1 cup chopped blanched almonds

Hannah"s 1st Note: This is a lot easier with an electric mixer.

Beat the b.u.t.ter, cream cheese and sugar together until they"re nice and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs and the almond extract, and mix them in.

Peel and slice the peaches (or drain them and pat them dry if you"ve used prepared peaches or canned peaches.) Mash them in a food processor with the steel blade, or puree them in a blender, or squash them with a potato masher until they"re pureed. Measure out 1 and cups of mashed peaches and add it to your mixing bowl. Stir well.

In another bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix them together.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the peach mixture, beating at low speed until everything is incorporated.

Mix in the almonds by hand.

Coat the inside of two loaf pans (the type you"d use for bread) with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon in the peach bread batter.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately one hour, or until a long toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top browns a bit too fast, tent a piece of foil over the top of the loaves.

You can also bake this in 6 smaller loaf pans, filling them about half full. If you use the smaller pans, they"ll need to bake approximately 45 minutes.

Cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack in the pans. Then loosen the edges and turn the loaves out onto the wire rack.

Yield: Makes 2 bread-sized loaves, or 6 small loaves.

Hannah"s 2nd Note: This bread is also good toasted. Mother loves it toasted with honey b.u.t.ter on top.

If you want to make these as m.u.f.fins, pour the batter into greased (or cupcake papered) m.u.f.fin tins and bake at 375 degrees F. for 25 minutes or until golden on top. (Mini m.u.f.fins should bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden on top.) Andrea realized that everyone was still staring at her and she gave a little shrug. "I"ve learned some things about cooking."

Hannah had all she could do to hold her tongue. The last time she"d gone to lunch at Andrea"s house, several months before her sister had hired Grandma McCann to help her with the children and the meals, Andrea had served peanut b.u.t.ter sandwiches with mint jelly.

"Well, I have," Andrea insisted when no one said a word. "I know a lot more than I did when I tried to follow the recipe for Hannah"s Lemon Meringue Pie."

There was total silence for a long, uncomfortable moment. Andrea finally broke the silence by laughing. "All right. Maybe I"ll never be a good cook." She turned to look at Hannah. "And I release you from your promise. You can tell them what I did when I made the pie."

"I"ll tell them over dessert," Hannah said, motioning to Lisa to carry out the dessert tray.

"Is that a lemon pie?" Andrea asked, spotting the meringue on the top of the pies Lisa was carrying.

"No, it"s a new recipe I"m testing for Peanut b.u.t.ter and Jelly Pie."

"PBJ Pie?" Andrea looked intrigued.

"Yes. You can use any jam or jelly." Hannah paused and tried to be tactful. "But I really wouldn"t try it with mint jelly. I don"t think it would be very good. I used grape jelly in one pie, and peach jam in the other."

"There"s a cake there, too," Delores pointed out. "What kind is that?"

"Something new that Lisa and I just baked. It"s a Tapioca Cheesecake."

"Two desserts?" Claire Rodgers Knudson asked. "Is that... allowed?"

Grandma Knudson laughed and patted Claire"s hand. "Of course it is, dear. Eating two desserts is never a sin as long as you take small bites."

Pies

LEMON MERINGUE PIE.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 nine-inch baked pie sh.e.l.l THE FILLING:.

3 whole eggs

4 egg yolks (save the whites in a mixing bowl and let them

come up to room temperature you"ll need them for

the meringue)

cup water

cup lime juice

cup lemon juice

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

cup cornstarch

1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 Tablespoon b.u.t.ter

Hannah"s 1st Note: Using a double boiler makes this recipe foolproof, but if you"re very careful and stir constantly so it doesn"t scorch, you can make the lemon filling in a heavy saucepan directly on the stove over medium heat.

Put some tap water in the bottom of a double boiler and heat it until it simmers. (Make sure you don"t use too much water it shouldn"t touch the bottom of the pan on top.) Off the heat, beat the egg yolks with the whole eggs in the top of the double boiler. Add the cup water, lime juice, and lemon juice. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until completely blended. Add this to the egg mixture in the top of the double boiler and blend thoroughly.

Place the top of the double boiler over the simmering water and cook, stirring frequently, until the lemon pie filling thickens (5 minutes or so). Lift the top saucepan of the double boiler, the one containing the lemon filling you just made, and place it on a cold burner. Add the lemon zest and the b.u.t.ter to the filling, and stir thoroughly. Let the filling cool while you make the meringue.

THE MERINGUE:.

Hannah"s Note: This is a whole lot easier with an electric mixer!

4 egg whites

teaspoon cream of tartar

teaspoon salt

cup white (granulated) sugar

Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites and mix them in. Beat the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. Continue beating as you sprinkle in the sugar. When the egg whites form firm peaks, stop mixing and tip the bowl to test the meringue. If the egg whites don"t slide down the side, they"re ready.

Put the filling into the baked pie sh.e.l.l, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Clean and dry your spatula. Spread the meringue over the filling with the clean spatula, sealing it to the edges of the crust. When the pie is completely covered with meringue, "dot" the pie with the flat side of the spatula to make points in the meringue. (The meringue will shrink back when it bakes if you don"t seal it to the edges of the crust.) Bake the pie at 350 degrees F. for no more than 10 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven, let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack, and then refrigerate it if you wish. This pie can be served at room temperature, but it will slice more easily if it"s chilled.

Hannah"s 2nd Note: To keep your knife from sticking to the meringue when you cut the pie, dip it in cold water.

KEY LIME PIE.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

THE CRUST:.

Make your favorite graham cracker or cookie crumb crust in an 8-inch or 9-inch pie pan (or buy one pre-made at the grocery store I used a shortbread crust).

THE FILLING:.

5 eggs