Paula Deen's grits pie 3/4 cup water 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup quick-cooking grits 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 3/4 cups sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 large eggs, slightly beaten 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (9-inch) frozen pie shell, thawed Sweetened whipped cream and strawberries, optional Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a small saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the grits and cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the butter and cook for 1 additional minute. Set aside and cool slightly. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Slowly stir into the cooled grits. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until set. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream and strawberries as a garnish, if desired.

I watched this one on TV this morning, it looks really good an has great ratings. Pecan Bars Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson, 2010 24 bars.Ingredients Crust: 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for dish 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2/3 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt Filling: 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup light brown sugar Pinch salt 1/3 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 3 cups coarsely chopped pecans Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with foil allowing an overhang about 2 inches off the sides. Butter the foil. In a food processor, blend together flour, sugar, butter and salt until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add 2 tablespoons cold water and mix until the dough just holds together. Press dough into bottom of buttered baking dish and bake in oven until golden in color, about 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar and a pinch of salt and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the corn syrup, flour and pecans and mix until just combined. Spread the filling over the baked crust and bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan. Remove from pan by pulling up the foil sides and putting it on a cutting board. Cut bars in desired size with a sharp knife and arrange them on a serving tray. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days. . Here is a link that might be useful: Pecan pie Bars

Saturday's paper included this year's Milk calendar, so I'll post a recipe periodically from it. Gooey Chocolate Cranberry Squares (Milk calendar) Crust 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/4 cup milk Topping 1 2/3 cups sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tbsp flour 1 cup milk 3 eggs 1/3 cup butter, melted 2 tsp vanilla 1 cup dried cranberries Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13x9 metal baking pan with foil, leaving 2" overhang at each end; lightly butter foil. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and butter; using your fingers or pastry blender, work butter into flour until butter is well blended and mixture starts to clump. Add mik and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms. Gather handfuls of dough and drop over bottom of prepared pan. With floured fingers, press dough evenly into bottom of pan and 1/4" up sides. Bake 15 minutes or until edges are golden and top is firm. In another bowl, whisk sugar, cocoa and flour; gradually whisk in milk. Whisk in eggs, butter and vanilla until blended; stir in dried cranberries. Pour over hot crust, spreading evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes until topping is evenly puffed and center jiggles just slightly when pan is moved. Let cool completely in pan on a rack. Remove cake from pan and cut into squares or bars.

Braised Short-Ribs in the Slow Cooker (from our local paper) The sauce that these ribs make is truly exceptional, and doesn't even need thickening. But because the ribs are fatty and tender, you might need a gravy separator. It's a handy tool that allows you to pour off the delicious broth, separate from the fat that collects on top of the juices. I served this delicious main course with steamed green beans and soft fresh bread to mop up the gravy. It would be lovely with mashed potatoes or noodles, too. Bring on winter! Braised Short Ribs with Orange and Hoisin 1 kg (2 lb) beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely or sliced thinly 125 ml (1/2 cup) orange juice 15 ml (1 tablespoon) ketchup 5 ml (1 teaspoon) soy sauce 30 to 45 ml (2 to 3 tablespoons) hoisin sauce 15 ml (1 tablespoon) fresh ginger, grated 5 ml (1 teaspoon) sesame oil 8 to 10 pearl onions 1. In a large skillet on high heat, quickly brown the meat on both sides. You can use a little oil if you need to, but this shouldn't be necessary, as the meat is quite fatty. Place the meat in the slow cooker, trying to keep it to one layer at the bottom. 2. Fry the garlic in the pan for a moment or two until it turns pale gold. Combine the orange juice, ketchup, soy sauce and hoisin sauce in a bowl and whisk together. Pour this into the skillet with the garlic and stir until all the browned bits are loosened in the pan. Pour the mixture over the meat in the slow-cooker. Sprinkle sesame oil on top. 3. Peel the pearl onions. This can be tricky, so I trim the pointed top and the root end with a sharp knife, then plunge them into boiling water for one minute. The skins will then slip right off. Scatter the pearl onions over the meat. Cover the slow-cooker and leave on High for four to five hours, or Low for eight to 10 hours. 4. Remove meat and onions from slow cooker and place into individual plates or a serving dish. It should be dark and very tender, with the bones falling off. Pour the juices into a bowl or gravy separator and skim off the fat. Pour degreased juices over the meat and serve with steamed vegetables or a salad, and bread, noodles or mashed potatoes. Makes 2 large or 3 medium servings.