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Homemade Ham Pie

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
2-1/2 cups cubed, fully-cooked ham
1 cup fresh peas
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 homemade (8-inch) pie crust

* Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

* Melt butter in a saucepan. Mix together flour, salt, mustard and pepper and stir into melted butter until smooth. Gradually add milk and onion. Bring to a simmer. Cook and stir constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened.

* Stir in ham, peas and eggs. Pour into pie crust or 8-inch square or 11-inch by 7-inch by 2-inch baking dish. Seal with a top crust and flute edges; cut slits in the top. Bake for about 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Jalapeno-Pimento Cheese Spread

This is especially good on raisin pumpernickel bread. It would also be terrific on a sandwich made with bacon, lettuce and tomato.

3 cups grated Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped pimentos

2 tbsps. chopped pickled jalapenos with juice

1 cup good quality mayonnaise

1 cup Miracle Whip

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Makes 6 cups.

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*you might want to cut this recipe in half

Spaghetti in Olive Oil and Garlic

This is such a simple dish to prepare.....dinner can be on the table in minutes. Serve with a tossed salad and crusty Italian bread.
Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon salt
1 lb dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
crushed red pepper flakes

Set a covered large pot of water over high heat.
Place the oil and garlic in a microwaveable dish. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes, or until sizzling.
Remove and set aside.
When the water boils, add the salt and spaghetti.
Stir, cover the pot, and return to the boil.
Uncover and boil, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until al dente.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Drain the spaghetti and return to the pot.
Drizzle with the garlic oil.
Toss to coat.
Add the parsley and some of the cooking water to moisten.
Toss.
Serve with crushed red pepper for seasoning at the table or add before serving, to taste.

For The Kids....

Crescent Dogs

Ingredients:
8 hot dogs
4 slices American cheese, each cut into 6 strips
1 can (8-oz. size) refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:
Heat oven to 375F. Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 3 strips of cheese into each slit.

Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up.

Bake at 375F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cream Cheese Sheet Cake

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine -- softened
2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese -- softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour


Frosting:


1 cup sugar
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, cheese and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. baking pan. Bake at 325' for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. For frosting, combine sugar and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook for 3 minutes (do not stir). Stir in butter and chocolate chips until melted. Cool slightly. Stir; spread over cake.

Source:2002 Taste of Home Annual Recipes
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Might be a repeat....can't remember

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole

2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes (thawed)
1/2 cup margerine (melted)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. blacke pepper
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups Colby cheese (grated)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with Pam. Combine soup, margerine, salt, pepper, onions and cheese. Gently mix in potatoes and pour into prepared baking dish or pan.

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.

Southwestern Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 pound ground round
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup picante sauce
1/3 cup regular oats
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large egg white, slightly beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
4 medium baking potatoes
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
freeze-dried chives (optional)
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 4-inch loaf and place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush ketchup over meat loaf.

Arrange potatoes around meat loaf on broiler pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Let meat loaf stand 10 minutes before slicing. Split potatoes in half lengthwise; top with sour cream. Sprinkle with chives, if desired.

Beer Braised Beef for Crockpot


Ingredients:
4 pounds stew beef
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
12 small white onions, peeled
4 strips bacon, diced
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 can (12 ounces size) beer
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crushed
1 small bay leaf

Directions:
Combine flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a large shallow bowl or food storage bag. Toss beef cubes in flour mixture to coat thoroughly. Place onions, bacon and about half of the mushrooms in crockpot. Add beef and remaining mushrooms. Combine beer, sugar, vinegar, thyme, and bay leaf; pour over beef.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Serve beef with noodles or rice.

If desired, make a gravy from juices. Strain cooking liquids into a saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Combine 2 tablespoons of flour with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of water to make a smooth paste. Pour into beef juice mixture and simmer until thickened.

Horseradish Cream Sauce

Ingredients :

1/2 cup Light Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Horseradish ; prepared
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
3/4 cup Cream ; approx

Instructions :

Combine all ingredients except the cream. Whisk together. Slowly whisk in cream until the consistency is right for the dish.

Elephant Stew

1 elephant
2 rabbits
brown gravy
salt and pepper

Cut elephant into bite-size pieces. This should take about 2 months. Cover with brown gravy. Cook over kerosene fire for about 4 weeks at 465 F. This will serve 3,800 people. If more are expected, add the 2 rabbits. Do this only if necessary because most people don't like hare in their stew.

