We had some amazing entries for our pie contest. Check out our podcast link below for the amusing play-by-play of our pie tasting and try out the recipes yourself. Clockwise from top left; Chocolate Pecan Pie, Peanut Butter Pie, Grandma's Peach Custard Pie, Buttermilk Pie, Classic Chocolate Cream Pie.

Chocolate Pecan Pie
 1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). 
2. Combine sugar with cocoa in a bowl. Add eggs, corn syrup, butter and vanilla; stir until well blended. Pour filling into unbaked pie crust. Top with chopped pecans
3. Bake for 60 minutes or until set. Transfer from oven to wire rack; cool completely. Garnish with whipped topping before serving. 
​
Peanut Butter Pie
¾ c sugar
5 Tbsp flour
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ c milk
½ tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
½ c peanut butter
9” pie shell, baked as directed
Redi Whip or Cool Whip
Peanut Butter Crumbles
½ c. powdered sugar
¼ c. peanut butter
Combine sugar, flour, and salt in large saucepan. Mix with wooden spoon. Blend in milk, vanilla and egg yolks. Add butter and cook over medium heat until thick. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and mix in peanut butter. Cool mixture completely in ice water bath. Pour in to baked pie shell. Top with Redi-whip or Cool Whip and Peanut Butter Crumbles.
For Peanut Butter Crumbles, combine sugar and peanut butter in bowl and using a mixer, combine until crumbles form. Sprinkle on top of whipped topping.

Grandma's Peach Custard Pie
If you have a tried & true crust recipe, use it. I am a lazy cheat so I use Pillsbury pre-made pie crust
 
5 or 6 peaches (or 2 15oz cans/3 cups diced if you can't find nice fresh ones - rinse and drain canned ones & don't mix with sugar)
PREP: Preheat oven to 375°
Peel & slice 5-6 peaches, toss slices with 2 TBSP sugar and set aside to macerate.
 
MIX UNTIL SMOOTH:
3 whole large eggs
3 TBSP all purpose flour
1 TBSP softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
 
Stir in peaches - pour mixture into piecrust
Bake at 375 on middle rack for 30 minutes; check to make sure crust edges aren't getting burnt. If so, cover edges only with aluminum foil. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes until top is nicely browned.
Let cool - then chill in fridge for 1 hour to set the custard before serving.

Buttermilk Pie
¼ c flour
1 3/8 c sugar
½ tsp salt
½ c melted butter, cooled
3 eggs slightly beaten
½ c buttermilk
1 ½ tsp vanilla
½ c pecans (optional)
9-inch deep dish pie crust
Preheat oven to 350. Combine eggs and butter. Add flour, salt, sugar, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Stir in crushed pecans or sprinkle on to top of pie.
Pour in to deep dish pie pan and place pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, covering pie after 15 minutes with foil to keep from getting too brown. Center of pie will be a bit giggly. 

Classic Chocolate Cream Pie
9-inch baked pastry shell or crumb crust, cooled
5 sections Hershey’s unsweetened chocolate baking bar (1/2 oz each), broken in pieces
3 c milk, divided
1 1/3 c sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cornstarch
½ tsp salt
3 eggs yolk
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Whipped topping (optional)

1. Prepare pastry shell, cool
2. Combine chocolate and 2 cups milk in medium saucepan; cook over medium heat stirring constantly, just until mixture boils remove from heat; set aside
3. Stir together sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in medium bowl. Blend remaining 1 cup milk in to egg yolks and stir in to sugar mixture. Gradually add to chocolate mixture. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla.
4. Pour in to prepared pastry shell; press plastic wrap directly on to surface. Cool; refrigerate until well chilled. Top with whipped cream if desired. 

Which pie was the winner? Listen to the podcast to find out, and let us know which pie was your favorite! 
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Shauna Glenn Design

I've been making these cupcakes for Halloween treats and school parties for years, and every time they're a little different. The basic idea is the same, it's just the icing on top varies from year to year. Sometimes I'm lazy and make do with stuff I find in the fridge or pantry. If I plan ahead and buy the appropriate ingredients they turn out better. Let's call me lazy this year.

Anyway, these cupcakes are easy to make (if you allow it to be--I'll explain) and are a huge hit with kids (and grown ups too).

First, I'm not going to pretend I'm a baker. I have strengths and baking isn't one of them. I use box cake mix (insert collective gasps). I buy ready-made frosting. It's all I can do to take the time to make the witches legs, and that part can take up to an hour--or more. BUT! It's worth it I promise.

Here's what you'll need:

1 cake mix (or homemade cake batter if you're an overachiever) and the ingredients for the mix
2 cans white frosting
powdered sugar, milk, and green food coloring for the green icing 
paper straws
black card stock
cupcake liners
glue
an oven

To make Melting Witch Cupcakes:
Assuming you have an oven, bake the cupcakes according to the recipe. Let cool.
Cut each paper straw in half. 
Using a pencil, draw witches shoes. I promise no two will look alike and that's okay. Do not obsess or agonize over this part. You will start drinking and will soon find yourself drunk. I'm serious. Draw the dumb shoes. Cut them out. Move on.
Glue your not-so-perfect shoes to the straws. Set aside to dry.
In a piping bag (or plastic baggie with corner nipped off) add white frosting. Pipe on  cupcakes after they've cooled.
In a mixing bowl add powdered sugar and a small amount of milk. You don't want the icing to be too runny, just enough runny. See, this is where a professional baker would be a good idea. I have no idea how to tell you how to do this part. You just have to figure it out. Sorry. 
Add green food coloring. Mix and voila--there's your melting witch parts.
Pour green icing over each cupcake. It's okay if the icing runs over the edge. She's a melting witch after all.
When you're ready, insert the witch's legs in the cupcakes. 
Congratulations. You're a master baker. No one can top you. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back. Ask your kids to tell you three things they love about you. Have some wine and call it a day. Happy Halloween.

OK, so maybe not WORLD famous, but we are pretty sure that once you try this banana bread recipe you will buy on purpose those spotty over-ripe bananas for half price at the grocery store just to make it. Pop in the toaster for breakfast and top with cream cheese or chevre if you are fancy. Or warm in the microwave and add a scoop of Blue Bell Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and some caramel sauce drizzle. The great thing about this recipe is that it makes 2 loaves. One to eat now and one to freeze. Or give away. Or not. Enjoy, friends!

Banana Bread 
Preheat oven to 350.
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1 18.25oz package yellow cake mix (without pudding)
1 3.4oz package banana instant pudding mix
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 bananas mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions:
Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Add cake mix, pudding mix, water and oil. Mix well. Stir in bananas and nuts.
Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9 x 4 x 3 loaf pans. 
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool in loaf pans on wire racks for 10-15 minutes or until cool to the touch. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks before cutting.