Holiday Turkey Leftovers: Turkey Frame Soup

Thank you, Sally, for sharing this leftover turkey recipe with us! We hope more of our families will share a holiday leftover recipe too, we don't want one bit of food to go to waste! :o)

Featured Recipe...

Turkey Frame Soup

Recipe for those leftover turkey bones and the tons of meat you didn't know still
clung to them!

1 meaty turkey frame  (I usually throw mine in the freezer and cook several at a time)

3 quarts. water (12 cups)
1 onion, quartered
2 tsp. salt
1 16-oz. can tomatoes, cut up
1 T. instant chicken bouillon granules
1 ½  tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 c. fresh veggies (any combination of uncooked sliced celery, sliced carrot, chopped onion, chopped rutabaga, sliced mushrooms, chopped broccoli, and cauliflower flowerets)
1 ½ c. uncooked medium noodles

Break turkey frame or cut in half with kitchen shears; place in a large Dutch oven with water, onion and salt.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover; simmer for 1 ½ hours.  Remove turkey frame; when cool enough to handle, pull off remaining meat from bones and discard bones.  Strain broth.

Return broth to Dutch oven.  Stir in cut-up turkey meat from bones, undrained tomatoes, bouillon, oregano, thyme and pepper.  Stir in fresh vegetables.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover; simmer for 45 minutes.  Stir in uncooked noodles; simmer uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes or until noodles are done.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Makes 10 servings.

Submitted by: Sally Ferguson
Source: Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook

Holiday Brunch Casserole

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Holiday Brunch Casserole

Here is a casserole that my sister made and I love it. It's a great meal for work potlucks. I have to make 2 - 9x13 dishes of it because my co-workers gobble it down. See the optional changes at the bottom of the page. It tastes really good with the green chilies.

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon
1 T. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pinch dried parsley
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside. In a separate skillet, melt the butter and fry onions and mushrooms until tender. Place potatoes in bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Top with bacon, then onions and mushrooms. In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk and parsley. Pour over casserole. Top with grated cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until set. If preparing and baking the same day, cook for 45 minutes.

Optional ingredients:

Diced can of green chili (TASTES GREAT WITH IT!)
I only use 1/2 an onion
Bacon substitutes--sausage (tastes great with sausage, easier than bacon), shrimp

Submitted by Christine Duval

Homemade Blueberry Pie

Homemade Blueberry Pie
by Michelle Jones, Founder @BetterBudgeting

Category: Recipes, Frugal, Pies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

If you've never made a homemade blueberry pie you must give it a try. It is so very good and your family will love it. If you usually make pies with those expensive cans of blueberry goop (pie filling), using fresh fruit isn't as difficult as you might think. Try this recipe when blueberries are in season, or on sale, or any time of the year. Especially during the holidays!

Ingredients:

4 c. fresh blueberries (yes, you can also use frozen blueberries)
3/4 - 1 c. sugar
1/4 c. quick cooking tapioca, gently crushed (find in pudding aisle)
Juice of 1 lemon (or 1 T. lemon juice concentrate)
Dash of sea salt 
1-2 T. butter
2 (9-inch) pie crusts, homemade or frozen

Directions:

Rinse and drain fresh blueberries, remove any stems. If using frozen blueberries, thaw slightly but do NOT rinse.

In a large bowl, add sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and salt to blueberries, stirring gently. 

Here's a great tip from member, Lora... divide berries in half, placing one half in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until slightly thickened, for about 15 minutes. (Helps to thicken the blueberry juice so it doesn't run, and pie will be easier to cut.) 

Gently stir together cooked and uncooked berries and place in thawed pie crust, top with a few pats of butter.

Place second crust on top of pie and vent with several cuts. You can also cut out 3 or 4 small shapes like hearts or diamonds. Or, cut second crust into 1-inch wide strips and weave back and forth for lattice design, as in the previous pie I made (photo at the top). Brush top of crust with a little milk or egg white.

Loosely cover edges of pie with strip of foil, then place on baking sheet in center of oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

     
Cool pie on wire rack and store leftovers in fridge; if there are any leftovers.

Note: I definitely prefer the lattice crust design for blueberry pies, don't you agree? They do take a bit longer to make, but they are so pretty. Whichever crust style you choose, your homemade blueberry pie will be DELICIOUS!!!

