Artesian Apple Pie

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

I love pie.  Spice apple pie. Pie al mode.  Pie with cinnamon and spice that leaves a trail throughout the house.

During thanksgiving, I am usually out of pie pans, and so this artesian pie you can make with out a pan. I used my large casserole dish, but you can use a cookie sheet.  This baby has 6 large peeled and sliced Green apples, 1/8 cup of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of flour, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp garam masala.  Mix all your spices and flour and add to the green apples with lemon juice.

Double the pie crust recipe on this site and roll out the dough.  I like to use a large cutting board and roll the dough onto the parchment paper so it easy to lift later. 

Once your dough is rolled into one large round, place the pie filling in a mound in the center. Grab the edges of your parchment and place into the casserole dish.  (The dish should be sprayed with pam for easy removal later.) 

Dab butter on top of the pie, brush with egg wash and she is oven ready.  Bake at 375 for 60 to 75 minutes or until golden brown. 

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T.R.Thompson’s World’s Greatest Mexican Cornbread

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy


T.R.Thompson’s World’s Greatest Mexican Cornbread

3 packs              Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 cup                frozen onion

3                      eggs, beaten

1/3 cup             vegetable oil

1/3 cup             milk

1 lb                   bacon (cooked, crumbled)

2 cups              shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 can               cream style corn

1/2 cup             jalapeno peppers (diced)

Mix

Spray non-stick oil into two round cake pans.

Pour into pans.

Bake 400° for 55 minutes

                or

Spray non-stick oil into two large muffin pans.

Pour mix into pans.

Bake 400° for 30minutes.

Makes 12 large muffins, easy to freeze and re-heat.

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Turkeys, Turkeys, and more Turkeys

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

My daughter Denny, family friend Colleen and I spent the evening with a bunch of Turkeys! 

Army of Turkeys

Well, it didn’t start out that way.  After heading to the store and buying

Peanut Butter Cups

Double Stuffed Oreos

Whoppers

Pumpkin Seeds or Candy Corn

Pretzel Sticks or Candy Corn

Chocolate Cookie Icing

Red Icing

Yellow Icing

We proceeded to assemble a bunch of turkeys for our Thanksgiving table.

Happy Thanksgiving Turkey!

The only problem encountered while making these little devils was the extra broken pieces, of course, they were quickly consumed, accidents happen!  

Step One:

Push the pretzels (or candy corn) into the Double Stuffed Oreo.

Step Two:

Using the chocolate icing as glue, adhere the bottom Oreo to the Oreo you pretzeled.

Step Three:

Shave off one of the sides of the Peanut Butter Cup. (Use the chocolate icing as glue to adhere the chocolate piece to the oreo back and bottom.

Step Four:  With the Turkey laying on his back, adhere the head – the whopper –  to the oreo.

Step Five:  Cut the pumpkin seeds or you can use the white part of candy corn and chocolate glue to the head.

Let the turkeys dry overnight.

Step Six:  Using the red icing, pipe a little red under the beak of the turkey.

Step Seven:  Pipe yellow dots for eyes and use a chocolate or red dot for eye centers.

Step Eight:  Pipe yellow feet.

This little guy has an attitude!

You’re done!    You have turkeys for your table to use as Place markers, just add a label on a toothpick with someone’s name or decorate the center of your table with them  They are so cute! 

Turkeys out for a trot.

Talking Turkey

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Brussel Sprouts with Carmelized Shallots

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Brussel Sprouts with Carmelized Shallots

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, divided

  • 1/2 pound shallots, thinly sliced
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup water

Preparation

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Stir until brown and glazed, about 3 minutes.

Halve brussels sprouts lengthwise. Cut lengthwise into thin (1/8-inch) slices. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sprouts; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown at edges, 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons butter. Sauté until most of water evaporates and sprouts are tender but still bright green, 3 minutes. Add shallots; season with salt and pepper.

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Gourmet Smoked Turkey or Chicken Salad

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Years ago, I tasted this smoked turkey salad.  At the time, I made a mental note that I had to make my own version. It was so delicious.  I happen to love chicken or turkey salad, but this one has a surprise.  The smokey-ness.  It pops it into a gourmet category, and yet it is still so simple to make.

Gourmet Smoked Turkey Salad

I like to use left over turkey breast meat.  I cube the meat, making sure to remove any skin. 

