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My grandson is coming to visit and has requested sweet potatoes with marshmallows baked on top. Does anyone have a recipe they would like to share?
Thanks, Anne

Hi Nancy – a while back people were talking about the Campbell’s Cream of Onion soup. I bought some today, now I don’t have any recipes! I wonder if someone could post some recipes using Cream of Onion soup. Thanks so much, love your newsletter. I don’t write in very often, but I’ve been a faithful reader for many
years. I feel like I know you and so many of the other ladies on here.
Patricia in KY

Someone requested a recipe for a breakfast casserole with Rice Krispies. We like this one and hope you do too.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Brown 2 lb. sausage with one large finely chopped onion. In a bowl whisk 10 eggs. Add 2 cans mushroom soup and whisk well. Stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese. Add the browned sausage and onion and mix well. Lightly spray a 9" x 13" baking pan with Spam. Pour half of meat mixture in pan and top with 1 cup Rice Krispies. Top with
remaining meat mixture and then another cup of Rice Krispies. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 40 minutes, until hot.
~ Dar in Iowa

Top 100 Recipe Sites

I read with interest JL from S Jersey's German Potato Dumplings. My mother's family was also German; their potato dumplings are a little different. I'm sending my recipe, but I'm sure going to try yours.

Potato Dumplings
There is no exact recipe adjust ingredients as needed.
Finely grate raw potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in enough flour to make a very stiff dough. Drop by spoonful into boiling water. Boil about 10 min. Drain. Fry in butter or oil. When nearly brown, top with chopped onions. Serve hot as a side
dish. Actually, we often serve as an entree along with a vegetable. This takes awhile to fix, but for us is a comfort food!
Melody--Nebraska

Marlene Fl, RE: Brine the Turkey. I always thought that my birds came out just terrific too and then we decided to brine. I brine all turkey, I brine chicken before grilling or baking, I brine pork chops. Very easy and the meat is always Super Moist!
There really is a difference. Have to try it just once and you will be hooked!
Billie in Fl

For Peg in Ill,
I think it would be okay to reheat the little Reuben's. They could be reheated in a microwave just don't overwarm them or the bead will get tought...
Carol in Tn

HI Nancy,
This is for Colleen in Ontario. Go to Google and find the following URL:
http://www.shopatshowcasecanada.com/storelocation.html#
It tells you where to get it in Ontario. Good luck,
Agnes, Ottawa, Ontario.

You simply must try these muffins. They were so good! The frosting alone is worth
it.

Apple, Pecan & Cheddar Muffins with Apple Cider & Cream Cheese Glaze
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
1 ts baking powder
1/2 ts nutmeg
1/2 ts allspice
1/2 ts cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
4 TB buttermilk
½ cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 medium McCoun apples: peeled, cored and cut into 3/4 -inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter 12 regular-size muffin cups. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice,
cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Beat in the egg and buttermilk. Stir in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Fold in the apples, pecans, and cheddar cheese.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 30 - 40 minutes (depending on oven temp and muffin pans) or until the apples are tender and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. (while these are baking I like to get my cider glaze done and into the fridge to chill for a while).
Let muffins cool before glazing.

Apple Cider Cream Cheese Glaze
1/2 package cream cheese, softened
1 package of confectioners' sugar
½ ts cinnamon
3 TB apple cider (not apple juice)

I melted the cider and cream cheese over very low heat, very slowly while constantly stirring. There will be lumps. When it was cooled a bit I added in the cinnamon. In a separate bowl put the confectioner’s sugar in there and slowly add the melted cider mix to the confectioners sugar. Don’t add all the liquid in, only add
in a bit at a time until you reach the glaze thickness you desire. (I only used about ¾ of the liquid mixture, use less for a frosting). Keep mixing till fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Make sure to chill this in the fridge for a while before using.

Notes: I only like to use McCoun apples for baking. I know they are in season for a couple months (oct & nov). I have no idea what else to use instead of these. Whatever apple is sweet, juicy, crispy with a little bit of tart to it would be good. I do not recommend Granny Smith apples for this recipe.If you want to use muffin liners you can. These are very moist muffins, almost
delicate.

