BEST EVER BLUEBERRY PIE

1 9" pie shell baked
5 cups fresh blueberries
1 8 oz package cream cheese
2 T. milk
¼ cup sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. lemon juice

Combine cream cheese, milk and ¼ cup sugar. Spread in bottom of pie shell. Place 4 cups blueberries on top of cream cheese mixture.

Make glaze: Combine 1 cup sugar and cornstarch. Slowly add lemon juice, water and remaining 1 cup blueberries. Cook over medium heat and stir until thickened. Cool glaze. Pour over blueberries in pie shell. Chill at least 3 hours before serving. Serve plain or garnish with whipped cream.

Notes:
1. This is equally good made with a vanilla wafer crumb crust.
2. You can substitute any fresh berries for the blueberries.
3. To make in a 9 x 13 pan, double ingredients. A crumb crust works best for this.

KEY LIME PIE

• 3 egg yolks (whites not required)
• 8 ounces of softened cream cheese
• 4-5 ounces Key Lime Juice (more for tangier pie)
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1-9"graham cracker pie crust

Pour condensed milk into blender. Add cream cheese gradually, in small portions and mix until smooth. Add egg yolks and blend well. Pour in Key Lime Juice and continue blending until mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker pie crust and bake at 350º degrees for 10 minutes. After baking, let stand for 10 minutes before refrigerating.
For a zestier taste, always prepare the pie a day before you need it. Top with freshly whipped cream and garnish with fresh lime zest.

Here is a recipe from my husband's family in Georgia. Definitely very southern!

Corn-Chive Pudding

2 cups fresh corn kernels, divided 1 (8 oz.) container chive and onion cream cheese
3/4 cup half-and-half
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" x 8" baking dish. Place 1 cup corn kernels in container of a food processor and pulse several times until coarsely chopped; pour into a large bowl. Add remaining cup of corn to chopped corn. Add cream cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Hope this helps. MOPS is a great organization.

Drain pineapple reserving 3 Tablespoons of juice. Combine sugar, flour, and juice. Add cheese and pineapple chunks. Place in a 1 quart casserole dish. Mix cracker crumbs and butter and pour over pineapple mixture. Cook 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

No Peek Casserole

This is a recipe that my family literally will fight over. It makes a delicious gravy (what they fight over) and absolutely nothing to making it.I double the recipe and there is still none left at the end of the meal.
No Peek Casserole
2 lbs stew meat (I use 3 lbs)
1 can Campbell's Chicken Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup Ginger Ale
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 4 oz jar mushrooms, drained (optional)

Preheat oven to 300. Combine ALL ingredients (DO NOT brown meat and DO NOT dilute soup with water) together. Mix well. It will be lumpy before it's cooked. Pour into a casserole dish and cover. Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours. DON'T PEEK!! Serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes. The smell as it's cooking is WONDERFUL

Thank you very much for your inquiry. Creeping Charlie or ground ivy is a particularly problematic weed because of the fact that it is resistant to a number of herbicides, but there are some very effective products available. (One of the things I am assuming here is that you want to control the creeping Charlie in your turf areas.) When searching for a herbicide look for products containing triclopyr. This includes Weed B Gon Purple, Weed B Gon Chickweed, and Weed B Gone Max. If you have other broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, Weed B Gon Max would be a great choice because it contains 4 active ingredients 2,4-D, which is very effective on dandelion, MCPP, dicamba, and triclopyr. The best time to apply your perennial weed control products for species such as creeping Charlie is in fall (October 1-15). At this time weeds will be going dormant and storing nutrients, and if you spray at this time the weed will actually store the herbicide, giving you the best control response. The second best time is in the spring right at and after creeping Charlie flowers.

A second good choice for chemical control is quinclorac (Drive). This is harder to find and is more expensive (it is also better). I have never heard of it being sold in the bigger stores, only Lesco. It can be applied alone or mixed with any three way product (triclopyr does not have to be in the mix) and you will get excellent results. Timing is still the same. The good news about Drive is that is the best post emergence herbicide for crabgrass that I have ever seen. It will come off patent next year, so I suspect is availability will become more widespread.

