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.

This is on the cover of one of our magazines. It's so rich and dark and tempts me. It calls for 1 bottle of stout beer, so I'm going to buy "something" and try it. Does it look good to you? Slow-Cooker Beef and Stout Stew 1-1/2 lb (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 lb (454 g) carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 lb (454 g) parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 bay leaves1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme 3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper 3 lb (1.4 kg) stewing beef cubes 4 strips thick-sliced bacon, chopped 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) Stout beer 3/4 cup (175 mL) sodium-reduced beef broth 2 tsp (10 mL) Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas In slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, onion, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Top with beef and bacon. Whisk together stout, broth, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce; pour over beef. Cover and cook on low until beef and vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 hours. Discard bay leaves. Whisk flour with 1 cup of the cooking liquid until smooth; whisk into slow cooker. Stir in peas; cook, covered, on high until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Speedy Turkey Tetrazzini (Ladies Home Journal) 8 oz curly egg noodles 2/3 cup plain bread crumbs 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1-1/8 tsp salt 1-1/4 cups sliced white button mushrooms 1 cup chopped onion 3/4 lb cooked turkey, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 2 cans (14 oz each) low-sodium chicken broth 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1 Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees F. In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tbsp butter and 1/8 tsp salt; set aside. 2 In a medium saucepan, combine 1 tbsp butter, the mushrooms, onion and remaining 1 tsp salt. Cover and cook over medium-high heat 3 min. Uncover and cook, stirring, 3 min more; transfer to a bowl. Toss in turkey and peas; set aside. 3 For sauce, in a medium saucepan, whisk together broth, flour and remaining 2 tbsp butter, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 4 to 5 min; remove from heat. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup cheese, the lemon juice and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. 4 In a 13-by-9-inch baking dish, combine sauce, turkey mixture and noodles; top with bread crumb mixture. Bake until golden and bubbling, 13 to 15 min. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

I often make Ina's Crostata when I make an apple pie. It's easy and instead of putting it in a pie plate, it's just plopped on a silpat or parchment paper on a baking sheet. The pastry is so rich and flaky. Apple Crostata For the pastry: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter , diced 2 tablespoons ice water For the filling: 1 1/2 pounds McIntosh, Macoun, or Empire apples (3 large) 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced Directions For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas . With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet. For the filling, peel , core , and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest . Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon , and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.