For pictures please go to: http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.com
Dawn - cape cod, ma

Hi Nancy - today I was at a small quilting group and I had told a couple of ladies about your newsletter. This morning they thanked me for sending you website. I notice that the subject of liver and onions has come up again. I think I sent your an email commenting on this recipe but can't remember for sure (senior moment) Anyway the recipe was from Romona in California. My mom who is 96 said that this was the best that she had ever eaten and she was a wonderful cook in earlier years, even cooking in a restaurant, I tried looking it up in your archives but couldn't find it. I think that several steps that make this so wonderful is soaking the liver for 2 hours in milk and also the bacon.
Janis in Missouri

In response to Jae Nov. 1 newsletter, wanting brown sugar recipes, here's one of my
favorites:

Butterscotch Syrup for ice cream (or cake)
1 cup brown sugar,
1/4 cup milk
2 T. corn syrup
3 T. butter

Mix and bring to boil for 3 minutes. (NO LONGER) Delicious!!

And Jae, if you feel like baking, how about a Carmel Topping Apple Pie? 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 pound butter, melted, 1/2 cup flour and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Mix 1/2 mixture with sliced apples. Put apples in unbaked pie shell. Put rest of mixture on top of apples. Pour 1/2 cup cream on top. Bake 350 until the apples are done.
Annie from Gomer

 
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This is a quick/easy recipe for a dinner.

Pizza Balls
Mix together in a bowl:

1 pound Italian sausage (out of casing)
2 cups baking mix (your choice)
1 chopped pepper (any color)
1 chopped medium onion
1 - 16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
Stir in (up to 1 cup water gradually) to make a workable moist consistency to form
into balls.

Grease a baking sheet.
Make mixture into medium balls.
Place on baking sheet and press down lightly.
Bake 400 oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with:

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Cut 4 baking potatoes into small chucks.
Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp rosemary, salt/pepper to taste.
Bake 400 oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Potatoes can be roasted at the same time as the Pizza Balls. However, continue
cooking potatoes (approx) an additional 10 minutes after taking Pizza Balls out of
oven.

Add a salad or a mix of green beans and sliced tomatoes and your favorite dressing
to complete dinner.

Dessert:

Lemon Pie
Bake a refrigerated or frozen pie shell.
Pour 1/2 of melted jam into baked shell. (Marmalade, raspberry, mixed berry, etc.)
Cool.

Fill with your favorite lemon pie filling or the following recipe.

Mix together in a bowl:

2 pkg instant lemon pudding (regular or sugar free)
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Pour into pie shell and refrigerate at least 2 hours. When serving pie top with
whipped cream or cool whip.
Judy/Buffalo

This is an easy people pleaser recipe.

Fried Dough
Roll out purchased or home made pizza dough about 1/4" thick.
Cut into squares about the size of your palm.

In sauté pan heat:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Place pieces of dough in pan (do not over crowd)
Sauté on both sides until golden.

Remove from pan and immediately sprinkle with a cinnamon/sugar mixture (white
sugar and enough cinnamon to satisfy your taste) and serve.

Continue with rest of dough (if desired). You may have to add a little more butter/oil
to the pan.
Judy/Buffalo

Suzie in Ontario, CA
Happy you liked the Easy Coconut Pie. It is one of my favorites also. A real crowd pleaser. Suzie, is the CA for Canada or California? If it is Canada we are neighbors.
I am right across the border. Thank you for commenting on the pie.
Judy/Buffalo

Wanda, the Chicken in a jug recipe is on the
http://www.123-free-recipes.com
site. You'll find it listed under poultry. Good luck with your new bean pot. I have an old one and love it for baked beans as well as the "Chicken in a Jug". Carol in MA

I've tried many different ways of cooking a turkey over the years, but since Alton Brown's Brined Turkey recipe came out I've used his method exclusively with great results. Someone has already submitted the recipe a few newsletters ago. At this time of the year many food writers will tell you that you shouldn't brine a frozen turkey, but need a fresh one or even a heritage turkey. In today's economy, that's not always a choice a lot of us can make. A few years ago, Jane Snow, the ex-food writer for the Akron Beacon Journal and a two time Beard Award winner, had a very
nice article about a delicious turkey a chef friend of hers had cooked and how surprised she was when he told her it had been a frozen one. She told her readers not to be afraid to try brining frozen turkeys.