Again, thanks for the question and let me know if you have more.

Respectfully

Trey Rogers
The Yard Doctor

Best Gingersnaps

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups sugar plus 3/4 cup for rolling***
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ginger

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and molasses very thoroughly. Gradually add dry ingredients. Beat hard.
Don't be alarmed if the batter is soft!
Roll pieces of dough into 1" balls, then roll each ball into rest of sugar*** (I use coarse sugar but it isn't necessary if you don't have it).
Bake on greased baking sheet about 3" apart 10-12 minutes in 375 degree oven.
Take cookies from oven and let them stand for 1 minute before removing and cool on wire rack.

SWEET BABY CARROT CAKE

Cake
2 c. self-rising flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 (4 oz.) jars strained baby carrot food
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil

Frosting
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz.) box powdered sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325*. Grease & flour three (3) 8" or 9" cake pans. Mix all cake ingredients together & blend with a hand-held mixer. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes. Invert onto lint-free dishcloth, or waxed paper and allow to cool completely.

For frosting, mix all ingredients with a hand-held mixer & blend until smooth and creamy. Frost layers, top, and sides of cooled cake. Serves 16.

The solid green sport of Hosta 'Revolution' (which is again very common) was named Hosta 'Midnight Ride'. Hosta 'Revolution' is a speckled centered sport of Hosta 'Loyalist', so it sports to green or can revert back to Loyalist.

Hosta 'Paul's Glory' is an interesting case. A solid blue plant was selected out in tissue culture from 'Paul's Glory' and was named 'Wheaton Blue'. However, 'Paul's Glory' is itself a sport of 'Perry's True Blue', so in reality the solid blue sport found in Paul's Glory should have simply been a reversion back to Perry's True Blue and not really given a new name. At this point you would need to grow Wheaton Blue and Perry's True Blue side by side to compare whether or not they are really the same plant. Technically, then, a solid blue plant out of Paul's Glory should be a reversion back to Perry's True Blue, but in tissue culture the solid blue sports of Paul's Glory are selected out and called Wheaton Blue now a days.

By the way, Second Wind is a solid green sport of Whirlwind, not Revolution. Gold Standard is considered to be a sport of fortunei hyacinthina and Striptease is a sport of Gold Standard so the solid green plants out of either of those is probably just fortunei hyacinthina.

Gets confusing after a while. Personally I don't believe every single solid colored sport should be given a name unless it is really spectacular. Most of the time they should just be separated out and pitched, in my opinion, but invariably someone comes along and names them like they are something new and unique... Just my opinion though, even though I really do like Maraschino Cherry, the solid green sport from Cherry Berry ;)

Chris

Here is the recipe. It is best if you freeze the berries first. Otherwise they tend to get smashed when adding them to the dough.

Thanks to Terri and the power of suggestion, I made Blackberry Scones for breakfast this morning. And served them on the lovely plates that Stacy sent me the swap.

Here is what they looked like ready to go in the oven.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Raspberry Scones
================

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
extra cream and sugar
.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and
salt. Cut butter into mixture with pastry blender until it resembles a
course meal. Add cream and raspberries to dry ingredients. Mix lightly
with fork until mixture forms a stiff dough. Knead on floured board
just to incorporate all flour; try not to damage berries.

Roll into 7-inch round and cut into 6 or 8 wedges. Place 1 inch apart
on greased baking sheet; brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Note: When adding fruit to the scone mixture, make sure the raspberries
or blueberries are frozen. Otherwise you end up with crushed fruit.
Still tastes as good, but not as pretty. I usually add the cream and
when the dough has almost come together I add the frozen fruit. With
the Chocolate you can add it along with the cream.