Easy Cheesy Quiche

1 deep dish pie crust
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 eggs
1/2 pint whipping cream

Thaw the crust 10 minutes and score the bottom with a fork. Lay broccoli in crust, then cheese. Beat eggs well and beat in whipping cream (salt and pepper this mixture to taste). Pour over cheese. Bake at 350 F. for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Crockpot Barbecued Pork Loin Ribs

Ingredients:
***Ribs***
4 pounds pork loin back ribs or pork spareribs
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 medium onions, sliced

***Barbecue Sauce***
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 bottle (14 oz. size) ketchup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Directions:

If you want you can use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce


Spray inside of a 4-5 qt. slow cooker with no stick cooking spray.

Season ribs with garlic, salt and pepepr. Cut into 2 or 3 rib portions. Layer ribs and onions in slow cooker.

Combine all barbecue sauce ingredients in med. bowl; pour over ribs.

Cover; cook on LOW for 8-10 hrs. or HIGH for 4-6 hrs. or until ribs are fork tender

AUNT BLANCHE'S BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Makes 4 to 6 servings. From Blanche Lippard in "100 Years of Recipes, Reunions and Remembrances."

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2 cups blackberries

2 cups sugar, divided

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup milk

PLACE melted butter in a 9-by 9-inch baking pan. Mix berries and 1 cup sugar and add to the butter-coated pan.

BEAT remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder and milk until smooth. Pour over berries.

BAKE at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until brown and bubbly.

Crockpot Zesty Chicken Breasts


Ingredients:
6 chicken breast halves
2 cans (14 1/2-oz. size) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small can jalapenos, sliced and drained,optional
1/4 cup reduced-fat, creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, optional
Directions:
Remove skin from chicken, but leave bone in.

Mix all ingredients, except chicken in medium-sized bowl.

Pour one-third of sauce in bottom of slow cooker sprayed with non-fat cooking spray. Place chicken on top.

Pour remaining sauce over chicken.

Cover. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-8 hours.

Remove from slow cooker gently.

Chicken will be very tender and will fall off the bones.

Red Rice

8 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 lb smoked ham (about 2 cups) or lean bacon, diced (about 2 cups)
2 medium onions, finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, with liquid
3/4 cup tomato puree
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups long grain rice
hot sauce

Heat the oil in a 4-qt pot over medium heat.
Add the ham, onions, celery, and green peppers and cook until the vegetables are wilted.
Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, pepper and chili powder.
Lower the heat to simmering and simmer, covered 30 minutes.
Measure the sauce and, if necessary, add enough water to bring the volume to 5 cups.
Stir the rice into the liquid and heat to biling.
Reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, until the rice is tender about 45 minutes.
Stir one or twice during cooking to prevent sticking.
Check the seasonings and add hot sauce to taste.

Maple Walnut Layer Cake with Fluffy Maple Frosting

The frosting is a seven-minute icing made on the top of the stove. You must beat it continuously, but it's quick and easy, and the results are worth it!


Cake:
3 3/4 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
3/4 cup hot water

Frosting:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
Garnish:
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and lightly flour two 9x2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
To make the cake: In a large bowl, sift together the flour and the ginger and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined. Beat in the maple syrup gradually. Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the water, beating after each addition until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
To make the frosting: In the top of a double boiler, combine first five ingredients. Cook over boiling water, beating constantly on the medium-high speed of an electric mixer, until mixture stands in peaks (about 5-7 minutes). Remove the pot from heat. Add the vanilla and the maple extracts and continue beating 1 minute more until thick enough to spread.
When cake has cooled, ice between the layers. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup chopped walnuts over the frosting. Then ice top and sides of cake, sprinkling the top with the remaining chopped walnuts.

Croissant Maple Bread Pudding

4 leftover croissants, about 6 cups cut
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
Serving suggestion: vanilla ice cream


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish and line it with plastic wrap going up the walls of the pan.

