Praline Sweet Potato Casserole

    I am a little embarrassed that up unto this point, I have yet to acknowledge my sous-chef!  There is absolutely no way that I could accomplish what I do in the kitchen on a daily basis without my incredible helpful and incredibly patient husband, Phillip.  No matter how ridiculous the number and difficulty level of the projects I propose for a given time, he never complains about the amount of time we all spend in the kitchen.  My guess is that this is because he knows he will have tasty meals and treats at the end of it, but still, these recipes usually require a great deal of work and Phillip is almost always right in the kitchen with me.

   When we first began to host Thanksgiving at our house, it was Phillip who took our Crate and Barrel Thanksgiving Table cookbook (the same one that gave us our Walnut and Pear Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette) off the shelf for the first time and wanted to find a few recipes to try.  The first recipe he found was for a sweet potato casserole.  Phillip agreed to take the lead on this recipe and now we have it every year.  I find it to be much better than your average sweet potato casserole and while it may take a little more time, I promise it is well worth it!  We make it the day ahead and place it in the refrigerator until it is ready to be baked.

Praline Sweet Potato Casserole (click on title for printable version)

6 large, fresh sweet potatoes (about 5 1/2 lbs), scrubbed well

1/4 C. whole milk
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C. packed dark brown sugar

Praline topping:

4 T. butter
3/4 C. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon (I use King Arthur's Vietnamese Cinnamon)
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 C. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 C. coarsely chopped pecans
2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a fork, pierce the scrubbed potatoes several times each and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 90 minutes or until the potatoes are very, very tender when you poke them with a fork.  Remove from oven and allow them to cool until you can handle them.  You want them to still be a little warm.

Meanwhile, using a small pot, heat the milk and butter just until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot.  Do not let it come to a boil.  Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh.  Throw away the skins.  At this point you can either use a potato ricer (my choice), a hand masher, or your mixer to mash the potatoes.  Add the milk and butter mixture and stir well.  Using a whisk, add the beaten eggs and whisk very well until all ingredients are combined.  Add the first 3/4 C. brown sugar and pour the mixture into a buttered or greased 9X13" casserole dish.

For the praline topping, melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat.  Add all of the praline ingredients except for the vanilla and heat to just simmering.  Stir constantly until the mixture has thickened and the sugar has dissolved completely.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Keep the temperature fairly low and do not let it come to a boil.  Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Spread the topping over the casserole by pouring it out and using a spatula to cover the entire surface.

Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or until the topping looks slightly crispy and completely set.  Serve straight out into the oven.

Angel Biscuits

   When I first began this blog, I did it with the simple intention of sharing recipes with my friends, family, and hopefully new readers.  I love to cook and I love to bake.  Until now, I didn't realize that I must also love to tell stories.  Sometimes I go back and reread my posts and I think, "Wow.  I talk a lot!"  I feel absolutely certain that this comes as no surprise to my family, my friends, or to my third-grade teacher.  I am not sure, however, that I can change this at 38 years of age.  I am pretty sure it's just a part of who I am.

    I think what I missed up to this point is that I treasure the stories as much as the recipes and that for years I have been cataloging them in my mind.  This Thanksgiving I am grateful that I have found a means to share them and for those of you who regularly read my blog (most times without me even knowing you do!) and for those of you who keep encouraging me, I give thanks.  Thank you for sharing this space with me.  As silly as this may sound, I have begun to imagine you here in my kitchen with me and I love this feeling.  I invited you in with my first post, you accepted that invitation, and you have brought your friends!

   As for my recipe for Angel Biscuits, I have to admit that this is another one that I am allowing myself a few tears as I type.  Like my recipe for Patsy's Cheeseball, these biscuits bring beautiful memories flooding back to me and I find myself wishing desperately to be rolling them out in my grandmother's kitchen or in that old Rogers' family farm house in the woods of Virginia.  If only I had known how empty I would feel when  my grandparents, my Aunt Argie, and all of my great uncles were gone, I would have stopped to drink in every moment of my time with them.

   No holiday table was ever complete without Angel Biscuits.  They are perfect for so many reasons and not the least of them being that like so many of my favorite recipes, they can be made ahead, frozen, and baked right out of the freezer.  In fact, the picture above that my husband took came from this past weekend when my two little girls and I worked together to mix and roll them out.  I am so thankful for this photograph!  I am also thankful for my eight year-old's willingness to sift the 5 cups of flour for the recipe!

