Karen's Kitchen
Monthly Column by Karen Miller

...whatever you call a meal where friends and families come together and everyone brings a ‘dish.’ Sometimes people fret over what each person should bring, but I've found that these types of meals always just seem to work out and there’s always more than enough to eat!

I very often am asked to bring a dessert and these are usually some of my favorite dishes to make since most can be made in a pretty 13”x9” dish, of which I have a few. On occasion I make a treat to drop off at the office for the company for which my husband works. The office staff has asked me for some of these recipes, so I thought I’d share some of these tried-and-true sweets with you.


Butterscotch Snack Cake

1 package (3.5 oz.) cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix
    (NOT instant)
2 cups milk
1 package (18.25 oz.) yellow or white cake mix
1 package (11 oz.) butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine the pudding mix and milk. Whisk and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Stir constantly. Remove from heat. Add the dry cake mix and stir. (Batter will be thick). Pour this into a greased 13"x9" pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the butterscotch chips and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for
35-40 minutes. Cool. Serve plain or with a dollop of whipped topping.

---

Coconut Cream Cake (My favorite!)

1 package (18.25 oz.) white cake mix
    (and ingredients to make cake according to box directions)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz.) cream of coconut*
1 container (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
2 cups shredded coconut

Preheat oven as noted on cake mix box. Prepare cake mix according to directions on box, using instructions for 13"x9" pan. After removing cake from the oven at the end of baking, gently poke holes in the cake with the tines of a fork. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake. Follow this with the cream of coconut. Allow the cake to cool. Spread the whipped topping on top of the cake. Cover the whipped topping with the coconut. Chill and serve cold.

*The cream of coconut can be found in the drink mixers section of your grocery store. Our local Wal-Mart carries it. I like to place the can of coconut cream and sweetened condensed milk into warm water while making the cake. This allows them both to thin a little and eases the pouring onto the cake.

---

Pumpkin Pie Cake

You may associate pumpkin pie with the fall, but this is absolutely delicious any time.

1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin (NOT pie filling)
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 package (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until well blended. Pour into a greased 13"x9" pan. Sprinkle the top of the pumpkin mixture with the dry cake mix. Top with the chopped nuts. Drizzle the melted butter on top of the cake mix and nuts.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Watch the top so it doesn't brown too much. Cool completely before serving. Top with whipped topping if desired, or vanilla ice cream as my husband recommends.

---

Bless this kitchen, Lord, and those who gather here each day. Let it be a place where we can meet to love and laugh and pray.  - Amen

Until we meet again!

Blessings,
Karen

Send recipe requests, comments, suggestions to me at millersburgthree@embarqmail.com.

---