What's your favorite holiday pie? 


Enjoy!

Michelle

Get more recipes at www.FrugalFamilyRecipes.com and your free subscription to our money saving newsletter, Living a Better Life®, at www.BetterBudgeting.com

Holiday Leftovers: Quick Tortellini with Ham and Butter Sauce

Featured Recipe...

Making good use of our leftover holiday ham for the last 5 days, it was time for some pasta.  This dish reminds us of one of our favorite meals at Vincent's Italian Restaurant, a local family owned restaurant here in Atlanta.  It's been almost two years since we've been able to take our family to Vincent's but we still remember the dish, Pasta Alla Panna, very well.  Of course, their version is made with heavy cream and prosciutto, but this is our frugal, lighter version and almost as tasty.  I hope you'll try it!

Quick Tortellini with Ham and Butter Sauce

(Note: We made this for our family of 6 and had a few servings leftover. If you have a smaller family, you can certainly cut this recipe in half.)

Ingredients:

Cheese filled tortellini (we used 2 20-ounce pkgs. of fresh pasta, cooked and drained)
12 ounce bag of sweet English peas (frozen and cooked as directed)
1 1/2 cup diced ham (holiday leftover - to be heated in butter sauce, below)

Butter Sauce:

3 T. olive oil
1 c. butter
1/2 T. garlic powder
1 T. oregano
Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste

Topping:

1 T. parsley
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

To make the sauce... heat oil in a large saucepan, add butter and stir until melted.  Stir in seasonings.  Add ham and cooked peas, and toss until heated through.

In a large bowl, pour heated mixture over drained pasta.  Top with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve with salad and bread if desired.

Submitted by Michelle Jones, Editor

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Holiday Leftovers: Ham Biscuits with Cranberry Sauce

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Ham Biscuits with Cranberry Sauce

What to do with all that leftover turkey or ham after the holidays?  And the cranberries!

I love cranberry sauce and make it each year with fresh cranberries; for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I always try to buy extra packages during the holidays.  They are nearly impossible to find at the grocery stores during the rest of the year, and, they make great ice packs for boo boos and injuries.

The cranberry sauce I make is quite simple and delicious.  Cranberries (rinsed and sorted), 1 c. water, 1 c. sugar, and a big pinch of (dried) orange peel.  I also bought a can of cranberry sauce that was on sale, just as a back up in case I ran out.

This year our family treated us with a delicious ham for Christmas. What a delightful surprise!

The next day, my husband, Wayne, told me he had to drive to the grocery store.  Knowing it wasn't time to make a trip to the store, I looked at him quite puzzled.  Then he proudly proclaimed, "Biscuits!"

I replied, "Biscuits? What for?!"

"For the ham!," he replied.

And off he went, to the store, for biscuits.

When he returned home he prepared the biscuits and put them in the oven for our dinner.  Then he warmed up a plate of leftover ham slices, in the iron skillet.  Yum!  When he was done, the whole family gathered in the kitchen to make their own ham sandwiches, with the biscuits.

Before we all made it to the table with our yummy dinner, I remembered the extra can of cranberry sauce in the fridge.

"I'm putting cranberry sauce on mine," I announced.  "Anyone else want some?"

"No," "No," "No," echoed through the kitchen.

Hmmm.

"Too bad, y'all are gonna miss out.  It's going to be SO GOOD!"

And it was! :o)

Submitted by Michelle Jones, Editor


Have a holiday leftover recipe you'd like to share?

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Holiday Turkey Leftovers: Easy Barbecue Pulled Turkey Sandwiches

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Easy Barbecue Pulled Turkey Sandwiches

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and hubby still unemployed, I wasn't sure how I was going to make a traditional holiday dinner for our large family.  Thankfully, turkeys always go on sale 40-70% off for the holidays (like .49 cents a pound).  I never purchase the more expensive top name brand (also on sale, $1.19 a pound) because I almost always use an oven cooking bag and they turn out moist and delicious every year.  So, on Sunday I went to the grocery store and picked up my off brand sale turkey and put him in the fridge to thaw, for the next four days.  Oh, right, I forgot to mention, I've been under the weather so I wasn't really paying attention to the sizes.

