It would be helpful if you could post the recipe, or supply a link to it. Otherwise it's really difficult to suggest alterations. I remember my mother making "Dream Pies" using a quick-to-bake pastry crust or graham cracker crumb crust (she made her own, but you can purchase commercial graham cracker crusts). Dream Pies were made with Dream Whip (and it's still available in the baking supply isle) and Instant Pudding. You can still find recipes on-line. And don't forget Icebox Pies. Just using the word "icebox" says it all for how long ago that was :-). Here's a sample of an "icebox pie" from Cooks.com: PINEAPPLE ICEBOX PIE 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained 2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened in microwave 45 seconds 1 small container Cool Whip (not cheap kind) 1 tbsp. sugar 1 graham cracker pie crust Soften cream cheese in microwave for 45 seconds. Add drained pineapple and sugar. Mix well. Fold in Cool Whip. Cheaper brands are watery and pie will not set up. Place in graham cracker pie shell and chill one hour minimum. -Grainlady

This is not a crockpot pasta -- more a salad that could easily be served cold or room temp, which could make things even easier for you. I found the recipe on another website and I think it came from a blog where the person recommending it had found it. My apologies to the author for only getting the first name -- no site to go check for more. Anyway, the recipe is very good. We used Olive Garden's Italian Dressing because we had some open but I don't remember what I used for the seasoning (never heard of Spike). Might have just been a seasoned pepper and maybe not a tsp. I had this on the brain this weekend, wanting to make it again, so thought I'd share since it is something a little different. Whole Wheat Orecchiette Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, Red Bell Pepper, and Mushrooms (Makes at least 6 servings; recipe created by Kalyn.) 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces 12 oz. brown Crimini mushrooms, cut into thick half in slices 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick strips about 1 inch long 2 T olive oil salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (for seasoning roasted vegetables) 1/2 lb. whole wheat Orecchiette pasta (or use any smallish whole wheat pasta shape) salt, for pasta cooking water 1/2 cup thickly sliced green onion 1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley 1/4 cup freshly ground Parmesan Dressing Ingredients: 6 T purchased Italian Dressing (for South Beach Diet use a dressing with less than 2 grams of sugar per serving, I used Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing) 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use any all-purpose seasoning blend) 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Break a piece of asparagus to see where the woody part starts, then trim all the asparagus to that size and cut into 1 inch pieces. Seed pepper and cut into strips about 1 inch long. Wash mushrooms if needed and cut into thick slices (or half-slices if the mushrooms are large.) Put the prepared vegetables into a bowl and toss with 2 T olive oil; season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Spray or brush baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray and arrange vegetables in a single layer. (Next time I'd use 2 pans if the vegetables look crowded.) Roast vegetables 15-20 minutes, or until they're starting to shrivel but not completely soft. While vegetables are roasting, fill a medium-sized pot with water, add about 1 tsp. of salt, and bring to a boil. Remove vegetables from the oven and cool on the baking sheet 4-5 minutes. While vegetables cool, whisk together the salad dressing, Spike Seasoning and coarse ground pepper. Chop the parsley and slice the green onions. When the roasted vegetables are partly cooled, put them in a colander placed in the sink and let them drain until any excess liquid runs off. (Don't skip this step or the salad will be watery.) After vegetables drain, return to bowl and toss with 3-4 T of the dressing mixture and let vegetables marinate. Cook pasta to barely al dente (check package cooking time.) Drain pasta into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with COLD water, and then let drain well, stirring a few times so it won't stick together. When the pasta is well-drained, add it to the marinated vegetables, mix in the rest of the dressing, chopped parsley, and sliced green onions, and gently stir to combine. Add the freshly-grated Parmesan, stir again, and serve salad slightly chilled or at room temperature. This was still quite good after it had been in the fridge overnight, although pasta salad like this is best freshly made.

This is so funny because one year I made a pie with Empire apples (which I love) and in my mind it wasn't "mushy" enough so it was a failure, more or less. Then I took it to work and my co-workers raved about it, with one of them saying, "I like this because you can see and taste the individual bits of apples. That's the best kind of apple pie." So it's quite a matter of taste. I made applesauce last weekend for my mom with McIntosh, which gives you the standard type of applesauce like you get in the store bought jars. She loved it, I hated it. I like mine chunky and thick, with individual pieces of apple still left, so I use golden delicious or Empire for mine. I had never heard of Cortland or Empire apples until I had moved out east, but then out east you hardly ever see Jonathans, although now they have Jonagolds, which I guess are a cross? Now I am seeing both Cortlands and Empire in Michigan. Nowdays I have to limit my apple consumption to Gala and Fuji and Pink Lady, mostly. I cheat though, for pies and the like. Plus I really love Empire apples. They are the sassy offspring of red delicious I think. That apple aint what it used to be, although it is BF's favorite still.

All my sweets are gone...I finished them off last night!! Nashville....GORGEOUS plate! Bumble, I also like your pie plates. The scalloped one is just fabulous!!! And the pumpkin pie dish has a wonderful design. And your pie server is so pretty!!! Is a small tablecloth or a towel? I like the design very much! If you have time could you post the apple strudel recipe please? Michelle