consistency of oatmeal. pour into prepared pan.

3.)Bake in preheated oven 1 hour, until nearly set. (It should have a "thigh wiggle" or wiggle as much as a well endowed thigh.) Serve warm or cold.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Apple Cobbler

This is my first time making apple cobbler since I can remember. I am sure I have helped my mom a million times but for all intensive purposes this felt like my first cobbler. I used the apples we picked from the apple farm and my mom gave me her cobbler recipe and then I made a few adjustments to what I thought would fit my taste and it was magic. I LOVED it! This is going to be my go-to recipe for apple cobbler for forever! I seriously thought I had created the best thing ever. Yum!

Apple Base
5 - 6 large tart apples
dash of salt
cinnamon
1/2 sugar

Cobbler Topping
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cups white sugar
1 cube butter
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla

Butterscotch Sauce

1 cup packed light brown sugar

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.) Peel and slice five large tart apples or enough to fill a 9 x 13 pan. Don't slice them too thin. I sliced them about 1/4 inch or bigger. Spray 9 x 13 with non-stick spray. Toss apple with cinnamon, salt, and sugar. Set aside.

2.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl add very soft butter, sugars, vanilla and salt and mix until creamy. Then add the flour and mix until incorporated and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples. Bake until apple juices are visible on the sides and the crumb topping is golden brown.

3.) While the cobbler bakes make the butterscotch. Cook the brown sugar and butter in a medium sauce pan over med-high heat stirring often. Cook until the mixture bubbles and becomes lighter in color about 3 - 5 minutes. Off the heat slowly add the cream while whisking the mixture. Mix until smooth. Stir int eh corn syrup and vanilla. you can use it warm or cool to room temperature. It stores up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Set aside until it is time to serve cobbler.

Serving
I let my cobbler sit in the warm stove until ready to serve. I serve with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with the home made butterscotch sauce. It is SO GOOD!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Snicker's Pie

Ok here is the original pie recipe and I think next time I will tweak it. I think I would do softened vanilla ice cream as a replacement for half of the the whipped cream and omit the cream cheese. I guess I would buy a half gallon and mix in as I went to see what made a good amount. I think a double churned type of ice cream that is airy and soft would work best. Then I think I would like whipped cream on top of the ice cream heaped high with toppings. I think that wold take this good pie and turn it into a true taste bud celebration. Stew told me his mom's favorite candy bar is snicker's so I will have to make this for her one of these days. ;O)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup chunky or creamy peanut butter
3 regular-sized Snickers candy bars, chopped
16 ounces Cool Whip, thawed (or about 8 cups of stiffly whipped, sweetened cream)
Two prepared graham cracker pie crusts or chocolate cookie pie crusts
chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, chopped snickers and chopped peanuts for garnish

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese sugar and peanut butter until creamy.

2. Stir in chopped candy bars.

3. Gently fold in the whipped cream just until mixed.

4. Divide between the two crusts. Drizzle chocolate and caramel syrup on top and sprinkle with chopped peanuts and additional chopped snickers. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Yield: 2 pies