   My dear friend Sundi, who is one of the best storytellers I have ever met, shared a story with me years ago about the importance of good rolls with a holiday meal.  Her mother and her two aunts were together and discussing women from history.  Aunt Mimi posed the question as to what woman the other two thought had made the biggest contribution to society.  I have no idea who Sundi's mom and Aunt Nancy said, but Mimi was quick to share that she felt the honor should go to Sister Schubert for making holiday meals easier!

   I still laugh at this story mainly because I feel like Sister Schubert RUINED our holiday meals for a couple of years!  As my grandmother's health began to decline and she was no longer able to make quite as many dishes as she had been before, she and my Aunt Donna were thrilled to discover Sister Schubert's frozen rolls.  I, however, was devastated.  Despite all the other time-honored favorite dishes, the meal still seemed lacking.  It was at this point that I decided I had to learn to make them myself.  My grandmother helped me through my first couple of batches and I was reminded time and time again of my favorite Nikki Giovanni poem entitled "Legacies" which can be found at PoetryFoundation.org.  I somehow knew that by learning how to make these that it meant we were all entering a different stage of life and  that one day my grandmother would no longer be there to help me with these.  I only hoped that I would be able to make them well enough to carry on the tradition.  I think that I have and now I want to honor her even more by sharing the recipe and steps with you in the hopes that you, too, might replace your Sister Schubert rolls with my family's Angel Biscuits recipe!

Angel Biscuits

5 cups of all-purpose flour (only and always White Lily if you can get it!)
3 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
5 T. sugar (you can back this down to 3 if you would like to)

2 cups of buttermilk (only and always Cruze Dairy if you are near Knoxville, TN)
1 cup Crisco
1 1/2 packages of instant yeast (NOT rapid rise!) dissolved in 2 T. lukewarm water (not too hot)

Melted butter for brushing the middle of the biscuits

Begin by preparing the yeast mixture in a small bowl and allowing it to sit while you prepare work with the other ingredients.  Be sure not to get your water too hot.  I usually test it on my wrist and go with the temperature that would be right for a baby's bath.

Sift the dry ingredients together into a very large bowl.

Add buttermilk, Crisco, and yeast mixture.

Mix very, very gently with your hands.  You do NOT want to be aggressive with this dough or the biscuits will be tough.

Once the mixture comes together (it will be very sticky and wet), turn the entire bowl on to a counter that has been well-floured.  Pat the dough together, add a little more flour to the top of the dough, and turn the dough over.  You might need to do this a couple of times depending on how sticky your dough is.  You only want to be able to lift them up from the counter easily and still want the biscuits to be light so don't add too much flour.

Using a rolling pin that has been well-floured, roll the biscuits to about 1/4" to 1/2" thick and cut out with a floured biscuit cutter.  Brush melted butter on the top of the biscuits and fold over to make them into the shape of angel wings.

At this point you can place them on a greased baking sheet (or use Reynold's Release Foil) not touching one another and freeze the entire sheet of biscuits until they are frozen solid.  You can then just pop them into a freezer bag and keep them there until they are ready to be baked.

To bake, place the biscuits (freshly made or straight out of the freezer) close together and bake for about 12 -15 minutes at 450 degrees.  Be very, very diligent about keeping an eye on them because you don't want them to get too dark.

Walnut Crusted Pumpkin Pie

******Please note that I have no picture of this dish yet!  After we have enjoyed it on Thanksgiving day, I will update this post with a photo.*********

     Like most Americans, I want my pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.  The problem is that despite the fact that I really do love pumpkin baked items, I don't think I love a piece of straight-up pumpkin pie.  I always get about halfway through a piece and find myself a little tired of it.  This might be because I am not a huge fan of custard and pumpkin pie is usually listed as a custard pie.

    Last year I discovered a way to fix the problem of not really loving pumpkin pie.  Once I figured out to add a layer of brown sugary walnuts on top of the crust, my pumpkin pie was transformed from ho-hum to really special.  I promise you there wasn't a single bite left on my dessert plate!

