Mom's Broccoli Salad

2 bunches fresh raw broccoli

1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup chopped red onion
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 pound bacon, cooked crisp, cooled, and drained

Mix all ingredients together in large mixing bowl. (Either cut the bacon in small pieces before cooking or crumble before adding to mixture.)

Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix together with wire whisk and pour over vegetable mixture, stirring to coat thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Joan's Pie Crust

2 C flour

2/3 C butter-flavored shortening

1 t salt

(up to) 6 T cold water

Combine salt & flour. Cut in shortening (can do in food processor). Sprinkle on water lightly and toss with fork until begins to stick together and make a ball. Roll between two pieces of wax paper. Roll to 1/8 inch thick. Peel off one side of wax paper. Place paper back on crust and flip over. Peel off other side. Put crust in pan.

To pre-bake - preheat oven to 425* and bake 8-12 minutes (poke with fork or use pie weights).

PS - THANK YOU to Joan Justis for teaching me how to make this pie crust. My husband will be forever grateful.

Whit's Cinnamon Pie

1 c. sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. cornstarch
Dash salt
1 c. evaporated milk

1 c. water
4 egg yolks
1/2 stick (1/4 c.) butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 baked pie shell (9-inch)

In double boiler (I make my own) combine evaporated milk and water. Mix together the 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, flour, cornstarch and salt. Stir into milk/water, then very gradually blend in slightly beaten egg yolks. Cut the half stick butter into several pieces and add to milk mixture. Cook in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring constantly, until thick (consistency of pudding). Stir in vanilla. Cool.

Pour cream mixture into pie crust. Delicious!

Mom's Banana Bread (aka Betty Crocker)

1 ¼ C sugar
½ C butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 ½ C mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium)
½ C buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ C gold medal all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 C chopped nuts (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans.


2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.


3. Bake loaves about 1 hour - until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Thanksgiving Menu - Whit

1. Cornucopia
2. Turkey - Alton Brown's recipe (Romancing the Bird)
3. Stuffing
4. Mashed Potatoes
5. Gravy
6. Corn on the cob
7. Maddox Rolls
8. Strawberry Jello Salad (with pretzel crust)
9. Baked Beans
10. Broccoli Salad
11. Sparkling Drinks
12. Banana Cream Pie
13. French Silk Pie
14. Stephen's Pear Gruyere Pie
15. Marie Callender's Dutch Apple Pie (yes, I buy this frozen)
16. Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - Also an Alton Brown recipe - Churn Baby Churn
17. Cranberry something (changes)

Chicken Noodle Stoup

A very precise and exact recipe! (by Shauna)

In large kettle, melt three or four tablespoons of butter. Add three or four chopped stalks of celery (with leaves), about 1/3 of a yellow onion, chopped, four carrots, peeled and chopped, and three or four potatoes, peeled and diced. Stir and cook until the vegetables are mostly cooked - it’s okay if they brown a little. Add salt and pepper. Add two or three pieces of raw chicken that have been cubed. Add a dash or two of poultry seasoning. Stir and cook for a while. Stir in about 1/3 cup of flour and cook until quite browned. Add two or three chicken bouillon cubes....kind of mash them in. Add a couple of cans of chicken stock and then water to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil and add a couple of hands full of country style noodles. When liquid comes to a boil, again, turn the heat down and simmer until noodles are done. Entire process takes less than 30 minutes.

Banana Chocolate-Chip Mini Muffins
(from familyfun.com - we LOVE these muffins!)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 medium)
1 large egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup fat free or light sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350º F.


2. Line a mini muffin pan (ours made muffins 1 3/4 inches in diameter) with bake cups or lightly coat the muffin cups with cooking spray.


3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and stir with a fork to blend.


4. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, sour cream, vanilla extract, and milk. Beat on medium until well blended. Reduce the speed to low and blend in the dry ingredients (do not overmix). Stir in the mini chocolate chips.


5. Fill each muffin cup with 1 level tablespoon of batter. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out with some melted chocolate but no crumbs.


6. Transfer the muffins to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 36 mini muffins.

Cheese Boats (yes, these are real)

So, I've never had these anywhere but Globe, Arizona. I'm not sure how this recipe developed. But, I am certainly glad it did. The key to this recipe is LONGHORN style cheese. If you don't use longhorn style cheese, the cheese will not get yummy and melty as it should. Consider yourself warned.

1 lb longhorn style cheddar cheese, grated
1 small can tomato sauce (2 cans if you can't find El Pato - but you'll be sad if you substitute)
1 small can El Pato hot sauce (look in the Mexican food section of your grocery store)
(1 small jar diced pimentos - optional)
(4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine - optional)
1 can diced green chiles (size of can is up to you!)
1/2 c olives, chopped fine
1 bunch green onion, chopped
4 t vinegar
1/2 C vegeable oil
salt & pepper

1-2 dozen small hard rolls

Combine all ingredients (except rolls) in a large bowl. Slice the tops off the rolls (keep the "lids"). Scoop out bread from inside roll (don't tear through). Carefully fill each roll with the cheese mixture. Place lids back on rolls and wrap in a square of aluminum foil. Bake at 350° until heated through and cheese is melted (approx. 20 minutes).

These can be frozen - but freeze BEFORE you bake and not after or they get soggy. Just bake longer from frozen state - no need to thaw!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is a healthified recipe - when I find the original, I will post it. It is a deep-fry version.

1-2 chicken breast, cubed or grilled & sliced - or whatever
1 C brown sugar (okay, so not all THAT healthy)
2 C water
1/2 C ketchup
1/2 C pineapple juice
2 t soy sauce
1/4 C vinegar
3 T cornstarch
(pineapple & peppers can be optionally added)

Cook chicken in whatever manner you prefer.

In small saucepan combine other ingredients and heat until thickened.

Pour sauce over chicken. Eat with sticky rice. :)

Mom's Enchiladas

1 lb Ground Beef
2 T grated or minced onion
1 C cream of chicken soup
16 oz sour cream
small can chopped green chiles
8 oz. grated longhorn style cheddar cheese
1 dozen corn tortillas (I like white corn)

cook 1 lb. gd. beef. Remove from heat. Add a couple of T of grated or minced onion. Combine 1 can c of chick soup, 16 oz. so. cream, and small can chopped gr. chiles. Grated cheddar (longhorn is best). Heat 6-8 tortillas at a time in the microwave - I spray them with cooking spray and stack them on a small plate. Assemble enchiladas... smear warm tortilla with soup spoon of green chile sauce, place a soup spoon of meat onion mixture across tortilla, sprinkle with cheese. Roll into enchilada. Continue until 13x9 pan is full, heating more tortillas as they are needed. Put a little milk in remaining sauce and mix. Spread on top of enchiladas, sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.