Prize-Winning Fruit Salad

Dressing:

1  Tbs  butter

Juice of  2  lemons

3  Tbs  cornstarch

1  cup  sugar

1-1/4  cup  water

3  egg  yolks

Heat in double boiler* until thick. Cool. Dilute with cream to desired consistency.

Pour over prepared fruit in bowl, stir gently and serve.

FRUITS, in quantities to suit your needs (the sauce is enough for a large bowl full of fruit). Choose from those listed and add your own favorites.

fresh blueberries

pineapples chunks

banana slices

grapes

peaches orange sections

apple chunks

fresh strawberries, sliced

canned fruit cocktail (optional)

*Cook dressing carefully if using a saucepan as it will scorch easily.

Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar and Butter

1  acorn squash, cut in 1/2*

2  Tbs  brown sugar

2  Tbs  butter, softened

2  Tbs  maple syrup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Scoop the seeds and stringy pulp out of the squash cavities and discard.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, syrup and salt and pepper, to taste. Rub the squash cavities and cut sides of the squash with the butter mixture and place them on a baking sheet, cut side up. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. 

*I like to cut them into quarters because the butter mixture will spread across the squash better, rather than just melting down into the bottom of the squash. Cut them in half around the equator first before cutting into quarters. This makes a pretty ruffled edge.

A Paula Deen recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese Bake with Corn

1  can  whole kernel corn, with juice
1  can  cream-style corn
1-1/2  cups  elbow macaroni, uncooked
1/2  cup  butter, melted
1  cup  Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/4  cup  onions, minced

Mix all ingredients and pour into a buttered 9x13" Pyrex baking dish.
Bake at 350° for 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned.

Cheesy Cornbread Casserole

1 sweet onion

1/4 c. Butter

1 egg beaten

1/3 c. Milk

1 c. cream style corn

1 box Jiffy corn mix

2 drops hot pepper sauce

1c. Sour cream

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Dill weed

1 c. Grated cheddar

Preheat to 425°.

Slice onions thinly. Sauté until soft.

Combine mix, egg, milk, sour cream, corn, pepper sauce and pour into 8" Pan.

Combine onions, salt, dill 1/2 cheese. Spread over batter.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over onion. Bake 25-30 min.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

This is Haylee's all-time favorite soup. She just lights up when I fix this, which is often. She even eats the leftovers for breakfast. It's healthy, so what can I say. Use a rotisserie chicken, as the flavor from them is far superior to a fresh raw chicken which is usually used. Also, BEEF bouillon is correct . . . not chicken bouillon. It's flavor dynamite! Sometimes I substitute a couple cans of corn (not drained), for the mixed vegetables. 


1  rotisserie chicken
1  onion, quartered
2 - 3  carrots, peeled and chunked
1/2  cup  fresh parsley, use stems and all, (or 1/4 cup dried)
2 - 3  stalks  celery, chunked
3 - 4  Knoor brand* beef bouillon cubes
2  bay leaves, optional
Fresh ground pepper
1  pkg   refrigerated fresh tortellini
3 - 4  cups  frozen mixed vegetables         

Remove any twine holding chicken together. Put the chicken in a large (wide) kettle and break apart.

Fill pot with water to just cover ¾ of the chicken. Add the next seven ingredients. Bring to a boil and gently simmer for about 1½ -2 hours.

Remove from heat; strain broth into a large bowl. Then restrain it in a fine mesh strainer to remove all the little bits of unwanted ingredients. Cool the chicken and cooked vegetables until you can easily handle it. Pick all the chicken from the bones. Set aside. Discard skin, bones, and vegetables. (If time allows, when the broth cools, refrigerate it so fat can be skimmed from the top and discarded.)

Add chicken to the strained broth. Bring to a boil; add tortellini and return to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes before adding the frozen mixed vegetables. Return to a boil once again, and simmer for 5 minutes.


This is Haylee's all-time favorite soup. She just lights up when I fix this, which is often. She even eats the leftovers for breakfast. It's healthy, so what can I say. Use a rotisserie chicken, as the flavor from them is far superior to a fresh raw one that is usually used. Also, BEEF bouillon (Knoor brand is the very best),  is correct . . . not chicken bouillon. It's flavor dynamite!


*Knoor brand is the very best. They are about twice as large as Wylers cubes, so use your judgement if you use anyting other than Knoor.

Apple Walnut Salad with Cranberry or Raspberry Dressing

This is one of my all-time favorite salads. Pick up a bag of cranberries while they are in season, to freeze and use all winter for this absolutely delicious salad.  Be sure and use white balsamic vinegar, not the dark kind.

This is equally wonderful with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe below)* when fresh cranberries are unavailable. Use pomegranate seeds in the salad if using this dressing.

CRANBERRY BALSAMIC DRESSING:

1/2  cup  fresh cranberries

1/4  cup  white balsamic vinegar

1  Tbs  sugar

1/3  cup  red onion, chopped

1  Tbs  Dijon-style mustard

1  cup  vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, combine the cranberries, vinegar, onion, sugar, and mustard. Process until smooth. Slowly add the oil. Season with salt and pepper. 

*RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE DRESSING (alternative choice)

3/4  cup  oil

1/3  cup (slightly heaped) sugar

3/4  tsp  dry mustard

1/2  cup  raspberry vinegar

1  Tbs  grated onion

2  tsp  poppy seeds

Mix all salad dressing ingredients except poppy seeds in blender; add poppy seeds and stir by hand. May serve salad in bowl with dressing or serve individually with dressing on the side. Do not over-dress the salad. You will have more dressing than needed. Serves 6.

SALAD:

10  cups  mixed salad greens

 2   Honey Crisp apples, or Asian pears, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/2  cup  blue cheese crumbles

1/2  cup  dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds

1  cup  walnuts

1/3  cup  brown sugar

In a salad bowl, toss together the greens, apples, blue cheese crumbles, and sugared walnuts. Add just enough of the dressing to nicely coat it. Toss and serve.

For Sugared Walnuts:

Put about 1/3 cup of brown sugar in a microwave-proof bowl. Add 2-3 tsp water and 1 cup whole walnuts. Mix up and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave for another minute, watching carefully so they do not burn.

Immediately spread out on a sheet of waxed paper to cool. When cooled, put into a zip-lock bag and roughly break them up with a meat hammer.

Drawn Butter Sauce

A dipping sauce for seafood or fish.

1/4  cup  butter
2  Tbs  flour
1  cup  hot water
1  tsp  lemon juice
1/4  cup  finely chopped fresh parsley
Optional:
1/2  tsp  freshly ground pepper
2  Tbs  minced garlic

Melt  2 Tbs  butter in saucepan. Saute garlic (if using) until lightly browned. Slowly stir in flour and pepper. Cook and stir constantly until smooth. Add hot water and stir until mixture boils. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice alternately, with remaining butter, stirring until butter melts. Stir in parsley.