  I actually ended up combining three separate recipes to create my dream pie.  I started with my basic crust recipe (found here on the blog) from The America's Test Kitchen Baking Book.

    The sugary walnut mix came from my beloved Classic Southern Desserts cookbook.  There are some incredible recipes in this collection and I highly recommend it if you like to bake.

    Next I turned to one of the most authoritative sources on baking, the King Arthur Flour recipe site.  where I found a fabulous sounding recipe called Smooth and Spicy Pumpkin Pie.  The best part about this pie mix?  It is actually much better if made the day before which makes Thanksgiving Day assembly so much less stressful!  Just make it up the night before and then pour it into your walnut lined crust the next morning.  So simple!

   As always, I recommend starting with a made-from-scratch crust if you want the best possible pie; however, if you want to save some time, you could use a frozen or a roll-out crust.

Walnut Crusted Pie

1 single pie crust

Walnut Layer:

1 C. walnuts, toasted, cooled, and chopped (toast in a 350 degree oven until fragrant, about 10 - 15 minutes)
3 T. melted butter
1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 C. light brown sugar, packed

Pie Filling:

2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. cinnamon
pinch of cloves
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
3/4 C. light brown sugar
1 1/2 C. canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
2 T. corn syrup, light or dark
1 1/2 C. whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten

Mix pie filling at least 1/2 hour to an hour ahead of time and allow to sit on counter, or place int refrigerator overnight.

Mix flour, spices, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the brown sugar and pumpkin and blend thoroughly (I use an immersion blender for this, but you could also just use a hand mixer).  Add the corn syrup and milk and blend again.  Add beaten eggs and beat one more time. Set on counter or place in refrigerator overnight.

When ready to assemble and bake, heat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix nuts, melted butter, vanilla, and brown sugar to make the walnut layer.

Fit the pie crust into a 9" pie pan.  Using a fork, press into the edge of the crust all around to make a pretty design.

Gently pat nut mixture into the bottom of the crust.  Pour filling mix over the nut layer.  More likely than not, you will have more filling than you need so you could bake an additional small pie or discard the remaining filling.  DO NOT pour all of the filling in if it doesn't fit!  Cover the edge of the pie with a pie crust shield or create one from aluminum foil.

Place the pie on a foil lined baking sheet to catch any spills and begin baking the pie on the bottom rack of the oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes has passed, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees, move the pie to the middle rack, and bake for additional 35 - 40 minutes or until the center of the pie seems somewhat set.

Take pie out of the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  Can also be served chilled.  Add whipped cream to each piece before serving.


 

Patsy's Cheeseball

******Please note that I have no picture of this dish yet!  After we have enjoyed it on Thanksgiving day, I will update this post with a photo.*********   

     Of all the recipes I have to share, it is this post that simultaneously gives me the greatest joy and the deepest sadness.  This is the recipe in my box that when I get it exactly right and taste it for the first time causes me to pause.  Sometimes that pause leads me to sit down and allow myself a good, long cry because I miss my grandmother so much.

     When I was little, we lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina because my dad was a Marine stationed at the Camp Lejeune New River Air Station.  My mom's family all lived in Virginia so several times a year we would head north through the mountains to visit.  Without fail, as soon as we arrived, my grandmother would pull out the sweet tea, the cheeseball, and the Ritz crackers.  We would gather around her kitchen table and we were a family.  Mom would catch up on all that she had missed while she had been gone and my grandmother would continue to feed us. We generally arrived at night and I remember those conversations feeling so hushed and so sacred in the yellow kitchen light.  I would give anything to sit again in that space with my family members who have passed away.  I remember feeling nothing but pure contentment.  There are times when I feel this way in my own kitchen and I try desperately to hold on tight to these moments as I imagine my grandmother quietly joining us in spirit.  She loved nothing more than to feed her family and her friends with food she made my hand and this is where I connect with her the most.  I always have.

   As for the cheeseball itself, you may not be very impressed with the recipe.  I feel certain that you have tasted it before as it is has been around for years and frequently makes an appearance at showers and other gatherings.  While I love all kinds of cheeseballs, I have yet to find one that I love as much as this one.  I am sure this is mostly because of the memories I associate with it.  In addition to serving it to weary travelers, my grandmother always made one at Thanksgiving and Christmas and I have continued that tradition.  We always end up a little full from it before we sit down for the big meal but there is no way I would consider leaving it out of my lineup!

