There ARE a couple of good choices on
the market which provide home-baked
taste while also giving fresh-when-needed
convenience, whether it's over the holidays
or just having a few friends over
for not much at all.

Men who are living alone need to know
about these secrets of the kitchen
trade because it helps you plan better,
as well as take care of your own
needs while living in your own home
space and running your own man-kitchen.

The big hazard for these choices, of course,
is to make sure you have some personal
self control. Having goodies in the house
does NOT mean you can sit down with
a fork and eat the whole thing in
one sitting and then also avoid a
heart attack visit to the emergency
room the very next day.

Having something this good around the
house also means eating with moderation
in small pieces over a period of a few
days. Yes especially if you are just
returning home from deployment, and
running your very first man-house by
yourself, it will be tempting for you
to scarf up these convenient store
all in one sit down but be warned,
a big fat stomach ache is all you will
get out of it. Eating these with
moderation as one piece deserts over
a couple of days will be plenty for
what you need to chase away the blues.

Both of these choices are actually
much better than in-store bakery
offerings and after you have had them,
I think you will agree.

First up, Pepperidge Farms 3-layer
frozen cakes. Go to the freezer section
of most supermarket stores, and believe
it or not, many small deli stores in
the inner city also do carry these in
the freezer section. They come in
white coconut layer cake and a chocolate
offering and both are incredibly excellent
and very fresh.

Just bring the cake home, take it
out of the box or just open one end
of the box to let the air in, and
the cake thaws in about 30 minutes
and is ready to eat.

They stay in the freezer until you
are ready to use, and how can THAT
be anything less than handy? They
go well with coffee, and they make
an excellent holiday dish for your
friends who stop by or an after
dinner from one of the many other
meals you might be throwing together
for that all new girlfriend.

Here is the LINK below so you can
see what the freezer box looks like.
Search in the big glass door freezer
section for DESERTS in the aisles where
they also sell frozen vegetabls or
pizzas. Once you see the box below
in the link, you will know that
you have the right choice.


http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/ProductDetail.aspx?catID=766

Expect to pay around $5.00 for one
of these cakes. When you are done
with your piece of cake, put the cake
back inside the box and keep it in
the bottom part of your refrigerator
for later servings when you want
them.


Next is Marie Callender's brand
Razzleberry Pie. Let me tell ya,
as a kid I used to have an aunt
who lived on a farm and we would
go out and pick the berries and then
she would make these great pies.
This Marie Callenders version in
the freezer is the exact kind of
recipe my aunt used to make, so
my family is loving this choice
big time.

Not all of the major supermarkets
carry the Marie Callender brand
of pies, so look around. If they
carry one of her pies, then they
likely also carry the Razzleberry
choice.

This is not what you might think.
It's a blend of blackberries and
black rasberries and there is no
tartness to it. It's more on the
side of blackberry pie than it is
rasberry.

You have to put the pie on a flat
pan of some kind or what is typically
known as a cookie sheet.

Yes you can use a large foil pan
which is cheaper and can be bought
in the Baking aisle of the store.

Take the pie out of the box. Preheat
your oven to 400 degrees. Take a fork
and poke through the top frozen crust
gingerly, to make a few lines of holes
in the top of the crust. If the fork
doesn't work for you and the top crust
breaks, then use a sharp knife instead
and slice "slits" through the top
crust instead. Whichever approach
works just fine.

Take a small strip of aluminum foil
and tear it off. Then place the foil
around the edges of the crust so the
edges don't burn during baking.

Put the pie on the flat pan, or in
the foil pan, or on a cookie sheet
and put it in the oven.

If you have a timer, set it for around
70 minutes or note the clock. The pie
should be a light brown on top, and
perhaps bubbling through the top crust.

Allow the pie to cool for at least
1 hour. The pie will completely fall
apart if you try to eat it while it
is still too hot.

Vanilla ice cream on top or whip
cream on each slice both works very
well when you serve it.

When the pie is totally cool it can
stay out on your counter for about
2 days but then you should cover it
in aluminum foil and put it back
in the bottom part of your refrigerator
for later servings.

Match up the box to the LINK display
below:


https://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Produ...002&productId=352814


Expect to pay around $7.00 for this
pie, and it stays in your freezer
until you are ready to take it out
for the quick bake off.

Both of these freezer offerings are
outstanding choices for your home,
and family or friends will be glad
to have either one if they come to
visit you. Plus you will also be
a very happy camper.

It takes a little work to find these
choices at the stores, but once you
know where you can get them then
you only do the search once.