1 pound ground beef
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.  Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

I get lots of compliments when I made this pudding.  I hope you will enjoy it this Thanksgiving.

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all?purpose flour

Dash of salt

4 eggs, separated

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

5 to 6 bananas, sliced

35 to 45 Vanilla Wavers

(Reserve 1 banana and 10 to 12 wafers for garnish)

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Stir in 4 egg yolks and milk.  Blend well. Cook, uncovered over boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened. Reduce heat, cook, and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add Vanilla. Spread small amount on bottom of 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Cover with sliced bananas and wafers. Repeat ending with custard.

Beat egg whites until stiff gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon on top of pudding. Cover surface sealing edges. Bake at 435 degrees for 5 minutes or lightly brown. Chill. Before serving, garnish with banana slices and wafers upright around edge of dish. Yield: 8 servings

Thank you to my dear friend Bea Kunz for sharing a family recipe with me.  I hope you enjoy Bea’s family recipe for Chicken n’ Dumplings.  Bea grows and sells the most wonderful herbs.  Please visit her website.  Enjoy!

(Chicken and stock)

1 whole free range/organic chicken , 4 to 5 pounds
2 large bay leaves
1 head garlic-split ( or to taste )
5 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
Kosher salt
4 to 5 black peppercorns

(Vegetables)

2 carrots
1 large sweet onion
2 ribs celery
1 clove garlic-split
4 sprigs fresh thyme-stripped from the stalk
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

(Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings)

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped chives

Place chicken and first 6 ingredients into a slow cooker and cover with water. Set on low , and cook until chicken is falling apart. ( you can do this the day before and refrigerate) Or you can cook on stovetop in about an hour.

When done, remove the chicken. Strain the stock and shred the meat into big pieces.

Slice vegetables up into small pieces, in a large sauté pan over high heat,add a 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sauté vegetables until translucent. Fold vegetables into the slow cooker ( or pot ) with the stock. Fold the shredded chicken back into the mixture and season well. Add chopped fresh parsley and stir. Turn slow cooker ( or pot ) up to high while you make the dumplings. ( adjust heat so it doesn’t boil too rapidly or over the edge of pot if doing stovetop)

(To make the dumplings)- Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and milk together; pour the liquid in the dry ingredients and gently fold.

Mix just until the dough comes together—the batter should be thick and cake-like. Using a small ice cream scoop, make dumplings and layer into the slow-cooker, ( or pot ) Place the lid back on. Turn cooker up to high and leave for 30 minutes until the dumplings are cooked and puffed up slightly.
( If using stovetop, turn the heat as high as possible and watch carefully as the liquid will boil out of the pot with lid on too tight.)

Enjoy and have fun with your guest.

Bea kunz

EatWell-BeWell~
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
http://beasbeatitudes.blogspot.com
http://kunzdurham.blogspot.com

Thank you Anna, one of my newsletter subscribers, for emailing me this recipe.  Oh my goodness does it sound heavenly!  I just happen to have some left over meatloaf in the refrigerator.  I will be trying this recipe tomorrow night.  Thanks again, Anna!

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Four 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices cold leftover meatloaf
1 to 1-1/2 cups canola or peanut oil for frying

Set three wide, shallow dishes (such as pie plates) in a row on the counter. Put the flour in the first dish. Crack the egg into the second dish and beat it lightly with a fork. Put the panko or crumbs in the third dish and toss them with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Working with one slice at a time, dredge the meatloaf first in the flour and then in the egg, coating it on all sides and shaking gently after each dip to knock off the excess. Lay the meatloaf in the crumbs, scatter some crumbs on top of the slice, and press gently to adhere. Flip and repeat once or twice with the crumbs to coat really well; be sure to get the edges as well. As you finish each slice, set it on a tray. When all are coated, refrigerate for at least 5 minutes and up to 1/2 hour to let the breading set up. Save some of the leftover crumbs for testing the frying oil temperature and discard the remaining breading ingredients.

When ready to cook, pour about 1/3 inch of oil into a heavy-duty 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan. Have ready a paper-towel-lined tray or plate. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it immediately and vigorously bubbles when you gently flick a few leftover crumbs into it.

With a slotted metal spatula, carefully slip the breaded meatloaf into the oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side, using the spatula to carefully turn the slices. Transfer to the paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and let sit briefly to drain excess oil. Serve hot.

As you can tell from the ingredient list, this is not a cake you would want to serve all the time. Make
this cake for a special occasion. You will absolutely love it.

1 cup softened margarine
½ cup softened butter
1 - 8 oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
Dash of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 large eggs
3 cups cake flour

(DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN) Combine margarine, butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Beat well. Add
salt and vanilla. Beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cake flour a
little at a time, beating well. Pour batter into a greased floured 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan. Place
pan in COLD oven. Set oven to 275 degrees and bake for 1 ½ hours or until wooden pick inserted in
the middle comes out clean. Let cool in pan. Turn out on platter and dust with powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 pkg. (32 oz) frozen hash browns

1 can of Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup (8 oz) French onion dip

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup diced onions, browned in butter

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

Topping

1/4 cup melted butter

2 cups crushed corn flakes or crushed Chicken in a Biscuit crackers

Mix together the first seven ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place in a greased cake pan.

For the topping, mix together the last two ingredients and spread over the potatoes. Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes.

Nothing says family, home, and love more than a home cooked casserole fresh from the oven.  It is almost like it can melt your troubles away.  I hope you enjoy this new casserole that my family just tried.

I love the fall season!  I hope you will enjoy this Carmel Apple Pie recipe as much as we do.

2 pastry shells, 9-inch

4 Granny Smith apples peeled and cored, thinly sliced

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 lb Caramels coarse chopped

2 tablespoons Flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup Milk

Milk for top

Sugar for top

Preheat oven to 375?. Fit 1 round of rolled pastry into a 9-inch pie pan.

In a large bowl, toss together apples, sugar, cinnamon, caramels, flour and milk. Spoon mixture into pie shell.

Top with the remaining rolled pastry. Fold the edge of the top pastry under the bottom pastry. Pinch together and flute the edge all around with a fork. Cut several slits in the top so the steam can escape during baking. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Pie is best served slightly warm.
8 Servings

2 medium sweet potatoes

ice water

oil for deep frying

salt

Peel potatoes; cut in half lengthwise then slice very thin with mandoline, slicer attachment of food processor, or knife. Place slices in a medium bowl and cover with ice water; chill for 1 hour.Lift from water and drain on paper towels. Heat oil to about 375° in deep fryer or about 1 inch deep in an electric skillet or deep skillet on stovetop. Fry potato slices in one-layer batches for a minute or two, or until golden brown. Lift chips out with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle sweet potato chips with salt before serving.

3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups crushed corn flakes

Combine sweet potatoes, butter, milk, salt, and sugar. Form into 6 patties; roll in corn flakes to coat. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 325° for 25 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.