Somehow, I managed to bring home a 20 POUND bird!!!

Having only 9 people to feed for the holiday (not 50), let's just say, it's time for some good turkey recipes! :o)

Here is the first new recipe we came up with for this year, and I know y'all will love it!  It was my husband Wayne's idea and it was quite good.  In fact, it was so good, he wants to use up ALL the leftover turkey the same way.  I'm hoping we get a chance to try some other recipes though, I'm sure y'all have many great ideas too!

Ingredients:

2 cups tender roasted turkey, shredded (pull apart with two forks)
1/2 c. barbecue sauce
4 hamburger buns, or other bread of choice

Directions:

Toss shredded turkey together in a medium size bowl with barbecue sauce.  Place pulled turkey on buns and top with pickles if desired.  Or, serve with vegetables or other side items instead of a bun for a barbecue "plate."

Submitted by Michelle Jones

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Barbecue Wings

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Barbecue Wings

In October my neighbor took the three boys who helped rake and me and herself out for wings. It cost about $50.00. I ate just about nothing and two of the boys are little ten year olds. So the night before Halloween I cooked a bag of wings and joints from aldi ($7.00)

Soak the wings in the following mixture for a few hours in the fridge...

1:1:1=ratio vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup (try ½ cup of each, add more if needed)

Lay the wing/joints/whatever out in a 9x14 pan neatly side by side and put garlic salt, black pepper, ginger--anything you want on--small sliced tomatoes from garden, odd peppers, orphan garden vegetables.

Add the soaking mixture in globs on top of each and cook for 1 hour at 375.

Oh my, these were definitely as good as bought.  And don’t forget to slice up celery sticks to go with it, the kids requested that!

We called these bloody bones and served them at our Halloween party.

Submitted by Susan Helber
http://www.frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Editor's Recipe: Texas Caviar - Michelle's Atlanta Version ;o)

Featured Recipe...

Texas Caviar - Michelle's Atlanta Version ;o)

Here's my "Atlanta" version of this delicious black-eyed pea dip. Serve with Tostito's Scoops!

1/2 pound dried black-eyed peas (soaked overnight, rinsed, drained, cooked in 6 c. water for 2 hrs, drained again = about 4 c. of cooked peas)
4-6 green onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. chopped red onion
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:
4 T. sugar
6 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt, as desired

In a large bowl mix together all the dressing ingredients. Gently fold in the cooked black-eyed peas and remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate for 4 hours, the longer it chills the better it gets.  Serve with Totstitos scoops or chips, like a dip.

I dare you to eat just one! :o)

Happy New Year!!!

Submitted by Michelle Jones
http://www.frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Editor's Recipe: Our Best Collard Greens with Ham Hocks

Featured Recipe...

Our Best Collard Greens with Ham Hocks

Although I do love spinach, I have never enjoyed collard greens, mustard greens or the like.  Actually, I could easily say I HATE them!  After making these fresh greens (collard - with some special ingredients for flavoring), I was quite surprised.  They are delicious!!!  They weren't bitter or yucky at all, in fact, they were actually good!  If you're looking for a new recipe I hope you'll try it, it's very good and very frugal! :o)

Ingredients:

3 bunches of fresh collard greens (or other greens if desired), rinsed well in large bowl or sink of water
2 medium-large ham hocks, cut in half, for flavoring
6 c. chicken stock (you can also use broth, 1 chicken bouillon dissolved in 1 c. water, or a combination of all to equal 6 cups, whatever you have on hand)
1 Vidalia (sweet) onion, chopped
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. vinegar
Sea salt, as desired
Hot sauce, dash, or more if desired

Directions:

Place ham hocks in large stock pot with chopped onions and brown lightly, it's good to also add a little olive oil or shortening.  Add chicken stock and chopped greens (roll leaves together and cut into 1" strips, then cut in half). Cook over med-low heat for about 30 minutes, or until greens have wilted down. Then add brown sugar, vinegar, salt and hot sauce as desired.  Simmer until ready to serve.

As I said, I don't like greens but these are GOOD! :o)

Submitted by Michelle Jones
http://www.frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Editor's Recipe: Michelle's Black Eyed Peas with Smoked Sausage (Crock Pot Recipe)

Featured Recipe...

