Green Salad with Apple Dressing

A different take on green salad, with a Fall twist. Use a nice crisp apple with a bit of sweet and a bit of tang. Serve alongside a nice warm soup or a slow-braised beef roast. Wear a sweater. Rake some leaves, Imagine a bonfire... (I may be getting carried away...)

Viniagrette:
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp minced shallots
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/2 c light olive oil

12 cups mixed greens
1 crisp red-skinned apple, thinly sliced or medium diced

Combine vinaigrette with whisk - salt and pepper to taste, drizzle over greens and apples and toss.

Amish-Style Baked Oatmeal

This is comfort-food breakfast to be sure. We first encountered this after running a 10k Turkey Trot in Lancaster County, PA. It was a chilly day for a run, and when we finished this was waiting for us, warm and filling the little fellowship hall with the scent of fresh-from-the-oven oatmeal cookies. That's basically what this is: oatmeal cookies for breakfast. Dig in.

Lattice-Topped Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb pie has been a family favorite for years. When we could step out our back door and harvest the rhubarb it was extra special. A summertime essential, I can't think about this pie without hearing the song, "Rhubarb pie, in the summer / Rhubarb pie, made by my mother / Nothing's better in the winter / Than rhubarb pie, after dinner!"

Green Enchiladas

 Just dusted off this old family favorite to make for dinner tonight.  It has been a long time since I made it, and it's a lot of work, but I will have some hungry guys at the table tonight and it will be just the thing to fill them up. 

Marvelous Macaroni & Cheese

How have I not posted this sooner?  I went to make it yesterday and began by looking for the recipe here.  My sincere apologies.  This has been a family favorite since learning the basic recipe from a lady at our church in South Florida.  This was the dish she brought to the pot-luck suppers.  She always left with an empty pan.  Rich and creamy and cheesy, it's everything macaroni and cheese ought to be.  I have modified the method a bit over the years, but not the ingredient list.  A couple of times I have tried using pasta shells, but they nest together so much the mac is just easier to deal with.  Be careful where you take this to share: my mother has gotten marriage proposals because of this mac-n-cheese!

1 lb. Elbow macaroni or shells

3 cans Cheddar Cheese Soup

3 C shredded Sharp Cheddar

3 C shredded Mozzarella

¾ C Sour Cream

1 stick melted Butter

1 Can Evaporated Milk

Paprika

Pepper

In a large bowl, combine soups, one third of each of the cheeses, sour cream, butter, evaporated milk, paprika, and pepper to taste.  Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  While still hot, pour pasta into soup mixture and stir to mix well.  In a 13 x 9 pan, begin layering macaroni mixture and cheeses until pan is full, reserving enough cheddar to cover the top layer for a golden-brown top.  Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 – 45 minutes (may need to cover with a loose tent of foils part-way through to prevent over-browning).

 

Extra-Special Crispy Rice Treats

¼ C Butter or Margarine

40 large Marshmallows

6 C Crispy Rice cereal

1 package White Chocolate chips

Grease a 13 x 9 pan.  In a large bowl, combine cereal and white chocolate chips.  Melt butter and marshmallows in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Once smoothly melted, pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and quickly stir to combine.  While still warm, transfer to greased pan and with clean hands, pat down evenly to fill to the corners and edges.  Allow to cool before cutting into squares with a sharp knife.  Remember to share!

Oyster Dressing

This recipe comes from my Great-Grandmother, Mable Wallace, known to me as Mimmi.  With the oysters, it is a real Louisiana twist to our Thanksgiving menu.  (Adding a Louisiana twist to any menu is always a good idea!)   Ten years ago my Aunt LaRue submitted it to Rachel Ray’s magazine, Everyday With Rachel Ray, and it was chosen as one of ten winners in the “America’s Best Stuffing” contest.  I made it that year for the first time and it has been requested every year since by one or more of my children.  The two boxes of corn muffin mix make the same amount of cornbread as a single recipe of cornbread, so I skip buying the boxes and make cornbread the way I normally do.  The secret to this recipe isn’t in the boxes of corn muffin mix, it’s in the rest of the ingredients!