Cream cheese filling for wraps
8 oz pkg. cream cheese
2 green onions (white part and about 1 inch of the green part)
2 tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix
2 to 3 tbsp white wine (optional)
Combine all in a food processor and process until smooth. Spread a couple tbsp of mixture on each tortilla.
Fill using leaf lettuce, sliced deli meat of choice.
A great cocktail pinwheel can also be made using the above mixture and the following.
Olive and Green Chili Blend
¾ C chopped green olives
¾ C chopped black olives
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chili's
Combine the olives and green chili's.
Spread a tortilla with the cream cheese mixture then spread with olive mixture.
Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hrs or longer.
Unwrap and slice into pinwheels about 1 inch thick.
During the holidays I like to combine cream cheese with a bit of cranberry relish, spread on a tortilla and place deli thin sliced smoked turkey on it. Roll up and refrigerate as above. Yummy!
Nancy

Here is a family favorite pasta salad.

ORZO WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

1 small eggplant, peeled, 3/4" dice
1 red pepper, 1" dice
1 yellow pepper, 1" dice
1 red onion, peeled, 1" dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 lb Orzo, cooked

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 scallions, minced
1/4 cup toasted Pignoli nuts
3/4 lb Feta cheese, 1/2" dice
15 basil leaves, chiffonade

Mix first 7 ingredients together and place in one layer in large roasting pan.
Roast @ 425 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once.

Mix warm orzo with warm cooked vegetables and all of their juices.
Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss together and let cool to room temperature.

Add scallions, nuts, Feta and basil and serve.

Serves 6

This was adopted from a recipe on Epicurious - see link below.

Fresh Tomato Pasta with Bacon and Spinach

12 oz. bow-tie pasta - 1 box
10 bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (I used about 10 fresh Roma's)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 cups spinach
3/4 cup sliced green onions (1 small bunch as it came from grocery)
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Peel and seed tomatoes, if using fresh.

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet (I used Olive oil). Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper and garlic to skillet; sauté until tomatoes soften, about 2 minutes.

Add onions, 1/2 of the basil, and bacon; sauté about 2 minutes. Stir in wine; bring to simmer. Let simmer for a couple of minutes.

Stir in spinach and simmer until just wilted.

4 healthy servings

To plate the food:

Add pasta to plate, top with sauce, sprinkle a hefty helping of parmesan and a little fresh basil.

NOTES: One reviewer on Epicurious used turkey bacon with success. I used Oscar Mayer 30% leaner bacon as it was on sale.

Here is a link that might be useful: BLT Bow Tie recipe on Epicurious

WILD RICE CHICKEN SALAD

2/3 c. reduced calorie mayonnaise
1/3 c. skim milk
2 T. lemon juice
3. c. cooked wild rice
3. c. diced cooked chicken
1/3 c. finely chopped green pepper
1/3 c. finely sliced green onion (I sometimes substitute a bit of fresh chives)
1 8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/2 lb. seedless green grapes, halved
1/2 c. unsalted cashews
salad greens
8 small grape clusters

Blend mayonnaise, milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
In medium bowl, combine chicken, wild rice, grn pepper, onion, water chestnuts, salt and pepper. Fold in mayonnaise mixsture
Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours. Fold grapes and cashews in before serving.
Arrange on salad greens and garnish with grapes.
--Serves 8

NOTE: I've had this with mandarin orange sections instead of grapes and pecan chunks instead of cashews. Equally good.

Ginny in Minnesota

INGREDIENTS:
4 to 6 chicken breasts, cooked, reserve broth
1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

PREPARATION:
Cook spaghetti in reserved chicken broth. Chop chicken. Saute bell pepper and onion in a large skillet with tbl. of butter or vegetable spray until vegetables are softened. Add soups. Cook on low until bubbling, then stir in chicken and spagetti.

Pour into a lightly greased baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese and bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6.