Michelle's Black Eyed Peas with Smoked Sausage

This year we tried something NEW for our New Year's Day black-eyed peas.  We added smoked sausage.  Oh my goodness, it was so good.  If you like sausage I would think you would also like this recipe, even if you don't like black-eyed peas! ;o)  I threw a bunnch of things together and it came out fantastic. I would be perfectly happy to make this every year from now on. If you have your own favorite black-eyed pea recipe you might also try just adding the sausage to it, or you can use my recipe below.  Either way... have some black-eyed peas for good luck and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

1 1/2 pounds dried black-eyed peas (soaked overnight, rinsed and drained)
2 pounds smoked sausage links, cut into 1-2" slices
1 Vidalia (sweet) onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 c. water
1 T. plus 1 tsp. chili powder
Sea salt, as desired

Place prepared black-eyed peas in crock pot. Add cut up sausage, chopped onion, minced garlic, water and chili powder. Add salt and stir all together.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6.

You can also add a little hot sauce to spice it up more, or let people add it at the table.  Yum!   

Submitted by Michelle Jones
http://www.frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Grandma's Bread Pudding

Featured Recipe...

My grandma would make this often for my sisters and I as kids, and even to this day. This is great to use when you have stale bread.

Grandma's Bread Pudding
Ingredients:

3 eggs
3 cups of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4-1 cup of sugar (depending on taste preference and amount of bread used)
Dash of salt
Dry or old bread
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

*Mix together all ingredients except for cinnamon in a casserole dish or baking pan. Size depends on how much bread you have.

*Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

*Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Poke with knife, if it comes out clean then it's done. Baking time varies.

Submitted by Courtney Cain
http://www.frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Turkey Breast, Turkey Noodle/Rice Soup and Turkey Waldorf Salad

This is actually a terrific way to use 1 whole turkey breast in 3 different ways. Purchase a 5-6 lb. uncooked frozen turkey breast (should be in the freezer section of your grocery store, near the whole turkeys). Place frozen turkey breast in an oval crock pot on low for 8-10 hrs. Do not add water. (If it won't fit under the lid, cover tightly with foil and cover with lid). You may also thaw the turkey ahead of time in the fridge, but it isn't necessary). When it falls off the bone, it is done. Strain the leftover broth for #2meal below.

1. TURKEY BREAST - MAIN MEAT DISH

You may then serve this for a meal along with potatoes, dressing, etc. After the meal, carefully debone the turkey and cube the rest of the meat. Yield will depend on how much was served for above meal.

2. TURKEY NOODLE OR RICE SOUP

9 c. of turkey or chicken broth (use broth from cooking turkey and add to it)
4 med. carrots, shredded
3 celery ribs, diced
1 med. onion chopped
2-3 c. cooked turkey, cubed
1 c. uncooked macaroni OR instant rice (if using regular rice, you will need to cook it longer before serving)
1 t. sage, optional
1 t. parsley

In large kettle, bring first 4 ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat;cover and simmer for 1 hr. Add turkey, macaroni or rice and parsley; cover and simmer for 10-15 min. til done.

3. TURKEY WALDORF SALAD

2-3 c. cooked turkey, cubed
1 red delicious apple, diced and dunked in salt water to keep from browning
1 c. red grapes, halved
1 c. mayo
1/4 c. walnuts, broken, optional

Combine all and chill. Serve over a bed of lettuce, in a croissant or as a sandwich.

Submitted by Susan Cogan
www.FrugalFamilyRecipes.blogspot.com

Holiday Salad

Featured Recipe...

Holiday Salad

A salad with giving thanks.

Romaine lettuce, chopped
6 oz. turkey breast, cooked and cut into strips
2 cups fat-free or low-fat cheese shreds
1 cup candied pecans
1 cup dried cranberries
1 large cucumber, sliced

Dressing:
2 cups Splenda or sugar
2 cups canola oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
8 oz. jellied cranberry sauce
1 T. salt
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. poppy seeds

Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend. Store in the refrigerator. Drizzle over salad.

Submitted by Trish Hyrman
www.FrugalFamilyRecipes.blogspot.com

Editor's Recipe: How to Bake Pumpkins for Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread, Muffins and More!