You do not need to measure for this recipe, but I will give them to you anyway. 

1 cup cubed turkey breast meat (you can always substitute chicken)

1/4 cup celery and/or white onion (optional)

1/4 cup seedless grapes (optional)

1/4 cup mayonaise – Best Foods is my favorite.

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Hickory Smoke Flavoring

1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup apples – cubed

Mix together and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on toasted sour dough bread or with saltine or Ritz crackers.

Do you want to make it richer? Try adding some cubed apple and toasted pecans or walnuts.  You end up with a smoked turkey waldorf salad.  Put that on your buffet table!

Posted in Appetizers, Brunch, Chicken, Leftovers - Great Time Savers, Sandwiches, Turkey | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Green Salad – Beets, Pears and Goat Cheese

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Pile it high. It looks beautiful!

I didn’t discover my love for beets until a year or so ago.  Memories of pickled beets on my salad at the little diner kept me away from beets for years. 

The earthy sweetness of the beets and the pears are a delicious combination.

When combined with a sharper goat’s cheese and a dark green such as baby spinach – good and good for you.

Ingredients

For Salad
1/3 pound baby spinach
2 medium-sized beets
1 ripe, sweet pear (such as forelle)
1/4 cup crumbled goat’s cheese
2 tablespoons roasted and crushed hazlenuts
snipped chives
a few pitted kalamata olives (optional)

Dressing:
drizzle high-quality olive oil and sherry vinegar over the salad, to taste
salt and pepper

Preparation

Roast Beets:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Individually wrap the beets in aluminum foil and roast them for 45 minutes to an hour, until they are tender when pricked with a fork. allow the beets to cool, then peel them. The peel should slip off easily. Cut the beets in half and slice thinly or use a mandolin.

Cut the pear in half and remove the seeds and core. Slice the pear halves thinly lengthwise or use a mandolin.

Place spinach on a wide platter, scatter the sliced beets and pears on the top, then the crumbled goat’s cheese and finally the toasted hazlenuts and snipped chives. I usually add a few pitted Kalamata olives, but you don’t have to.

Sprinkle the salad with sherry vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper.

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Turkey en Croute

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

 

Puff Pastry 6 sheets (3 frozen packs)
Egg wash

Whole Turkey
Salt & Pepper
Rosemary

Whole Garlic

2 lemons cut into wedges

Oven proof tray just large enough to hold the bird. I prefer an oval stainless serving platter.

Wash turkey.
Season with herbs, salt and pepper.  Place a handful of garlic and the lemon slices

into the cavity of the bird.

Bake according to package directions for unstuffed bird.

45 minutes before bird is done, prepare your puff pastry.
Use 4 sheets and seam together using egg wash and a fork.  I hide these seams using braids I make from the remaining sheets of puff pastry. 
Make braids, leaves, or bows.

As soon as your puff pastry is ready, remove bird from oven. 

Remove the bird from the original roasting pan and place on a smaller oven proof serving tray. I use an oval stainless tray.  This gives the puff pastry a nice shape.
Seal the puff pastry around the oven proof serving tray.

Brush the egg wash all over the pastry so it will brown evenly.  Quickly get the bird back into the oven because the heat from the bird will start to cook the pastry and make it slide off the bird if you are not fast.

When placing the puff pastry covered bird back into the oven, if you are using the bottom rack, place a cookie sheet down first to keep the puff pastry from getting too close to the flame or heat element, you could burn it.  

When the puff pastry is nicely brown, the turkey is done, appoximately 45-60 minutes.

Remove from oven and place tray onto a larger serving tray and garnish with roast garlic and vegetables or parsley or oranges and rosemary sprigs.

Ask one of your guests to carve the turkey for you. 

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Beef and Chorizo Enchiladas

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

3 pounds ground beef
1 pound chorizo (if you don’t like, substitute with additional ground beef)
1/4 cup taco seasoning (or more to your taste)
red enchilada sauce or Mexican style hot tomato sauce

salt and pepper

corn tortillas

Corn Oil
Mexican grated cheese (Cheddar and Jack Cheese)
3 large onions diced and sauted
1 T Balsalmic vinegar and black pepper

Saute diced onions add vinegar and black pepper. Brown the ground beef and chorizo, add taco seasoning.

