Ah, it's the beginning of Thanksgiving week and I trust you are planning your menu accordingly.  Don't be stuck at the last minute completing recipes while your company enjoys themselves.  Today is pie day!  

Get all those favorite pies, baked, wrapped, and stored so that life will be easier on the big day.  

Here's a few trustworthy favorites to include:
Fresh Ground Pumpkin Pie
Quick Coconut Cream Pie
Easy Chocolate Cream Pie
Ultimate Pecan Pie

You can also find these in our Holiday Cookbook.

At our local food bank Thanksgiving always arrives with a large food basket.  Packed full in a laundry basket, all kinds of goodies can be had.  I did note this year contained canned green beans and French's fried onions along with a sturdy can of mushroom soup.  I've made the Classic Green Bean Casserole in previous years, but no one seemed to care for a second helping.  This year my youngest son has prompted me to try it once again feeling this may be something he will enjoy now that he's older.  So here goes an old family recipe.

2 cans green beans
1 can mushroom soup
1 tsp. soy a sauce
dash ground pepper
1/4 cup milk
1 can (2.8 oz.) French's French Fried Onion

Drain beans and place in heat proof serving container.  Put oven on 350 degrees to warm up.  In a small bowl mix soup, soy a sauce, pepper, and milk.  Stir in 2/3 cup of the fried onions. Cook casserole for 25 minutes. Top with remaining onions the last five minutes of baking.

Oh, snap! Pole beans were on sale at my local produce stand.  At only $1,49 a pound, I decided to pick up some to make my famous pole beans and ham in the slow cooker.

Simple to make, all you have to do is chop everything and place it into a crock pot and let it simmer till dinner.  Yum!



1 pound ham, cut into 1-inch cubes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium thinly sliced yellow onions
Salt
3 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 cups chicken stock or water

In a crock pot add the ham, onions, and stock. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the beans and cook on low for 4-5 hours until beans are tender. Remove from the heat and reseason if necessary.

Oh, yum! What an exquisite, quick treat this week.  With pork loins on sale for as low as $1.69 a pound, you can bring one home and make several wonderful meals this month.

Give this one a try for a fast busy weeknight dinner.

2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 pound fresh baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each)
4 tablespoons  teriyaki sauce
Toasted sesame seeds, optional



Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 15x10x1-in. pan with foil; add broccoli and carrots. Toss with olive oil, ginger, pepper and salt; spread out into a single layer.

Place pork chops on top of vegetables; drizzle with teriyaki sauce. Bake until a thermometer inserted in pork reads 145°, about 30 minutes. If desired, preheat broiler; broil chops and vegetables 2-4 in. from heat until browned, 1-2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds if desired.

I landed a chicken roaster in my food pantry bag the other day.  All 7 lb. of it!  What a huge find when I unloaded at home.  This big bird will be enough to host dinner tonight and leftovers to come.

This recipe makes the perfect bird.  Too easily are we swayed into buying those tinier birds with little meat on their bones.  Give this one a try when chickens are on sale and make some chicken salad sandwiches the  next day.  


1 six-pound roasting chicken
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
2 lemons
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp. thyme
1 cup Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat

Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.

In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.


Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.

​Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

I thought I'd leave you the other half of the brownie treat so that you'd have choice between white or chocolate brownies.  Either one you choose is a winner in my book!

Just unwrap that extra candy from Halloween and put it towards great use in a fantastic dessert. Keep in mind any candy can be substituted for the one suggested below.

3/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Snickers bars (2.07 ounces each), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 plain milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), coarsely chopped


In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside 1/4 cup. Stir remaining dry ingredients into the egg mixture until well combined. Toss Snickers pieces with reserved flour mixture; stir into batter.
​
Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with milk chocolate candy bar pieces. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack. Chill before cutting.

What to do with all that leftover Halloween candy? It happens every year.  The kids don't want to stop trick-or-treating, and before you know it you've got sacks of unwanted Halloween candy stashed around the kitchen.  

Try this welcoming treat.  You can mix and match any type of candy for the extraordinary toppings. 