How to Bake Pumpkins
Copyright by Michelle Jones, www.FrugalFamilyRecipes.blogspot.com

Our family loves pumpkin! Small, sweet pumpkins are plentiful this time of year and so fun to bake. Get the kids involved, it's a great cooking experience for them. Now these are not the large pumpkins you make "Jack-o-lanterns" out of for Halloween, but the smaller sized sweeter pumpkins also known as "pie" pumpkins. Pumpkins can be purchased throughout the Fall season at your local grocery stores, farms, farmer's markets and pumpkin patches--as long as supplies last. Once the pumpkins have all been sold that's usually it for the year; until next season.

1. Before baking your pumpkins scrub them with a little soap and water first as you do with all vegetables. You can cut them up and cook them in the microwave or on the stove top in a pot of water but I definitely prefer the oven, just slicing them in half one time is enough cutting for me. To bake pumpkins in the oven, slice them in half with a large chef's knife, scrape out seeds and stringy stuff, then place them skin side up with a bit of water (about 1/2 cup) in a baking dish, uncovered.

2. Generally, you will be able to fit one pumpkin (two halves) in each dish, so it may take a few hours to bake a large quantity of pumpkins. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, remove from oven to cool for about 30 minutes. The skin will come off so easily; after the pumpkins have been baked. You can either just peel the skin off with your fingers or turn the pumpkin halves over and scoop out the pumpkin flesh with a spoon or fork. The pumpkin will be a little thick and stringy but will soften completely into puree as you continue to work with it, perfect for recipes.

3. Each pumpkin (depending on size), will make about 2 or more cups of puree, just like a can of pumpkin at the store. Of course this will be fresh pumpkin and not processed... yum! (Our 7 pumpkins made 20 cups of puree.) After you have removed the pumpkin skin you can mash the pulp with a fork, put it in a food processor or blender, or puree it with a hand blender. The appliance you choose to use may depend on how much pumpkin you have. If you're preparing a dozen pumpkins, a large mixer would work best.

You can use some of the pumpkin now (my kids wanted me to make pumpkin pies the same day we baked the pumpkins, and boy does it make the house smell SO good!), then put the rest in the freezer to use for recipes during the holidays or later in the year. I like to use plastic zip freezer bags because they store in flat layers and make for easy clean up. (When freezing foods be sure to clean the zip seal before closing the bags and gently squeeze the extra air out, write the contents and date on the bag with a sharpie marker. Fruits and vegetables can be frozen for 8-12 months at 0°F.) Pumpkin is frozen by itself, not with the added ingredients that you will use when making pumpkin pies.

When we baked these pumpkins there were two more in the house that I had forgotten to round up so I had to bake them on another day. I handled removing the skins with the second option that I described and took this last photo for you. Instead of peeling the thin rind off I decided to make a cut down the center of each pumpkin half and scraped the pulp off with a large spoon. Either way works fine, whatever gets the job done, though the kids do seem to have an easier time with peeling the skin.

Cooked food generally keeps well for one week in the fridge so be sure to freeze your pumpkin puree quickly if you're not going to use it up. Pumpkin can be used in many recipes for pies, breads, cakes, muffins and soup... do you have a special recipe you'd like to share with us? :o) - Michelle

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Featured Recipe...

My ALL TIME FAVORITE CAKE! This is good at Thanksgiving! This cake is WONDERFUL! It is very moist and just tastes so good.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 c. pumpkin
3 eggs
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. nuts, chopped
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. flour
2 T. melted butter

Mix together cake mix, pumpkin, 1/2 c. water, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Pour 1/2 of batter in 9 x 13 in greased, floured cake pan. Combine brown sugar, nuts cinnamon, flour and butter and sprinkle half of mixture over batter. Spread remaining batter over top then remaining crunch mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven 45-50 min.

Angie, Mom of 5 in KY

Submitted by Angie Steele
www.FrugalFamilyRecipes.blogspot.com

------------------------------------

This sounds delightful, Angie, perfect for all that pumpkin we're putting up in the freezer this week! - Michelle

Broccoli Salad

This is one of my favorite salads and I love to make it at home. Here's my version of this popular recipe and I hope you like it!

