Desserts from a Box or a Can that You Can Serve at a Party

I'm a modern woman who loves to bake.  I like bringing dessert to a get-together or having something sweet after Sunday dinner, but I do not have time to make everything from scratch.  When I consult my grandmother's old cookbook, they made everything themselves: pie crusts, white sauces, cake mixes.  Now, I buy all those things in a box or a can.  For a few quick (at least in prep time if not baking time) recipes that come mostly from your store shelves in a box or a can, but that look and taste as good as home cooking, read on. 

Key Lime Pie
Great for: backyard picnics, a summer fiesta

Ingredients:
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup lime juice
2 eggs
1 pre-prepared graham cracker crust

Whisk together the condensed milk, the eggs, and the lime juice.  Pour onto graham cracker crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.  Refrigerate for two hours. It really is that easy. 

Snickers Brownie Pie
Great for: Halloween, girls night in

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix (also requires 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup oil)
1 can chocolate frosting
1 bag snickers minis
1 pre-prepared graham cracker crust
optional - sprinkles!

Mix brownie batter according to recipe on the box.  Unwrap snickers minis and place them on the bottom of the graham cracker crust, separated by about 1/2 inch.  Pour brownie mix over the snickers candies.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick stuck in center comes out clean.  Let cool.  Frost.  Decorate if desired.

Cherry Pie
Great for: Thanksgiving, Fourth of July

Ingredients:
2 cans cherry pie filling
1 box pre-prepared pie crust (contains two crust rounds)

Unroll one crust into a pie pan.  Score the bottom of the crust.  Fill with cherry pie filling (this may take less than full two cans).  Drape pie with second pie crust and crimp bottom and top crusts together.  Make four or five slits in top crust.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 

If you want to get fancy with it, you can use a cookie cutter to cut shapes out of your top crust (like hearts or leaves) to leave a pretty pattern of exposed pie filling.  You can lay those crust cut-outs on top of the pie as well.