Sing Over Me: Sugary Sweet

Yes, that's what I crave in both of my pregnancies...sweets.

I've been baking and nesting like crazy. I did this last pregnancy too. If only I'd clean my house more than I baked...oh well!

Muffins
Healthy and delicious. My "add-ins" were raisins, grated carrots, and mashed bananas.

Strawberry Muffins
These aren't super healthy, but I had strawberries I needed to use up, so voila (and who doesn't love Halloween-themed cupcake liners?!).

Rum-Coconut Key Lime Pie
from Southern Living's "Homestyle Cookbook"

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softenened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice
1 tsp. rum
Coconut Crust
Garnish: whipped cream, grated lime rind, shredded coconut

1) Beat cream cheese and milk at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add lime juice and rum, stirring to combine. Pour filling into Coconut Crust (recipe below). Cover and chill at least 4 hours or until set. Garnish, if desired.

Coconut Crust

15 cream-filled vanilla sandwich cookies, finely crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
6 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Combine all ingredients; firmly press on bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool completely.

Photo of regular Key Lime pie from myrecipes.com

And since you have the rum out, you might as well make this:

Pear Skillet Cake with Caramel-Rum Sauce

from Southern Living's "Homestyle Cookbook"

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 pears, peeled and cut into 6 wedges each

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 small pear, unpeeled, cored, and coarsely grated (I coarsely chopped it instead)

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

Caramel-Rum Sauce

1) Preheat oven to 325.

2) Sprinkle brown sugar evenly in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Add butter, and place skillet in a 325 oven for 8 minutes. Remove skillet from oven; stir brown sugar mixture until blended. Arrange pear slices spoke-fashion on brown sugar mixture, working from the center of the skillet to the edge.

3) Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs and oil, beating at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Stir in grated pear and ginger. Spoon batter evenly over sliced pears in skillet.

4) Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Run a knife around edge to loosen from pan. Cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm with Caramel-Rum Sauce.

Caramel-Rum Sauce

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 Tbsp dark rum

1) Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat until butter melts and sugars dissolve. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in rum. Let stand 5 minutes.

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie

from Southern Living's "Homestyle Cookbook"

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

6 cups peeled, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup uncooked regular oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup caramel topping

Vanilla ice cream

1) Preheat oven to 375.

2) Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add apple slices, and toss until coated. Spoon apple mixture into pastry shell; set aside.

3) Combine brown sugar, oats, and 1/2 cup flour; cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture. Bake at 375 for 55 minutes, shielding edges with aluminum foil after 25 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Drizzle with caramel topping. Let stand on wire rack at least 25 minutes. Serve pie with vanilla ice cream.