Broccoli Salad
by Michelle Jones

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli, or 2 if small
1/4 of red onion, chopped
1 c. of raisins
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled for topping (if desired)
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
3/4 c. sugar
6 T. vinegar

Directions:

Rinse and chop broccoli tops into bite sized flowerets and place in a large bowl. (Freeze stalks for soup recipes if desired.) Add chopped onion, raisins and cheddar cheese. In a separate bowl, mix together mayo, sugar and vinegar until blended well. Add to broccoli mixture and top with crumbled bacon if desired. Cover and store in fridge until ready to serve.

This is a fantastic salad and if you've never had it you're in for a real treat. :o)

Photo copyright by Michelle Jones and Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc.

Simple Fruit Cobbler, Iron Skillet Cooking

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Here's one that my mom always found a way to make during tough times. With this recipe it can be whatever you happen to have on hand that makes it special.

Simple Cobbler

If using fresh fruit, add 1/2 cup sugar to 2 to 3 cups fruit and slightly mash to release juices and let sit while continuing. You can also use anything left over, such as apple sauce, peaches, plums, apples that you really don't want to throw away but are to far gone to eat, cans of pie filling you might find on sale, pears your children picked from the neighbors tree, even ground cherries, etc...

Set oven temperature to 350 degrees. Put 1 stick butter into an iron skillet and put into oven to melt. (You don't use iron skillets? Just use a baking pan of choice. Takes about 5 minutes or so.)

Blend dry ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
(she only used King Arthur flour)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

After blending well, make a slight well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Add:
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of milk

(Mom always used dry milk as it was more readily available. I found a dry cultured buttermilk mix that works great as well.)

Blend well.

Pour the melted butter from the iron skillet into the mixture.

Blend well.

Pour the entire batter into the iron skillet.

Pour the fruit of your choice into the middle of the batter.

Do not mix.

Put into the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. It may take a little less time, check for doneness.

Your pocket book, your taste buds and your children will thank you!

Submitted by Carol Winters

------------------------------------------------------
Note from Michelle... Hi Carol! We are big cobbler fans, being from the south, and make it in large pans as well. Your recipe can be doubled to make larger quantities for church suppers so I'm listing it under this recipe index too!

Recipe Update: 2/14/09 After we posted this recipe we had a reader write in to say she had a little trouble; when she baked the cobbler it turned out to be only 1" thick. So after talking with her a bit I decided to make up a quick batch myself to check it out and I'm happy to report the recipe is quite delicious! The only thing I would do is cut back on the sugar in the dry ingredients to 3/4 cup, possibly even less. I took a bunch of pictures of the cobbler I made and hope y'all enjoy them! :o)

The batter should resemble pancake batter when you mix it up, I also used almost 3 cups of cut up fresh apples for our filling. I suspect that is what the original cook usually did when she made this cobbler. Other fillings used may produce a thinner final product. And when baking, always be sure your baking powder is not out of date!

I would also like to add that as with many recipes, cooking this cobbler in the skillet is fantastic!!! I have two iron skillets that I purchased new and seasoned myself when my husband and I first got married, 23 years ago. Actually, one is that old the other one I think I added later on as our family grew. Anyhow, it really makes the cobbler extra crispy and delicious. YUM!

This particular recipe is very sweet though; much sweeter than most cobblers. As I said earlier, I think it would be perfectly fine to cut back on the sugar a bit.

Enjoy!

All photos copyright by Michelle Jones and Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc.

www.BlueRidgePublishing.com

Thanksgiving Recipes and Surgery Update

Last month I had so wanted to share with you some great recipes for Thanksgiving but life doesn't always go the way we plan, as we all know. Not only was I recovering from major surgery but my laptop which I needed in order to be able to get online for any extended amount of time just completely quit on me. My husband tried for about 4 hours to repair it but finally we had to give in and send it in for warranty work. I have missed y'all and do hope you had a wonderful and Blessed Thanksgiving!

NEXT YEAR, I do hope we can all get together here and share our favorite frugal family recipes for Thanksgiving, I would really love that!

We had some exciting news on the cooking front in November! ABC News featured two of my Thanksgiving recipes on their web site and one of them was my mom's Sweet Potato casserole. I was just so excited to see her recipe featured and I know she was smiling up in heaven along with me! :-)

(I do not have the page link handy at the moment but I will get it for you and add it here soon.)