Patsy's Cheeseball

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. finely chopped green pepper
1 C. finely chopped pecans, divided
2 T. finely chopped onion (we always grate it on a box grater and I think that's why our cheeseball is so good)
1 6-8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained well (I usually place the pineapple in a strainer over a bowl and push on it with a wooden spoon to release the juices)
1 t. seasoned salt

Using only 1/2 the pecans, mix all the ingredients well in a bowl.  Gather mixture over to one side of the bowl in as close to a ball shape as you can.  Cover and refrigerate until very firm (about 3 - 4 hours).  Gather into your hands and shape like a ball.  If mixture softens while rolling, return it to the fridge until it is firm again.  Roll in remaining pecans.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

    When I first began hosting our family's Thanksgiving meal a few years ago, I chose pecan pie as my first pie to master.  I then moved on to pumpkin pie because, well, you can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie.  Usually I would make a fresh apple cake as well but last year my sister convinced me to make an apple pie instead because, as she said, Thanksgiving calls for pies.  After making all three last year and seeing them side by side on the dessert table, I decided she was definitely right about this.  There is no going back now and so that just means I have to work in my favorite apple cake at some other point during the fall.

     My dad loves pecan pie so that's why I started with this one.  Luckily for Dad, he lives with my mom who is an incredible cook so the man knows good food.  He rarely requests for me to make him anything in particular so it always makes me happy to bake a pecan pie for him.

   Let's talk about the crust for a minute, shall we?  If you have been following my blog from the beginning, you know how I feel about store bought crusts.  If you haven't tried to make one from scratch yet, now is the time!  Our pilgrim ancestors are begging you to just attempt it once, as am I.  You can find the step-by-step instructions here.   I will admit, however, that every now and then I use some frozen mini pie shells that come in a red box (I have no idea what the name of these are) and they actually work great for this recipe.  If you really, really, really believe that a frozen or a roll-out crust is worth eating, you could certainly use one.  Just don't blame me when your pie doesn't taste as good as mine!  

   This recipe comes from The America's Test Kitchen Baking Book which is also where my pie crust recipe comes from.  I love this cookbook with my heart and soul.

    See how much they love a good pie crust?  It's right on the cover!

Chocolate Pecan Pie (click for printable version)

1 crust for a single pie (fitted into a 9" pie pan and placed in the freezer for 30 minutes)

3 T. butter (I always use salted)
3/4 C. dark brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1/2 C. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
1 C. pecans, toasted and chopped coarsely
1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. milk chocolate chips (or you can just use 1 C. semi-sweet if you like darker chocolate)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line the chilled pie crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights (if you don't have pie weights, you can use pennies since they won't touch the surface of the crust directly).  Place on rack that is in the middle of the oven.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust looks a little dry and slightly pale in color.  

Move the oven rack down to to the lower middle position and lower heat to 275 degrees.  

Begin working on the filling while the crust is baking because the crust needs to be right out of the oven and hot when you pour the filling in.  Heat a large skillet with water that is barely below a simmer and melt butter in a heatproof glass bowl set in the skillet filled with water.  

Take the bowl with the melted butter out of the skillet and off the heat.  Stir in the sugar and salt until well mixed with the melted butter.  Quickly whisk in the eggs followed by the corn syrup and the vanilla.  Place the bowl back in the skillet of simmering water and stir constantly until the mixture is hot to the touch and looks shiny.  If you are using a thermometer, the temperature should reach 130 degrees.  

Remove the bowl from the heat and quickly stir in the pecans.  Pour the pecan mixture directly over the hot pie crust after removing the foil layer and the pie weights.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the top and press with a spoon.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and return it to the oven.  Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until the back of a wooden spoon pressed on to the pie makes it feel slightly like Jello.  Allow the pie to cool for 2 hours on a wire rack.  Serve slightly warm or cold.

The pie can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to one day.

