My son thought we should make this recipe. Really he did…until he was in the middle of a video game and IN A MOOD. We ended up doubling the corn muffin mix (maybe-how many ounces is a box of Jiffy). The peanuts didn’t get chopped. The butter was doubled. Son forgot to double the cheese and no idea if the garlic salt made it in.

However, it is strangely yummy.

1 8-oz package corn-muffin mix
1 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Prepare corn-muffin mix according to package directions; spread evenly in well-greased 15 1/2 x 10 x1 -inch jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet that has sides folks). Sprinkle with peanuts, cheese, and garlic salt. Drizzle butter over top. Bake in moderate oven (375) for about 25 minutes or till crisp and lightly browned. Immediately cut in squares. Cool slightly, remove from pan.

Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookbook 1959

Thanksgiving is on the way here-so time to figure out stuffing. I must not forget stuffing this year. I must not forget the stuffing this year. I must not forget the stuffing this year. Yes, I forgot last year. Yes. I am still hearing about it.

I tend to cheat when it comes to stuffing. Stove Top makes most of the family happy. Denise’s stuffing makes them all happy except me. (The crumby kind in a bag–made with water. Sorta mushy and bleah) I grew up with a traditional stuffing like the one below and a stuffing with apricots and raisins added.

This however is a very traditional stuffing without any mixes. I tend to toss some of the drippings from the fully cooked turkey to the stuffing in place of the butter and add a bit more for moisture if needed.

Traditional Herb Stuffing

3 quarts slightly dry bread cubes. (either buy them or start saving the ends of bread now and dry them a bit for Thanksgiving)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup canned chicken broth (or make your ownO

Saute onion in butter. Add broth to heat. Combine bread, seasonings, parsley, onion and butter. Toss lightly to mix. Makes 8 cups.

I have a weekend breakfast dilemma-one of my children absolutely hates eggs. The rest of us get tired of pancakes, waffles, and biscuits. This weekend we had a surplus of apples…a trip to the nursing home to visit my sister and take her fresh fruit was put off because of what is being called flamingohousebola or the horrid cold all the adults seem to have still, yet, again.

In addition, later this week our college girl will be coming home for a few days. She is the originator of Apple Pancakes in our home-from those months when she was in charge of menus, food budget and meal prep in high school. (Homeschooling Home Ec…)

We didn’t quite make it the Michelle way over the weekend, it still is roughly based on her recipe, but it turned out pretty darn good.

Baked Apple Pancake

1 T butter
3 eggs
1/4 c flour
1/2 c. milk
Cinnamon
4 apples, cored, cut into bite size chunks
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 450. Spray pie plate with nonstick spray. Place 1 tablespoon butter in pie plate and place in oven until melted. Whisk flour, milk, eggs, and cinnamon together. Pour into pie plate. Bake 8 min at 450, reduce heat to 375-bake 8 more minutes. Meanwhile, saute apples in remaining butter, add brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until softened. Remove pancake from oven…cut into 6 pieces, serve with apples on top. Serves 6.

In other news-on Retro-Food Reviews-I have a new post up You are Drop Dead Gorgeous

It is Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange week. Bread pudding is a food I wasn’t fond of as a child but once I grew up and made my own for the first time, I fell in love with it. If you haven’t had bread pudding in years, give it a try. French toast in a casserole dish!

It is a great way to use up the ends of a loaf of bread or revive a stale loaf and a frugal dessert.

Here is how I do it:

Take about 5 cups of bread that you have torn into pieces. I like to use raisin bread, homemade breads, challah, etc for this but any stale bread works.

Warm 3 cups of milk in the microwave. Beat in 2 eggs, 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar (white or light brown sugar), 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. I do this in the casserole dish I am going to bake the pudding in. Soak bread in milk mixture for 15 minutes. Stir lightly. If you would like to add raisins, add them at this point 1/2-1 cup. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until set.

Our meal tonight will be corned beef, potatoes and cabbage (crockpot) and of course, soda bread. No, none of it is really Irish.  But, it is indeed traditional here in the U.S. Soda bread is better if made the day before…but who can wait that long to eat it?

Not so Irish Soda Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Another recipe card, another quick bread, but a fabulous one. This does make a nice gift. Do flour the loaf pan unless you have a penchant for mucking up a loaf pan and a pretty loaf of bread. It does freeze well…so bake now and save for the holidays.

Divine Date-Nut Loaf

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sifted flour
1 lb chopped pitted dates (about 3 cups)
4 cups pecan halves

Beat together the eggs, sugar and oil. Add the dry ingredients and mix together well. Pour into a greased and flour loaf pan and place in a COLD oven. Turn on the oven to 300 and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until cake is firm in the middle.

Let cool completely. Remove from pan and slice with very sharp knife. Or, wrap and freeze for slicing and serving later. Makes a three pound loaf.

Cooler weather always calls for a bit of homemade bread. This one is a favorite of mine.

Caraway Cheese Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches)

2 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspooon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon caraway seed
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Sift dry ingredients together. Add cheese and caraway seed; stir to distribute evenly. Combine evaporated milk, vinegar, butter, and egg. Add all at once to flour mixture; stir only until ingredients are moistened. Turn into dish. Bake 50 minutes. Cool on rack.

Biscuit mix Variation: Substitute 2 cups packaged biscuit mix for the flour, salt and baking powder.

Because sometimes you just want a super easy savory quick bread for dinner.  Truly, what could be better than cheese bread?

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups milk
7 1/2 cups Bisquick
1 1/2 cups sharp cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans WELL. Blend together eggs and milk. Stir in Bisquick and cheese. Blend well, but don’t give in to over-beating it. Pour into loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

This is a family favorite. Be careful not to over-stir after adding the dry ingredients to the wet. (And don’t be foolish like I was last time I made this and add the dry ingredients before the milk and egg and don’t skip the mashing the banana before adding step)

Oatmeal Banana Bread

2 cups Bisquick
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 large ripe bananas, mashed, (about 1 cup)

Combine biscuit mix and oatmeal; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time; stir in the bananas and milk. Add dry ingredients all at once, stirring just until moistened. Put batter into a greased and floured 9×5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 35 to 45 minutes.

I have to confess, winter brings the desire for lots and lots of baked goods. It unfortunately doesn’t bring me time and energy to bake. This means I sometimes cheat by starting with Bisquick or refrigerated dough. Here is an example:

Spicy Apple Twists

2 large apples, peeled and cored
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut each apple into eight pieces. Unroll crescent roll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Cut each in half lengthwise to make 16 triangle strips. Place an apple piece at wide end of each strip. Arrange in 9″ square pan. Drizzle with butter; sprinkle with mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Pour orange juice into pan but not over dumplings.

Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes until apples are tender. Serve warm, plain or with cream.