Cut up the croissants into 1-inch cubes and place them on a sheet pan. Place in oven and toast for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly crisp, then place them in a bowl.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the half-and-half, cream, salt, and vanilla bean over medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. When the cream mixture reaches a fast simmer (do not let it boil), turn off the heat. Set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Whisking constantly, gradually add the hot cream mixture. Strain over the croissant cubes to remove the vanilla bean, and let soak 15 minutes, gently turning the cubes over once. Empty the mixture into the baking dish. Let soak another 30 minutes, or overnight, in the refrigerator. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking dish in a hot water bath. Bake until just set and very light golden brown on top, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool, then chill in the refrigerator 4 hours or overnight. The next day, turn out the pudding and cut round 3-inch plugs from the pudding, place them on a microwave-proof pan and cover with plastic wrap.

To serve, warm maple syrup in a saucepan and keep warm. Warm the plugs of bread pudding in the microwave and serve topped with hot maple syrup. Serve with ice cream.

Pepper-Crusted Maple-Glazed Salmon

3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin removed
1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper (Grind it yourself, or purchase "cracked" pepper at your grocery store)
1/2 teaspoon peanut (or other vegetable) oil, or a spritz of oil spray

In a re-sealable bag or a small deep bowl, mix maple syrup and soy sauce. Arrange fillets so that marinade completely covers fish. Marinate in the refrigerator for as long possible (a minimum of 4 hours, but ideally 24 hours to do it justice).
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Rub oil on a 10 by 10-inch sheet of aluminum foil.

Place pepper on a small plate. Remove salmon from marinade and pat topside only into cracked pepper to coat. Place fillets, pepper side up, on foil.

Bake on the top rack of the oven for approximately 7 minutes. (Syrup may cause fish to smoke when cooking, do not be alarmed.) Salmon can also be grilled directly over hot coals for about 3 minutes per side. But do not even think about using a microwave. Avoid overcooking the fillets. Salmon is best when the color has turned to a pale pink, but the fish is still moist throughout. Serve immediately on warmed plates.

The following 3 recipes are for our maple-loving Canadian friends

Oriental Green Beans

Ingredients:
3/4 pound chopped fresh green beans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices fresh ginger root, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Directions:
In a large pan or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, chilies and stir. As the garlic and ginger begin to sweat, add beans, toss to mix, cover and reduce heat. Steam for 5-8 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water if necessary.

Remove cover, increase heat to high; add soy and oyster sauce and stir for two minutes more or until sauce thickens. Serve warm.

Chicken Salad From The Church Luncheon

2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 cup seedless green grapes, sliced in half
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients

2. Stir gently, but thoroughly, ensuring that all ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

4. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors blend.

5. Serve in a hollowed out tomatoes.....or on bread......or set on lettuce leaves.

Border Bullets - For Those Who Like it "HOT"

12 large jalapenos or how ever many you want to make.
Cut the tip or small end off of the jalapenos leaving the stem on the other end.
hollow the jalapenos. ( we use a potato peeler )
Fill jalapenos with cream cheese.
wrap jalapenos with bacon holding bacon in place with toothpicks.
Broil in oven until bacon is to your liking.
remove, let cool and eat.

Recipe by Firefighter: Phil Burrow - Alva Fire Department, Alva Oklahoma

TGI Friday's Blarney Blaster

Ingredients:
3/4 ounce Irish whiskey
3/4 ounce Bailey's Irish Cream
3/4 ounce green creme de menthe
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup crushed ice

Directions:
Add ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with whipped topping and a drizzle of green creme de menthe on top.

Potato Zucchini Pancakes
Makes 9-10 pancakes or 2-3 servings

2 medium russet potatoes, finely shredded (about 2 cups)
2 medium zucchini shredded (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 green onions, sliced
2 T all-purpose flour
2 T cornmeal
oil for frying
sour cream

Place the grated zucchini and potato in a colander medium bowl, toss with salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Squeeze and press firmly to remove all possible liquid. Transfer to a mixing bowl, stir in the egg, scallions, cornmeal and flour.
In large skillet, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat and then drop the potato mixture, forming pancakes 1/4 cup at a time, and about 3 inches across, flatten with a spatula; cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side, turning halfway and adding more oil if necessary. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Drain on paper towels and keep on a rack over a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve. Dollop each pancake with sour cream.

MORELUCK, Thanks for the recipes I`m Always willing to try something new