Cranberry Salad

******Please note that I have no picture of this dish yet!  After we have enjoyed it on Thanksgiving day, I will update this post with a photo.*********

     If I could only have one favorite Thanksgiving dish, I would give up the turkey and gravy.  I would give up the mashed potatoes.  I would give up the sweet potato casserole.  I would even give up the homemade rolls.  I would keep this salad.  I dream of this salad all year long and love making it.  I have happy, happy memories of sitting in my grandmother's kitchen watching her grind up all the fruits and smelling this incredibly fresh concoction.  Rumor has it, when I was little I would even eat the cranberries raw as I "helped" in the kitchen.  I have always thought of this as my grandmother's recipe, but my cousin Mary Alice recently told me that both she and my grandmother had gotten it from a cousin years ago.  Mary Alice now lives far away from my family in Virginia but it makes me so happy to think of her making this recipe in her own kitchen.  I love hearing the origins of our family recipes from her and feel so connected by these mutual treasures.

   While this recipe does have Jello in it, please don't think of it just as a congealed salad.  It is so much more than that!  The base of the salad is fresh cranberries, oranges, and apples.  Be sure to use very firm apples and a nice, big orange.  My grandmother always used an old fashioned food grinder that fit on her Oster standing mixer, but I simplify it a bit and just use my food processor to grind everything up.  Be sure to drain the oranges very well after you have ground them up by placing them in a mesh strainer over a bowl and mashing down hard with a wooden spoon.  Do the same with the crushed pineapple.  If you don't drain the fruit, your salad won't set up very well.  Save the juice from both and use it as part of the cold water in the recipe.  Doing so will add more flavor to the salad.

    I usually make this the day before Thanksgiving to give it time to set up nicely.  I learned a couple of years ago to just go ahead and make two so that my mother-in-law has her own to take home since she loves it so much.  If you make this once and share it with guests, you might find yourself doubling it as well the next year!

Cranberry Salad

1 qt. fresh, raw cranberries
1 unpeeled orange
2 peeled, cored apples (I use Galas)

1 small can (6-8 oz.) crushed pineapple
2 C. sugar
1 C. finely ground pecans

2 small packages orange or lemon Jello (if you can find one called Tropical Fusion use it!)
1 pkg. Knox gelatin (found in the Jello section at the store)
2 C. hot water
1 C. cold water

Grind each fruit separately in food processor or food grinder.  Mix together in a VERY large bowl.

Add well-drained pineapple, sugar, and nuts.

In a separate bowl mix together Jello, gelatin, hot water, and cold water (or fruit juice).

Add Jello mixture to fruit, sugar, and nuts mixture.

Pour into a 9X13 dish and refrigerate until set.

Walnut and Pear Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

  When my husband I got married ten years ago, our sweet friend Mary purchased The Thanksgiving Table cookbook off of our registry at Crate and Barrel along with a beautiful pumpkin bread pan.  Once I began to host Thanksgiving at my own house, this book became invaluable.  We now have several recipes that we wouldn't dream of not serving at Thanksgiving.  I will forever be grateful to Mary for this gift and I think of her every time I take this cookbook out.

   Growing up, we did not have salad as part of our Thanksgiving meal; however, after seeing a recipe for a spinach salad in the cookbook, I decided this would be a really nice addition.  Now I look forward to my version as much as I do the turkey and stuffing.  In fact, we actually start making and serving this salad early in the fall as soon as the pears start looking in season at the grocery store.

  The original recipe calls for spinach but I prefer to use green lettuce.  I like the crispness of the lettuce and feel like spinach would be a little overpowering.  I also replaced the Parmigiano-Reggiano with domestic parmesan just because I like it a little better.

  As for the vinaigrette, I use nothing but my Lusty Monk for the mustard but if you still haven't ordered any, you could use any other whole-grain or dijon mustard.  Just know that the Lusty Monk will change your life!

Walnut and Pear Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

1 head of green or red leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn
2 Bosc pears left unpeeled, cored, and sliced very thinly
1/2 cup (I use a little more) coarsely grated parmesan cheese
1 cup toasted walnut halves
1/2 cup cranberries

Vinaigrette:
3/4 C. olive oil (I use a walnut infused one but regular works fine)
4 T. white balsamic vinegar
4 t. whole grain mustard
2 t. sugar
2 t. Kosher or sea salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Assemble the salad by combining ingredients in a bowl.  Toss with vinaigrette or serve it on the side.