Fry corn tortillas in oil.

Warm Enchilada sauce and dip each fried tortilla in the sauce, then on a plate add 2 T beef and chorizo mixture and 1 T onions, top with grated cheese and roll enchilada.  Place in casserole dish.  Fill the bottom, add sauce and cheese between layers, then add another layer.  I was able to get three layers into my casserole dish.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese, warm in oven at 300 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Or you can leave in the refrigerator and heat within the next day just before serving.

Fresh from the oven

Beef and Chorizo Enchiladas - 3 layers thick! Yum.

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Turkey and Chipolte Cheese Panini by Ryan

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Chipolte Cheddar

Sliced Deli Style Turkey (you could use ham also)

Spinach and Parmesan Dip made by Lighthouse

Garlic Butter

Baby Bell Mushrooms – sliced

Green Onions – sliced

Rustic Ciabatta Bread Rolls

Spread each side of the bread roll with Spinach Parmesan Dip, add turkey slices, chipolte cheddar splice then sliced mushrooms and onions.  When the cheese melts you want the mushrooms and onions to be smothered in cheese.

Spread garlic butter on outside of the Ciabatta bun and toast in the panini press or pan until toasted on each side and the cheese has melted. 

Mmmm, Mmmm good.  Ryan says “Everyone loved it!”

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Chorizo Lasagna with eggplant, mushroom and spinach

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Sandy

Sure most of us have had eggplant lasagna or beef lasagna or chicken lasagna, and you can go that direction if you want to, but I had chorizo in my refrigerator and dinner time was approaching…

Lasagna. Bite me!

While many people like plain cheesy lasagna, I think it can be better with a few added ingredients.  Not only for taste mind you, but you can add vegetables in there and it is better.  When making casserole or a lasagna, there are flavor givers (chorizo, ground beef) and there are flavor sponges like mushrooms, eggplant that absorb the flavors around them.  For me, this makes a better dish.

Since chorizo is so rich, I thought by adding eggplant and mushrooms it would provide balance to the dish. 

2 pounds sauted browned meat and add to the red sauce below. (Chorizo or a combination of ground beef, or chicken or turkey, or italian sausage – removed from the casing.) My husband likes more meat, so he would have liked this lasagna better with more ground beef.  He told me this two times! 

1 diced medium eggplant saute in white wine

8 oz sliced mushrooms sauted in white wine

8 oz fresh spinach

6 cups Cheese Sauce (either four cheese sauce or alfredo sauce)

6 cups Red Spaghetti sauce.  (I used garlic and onion sauce. I purposely stayed away from basil or sweet sauce)

3 cups grated cheese.  (use Mozzarella or a combination of cheeses.  I used cheddar, mozzarella)

8 oz of cottage cheese

1/4 cup parmesan for the top

16 slices pepper jack

1/4 cup chopped scallions for the top

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes – sprinkle on the top

1 package (16 sheets) no boil lasagna noodles

Once you have the ingredients sauted you are ready to start layering in the pan. 

Sauted mushrooms and eggplant

Sauted Chorizo

 Four  layers is your target. I start with a base of red sauce (which has your chorizo in it), top with 4 lasagna noodles or whatever number fits in the bottom of your pan. You can overlap a bit. 

Next top with cheese sauce, then your vegetables; sauted eggplant and mushrooms; sprinkle with grated cheese.  Next add spinach, pepper jack cheese slices and start over.   The cottage cheese is for one of the middle layers.  Drop it by teaspoonfuls onto the spinach layer.  The cottage cheese lightens the whole mixture and adds texture.

Pepper Jack over spinach

Your last layer should be Cheese Sauce with grated cheese, parmesan and scallions and then sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  It will look nice this way.   You’ll notice small parchment paper tucked in along my baking dish.  This lasagna is so deep, and my pan has hand holds, that I need to cover until the dish cooks.

Ready for the oven!

Place in the oven at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes covered with foil until bubbly, then 10 minutes uncovered to finish melting the cheesy top. 

Hot from the oven.

Let it cool for 15-20 minutes so it holds its shape for cutting.

You can put this together the morning before or even a week before and freeze.  If you do freeze, just extend your oven time to 90 minutes or so. 

Serve with a nice green salad.  If you cool it properly you can see all the layers.  

Cool it properly and it stands up!

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