Perfect Pie Crust

I got this recipe from Tyece too. It really is a perfect pie crust! The trick is to not handle the dough to much!

2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 c shortening
1/4 c ice water

Mix flour and salt. Cut shortening in with a pastry knife until crumbly. Stir in water with a fork until mixed. Divide in half and roll out half out on a floured surface until it is about an inch larger than your pie pan. Roll over your rolling pin and then unroll over your pie pan and form to pan. Cut off excess. Add filling and repeat with top. Flute pie edges together and cut 4 slits in the top to vent.

Apple pie bakes at 400 for an hour.

The extra dough is really yummy cut into shapes and baked with cinnamon and sugar on top. My kiddos love it!

Creamy Green Beans

So yes, this is just a variation of Green Bean casserole but I have a mental block towards the word casserole. I played with a few different versions that I could find and added my own twist to it and this is what we came up with. Just as a reference point when I told my hubby I would be making it for Christmas dinner he turned his nose up at me. At dinner he had about 4 helpings of it!

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1-2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2/3 c sour cream
3/4 c cheddar cheese, grated
2 cans green beans
1/2 can french friend onions

Add butter to a skillet and allow to melt. Add onion and cook on med until its starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute or so. Add flour to make it thick and pasty. Add sour cream, salt, and sugar and stir until combined. You can add more sour cream or even a little milk if you want it more runny but we wanted it thicker. Add cheese and green beans and stir slowly so as to not crush green beans. Add to baking dish. You can refrigerate at this point until about 30 minutes before you want them ready, I would just wait to add the french friend onions until right before you pop it in the oven. I ran our french friend onions through the magic bullet and pulsed it 7 or 8 times to break them up smaller. Sprinkle over top and place in oven about 350 for 30 minutes or until warm, bubbly, and the onions are crispy and brown.

Cranberry Sauce

My friend Mandy made this for Thanksgiving off of the Year of crock potting Blog and even though I normally don't like cranberry sauce or turkey....I loved this recipe and will definitely make it!

12 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 c water
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Rinse cranberries and place in crock pot (if you have a huge crock pot place them in an oven proof dish in your crock pot). Add remaining ingredients and cover and cook on high for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. When the cranberries get soft enough smash them and stir well. Heat until it is warm all the way though and then take the lid off and let cook for another 30-45 minutes.

Sweet Potato Crunch

Oh yum! I got this recipe from my Mom and its the best for holiday yams. Its like you get to eat dessert first!

Filling:
2 large eggs
1 c sugar
3 c cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/3 c flour
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
1 c finely chopped pecans

Lightly butter a deep pie dish. Beat eggs lightly in a bowl and add sugar and stir. Add in remaining filling ingredients. Turn into dish. Combine flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut butter into mix until crumbly. Stir in pecans and spread over filling. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Gulliver’s Creamed Corn

2 pkgs frozen kernel corn
1 tsp salt
8 oz heavy whipping cream
¼ tsp MSG
8 oz whole milk
6 tsp sugar
pinch white pepper
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp flour 

Combine all ingredients except flour and butter in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Blend butter with flour and add to the corn mixture. Mix well and remove from heat.

Gulliver’s Creamed Spinach

2- 10 oz pkg frozen leaf spinach
3 slices bacon
1 small onion
3 Tbsp flour
1 ¼ c milk
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp MSG

Thaw spinach and squeeze completely dry. Grind bacon and onions very fine and place in a saucepan, sauté until cooked. Stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Gradually add milk, bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes over low heat or until thickened. Add salt, pepper, and MSG. Grind spinach until fine and add to cream sauce.

Megan’s Rolls

We did Christmas with a bunch of friends one year at our home and Megan brought these rolls and everyone had at least 3 they are so yummy!

Mix and let sit:
1 c warm water
2 Tbsp yeast

Mix together is 2nd bowl:
½ c potato flakes
1 c evaporated milk
½ c sugar
2 eggs (5 eggs if doubling)

Add yeast mixture to that mixture and then add:
½ c oil
1 c boiling water
2 tsp salt
Mix and add
3 ½ c flour and mix.
Then slowly add 3 more cups flour one at a time (don’t use an electric mixer).

Mix until combined. Place dough into a big greased bowl and let rise for an hour and then dump onto floured counter and roll until one inch thick and cut into circles. Melt ½ c butter into a shallow bowl and dip biscuit through butter. Then fold roll over onto itself and set on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise for 1 hour and then bake at 400 for 12 minutes.