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
2/3 cup milk chocolate M&M's, divided
2/3 cup chopped candy corn, divided
2/3 cup coarsely chopped miniature pretzels, divided
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2/3 cup butterscotch chips, divided
1 jar (12 ounces) hot caramel ice cream topping


Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with parchment paper, letting ends extend up sides; grease paper.

In a large bowl, beat melted butter and brown sugar until blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to brown sugar mixture, mixing well. Stir in half of the pecans, M&M's, candy corn, pretzels, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.

Spread into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Spread caramel topping over bars; sprinkle with remaining pecans, M&M's, candy corn, pretzels, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Lifting with parchment paper, remove from pan. Cut into bars.

Grab out that slow cooker, fall is here! Apples are on sale everywhere and there is nothing like a warmed bowl of spiced apples to accompany breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  

More importantly, it make the house smell just wonderful!

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 large apples, peeled and cut into eighths
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed

In a small bowl, mix the first five ingredients. Place apples in a greased 5-qt. slow cooker; add sugar mixture and toss to coat. Top with butter. Cook, covered, on low 3-4 hours or until apples are tender, stirring halfway through cooking.

I am always on the lookout for ways to incorporate those bags of pumpkin you have stored in the freezer for future use from Halloween.  I found a similar recipe incorporating sweet potatoes, but knew in my heart, that fresh ground pumpkin would make better fare.  This recipe is so delicious, you'll be bookmarking this to make often.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the crust added a delightful texture to the complete product as I made it a bit denser intensifying the whole experience.

More importantly, it adds a new spin for those boxes of crackers that might be piling up again.

Crust:
1 row of butter crackers
2 hefty tab. brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine melted
2 tsp. cinnamon

Filling:
4 cups vanilla ice cream
1 bag of frozen pumpkin or 1 1/4 cup canned
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

1 container of Cool Whip

Place bag of pumpkin in a mesh strainer and place over a bowl to drain.  I usually do this when the product is still frozen allowing it to thaw in the strainer slowly.  In  a food processor place crackers, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Process until mixture resembles crumbs.  Add butter slowly and process again.  Spray pie plate with Pam and add bread crumbs pushing firmly up sides.  Set aside.

In processor add pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, and salt.  Process until smooth. Add vanilla ice cream and process until mixture is incorporated, but not to long as ice cream will melt too much.  Pour into pie shell and stick in freezer for about 3 hours.  Take out and top with Cool Whip.  Place in freezer again for at least three hours.  

Here's a great weeknight dinner when you need to have something filling and yummy quickly.  It's also a great crowd pleasure if you're having a few goblins stopping by.

You can prep this ahead of time by making the meat in advance and then just pop it in the oven before you head out trick or treating for an instant fav!

2-1/2 pounds lean ground beef 
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 package (15-1/2 ounces) nacho-flavored tortilla chips, crushed
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups torn iceberg lettuce
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
10 slices tomato, halved
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
10 pitted ripe olives, halved


Preheat oven to 325°. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook and crumble beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 7-9 minutes. Stir in seasoning, tomato sauce and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spread chips evenly in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Top with beef mixture; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake until bubbly, 25-30 minutes.

Cut into ten 5x3-in. portions. Top each with lettuce and onion. Add tomatoes, sour cream and olives to make eyeballs.

Just because money is a little tight doesn't mean you can't have a little fun around dinner time.  Here's a great way to get a bit more into the holiday spirit by offering this quick mummy wrap recipe for dinner tonight.  

Serve these cuties up and your family will be thrilled with giggles afterwards.  

• 1 tube (11 ounces) refrigerated bread sticks
• 10 Popsicle sticks
• 10 hot dogs
• Prepared mustard

Separate dough; roll 10 pieces into 24-in. ropes. Insert a Popsicle stick into each hot dog. Starting at the stick end, wrap one dough rope around each hot dog, leaving 2 in. of the hot dog uncovered at the top for the mummy head.

Place mummies 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Place remaining bread sticks on another baking sheet.

​Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Add dots of mustard for eyes. Save leftover bread sticks for another use.