Recipe Swap: Sweet celebrations at the end of this year's tax season

Today is the Internal Revenue Service deadline to file your income tax return. It is a mixed bag of emotions at the post office; some filers are getting money back while some have to pay, and to some their result was a surprise causing either much happiness or great sadness and anxiety. For those who work in the income tax preparation field, April 15 is the day they have looked forward to since January. So, in their honor, today we will have desserts that they can dive into to relieve the stress of a busy income tax season.

Candy Bar Angel Cake

Bake an angel food cake per package directions or purchase a large ready-made cake at the store. Tear cake into bite-size pieces. Place in a 9-by-13-inch dish. Mix 1 5-ounce package vanilla pudding mix according to package directions and add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Top the angel food cake pieces with the pudding, then add a 12-ounce container of whipped topping. Top with 4 crushed Heath or Butterfinger candy bars. You can also add in some crushed candy bar into the vanilla pudding for another added crunch in the middle. Chill until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Cherry Wow

1 9-inch baked and cooled pie shell

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons milk

1 heaping cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 (12-ounce) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 can extra fruit cherry pie filling

Cream together the cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar. Add almond extract, vanilla extract and whip until light and fluffy. Fold in the pecans and whipped topping. Fill cooked pie shell. Top with cherry pie filling. Chill until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Brownie Mint Pie

1 (4.6-ounce) package wrapped chocolate mints (I used Andes brand)

1 (15.8-ounce) package brownie mix

1 unbaked (9-inch) deep dish pie shell

Vanilla ice cream

Hot fudge topping

Chop chocolate mints. Set aside 3 tablespoons. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Stir chopped mints into batter. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm with ice cream and hot fudge topping and sprinkle with remaining mint pieces on top.

Quick and Easy Key Lime Pie

1 prepared graham cracker pie crust

1/2 cup key lime juice

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Whip well-chilled whipping cream until medium-soft peaks form. Combine condensed milk and lime juice until well blended. Gently fold in whipped cream until all are combined. Pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate until serving time.

Quick Country Pie

1 unbaked deep dish pie shell

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chopped or broken pecans

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter then add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Doubles easily to make two pies at a time.

Snickers Pie

1 9-inch pie shell

5 Snickers candy bars

4 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup chocolate chips

3 tablespoons whipping cream

Bake a 9-inch pie shell 5 minutes in a 450-degree oven. Cut the 5 candy bars into 1/4-inch pieces. Put in the pie shell. Combine the cream cheese, sugar and eggs and beat until well combined. Stir in sour cream and peanut butter. Pour over candy bars in pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until set in the center. Remove from oven. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and whipping cream together stirring until chocolate is melted. Pour over top of pie. Allow to cool until ready to serve. For a change, you can also use Milky Way candy bars.

Creamy Pork Chop Bake

Sherry Hoernig of Benton, Mo., sent in this recipe she recently tried. Her family enjoyed it so much she wanted to pass it along to you. The recipe does not specify how many pork chops, but 4 or 6 would work just fine in this mixture.

Pork chops

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cram of mushroom soup

1 (16-ounce) container sour cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 package frozen hash-brown potatoes, thawed

16 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1 can french-fried onion rings, divided

Brown pork chops in skillet until browned. Remove from skillet and drain on paper toweling. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix together soup, sour cream, and salt and pepper. Stir in potatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 cup onions. Mix together and spread mixture in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange pork chops over potato mixture. Cover dish and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees. Remove cover. Top with remaining cheese and onions and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes.

Have a great week and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.