DH and I wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We are planning to go to our DD#2's home for not lunch and not dinner. We are planning to eat around 3:00 so I guess we will say Thanksgiving meal. LOL. It is also an early Birthday meal too. The girls are doing all the cooking and baking so all I have to do is show up. I don't know how to act because I am the one usually doing most of the cooking. It has been pretty cool around here. We had a little sleet on Saturday evening but nothing major. It was a pretty and sunny day today also windy and quite cold. Still was able to do some outside work for a change. I have two little girls that I kept until they started school staying with me this week so they wanted to help. One of them is not afraid of work the other is a born supervisor. LOL. They helped me pick up where the dog tore up a faucet cover all over the yard and rake and pick up leaves and pinestraw. We had a storm come through about a week ago or maybe a little more that caught our young chick (almost two months old) out in a small pen inside the large chicken pen. DH was nice enough to go out in the rain and lightening and put them back inside. We have lost 11 of them. They were growing so good. It has really made me sick to see so many of them die. And if that isn't enough the hen that decided she wanted to set on 4 eggs waited until they started pipping and left the nest. The eggs were cold as ice when I got out there this morning. This is the third time that she has set and hasn't hatched one egg yet. She won't have the opportunity to try again. If she gets broody, I will put her up in a cage by herself. DH is out of school this week and we are trying to get some repair work around the house done. I am mostly staying out of his way. Letting him do the work and helping if he needs me. Again, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for everyday. Jan

Everyone in my family loves this pie...except me. I'm not in to the gooey real sweet things like they are. If we didn't have this for Thanksgiving...they probably wouldn't come back the following year! LOL SANDY'S CHOCOLATE-CHIP PECAN PIE 1 9 in. unbaked pie shell, my recipe 1 full cup chopped pecans 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 3 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 3/4 cup dark corn syrup 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. salt Put pie shell in freezer to chill. In a small bowl, combine pecans and chocolate chips, toss and set aside. In a med. bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Add the butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Whisk 1 min., blending. Place half of chocolate-pecan micture on bottom of chilled pie shell. Pour in half of the filling. Scatter remaining pecan mixture into crust and top with remaining filling. Bake at 350° until the filling has set and the top has browned...about 1 hr. Cool on wire rack 1 hr. before serving. ************************************************************ MOM'S PIE CRUST This comes from the 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook I was given as a going-away gift when I moved from Worcester, Mass. to Cape Cod when I was 12 yrs. old.. I have never seen it anywhere else. It makes the best pie crust I have ever had...and it's the easiest to make. "Stir-N-Roll" pastry. Tender, flaky, golden brown pastry that stays crisp and fresh. Never crumbly. Never tough. Wonderful for fruit, berry, cream and meat pies" Two-Crust Pie Mix together: 2 cups sifted flour 1 tsp. salt Pour into measuring cup (but don't stir together): 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup cold milk Pour all at once into flour. Stir lightly until mixed. Round up, divide in halves. Flatten each half slightly. ````````````````````````````````` For bottom crust: Place one half of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper (12 in. square). Roll out gently until circle reaches edges of paper. If bottom paper begins to wrinkle, turn and roll on other side. Peel off top paper. If dough cracks or breaks, easily mend by pressing edges together or by pressing a scrap of dough lightly over tear. Don't moisten. Pick up bottom paper at top corneres; dough will stick to paper. Place paper-side up in 8 or 9 in. pie plate. Carefully peel off paper. Gently ease and fit pastry into pan. Trim even with rim. ````````````````````````````````````````````` For top crust: Roll other half of dough for top crust as above. Place over desired filling. Trim to rim, or tuck edges under edges of bottom crust and seal using fingers or the tines of a fork. Bake until golden brown. Temperature: 425° (hot oven) Time: Bake about 40 min. `````````````````````````````````````` Pie Shell 1 1/3 cup sifted flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 tbs. milk Roll out as for bottom crust above. After placing rolled dough in pie pan, prick bottom and sides very thoroughly with fork. Bake until golden brown. Temperature: 475° (very hot oven) Time: Bake 8 to 10 min. ************************************************************ And...Angel Pie is to die for! I've been making this one for years! It's a great one for Christmas! ANGEL PIE 4 egg whites 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup confectionary sugar 2 large pkg. frozen strawberries, defrosted & drained 1 pint heavy cream 4 tbs. sugar Beat egg whites until stiff and then add, gradually, alternating first the granulated and then the confectionary sugar, beating slowly all the time. Put mixture into a buttered and floured (large, deep) pie plate . Bake at 325° for 45 min. The center of the pie will drop as it cools. Beat heavy cream until almost ready. Add 4 tbs. sugar and beat until ready. Fold in the drained strawberries. Pour mixture into the pie shell. Chill for at least 4 to 6 hours before serving.