Thanksgiving Line Up

     A couple of years ago I began the somewhat ridiculous tradition of typing up our Thanksgiving and Christmas menus and posting them on the refrigerator.  I promise, our family is not normally this fancy.  We don't dress formally for the meal and my table settings are nothing spectacular.  I just love preparing for this meal and I like seeing the lineup while I cook.  I also secretly hope that one day my girls will enjoy looking back at these.  

   The picture above is from last year's meal.  It turns out that this somewhat ridiculous tradition was really helpful when I sat down to design my menu for this year.  Apparently, I don't care much for change because my menu for this year is exactly the same!

    I had not yet started this blog at this time last year so I have only one photo to post of the recipes I am planning on sharing over the next couple of days.  I still want to post as many of them as I can because they are all so fantastic.  My plan is to take pictures this year and update the posts so that I can add them in.

   If you see any items on the menu that you definitely would like for me to share, please post a comment below.  I will try my best to get to those first.

   The Parmesan Rosemary and Cayenne Cheddar Crackers can be found on the blog under Slice and Bake Crackers.

   I hope you enjoy planning your own Thanksgiving menus as much as I do!

Scallion Spread

    In the name of all that is good in this world, I must make a confession.  The real name of this recipe is NOT scallion spread.  In actuality, this recipe doesn't even really HAVE a name.  We have always simply called it Granny Rachel Dip because Granny Rachel invented it. The truth of the matter is that if Granny Rachel were still with us, she would probably roll her eyes at the pretentious title I gave her recipe.  Now, to be perfectly honest, Granny Rachel is not even my own granny.  Please don't leave me for being deceitful!  I promise to tell only the truth from this point on.

   Granny Rachel was actually one of my oldest friends' grandmother.  Old as in we go way back not old as in ready for retirement.  Sarah and I both have deep familial roots in a little town right outside of Blacksburg, Virginia which sits just off the Appalachian Trail.  We met in high school, were roommates in college, lived in Atlanta just minutes from one another for several years, lived in Knoxville at the same time, and most recently just had babies at the same time.

    Part of our shared history has been that we would often visit each other back home in Virginia and consequently, we have come to know one another's families quite well.  I always used to love to go visit Sarah's Granny Rachel mainly because for such a tiny little thing, she had so much spunk!  Granny Rachel owned the local John Deere tractor supplier and loved to work in the store.  She also loved to mow with her own John Deere and could frequently be found on her riding mower.  In fact, one of my favorite pictures that Sarah took of Granny Rachel was of her sitting on her little tractor.  Granny Rachel passed away spring before last and when I think about her, I imagine her still at home, sitting on her mower and posing for Sarah.

(Thank you for sharing the picture, Sarah!)

   Granny Rachel also had some fantastic recipes.  I tasted Sarah's Granny Rachel Dip at a party a few years ago and was absolutely addicted from the first bite. When my own grandmother passed away, Sarah came our house after the funeral bearing this dip and I still think of it as a comfort food because of that memory.

    This is actually a very simple recipe but it is extremely flavorful.  Every now and then I decide to try something else in the dip and quickly realize I shouldn't have!  It really is best left alone.  You will probably want to taste it as you go along to make sure you have enough seasoning, but other than that,  I do not suggest adding a thing to it!  I feel certain Granny Rachel wouldn't want you to.

Scallion Spread

1 block of cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. mayonnaise
1/2 t. garlic powder (add more to taste)
1/2 t. seasoned salt (add more to taste)
1/3 C. sliced green onions, both green and white parts

Using a potato masher, a mixer, or a very heavy wooden spoon, thoroughly blend together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder and seasoned salt.  Be sure to taste it afterwards to see if you need to add more seasoning.  Once you have it seasoned to your liking, gently stir in the green onions.

Serve immediately or refrigerate.  Best served with sturdy crackers such as Wheat Thins.

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

    As November is now moving closer to the end of the month than the beginning, I realized that I had not shared one of my all-time fall recipes with you!  I have a strict rule in my house that I only serve pumpkin based items during the months of October and November and I wanted to bake up one last batch of pumpkin cookies.