The groceries chains here have frozen $5 turkeys under 16 lbs and $6 over 16 lbs (hope this year is the same.) I always buy 2 and put one in the freezer for later. I thaw and brine the turkey. I use kosher salt as the basis for the brine, but I try different spices herbs and sometimes fruit juices every year. I heat the brine to
dissolve all the ingredients and let it cool. The best temperature for brining is about 38 degrees. I put the turkey in my turkey fryer, add the brine and some ice. I put a plate on top and weight it down to ensure the turkey stays submerged. I usually put it in my garage because it is cold enough this time of year. I let it overnight. I've always checked the temperature of the brine in the morning and it's always stayed in the 38 degree range. I use Alton's method of high heat and low heat and the turkeys are always very tasty and juicy. My kids have turkey at our house and then at their in-laws houses. They always tell me that mine was the best. The point is don't be afraid to brine a frozen turkey if you can't get a fresh or heritage turkey.
Dave in Colorado

Wanda T wanted the "Beanpot Chicken" recipe.(Nov 2)
I believe this is what she wants.
It was originally posted by Jan in DE.
gramaj

Chicken In A Jug
1 whole chicken cut up (or pieces of your choice (jug will hold alot)
About 5TBSP. Olive oil mixed with (fresh if possible) chopped oregano, rosemary, sage and basil (I used about a handful of each). If using dry, measure accordingly.
1/2 onion chopped. Mix herbs with onion and oil.
Put 1 layer of chicken in jug, cover with herb mixture, then 2nd layer of chicken and
top with remaining herb mixture.

Tuck about 6 large peeled garlic cloves down in the chicken (more if you want-you never have enough garlic)

Cover opening with foil and top with the jug top. Bake at 300°-325° for 3 hours. Do not uncover during baking as the chicken will make its own essence. If you have room, you can put some small red potatoes in the bottom of the jug too. Essence is wonderful for dipping with nice crusty bread.
Jane

To Mary about Thanksgiving dinner. Every Christmas I have all my family: four children and their spouses, eleven grandchildren, seven of whom are married so that's seven spouses; and thirteen great grandchildren. As of two years ago we started having our turkey and spiral cut ham cooked at Winn Dixie. Our local store
stays open until eleven the morning of the holiday so my DH picks it up in the morning. Then I make cornbread dressing, a hash brown casserole, broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn and tomato maque choux, and green bean bundles.
 
With that I make a fruit salad or a cherry cola mold. For dessert I make a strawberry cake, bread pudding with lemon sauce, banana pudding, and Mexican apple crepes. Then only my older son and I like lime Jell-O with mayonnaise, so I fix a small dish of that. And one of my granddaughters is absolutely crazy about macaroni
and cheese, so that is always on the menu. I prepare the dressing and the casseroles to the point of the final baking the day before and refrigerate. Then I make the gelatin molds and the cake. That way the only things I have to prepare on the day of the meal are the bread pudding, the Mexican apple crepes, the macaroni
and cheese (that's the packaged kind because that is the kind she likes) and the fruit salad. I've been doing this for years, just adding larger portions and more dishes as the family increased. I'm sure your dinner will be lovely.
Jackiets from Louisiana

For the person wanting holiday recipes: I'm not sure where I got this recipe - it may have been from this column, but I've used it for two years and it is by far the best turkey gravy I've ever made or eaten. The bonus is you can make it several days early (or a month or so if you freeze it) and get that "last minute" item out of the way.

I've also included a recipe for "make-ahead mashed potatoes." I found this recipe the same year I found the gravy recipe and I think I sent them in last year, but for anyone who missed it and for the newcomers, you'll be sorry if you don't use these recipes.
Doris in Oklahoma City


Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
From A Bountiful Banquet

Makes 8 cups Active: 10 min/Total: About 3 hr
Planning Tip: Freeze in an airtight container up to 1 month. Refrigerate 2 days to
thaw. Reheat in saucepan, whisking often (see Note).
4 turkey wings (about 3 to 4 lb)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
8 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp stick butter
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400°F. Have ready a large roasting pan, 5- to 6-qt pot and 3-qt saucepan. Put wings in a single layer in roasting pan; scatter onions on top. Roast 1 1/4 hours or until wings are browned.

Put wings and onions in pot. Add 1 cup water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on bottom. Add to pot. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate remaining 2 cups), the carrots and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours.

Remove wings. When cool, pull off skin and meat. Discard skin; save meat for another use. Strain broth into saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables; skim fat off broth. (If time permits, refrigerate
over-night so fat that rises to the top solidifies and can be easily removed.)