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

1 bag frozen broccoli - do not thaw
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped onions
Saltine Crackers
Cheeze Crackers
Butter

Mix all but crackers together and place in greased or sprayed baking dish. Crush equal amounts of saltines & cheese crackers and mix with 1 tlb. of melted butter (or more if needed) and pour over top.

Bake at 400 degress until bubbly
Recipe can be doubled by using Family Size Broccoli

CAJUN HOT PICKLES

1 gallon sliced dill pickles
5 lbs. sugar (5 lbs. is correct amount)
5 - 10 drops of bottled red hot sauce.

Pour all of dill juice out of jar. Mix sugar and hot sauce.
Layer pickles and sugar mixture back in jar. Replace lid and turn jar over every day for 5 days.

These are are exceptionally good and addictive. I put the recipe here on the Receipe Exchange about 6 years ago and everybody raved about them. They become sweet and tangy and crisp.

Sandra - Georgia
in honor of SIL Susie who passed away at 33 from lung cancer.

Colonnade Icing

4 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. wter
6 T. white Karo
6 egg whites, beaten stiff
1/3 c. powdered sugar

Mix sugar, water and Karo. Cook to soft ball state, 238 degree onyour candy thermometer. Add this mixture slowly to egg whites, what have been beaten still but not dry, beating thoroughly until the icing is like cream. Add 1/3 c. powdered sugar. "This is a soft-on-the-inside, crusty-on-the-outside icing that never fails. Leftovers may be refrigerated, then heated in warm water to lukewarm and used as needed."

Helen Corbitt's Cookbook

I hope this helps.

Brenda

RED SAUERKRAUT AND MEAT

1 cup tomato juice
2 Tbs. red wine (optional)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. caraway seeds (optional)

1 small apple, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced

1 – 16 oz. can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

3-4 lb. pork roast with bones or 2 lb. boneless pork roast and/or
1 lb. kielbasa

Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add apple, onion and garlic and mix thoroughly. Stir in sauerkraut. Transfer mixture to a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. If using pork roast with bones, top kraut with roast well-seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder or garlic salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes; then bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until pork is done, stirring sauerkraut every 30 minutes. Add a little water if kraut is getting too dry.

If using boneless pork roast, do the 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then cook an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour at 350 until pork is done.

For kielbasa with pork, add it during the last 45 minutes of cooking.

If making kraut without pork and just kielbasa, bake kraut at 400 for 30 min.; then turn oven to 350 and cook kraut another 45 minutes to 1 hour with kielbasa if whole or cut in big pieces or 30 minutes if cut into ½ inch rounds for an appetizer.

Either way, keep the sauerkraut stirred as it browns and add a bit of water if it’s drying out too much.

Also, I just found this recipe for an "Easy Cinnamon Flop" on Recipe Zaar. One of the reviewers said that her family calls it Cinnabon Coffee Cake when she tops it with a white glaze. Might be worth a try - the ingredients sure don't look like they could do any harm!

Easy Cinnamon Flop

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups milk or half-and-half
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, more if desired
1-2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Set oven to 350°.
Prepare a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan (this can also be baked in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish, or two smaller round cake pans).
In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except the brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.
Pour into prepared baking pan.
Generously spread dark brown sugar and cinnamon on top.
If desired sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans over top.
Drizzle melted butter over top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Note: if desired you may add in 1 egg, for a more cake-like texture, but it is not necessary.
5-6 servings

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe w/ Comments at Recipe Zaar

Cinnabon Streusel Coffee Cake

Streusel:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 cup butter, melted

Cake:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk

To make streusel topping:
combine crumbs, nuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, cardamom, and melted butter. Set aside.

Cake:
combine dry ingredients, add butter, eggs, vanilla, and milk and beat two minutes.

Pour half the batter into a greased and floured 9" round, or square pan. Layer half the streusel, then add the remaining batter and repeat the streusel layer.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.
The cake can be served warm or cold.

It really is a simple recipe, but oh so delicious.
Hope you enjoy it!

Jan