More for your perusal: CRANBERRY COFFEECAKE 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 tsp. almond extract 2 cups flour 3 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup sour cream 1 can (8 oz.) whole cranberry sauce 1/2 cup chopped nuts Glaze: 1 cup confectioners sugar 2 Tblsp. milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla Heat oven to 350° F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. In large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually add sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well. Mix in almond extract. Stir in flour alternately with sour cream. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spoon cranberry sauce evenly over batter; spread slightly, but do not try to cover batter. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake pulls slightly away from sides of pan. Drizzle with Glaze. Serve warm. Glaze: Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. CREAM CHEESE & STRAWBERRY COFFEE CAKE 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese or reduced-fat cream cheese, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup seedless strawberry preserves Sifted powdered sugar In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add half of the flour, the eggs, milk, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat for about 2 minutes or until well mixed. Beat in remaining flour on low speed until well mixed. Spread batter evenly in a greased and floured 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Spoon preserves in 8 to 10 portions on top of batter. With a knife, swirl preserves into batter to marble. Bake in a 350° F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar on top. Cut into squares; serve warm. Garnish with fresh mint and strawberries if desired. Makes 12 servings. KILLARNEY CAKE 1/2 cup butter or other shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup sour cream 1 tsp. vanilla Topping: 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 Tblsp. cinnamon 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped nuts Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan. Cream sugar and butter. Alternately add eggs and flour with dry ingredients and sour cream. Add vanilla (batter will be thick). Spread half of batter in bottom of pan. Sprinkle with half of topping. Spread other half of batter and sprinkle remaining topping over the top. Bake for 30 minutes. YEASTED CAKE MIX COFFEE CAKE 1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix, divided 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 pkg. Active dry yeast 2/3 cup warm water (120° to 130° F.) 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 can (21 oz.) fruit pie filling of your choice 1/3 cup cold butter Glaze: 1 cup confectioners sugar 1 Tblsp. Corn syrup 1 to 2 Tblsp. Water In a large mixing bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups dry cake mix, flour, yeast, and water until smooth. Stir in eggs until blended. Transfer to a greased 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking dish. Carefully spoon pie filling over top. Place remaining cake mix in a bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350° F. for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over coffee cake. Yield: 12-16 servings.

This recipe is from my 1973 BH&G cookbook and it has had rave reviews from southerners and Canadians, alike. In fact, my Canadian friends took the recipe home to use for their own Thanksgiving. Easy and good! In skillet, cook 1/2 pound bacon (8-10 slices) till crisp; drain, reserving 1/4 cup drippings. Crumble bacon; set aside. To skillet add 1 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/2 cup water. Cover; cook till barely tender, about 7 minutes. Combine bacon, reserved drippings, vegetable mixture, 3 cups coarse corn bread crumbs, 6 slices toasted bread, cubed, 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage, and 1 cup chicken or turkey broth; toss well. Bake covered in a 1 1/2-quart casserole at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Makes 8 servings or enough stuffing for an 8 pound turkey. I eyeball the amount of cornbread and white bread. Also, I use poultry seasoning instead of sage. I usually add a handful of chopped pecans too. It always turns out yummy! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Try some sriracha. It'll heat up anything. Next time you make it, though, try using this cornbread recipe as a starting point to which you add all the goodies. In general, you have the choice of making a savory cornbread (no sugar, little or no flour) or a sweetish corn-muffin type cornbread (sugar and flour added). You'll find partisans on both sides. I personally prefer a non sweet cornbread, but chacun a son gout. Without meaning to make the Cornbread Holy Wars erupt again, my favorite recipe for a savory (as opposed to sweet) cornbread is from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. I use this recipe when I make cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving; a quadruple recipe just barely fits into a 5 quart KitchenAid mixer bowl, and into an 11 x 14 pan. Absolutely delicious. If you have access to freshly ground corn meal, it'll be plenty sweet. So try to buy your meal in a store that seems to have a good turnover of corn meal. So that's probably NOT in a gourmet store. 2 eggs, room temp 2 cups buttermilk, room temp 1 tsp baking soda 2 cups white cornmeal (but yellow is okay, too) 1 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven and greased baking utensil (skillet or 9 x 9 pan) to 450 while mixing batter. In a small bowl beat the eggs and mix in the buttermilk. In a mixer bowl, mix the baking soda, cornmeal and salt. Pour in the egg-buttermilk mixture and mix well until smooth. Pour batter into the preheated pan, return to oven for 20 to 25 minutes. It's done when a knife inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean & dry. The link is to a recent cornbread discussion--sweet vs savory, flour vs no flour. Here is a link that might be useful: cornbread thread

CORNBREAD SALAD Serves 12 Pan size 9X13 1 (16 ounce) package corn bread mix 10 slices bacon 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix 1 1/2 cups sour cream 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained 3 tomatoes, chopped 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup chopped green onion 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 2 (11 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained Prepare corn bread according to package directions. Cool, crumble, and set aside. Place bacon in a large deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Whisk together the dressing mix, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Crumble half the corn bread in the bottom of a large serving dish. Top with half the beans. Layer the beans with half of the tomatoes, green bell pepper, and green onions. Sprinkle with half the cheese, corn, bacon, and the salad dressing mixture. Repeat the layers. Cover, and chill at least 2 hours before serving. Nancy