    I had several reasons for baking these today.  First of all, they are just flat out delicious and this would be reason enough!  Secondly, my daughter has a little friend named Caroline who consistently eats all the strange, grown-up things that most of Kitely's friends turn down. A few weeks ago, I made a batch of these cookies and sent them with Kitely to school for snack.  Apparently, Caroline eyed them all week and finally asked me if I would be baking them again soon.  A baggie full of them will be going to Caroline tomorrow!

   On Friday, one of my cooking and baking compadres came into our library searching for a pumpkin cookie recipe.  I told her about these and promised to post them on my blog.  Hopefully my other readers will enjoy this recipe as well.

   Finally, as a fundraiser for our school library, we are selling bags of what I deem to be the best coffee in the world -- Vienna Coffee Company.  This company is located very close to home and produces some absolutely amazing coffee.  My husband and I have been brewing nothing else for close to eight years now.  In an effort to boost sales, we often set out samples of the coffee and provide baked treats to go along with it.  Tomorrow night we will be sampling it at our monthly PTSA meeting in the hopes that some of our parents will purchase some!

   As for the story behind this recipe, these are the cookies of my childhood.  I can remember my mom baking them every fall.  Sometimes she would put raisins in them and sometimes she just made them plain.  Either way she baked them, they were always delicious!  They are very cakey, soft, and light.

   My mom is FAMOUS for losing recipes and so when I finally decided to try making these myself, I had to get the recipe from my Aunt Donna.  Now, my aunt has beautiful handwriting and I treasure  the recipes I have from her in her own writing.

   Since you only have a few days left for baking with pumpkin (that is if you also follow my weird pumpkin rules!), I suggest you make a batch of these in the next couple of days!

Pumpkin Cookies

1 C. butter, melted
1 C. sugar
1 C. canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 egg
2 C. all-purpose flour (I use only and always use White Lily)
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon

Browned Butter Frosting

3 T. butter
4 T. milk
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 C. powdered sugar, sifted

For cookies:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or grease well.

Cream melted butter and sugar together.  Add pumpkin and egg.  Mix thoroughly for about 3-5 minutes.  Sift flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add dry ingredients to cream mixture.

Drop by spoonfuls on to cookie sheets.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.

For frosting:

Cook and stir butter, milk and brown sugar in saucepan over medium low heat just until melted and smooth; be sure not to cook too long.  With a mixer, beat powdered sugar and browned butter mixture until very well blended.  Dip tops of cookies into frosting.  Allow to dry completely before storing them.

Chicken Puffs

    My friend Janet is very, very, very good at taking care of people.  Any time someone she knows is sick, has had a baby, or is simply stressed out, Janet is right there to offer a helping hand.  More often that not, that helping hand means Janet showing up with a delicious homemade meal.  My own family has benefitted numerous times from her generosity; in fact, the night before I was scheduled to deliver my second daughter, Janet brought my family a delicious meal.  It was so thoughtful and so tasty that I didn't want to waste a single bit of it so there I was at 4:45 am wrapping up what was left of our meal to put in the freezer right before I headed for the hospital!

   One of my favorite recipes from Janet is her chicken puff recipe.  These little pastries are amazing because they are so simple to assemble and yet are so elegant when served.  They freeze perfectly and can then be prepared in whatever quantity you need.  In fact, because they use puff pastry, they actually bake up even better straight out of the freezer.  When I make enough to freeze, I always just lay them on a baking sheet lined with Reynolds Release Foil and place the whole sheet in the freezer.  Once they have frozen solid I then just pop them into a freezer bag.

  Janet's original recipe calls for cans of cream of chicken, celery, and mushroom soups, but I like to make my own "cream of" for this recipe.  I actually use this pretty basic white sauce for any recipe that calls for canned soups but I leave out the mushrooms for most other recipes.  My homemade "cream of" also freezes and can easily be defrosted in the microwave with a small amount of milk.  It is then ready to go into a casserole or any other dish that calls for the soup.  I originally found the recipe for this as a filling in Chicken Pot Pie IX on allrecipes.com but have modified it slightly.  I usually double the recipe for the "cream of " and then have plenty to freeze.  You can certainly just stick to the original recipe with the canned soups and will still have a delicious meal.

