Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:
1 c sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 c water

Directions:
1) Bake and cool crust
2) Mash 1 cup strawberries in heavy saucepan
3) Add sugar, salt, and 1/4 c water
4) Heat to boiling and blend corn starch with other 1/4 c water.
5) Take off heat and add corn starch water. Put back on the heat until clear and thickened.
6) Remove from heat and cool and add remaining berries and add to crust.

Krem Tip: put the rest of the berries directly in the pie crust and pour sauce over top

Crepes

1/2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. milk
1 T. cold water
1 t. melted butter

Sift flour and salt together into a bowl; mix all remaining ingredients and add slowly to dry ingredients, beating until smooth. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before cooking in skillet or crepe pan.

Pie Crust...

...from the White Cookbook

For One Pie Shell:
1 1/4 c. sifted flour
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. shortening (chilled)
1/4 c. ice water

For Two Pie Shells:
2 c. sifted flour
1 t. salt
2/3 c. shortening (chilled)
4-6 T. ice water

Mix flour, salt, and shortening together with pastry cutter or food processor. Add ice water one T at a time and mix gently with a fork until pastry just holds together.

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 c dark corn syrup
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
pecan halves (enough to cover bottom of pie tin)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) In medium bowl with wire whisk or fork, beat eggs well.
3) Beat in corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla until well blended.
4) Lay pecans on bottom of pie tin and pour mixture on top. Bake 1 hour.

Krem trick: More pecans is never a bad thing. Cover the bottom of the pan with 1 1/2 layers, and then chop up some more and throw those in too.

White Cookbook Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
3 3/4 c sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375.
2) Sift flour with baking powder and salt and set aside.
3) Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4) Slowly mix in dry ingredients until just blended.
5) Roll dough until about 1/16" to 1/8" thick, cut with cookie cutters, and bake 8-9 minutes.

Krem trick: These cookies are actually good a little bit thicker than 1/8", so don't be afraid to leave them tall! Also, the butterscotch variation is great: just substitute 2 c firmly packed brown sugar for the 1 1/2 c white sugar. Mmmmmmm.

The Ultimate Cinnamon Roll

Ingredients:

Roll:

1 1/2 packages dry yeast (about 3 1/4 tsp)

1/4 c warm water

1/2 c shortening

1/3 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 c milk

1 egg

4 to 5 c sifted flour

melted butter

brown sugar

cinnamon

Frosting:

2 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

milk or cream (2 to 4 tbsp)

Directions:

1) Add the warm water to the yeast and soak 10 minutes.

2) Scald milk; pour over the shortening. Add sugar and salt and cool to tepid. Add the dissolved yeast and beaten egg. Add 4 cups flour adding one at a time, beating after each.

3) Knead dough on floured board until elastic and smooth. Avoid too much flour. Turn dough into a well-oiled bowl. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

4) Press dough down and divide into workable size. Roll dough out into a rectangle. Cover with melted butter, and layer with a generous thick layer of brown sugar. Sprinkle on cinnamon as desired.

5) Cut slices about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Place in an 8 or 9 inch round greased cake pan. Press down to fill out pan, and let rise until the rolls fill the pan generously, about another hour.

6) Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

For the frosting:

1) mix sugar, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir in enough milk to reach a thick consistency. Spread over the rolls while still warm.

Krem trick: Add a teaspoon or so of almond extract to the frosting for a sampling of awesome.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour

3/4 c white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 milk

1 c fresh blueberries (can use frozen)

1/2 white sugar

1/3 c flour

1/4 c butter, cubed

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

2) Combine 1 1/2 c flour, 3/4 c sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

3) To make "To Die For" topping: Mix together 1/2 sugar, 1/3 c flour, 1/4 c butter, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

4) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Krem's Trick: To keep the blueberries whole, especially if you're using frozen blueberries, put blueberries in a bowl with a little of the flour mixture. This way, the dry ingredients absorb some of the moisture and allow the optimum warm blueberry experience.