{tasty tuesdays} The introduction!

Every Tuesday, I'll post a recipe. Something easy, something yummy, something quick and budget-friendly. Because that's how I roll in the kitchen, at least in this season of my life. I'm definitely not a gourmet, but I do love to cook and bake-- something I inherited from my mother, who is a wonderful chef and very creative in the kitchen.

Besides, as an added bonus, it will get me an easy posting at least once a week, right? :)

To kick us off, here's the recipe for the Oreo Pie I made on Valentine's Day, as requested by Ashley. It is ridiculously easy, but oh-so-yummy! (click on the link above to see a picture-- I forgot to insert one here at the beginning when I should have)

Fabulously Pink Oreo Pie

1 package (8 oz.)) cream cheese, softened*

1/3 cup pwd. sugar

1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed*

Food coloring

1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed oreo cookies

1 chocolate graham cracker crust

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping, along with your choice of food coloring (you could leave it white, but where is the fun in that? I used pink, but it can be changed up depending upon the occasion). Gently stir in 1 cup of the crushed cookies. Spoon into crust. Top with remaining cookies. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours before slicing.

*I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and fat free whipped topping to cut down on the calories. It still tasted great!

If you prefer to make your own crust instead of buying one, as I did, here is the simple recipe for

Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust

1/3 cup melted butter

1 1/4 cups finely crushed chocolate graham crackers (about 18)

Stir butter and crackers together. Press evenly onto bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Chill about one hour or until firm (or, bake in a 375 degree oven for about 4-5 minutes).

Of course, since you are refrigerating this pie anyway, there is no need to do either step before putting in the filling. Also, just for extra pizzazz, I put a few crushed-up oreos in the crust and not quite as many graham crackers.

This pie is also delicious frozen. It's almost like an ice-cream treat.

Enjoy!

***edit*** some of you may be wondering why I posted "Tasty Tuesdays" on a MONDAY. Well, to put your mind at ease concerning how dumb I am, I wrote it out on Monday and then posted it Tuesday, not realizing that it would show the day I wrote it instead of when I actually posted it to my blog. Good to know for the future! From now on, Tasty Tuesdays will actually be on Tuesday.