Whisk flour into the remaining 2 cups broth until thoroughly blended and smooth. Bring broth in the saucepan to a gentle boil. Whisk in flour mixture and boil 4 to 5 minutes to thicken gravy and remove floury taste. Stir in butter and pepper.

Per 1/4 cup: 26 cal, 1 g pro, 3 g car, 0 g fiber, 1 g fat (1 g sat fat), 2 mg chol, 258 mg sod

Note: On Thanksgiving, after the turkey is cooked and removed from the roasting pan, you can skim the fat off the pan drippings and add the drippings to the heated gravy.

Do Ahead Mashed Potatoes
9 medium potatoes, 3 lbs.
3/4 cup milk
½ cup whipping cream, heavy
½ cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Scrub potatoes. Leave skins on, if desired, or peel thinly and remove eyes. cut into large pieces. Heat 1" water, salted if desired, to boiling in 3 quart sauce pan; add potato pieces. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook covered 20 to 25
minutes or until tender; drain. Shake pan gently over low heat to dry potatoes. Heat milk, whipping cream, butter, salt and pepper in 1 quart sauce pan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Measure out ¼ cup of the milk mixture; cover and refrigerate.

Add remaining milk mixture in small amounts to
potatoes in medium bowl, mashing with potato masher or electric mixer after each addition. Amount of milk needed to make potatoes smooth and fluffy depends on kind of potatoes used. Beat vigorously until potatoes are light and fluffy. Spray 2 quart
casserole with cooking spray. Spoon potatoes into casserole. Bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Heat oven to 350ºF. Pour reserved milk mixture over potatoes. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are hot. Just before serving, stir potatoes.
Doris in Oklahoma City

To the lady from Mesa Az. who sent the recipe for the chicken marinade from El Pollo Asado. My husband loves it and thanks you as well. We live on the west side of the Valley of the Sun so we knew you knew what you were talking about .
Thanks again
azgranny

For Judy with the 2' Basil plant.
You can freeze the leaves and use them when you cook. Just pick the leaves, wash, pat dry and place in a plastic freezer bag. Take them out whenever you want to use some. I do this all the time.
Nancy

RE: Becky In Magtown Arkansas requesting info about a smoker

We have an electric Bradley Smoker that is awesome. It is one of my husband's favorite toys! It is very easy to use and requires very little attention during the cooking and smoking process. We found ours at a local sporting store. We have had it for a couple years and love it.
Nancy in Tennessee

Hi All
I Live in Baja and am wondering if anyone of you has a Clone Recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken Hot Wings. Can't get them at rest. here in Playas. Can only get across the border. Thanks to anyone in advance if you can help.
Linda in Baja( Baja Malibu)

To Chris, NM and JP:
Thank you for the turtle pie recipes.
grannym IL

Hi,
I have a fruitcake recipe , from my MIL, that has a cake mix, 4 eggs, a pound of candied fruit, and nuts in it.

I bake it in small pans about 4x6 size, with a triple lining of tin foil.
My question is can I alter the cooking time?

It calls for baking at 275' for 2 hrs and 45 mins with a pan of water on the bottom
shelf of the oven.

Is there anyway I can increase the time and cook it for less time.?
Thanks, Kathy in ohio

Here is how we love our liver and onions:

Liver, Onions And Bacon
Soak liver in milk for 15-30 minutes (this helps remove the strong taste and blood). Drain well. Dredge liver in seasoned flour (I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme).

Fry slices of bacon (will cook more in the oven). Remove bacon and set aside. Sauté sliced onions in some of the bacon grease; remove from pan and set aside. (Amounts of bacon and sliced onions according to your taste. . .we like a lot of both.)

Brown liver in some of the bacon grease and oil (I use Roasted Garlic Olive Oil) in fry pan.

When browned on both sides place liver in oven-proof pan;
cover liver with sautéed onions; top with slices of bacon (optional).

Cover pan with foil.
Bake in 350° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

For Linda in N.C. who asked for ideas to deal with shingle pain. . .I can't help there but I urge everyone over 65 to get the shingles shot, which we did last year. It is expensive but worth it and some insurance does pay for it. We saw too many friends go through the pain of shingles. Also if you even think you have shingles,
see your doctor immediately since there is a shot and medication to prevent it from getting full blown.
*~Mary Alyce in WI~*