Swamp Pie - The updated version....

Swamp Pie.... No, it doesn't sound very appetizing, but it is something that has become special to my family. There was the original Swamp Pie which is how it all started, but I decided to do an updated version and we all agree it tastes even better than the original, though the original was good too. You can read about the original Swamp Pie post here: WHAT Is Swamp Pie???

The updated version of Swamp Pie adds just a bit more richness and flavor to balance out the sweetness and we think it is a big improvement, although my family likes both. We do not have Swamp Pie often, but every once in a while someone says, "Remember when you used to make Swamp Pie?" and we decide to have it again. The most recent time was several months ago and as a bit of fun we decided to make it since all of the family would be together for the meal. Our oldest son brought the girl who is now his wife. I was a bit concerned that she would think we are really strange because of having a dessert like that, especially with the name, but we all laughed about the story of the Swamp Pie and enjoyed our time.

Birthdays at our house are simple, but special. The birthday person gets to choose the meal, the dessert and the activity.  I laughed when my new daughter in law chose Swamp Pie for her birthday and we look forward to celebrating that birthday with her.

The new version of Swamp Pie has a graham cracker crust then I added a special cream cheese layer before putting the Pistachio Pudding on it. Then topped it off with frozen whipped topping. These are not huge changes, but they sure make the dessert even better. So, I think Swamp Pie will be a part of our family for a very long time.   :)   


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                              Swamp Pie- The updated version.....

               This "pie" is very easy to make and doesn't take long either. Great for any age.

                             2 packs graham crackers(of the packs inside a box)    Crush them
                             1/4 cup sugar
                             2/3 cup melted butter
    Mix together, pat into greased 9"x 13" or 10" x 15" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Cool.


                              2-8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
                              1/2 cup powdered sugar....................Mix cream cheese and sugar well w/ mixer
                              4 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed............... Fold whipped topping in gently and spread over cooled crust. I can't always wait until it is fulling cooled and that works also.  :) 


                              2-3.4 oz packages Pistachio Pudding
                              4 cups milk
   Whisk or beat for 2 minutes, then pour over cream cheese layer.


                               4 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed 
                                     Spread over pudding. Chill then serve.
       

               Swamp Pie recipe by Gentle Joy Homemaker.    gentlejoyhomemaker.blogspot.com

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 It's a pretty easy recipe... and fun for the whole family. If you do make it, I would love to hear how you like it.... and if you prefer the original version or the updated version better. 

   Foods like this form the memories which tie our family together and memories of past fun are enjoyed again as we have a fun treat. I have learned, though, to be careful to develop a name for the desserts I make up because otherwise the kids will name them. (sigh).  If I had named this dessert, I would never have chosen "Swamp Pie", but now it seems to fit... and it is fun. 

   Thank you for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful week. 

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy visiting my other blog also. I love photography and my photography blog has lots of nature pictures to enjoy. Find it here:  Gentle Joy Photography 

Living in the Country!

We have had a dream for many years.... of living in the country. The Lord didn't allow it until just a few months ago. What a blessing to be here and to be putting in our gardens, blueberry bushes and more. In this post, I am simply sharing some of the beauty of country scenes that we enjoy.

Living in the country has been a time of discovery for us... discovering our own woodland area... it is small, but new to us. Also as spring is finally here, we are seeing what is growing wild on our land... like gooseberry bushes (we have never had those, so we will be learning), may apples (another new thing) and more. 

The purple fields are not ours, but they are so beautiful to see. 

 We have tire swings now.   :) 

 Sunsets, early mist or fog, early morning shadows, old barns, new barns, animals, birds, fields.... I love taking pictures of all of them!   :)

If you have read my blogs for any length of time, you know that I LOVE to take pictures. It is fun to have so many new scenes to see and enjoy!















 We do have a small barn - actually it is a shed built to look like a barn, but it's great for pictures as well as storage.

 This guy was on our property... about 30 feet from the house when we saw him. He left quickly, but I was glad to get a couple of pictures of him.


















 The bird songs are amazing and we are hearing more of them now that spring is finally here.

 We have finches, mockingbirds, blue birds and more. They are beautiful.

We aren't nearly as excited about the large numbers of blue jays (19 on the front yard one morning!), black birds and starlings.  We accept the good...and the frustrating though. :)

 The farmland is beautiful (and smelly in the spring, but that is part of country living!) .

 Another photo of our large buck....

 We have 2 1/2 acres which is 10 times the land we had in the city. We are loving it.... and staying very busy!  We are already using this property a lot and look forward to what we can do with it.

 There have been many unexpected expenses since we moved .....frozen pipes and flooded driveway in the deep cold, very high electric bills for heating in this very cold winter, and more.... so we are really hoping to save some money with harvesting our own fruits and vegetables. There is a lot of work involved and we are tired, but it is exciting too.

 I liked how this photo turned out even though it isn't a usual photo. I am enjoying snapping many pictures and experimenting.












 Peach blossoms, apple tree and the beds for our blueberry bushes. This picture shows a few that are planted and my husband is trying to get 6 in the ground each evening after work. I would love to take you on a tour of our whole property... and I'm sure I will over the next few months.  :)  

We had many gardens in the city and I brought many plants to our "new" home..... sadly, we lost almost all of them as we didn't realize the garage freezes things and so I lost my starts to my herbs, flowers and more. There were no real garden beds at this house... just a decorative one in the front that had some grasses and shrubs, so we are really starting fresh. We have put in a garden plot that is rather unusual, but I think it will work for us... no pictures of that yet, but they will be coming in a future post. You know how much I blog about gardening!!!!   :) 

Anyway, it is so good to be back... thank you for joining me today and I look forward to reading your comments. Have a great week!