PEANUT BUTTER PIE: A NO COOK TREAT

Peanut butter pie, a no cook treat

Last Saturday afternoon my jingling telephone held a wonderful surprise. At the sound of the calling voice, I became 10 years old again eating Peanut Butter Pie beneath the old apple tree. The voice was that of my cousin, Tommie Shutt, from Silverdale, Wash. As children, our families vacationed together, and we beat a path between our Memphis and Elkton, Tenn., homes during the summer.

Tommie and I have not seen each other for 20 years, but the telephone has been the next best thing in times of great joy and grief. Life carried us in different directions and to opposite sides of the country. Until his recent retirement, Tommie was a chief petty officer, often on board one of the Trident class nuclear submarines, and you know what I have been doing.

With this telephone call, Tommie was seeking a commitment from me that I would be present-and-accounted-for at the 50th wedding anniversary reception for his parents, Charlie and Emma Lou Shutt, at Saltillo, Tenn., on Aug. 22. On this day my dear Uncle Charlie and Aunt Lou will exchange wedding vows again, and a glorious celebration will fill the afternoon hours.

Uncle Charlie and Aunt Lou have been a constant factor in my life. They saw my first steps, their pride in me has always shown and they have cried and laughed with me. In truth, they have been like second parents.

On Aug. 22, the ties that bind shall grow stronger as we all gather from far and near. Thank you, Charlie and Lou, for allowing us to be a part of this poignant occasion.

No Cook Chocolate Crust Peanut Butter Pie

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon sugar or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup whipped topping

1 9-inch chocolate cookie crust

1. Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, butter or margarine and vanilla until smooth with an electric mixer.

2. Fold in whipped topping, by hand. Gently spoon into crust.

3. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Angie Holtzhouser is author of Drop Dumplin's and Pan-Fried Memories ... Along the Mississippi. Her cookbook is available at local bookstores. In addition, it can be purchased through the mail at: Drop Dumplin's, P.O. Box 10, Lilbourn, Mo. 63862. The price is $19.95, including tax and shipping.