King Cake

1/2 cup water, (105 to 115 degrees)

 2 envelopes active dry yeast

 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 1/2 cup granulated sugar

 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

 2 teaspoons salt

 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

 1/2 cup water, lukewarm

 3 eggs

 4 egg yolks

 1/2 cup butter, softened

 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon of milk, for glaze

 Icing:

 3 cups confectioners sugar

 1/4 cup lemon juice, strained

 3 teaspoons water or more

 Dissolve yeast in water; let stand for about 5 to 10 minutes. Combine flour, granulated sugar, nutmeg, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl. Make a well in center. Add yeast mixture, milk, 3 eggs, and 4 egg yolks; combine thoroughly. Beat in butter until dough holds together and forms a ball. Place on floured board; incorporate more flour if necessary. Knead until smooth and elastic. Stir dough in well buttered bowl and turn so all surfaces are buttered. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Brush baking sheet in butter. Punch down on lightly floured board. Knead, then pat into a 14" cylinder. Place on baking sheet and form into a large ring. Set aside, covered with a towel, to rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Before baking, brush top with the egg and milk mixture. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Beat icing ingredients until smooth. Spread over top of cake, letting drip down sides.

 Immediately sprinkle the colored sugars over icing in 2" wide strips of purple, green and yellow stripes. *Colored sugar is sold in baking supply houses. If you can't find it, tint granulated sugar or icing with paste food coloring. A h bean,coin or small doll can be hidden in the cake after baking. The one that finds it has to host the next party.

Alabama Mud Cake

This is a dessert I don't even mind making.

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice

1 can apple pie filling (or cherry)

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter or margarine, sliced

    Pour pineapple with juice into prepared pan, spreading evenly to make the first layer. Spread apple filling over the pineapple layer, then spread the dry cake mix over the apple filling. Sprinkle the cake mix layer with pecans and chocolate chips then distribute the sliced butter evenly over the top.

    Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Fried Sweet Potato Pies

Pasrty:

3 cups All-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Salt

3/4 cup cold butter

1 Egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/4 cup ice water (have it in a class until you need to measure)

1/2 teaspoon Vinegar (preferably white vinegar)

Mix together the flour and salt. Cut in butter, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir together the beaten egg with the water and sprinkle over flour mixture. Sprinkle in the vinegar, mixing lightly, until ingredients are well combined. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling:

 1 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash ground ginger

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl

Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and cut it into four equal pieces. You can then cut each of the four pieces into three equal pieces, leaving you with 12 golf-ball-size dough balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 5- to 6-inch circle. Your circles don't have to be perfect, and ragged edges are okay.

Put about 2 generous tablespoons of filling onto one side of the circle of dough. Seal the pie by wetting the inside edge of the dough with water and then fold over the dough, making the familiar half-moon shaped pie. Make sure the edges of the dough are even, and press and crimp to insure a good seal. You can use a fork to give you a bit of a decorative edge if you like. You can also correct the more ragged edges during this step because the dough is pliable. Just make sure the filling is sealed in and that any holes in the dough are crimped.

If you have a fryer, fry the pies one at a time at 375 degrees for 3-4 minutes, or put about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet and fry them 1 1/2 to 2 min per side . Some people may prefer to use an electric to ensure temp for this. Just remember (golden brown and delicious).