Chicken Puffs

1 box of frozen Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets
3 cups of chopped or shredded chicken (I always use rotisserie chicken for this)
1 can each cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup (or substitute my "Cream Of" recipe from above)
4 oz. cream cheese

Homemade "Cream Of" Soup

1/3 C. finely chopped celery
1/3 C. finely chopped onion
1/3 C. finely chopped mushrooms
1/3 C. butter
1/3 C. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. celery seed
1/4 t. poultry seasoning
1 3/4 C. chicken broth
2/3 C. milk

In a large pot or skillet, sautee onions, celery, and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until soft.  Add flour and seasonings.  Stir and cook for 1 minute.  Slowly stir in broth and milk.  Whisk over medium low heat until mixture has thickened.

To prepare puffs:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine canned soups (or homemade "cream of") with softened cream cheese.  I often soften the cream cheese in the microwave first.  Remove half of the mixture and set it aside to pour over baked puffs.  Add chicken to remaining soup mixture.

Thaw puff pastry overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for about 1/2 an hour.  Once it is thawed enough to roll, use a rolling pin to roll out into larger sheet.  Cut each sheet into 4 squares.  Place 1/8 of the chicken mixture on each of the puff pastry squares.

Pull opposite corners of the squares up to meet in the middle.  This will create a little bundle.  Seal completely at the top by twisting all the corners together.  Take care not to rip the pastry.

Bake for 20-30 minutes in the oven until the bundles are golden and puffed.  Warm remaining soup mixture on the stovetop and pour over the baked puffs.

Sausage Scones

   I am a firm believer in the power of a good scone.  In fact, I make really good scones on a fairly regular basis.   Therefore, in the name of keeping a clear conscience, I have to tell you that I really don't think these sausage biscuit/ball/cake thingies can truly be called scones.  I just don't have a better name for them so that's what I am going to go with.  Rest assured, I DO know what a true scone looks and tastes like and that these don't really match.  We are going to have to move on, though, so that I can tell you how to make these.

  For years and years I have tried hard to like those sausage balls that show up at every Southern function.  You know them and you very well may have had to pull a loved one away from them at a party to avoid them making themselves sick from them as I often have to do.  I always take one or two hoping that suddenly they will work their magic on me, too, and that I will fall in love with them.  I want to like them.  I want to be a good Southern girl, dammit.  Sadly, the truth of the matter is that I just don't.  I find the texture to be really, really weird and I just can't seem to get past it.  They feel spongy to me and that just isn't a pleasant sensation when all is said and done.

   A few years ago, a friend of ours brought his own version of these to Sunday School and I promise you, a heavenly light shone down and lo and behold, I fell in love!  What was the difference you ask?  One simple trick . . . he COOKED THE SAUSAGE!  No kidding, that's all he did that made these stand apart.  It turns out that by cooking the sausage before you mix them together then that weird sponginess just disappears.  Now, this friend of ours also used a nice smoked cheddar in his but I have made them with regular grocery store cheddar since then and they still turn out great.

   I did end up adding a secret ingredient to mine and now love them even more.  Whole grain mustard. My favorite is called Lusty Monk and if you can get it locally, your world will improve drastically. If not, suck it up, pay the shipping cost and order it online.  I promise everything you use mustard for will be made all the better.

   If you don't have any Lusty Monk, just throw in some dijon or any other ground mustard.  Just know these could be even better.

  Since nobody in my family needs to eat as many sausage scones as this recipe makes, I usually freeze at least half of them.  Just roll them into balls, place them on a foil lined pan (I use Reynolds Release foil), pop them into the freezer and then once they are frozen solid, place them in a freezer bag.  When you go to make them, remove them from the freezer and bake as usual.

Sausage Scones

1 lb. breakfast sausage in a roll (I like Tennessee Pride) hot or mild
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
2 C. Bisquick or any baking mix
1 T. whole grain mustard (Lusty Monk is my favorite)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown sausage in a skillet slowly.  DO NOT drain.  Add undrained sausage to cheese, Bisquick, and mustard in a large bowl.  Mix thoroughly.  Mixture will be very moist.

Roll into balls and place about 1" apart on a greased baking pan (or line with Reynolds Release foil).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and using a small spatula, flatten the balls into a patty shape.  Return to oven and bake until they are a little crispy, about 5 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.