I bet you have leftover turkey in your life. Perhaps quite a bit even. There is a solution, put together a casserole and freeze it. It will provide you with plenty of yummy, thrifty meals in the weeks to come. This recipe divides really well if you don’t necessarily need 25 portions in the weeks to come.

It comes from Home and Garden Bulletin No. 40 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, July 1954

The older children’s father is a pecan pie fan. He is a southern boy. I don’t know just how his mother makes her pecan pie. Perhaps similar to this, but I am betting she goes the Karo syrup route. This one has a choice of maple syrup or honey which brings out the richness of the pecans.

Down South Pecan Pie

Unbaked 9″ pie shell
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup white corn syrup
1/4 cup maple flavored syrup or 2 tablespoons honey
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pecan meats
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Heat oven to 350 F. Cream butter well. Add sugar slowly, creaming till light. Slowly stir in syrups, eggs, vanilla, 1 cup nuts. Pour into shell. Top with rest of nuts. Bake at 350 for 55 min. Cool. Serve small wedges with whipped cream, flavored with sherry if desired. Nice with small bunches of grapes.

Fudge nut: Reduce butter to 1/4 cup, pecans to 1 cup. Add 2 sq melted unsweetened chocolate to butter

Coconut: Substitute 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut for pecans, lemon juice for vanilla, and add 1/2 tsp salt.

Walnut or Peanut Pie Substitute walnuts or peanuts for pecans

Now this may be the recipe you grew up with for pecan pie. Lots of people use those nice little recipes in magazines, newspapers, and the grocery store. They are great recipes to use. Solid, no fail directions. Manufacturers want you to buy their stuff again.

So, I begin my week of pecan pies. When my daughter was picking out the recipes for November, she mentioned there were a lot of pecan pies. Then she looked at me a bit confused. I don’t make pecan pies. Her great, great grandmother did. Her grandmother did. But, no, not I.

I do however, like mincemeat pie. Sadly, no one in my family will join me in eating such a thing. Here is a combination of the two types. This recipe from my favorite brand of mincemeat. (other than if my mother suddenly manages to lose a good 35 years of age and health problems and made a bit of her own mincemeat)

Unfortunately, this recipe calls for something that doesn’t exist anymore, sticks of pie crust mix. (or does it?) You will just need to make your own pie crust or use the more modern mix from Betty Crocker.

Pecan Crust Mince Pie

2 sticks Betty Crocker Instant Mixing Pie Crust Mix
1 cup pecan halves
28-oz jar none such mincemeat

Heat oven to 425 (hot) Take 1/2 cup pecan halves and chop finely. Mix pastry as directed on package–except add chopped pecans with the water. Line pan as directed for two-crust pie. Spread mince meat in prepared pan. Arrange remaining 1/2 cup pecan halves over mince meat. Cover with top crust. Cover edge with strip of aluminum foil, remove 15 min before end of baking time. Bake 40-45 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Why yes, there was a brandy sauce yesterday. Here is another with different proportions, still sketchy directions.

I do feel it necessary to explain that while my great-grandmother cooked with brandy…and other alcohol…she put up a strong anti-alcohol front.

Brandy Sauce

4 egg yolks
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

Cook 5 minutes, then cool over ice water.

My great-grandmother made a mean hard sauce. Not only that, many people would like to know how she does it.

Here is one recipe from her files. It may or may not be “the one” but it is tasty.

Brandy Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/2 cup cream or milk

Cook over hot water until thickens, add beaten egg whites.

This is an unusual little dressing for fruit salads. You can use it on green salads too if you are a cranberry salad dressing fan.  I cut the oil a bit when I make it.

Cranberry Salad Dressing

9 tbsp oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mild paprika or suit taste
6 tbsp strained cranberry sauce
2 tbsp sugar, more or less

Beat oil, lemon juice and seasoning togethr. Add the cranberry sauce slowly, a tablespoon at a time. Sweeten to suit and use with fruit salads.

I am not sure who Norma Peterson was in relationship to my great-grandmother. I do know though that this is a fab cranberry recipe.

Cranberry Fluff

2 c. raw cranberries, ground
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 cup seedless green grapes
1/2 cup broken California Walnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups tiny marshmallows
2 c. diced unpared tart apples
1 c. heavy cream, whipped

Combine cranberries, marshmallows and sugar. Cover and chill overnight. Add apples, grapes, walnuts, and salt. Fold in whipping cream. Chill. Turn into serving bowl or serve into individual lettuce cups. May omit apples and grapes and serve as a dessert. Takes 24 hours in all. Serves 8-10.

This is a large large mold that doesn’t require any fresh cranberries. Yay! Boo! This one is better received among the younger folk because of it.

Holiday Cran-Pineapple Mold

2 envelopes unflavored gelatine
3 1/4 cups cranberry cocktail juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 8-oz can crushed pineapple in juice
1 cup non-dairy whipped topping.

In small saucepan, combine gelatine, 1/2 cup cranberry juice, sugar, nutmeg and allspice. Cook and stir over low heat until gelatine dissolves. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add cranberry juice to pineapple juice to make 3 and 1/4 cups, mix in dissolved gelatine. Remove 1 1/2 cups to a small bowl. Chill until mixture mounds when stirred with spoon. Fold in topping. Coat the inside of a six-cup mold with Pam. Pour in whipped mixture. Chill until almost set. Meanwhile, chill remaining juice mixture until slightly thickened; fold in crushed pineapple. Carefully spoon over mixture in mold. Chill at least 6 hours or overnight.

And now we begin our week of cranberry recipes. Cranberries rank as one of my favorite fruits. Unfortunately, finding them out of season proves difficult. So, enjoy them now.

Cranberry and Cream Cheese Salad

1 pkg orange jello
1 pt hot water
1/3 cup sugar
1 teasp. vinegar
2 cups cranberries
1 3-oz cream cheese

Dissolve gelatine in hot water, add sugar, salt, vinegar and set aside to cool and thicken. Run cranberries through food grinder (or processor) twice. Add to gelatin. Mash the cheese fine and add to gelatin mixture. Beat with rotary beater until well blended. Chill. Serve on lettuce.