I like apple cake--but not so much apple pie. Go figure! This is baked in a 9" cake pan so it's small enough for two. EASY APPLE CAKE (Pillsbury site) 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups shredded peeled apples (about 2 medium apples) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 quart vanilla or cinnamon ice cream Heat oven to 350�F. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in apples and walnuts. Spoon into pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes longer. Serve warm with ice cream. The best baking apples are slightly tart. Top choices are Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortland, Northern Spy and Rome.This cake is also delicious cooled and dusted with powdered sugar.

I made these for dinner last nite. Made them in a 6-cup regular muffin tin. I also used shredded marble cheese. I also cooked them at 375 along with the meatloaf. They were nicely browned around the bottom and sides and tender. They were terrific and I'll make them again. Muffin Tin Potato Stacks 5 baking potatoes 2 onions, chopped 6 TBS butter 1 1/2 cups grated cheese, Gruyere or cheddar kosher salt freshly ground pepper heavy cream or half and half cooking spray thyme sprigs Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice raw potatoes using mandoline or food processor. They can also be carefully hand sliced into thin even slices. Set aside. Melt butter (about 4 TBS) in a large skillet and saute onion over a low heat until translucent and slightly golden. Add 2-4 TBS butter in the pan and melt the butter. Set aside. Grate cheese. Set aside. Spray all twelve muffin cups of a regular size muffin pan. Add 1 slice of potato to the bottom of each muffin cup. Salt and pepper. Add 1 more slice of potato. Top each potato evenly with 1/2 onion and butter. Add 2 more potato slices. Sprinkle 1/2 grated cheese evenly over potatoes. Add 1 more potato slice and salt and pepper. Add 1 more potato slice and evenly add the remaining 1/2 of onion and butter. Add 1 or 2 potato slices and top evenly with remaining cheese. Pour 1 TBS cream over each potato stack. Bake for 35 minutes until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of each muffin cup and pop each stack out with a fork.

I haven't made this yet, but I sure plan on it! Slow-Cooked Pot Roast with Horseradish and Mustard Sauce (Fine Cooking) 2 carrots, peeled and cut in half 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, root trimmed but left intact, and sliced into 4 wedges 3 cloves garlic, smashed 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 large bay leaf 3 whole cloves or allspice berries 1 cup homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc) 2 Tbs. tomato paste 1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-1/2 to 3 lb.) 2 Tbs. olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbs. brandy 1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish 1/2 tsp. grainy prepared mustard 2 Tbs. sour cream 1 tsp. all-purpose flour 2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley Put the carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and cloves or allspice in the bottom of a slow cooker crock. In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the broth, wine, and tomato paste to blend. Set a large heavy-based skillet over medium high heat. Pat the roast dry with paper towels, rub both sides with the olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Sear the roast in the skillet until a dark crust forms on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn and sear the other side, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and put the roast on top of the vegetables in the crock. Add the broth mixture to the skillet, bring to a simmer, and scrape the pan bottom to loosen any browned bits. Pour the liquid over the roast and cover the crock; don't stir. Turn the slow cooker to low heat; cook gently without lifting the lid until the roast is fall-apart tender, 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Strain the contents of the crock through a sieve set over a medium saucepan. Discard the solids. Skim the fat from the top of the strained liquid (or use a fat separator). Bring to a boil and then simmer rapidly until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the brandy, horseradish, and mustard. In a small bowl, mix the flour into the sour cream, stir in a few tablespoons of the sauce, and then pour the sour cream mixture into the sauce, whisking vigorously to blend. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Meanwhile, slice the roast thinly. Serve with the gravy and a sprinkling of parsley. Pot roast without a slow cooker: If you don't have a slow cooker, you can still make this pot roast, just make the following modifications to the recipe. Heat the oven to 250 F. Sear the meat in a heavy Dutch oven or similar pot. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add the broth mixture to the pot and bring to a simmer. Return the meat to the pot and turn once to coat the meat in the broth. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the meat, return to a simmer, cover tightly, and roast in the oven until the meat is very tender, about 4 hours. Check occasionally to be sure the broth isn't bubbling too rapidly, and flip the meat if the top surface looks dry.

I was looking through my old recipes and came across Mom's Butter Tart Squares recipe. We loved these on a plate of goodies at Christmas, etc. It uses a shortbread base. The only thing I'm not sure of, is that she squiggled out to bake the base first. I'm wondering if it made it too dry, and crumbly by baking first, so I'm going to try it both ways, to make sure that's what she meant. I'm going to make it today and report back with the results. Butter Tart Squares Base: 1 1/4 cup flour 2 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 cup butter Mix together with a fork and press into a square ungreased baking dish. Topping: 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup walnuts 1 cup coconut 1 tbsp flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp butter Mix together and spread over base. Bake at 325 until firm, 30-35 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool before cutting into squares.