Now, I'm guessing y'all would like to know more about my surgery as I haven't really had a chance to keep you up to date. Everything just happened so fast it was a lot to deal with for me and my family and thankfully, I am okay and on the road to full recovery. Praise God!

To make a long story short... in early October, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I was sent from dr. to dr. and had one test after another. Within just a few weeks my surgery was scheduled as quickly as possible with a GYN/Oncologist. Having just lost my mom to colon cancer last year and as a cancer survivor myself already, well you can just imagine what everyone was thinking, including my doctors.

However, God had other plans for me at this time! My surgery went very well and I am at home now recovering with my family taking good care of me. The tumor was removed along with a second one that didn't show up on the CT scans and the first and second pathology reports came back 100% cancer free! Meaning, there was no cancer! :o)

For most of this year I've been dealing with all the symptoms of ovarian cancer but I believe that was because I had a large tumor inside me that was causing the same problems whether it was cancer or not. At this time there are no sure tests to confirm ovarian cancer before surgery is performed and/or the tumor can be biopsied.

Please Note... If you have any changes in your health or digestive system that do not go away within a few days please talk to your doctor and do not put it off! Both my mom and I had regular dr. appointments that MISSED our health problems, and of course by the time her colon cancer was found it was too late. She died 31 days after she was finally diagnosed. I know it's just so easy for the days to turn into weeks and weeks turn into months and so on. But there are a lot of tests that can be done such as a painless CT scan to see if there is anything wrong inside of you, so don't be afraid, just call your dr. and make the appointment!

We are so very thankful that everything turned out okay and I am so glad to still be here with you! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones!

BLESSINGS!!!

Irish Beef Stew

Featured Comment!

Opal wrote...

This recipe is a good one for St. Patrick's Day. Sounds so good I am going to have to make it one night.

Irish Beef Stew
Serves 6

1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 pounds beef stewing meat cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups beef broth
4 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
12 oz gravy (from a jar or you can make it yourself)
1 tsp sugar
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 Tbl dried thyme
4 or 5 large baking potatoes (about 3 lbs), peeled and cut into large cubes
3 cups baby carrots or regular carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
1 large onion cut into chunks
Water, if necessary
Parsley

Get out your large soup pot. Seven- or eight-quart size will do it. Pour in your vegetable oil and put in your meat. Brown the meat on all sides quickly over medium high heat. Stir often to toss the meat around. You're not cooking it all the way through, just lightly browning the outside. (Five to six minutes.)

Pour in the broth, Worcestershire, gravy, sugar, tomato paste, salt and thyme. Stir this all up and bring to a boil. Then turn down to medium low. Let simmer covered for 45 minutes. Stir once in awhile to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. You'll open the pot and be amazed at how much gravy you have!

Now it's time to peel your potatoes. (If you peel them ahead, they will turn brown.) Add the potatoes, onion and carrots to your pot. Bring to a boil again. You're going to simmer 15 to 30 minutes more until the potatoes are soft but not mushy and the carrots are cooked. If the liquid is not covering everything, you can add up to 2 cups more water and stir it into the gravy. Don't worry. The sauce will thicken up again.

Chopped parsley just adds a little color at the end as a garnish. Serve in soup bowls or other big bowls with some nice bread to soak up the sauce. This is a simple, Irish meal. Don't try to make it fancy. You'll spoil the intention. Comfort food. Enjoy!

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Thanks Opal, this does sound good! Similar to my pot roast that I cook in the crock pot but with a few different ingredients, particularly the gravy and tomato paste. We'll have to try this! :o)

Editor's Recipe: Holiday Dinner Menus & Recipes!

This week we will be celebrating our annual Thanksgiving Day holiday here in the U.S. and our family's favorite dinner menu is...

Roasted Turkey or Honey Ham (or BOTH when you have a large gathering)
Cornbread Dressing with Giblet Gravy
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole (my mom's recipe--with either chopped pecans or melted marshmallows on top)
Yeast rolls or Cresent rolls
and last but not least, for dessert...
Pumpkin Pie and/or Pecan Pie (especially good with with homemade whipped cream)

What are your family favorites for the holidays and where are you located--we're in Atlanta! :o)