This dip was posted quite some time ago by Seagrass and we have enjoyed it many times since. (Thanks again, Seagrass!) FALL APPLE DIP (8 servings) 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped, salted peanuts (without skins) 3 apples, sliced but not peeled (I like to use a Golden Delicious, a Granny Smith and a red-skinned variety for the most color) 1/2 cup orange juice Combine cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla in a bowl - mix until smooth. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Dip apple slices in orange juice and arrange around the cream cheese mixture. (Can transport apple slices in a container or ziplock bag in the orange juice, then arrange when ready to serve). Or if you wanna go veggie instead.... Crudite Platter with Roasted Garlic Aioli From Cottage Living 2/07 1 bunch baby carrots (leave about 1 inch of green tops on 1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets & blanched 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets & blanched 1 lb asparagus, trimmed & blanched 1/2 lb green beans, blanched Cherry tomatoes Red, orange or green peppers, sliced 1/2 lb small red potatoes (I didn't use) 1 belgian endive, leaves separated (I didn't use) Arrange prepared vegetables on platter and serve with aioli for dipping Roasted Garlic Aioli 1 head garlic 1 T olive oil 1 c good quality mayonnaise 1 6oz jar marinated artichoke hearts 1 T Dijon mustard Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400F. Cut off pointed end of garlic, place on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap tightly and roast for about 30\-40 minutes or until soft. Let garlic cool and then squeeze the pulp from the cloves into the bowl of a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Aioli may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Linda

Tried a new recipe for hot dinner rolls; they were not good - recipe will go in the trash. Following are three recipes that were the stars: Canal House's Cranberry-Port Gelée Adapted very slightly from Canal House Cooks Every Day (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2012) Genius Recipes 1 cup port (or red wine or Madeira) 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon juniper berries 10 black peppercorns 1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries (about 4 cups -- frozen can be substituted) Put the port, sugar, juniper berries, and peppercorns into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the cranberries burst and are very soft, about 10 minutes more. Strain the sauce into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing the solids through the screen with a rubber spatula. Stir the thin and thick portions of the strained gelée together. Transfer to a pretty serving bowl. (A funnel or liquid measuring cup with a spout can be useful for transferring without splashing the sides.) Cover and refrigerate. It will firm up within a few hours, or can be made several days ahead. Creamed Onion Gratin 2 medium yellow onions, cored and quartered lengthwise 1/4 cup olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tbsp. flour 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a Riesling) Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan 3 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled 1/4 tsp. paprika Heat oven to 350°. Toss onions with oil in a 9″ × 11″ baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Bake, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 1 hour; set aside. Heat oven to broil. Heat butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat; add flour, and cook, stirring, until smooth, about 1 minute. Add cream and wine, and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour sauce evenly over onions. Sprinkle with parmesan, dot with Gorgonzola, and sprinkle with paprika; broil until cheese is melted and golden brown on top, about 2 minutes. Serves 6 - 8 Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers and Lemony Browned Butter adapted from All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art by Molly Stevens 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, yellow or brown 2 tablespoons capers, drained 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425 degrees (400 degrees convection). If desired, line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Depending on their size, cut the Brussels sprouts in halves or quarters; you want them to be small enough to be bite-sized. Place in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the sprouts in a single layer on the baking sheet. Don’t worry if some of the leaves fall off. Include these when roasting; they will crisp up, adding a nice crunch to the dish. Slide the Brussels sprouts into the oven and roast, turning once or twice with a metal spatula to promote even cooking, until the sprouts are tender throughout and smaller bits or leaves that have fallen off are browned and crunchy, 20 to 25 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing a sprout with the tip of a paring knife, but to be sure, nab one off the baking sheet, let it cool slightly, and taste; it should be tender and sweet. As the sprouts roast, melt the butter in a small skillet or heavy saucepan (it should be no more than 6 inches across or the butter will burn). Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the mustard seeds, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, watching the pan carefully and swirling frequently, until the butter begins to foam and turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the capers and lemon juice "the butter will sizzle" and immediately remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm until the Brussels sprouts are ready. Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a serving dish and add the browned butter. Toss to coat. Taste for salt, pepper, and lemon and serve immediately. Makes four servings