1 – 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 can sweet condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese, then add milk, lemon, & vanilla.  Make graham cracker crust (about 5 graham crackers mixed with 4 tablespoons melted butter) and put into 8 x 8 glass dish. Add filling over crust. Top with cherry pie filling (make your own or use canned filling). Refrigerate.

Cherry pie filling:
1 cup water
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 small package cherry Jell-O
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. vanilla
Boil water and add cornstarch (dissolve cornstarch in a little warm water first), lemon, salt, and vanilla.  Add 2 cups tart cherries and heat until liquid thickens.

posted 7/18/11

1 Quart Pitted Tart Cherries (5 - 6 cups of cherries for a full pie)
1 cup Sugar
2 - 3 Tbs. Cornstarch or 2 1/2 Tsp. Tapioca
1/4 tsp Salt

Mix sugar with cherries, let set to form juice.  Add cornstarch or tapioca and salt to cherry mixture in saucepan.  Heat on low heat until it starts to thicken.  Put in unbaked pie shell.  Cover with another unbaked pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes until pie filling bubbles.

posted 7/11/11

CANNED SWEET CHERRIES

Fill quart or pint canning jar with unpitted, washed sweet cherries (cherries can be pitted if desired).  Make syrup with 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water. Pour over cherries until jar is filled to ½ inch below top. Cover with lid & ring. Process jars in a hot water bath for 10 - 15 minutes. I bring water to a boil, put in jars, bring to boil, boil 10 minutes, turn off heat and let set in hot water for 3 minutes, then remove jars from water.  After you remove the jars from the water, make sure you tighten the rings down so they seal well.

FROZEN SWEET CHERRIES

Wash your Sweet Cherries, do not pit them. Lay out cherries on a baking sheet with sides and put them in the freezer. After cherries are frozen, place them in a container (can be baggies or hard containers). When you want to eat cherries next winter, simply take out the amount you want and let them set just a few minutes before they are ready to pop in your mouth for a tasty treat!

posted 7/4/11