The holidays are here and it’s time for cookie exchanges.  If you are looking for a recipe that is quick and easy to make as well as rich to the taste, then this recipe is for you.  You’ll get all the compliments you’d get from one of your personal recipes, but you’ll be able to make this semi-homemade cookie in the same time it will take to make a store bought recipe.

Ingredients
1 17.5 oz. Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
1 tablespoon of water
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 egg
5 oz. Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips (1/2 of a 10 oz. bag)
1 bag of snack size Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Stir peanut butter mix with peanut butter chips, water, oil and egg until soft dough forms.  Shape dough into 36 balls.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or 350 degrees for dark or nonstick cookie sheet) and place balls on ungreased cookie sheet roughly 2 inches apart.  Flatten cookies with a fork in a crisscross pattern.  Cook cookies for 7 to 8 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Cut each peanut butter cup into 8 pieces.  Arrange peanut butter pieces on top of each cookie.  Return cookies to oven for approximately 3 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes before removing from sheet.

Turkey stuffing

Time for Thanksgiving and the annual cooking of the turkey.  I don’t know why most people only have turkey for Thanksgiving.  A turkey dinner with all the trimmings is one of my favorite dinners.  My favorite course, as you might guess by the recipe, is the stuffing.  The recipe below is for a 20 pound turkey so adjust the ingredients according to the size of the bird.  Give this recipe a try.  I’m sure your family will enjoy it.

Ingredients
Sage and onion flavored turkey stuffing cubes
½ of a red delicious apple
1 medium onion
4 stalks of celery
1/3 of a pound of non-seasoned pork breakfast sausage
Salt (optional)
Pepper (optional)
2 eggs
Milk

Sauté onions and celery until translucent.  Cook and crumble breakfast sausage.  Set sausage aside on paper towels.  Peal and finely chop apple.  Mix stuffing cubes, vegetables, sausage and apple in a large container.  Mix eggs with fork, flavor with salt and pepper to taste if desired and add the eggs to the mixture.  Add enough milk to moisten the stuffing cubes and thoroughly mix ingredients.  After cleaning the turkey, stuff the bird.  Cook the bird following the directions on your turkey.  After you’ve cooked the bird and it has rested, remove the stuffing and serve.  If you have extra stuffing after you’ve stuffed the bird, wrap it in aluminum foil, warm it in the oven and mix it with the stuffing from the bird before serving.

Fall is in the air and with the change in seasons our thoughts turn to leaves, cooler weather and, of course, pumpkins.  The following dessert has all the taste of a traditional pumpkin pie and everybody gets their own.  They are perfect to treat your family or to bring as a dessert when visiting friends.

Ingredients
2 tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 block of cream cheese
1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
4 tablespoons sugar

Unroll both tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls. Cut each triangle lengthwise in 2.  This recipe will make 32 mini croissants.  Mix together the cream cheese along with the pumpkin until fluffy and creamy.  Each croissant will get a full tablespoon of the pumpkin pie filling.  Mix together 4 tablespoons of sugar along with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice and top each pumpkin pie croissant with the spice mixture.  Arrange each filled pumpkin pie croissant on a nonstick cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.  Let cool and enjoy.

Lore's Easy Apple Pie

This is a great recipe because it takes a traditional apple pie and gives it a modern look with the free-form crust. The best part is that it’s sooo easy - you don’t even need a pie plate. If you use the premade rolled-up pie crust it’s even easier, but I’ve included a pie crust recipe at the end.
I’ve made a variation of this for dinner parties – make your own crust (at least 2 pies worth, break off into enough dough balls for the number of guests), roll into 6 inch crusts and follow the rest of the instructions. Everyone gets their own apple tart. What a great presentation.
This is a favorite any time of year, but in the fall it is magnificent!

Ingredients
1 pie crust - homemade or store bought (not preformed)
1 egg white beaten
¾ cup sugar plus a little extra
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cinnamon plus a little extra
4-5 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (approx. 5 apples).  I prefer Granny Smiths, but use your favorite or a mixture.
½ to ¾ cup raisins or craisins or ½ to ¾ cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare crust (see recipe below) or allow the store bought crust to warm up.  Line a cookie sheet (with sides) with non-stick foil.  Lay the round pie crust on the foil.  Brush crust with some of the egg white.  Mix cinnamon, ¾ cup of sugar and corn starch together in a cup.  Pour the mixture into a container with the apples.  If you are using them, add raisins or walnuts.  Mix together making sure that everything is well coated.  Pour mixture in center of pie crust spreading evenly.  Do not cover about two inches all around the crust.  Bring the two inches of crust up and fold over the apples.  The center of the pie will not be covered.  Press the crust over the apples so it’s firmly in place.  There will be little folds.  Brush the edge of the pie crust with the remaining egg whites and sprinkle on a little sugar or a combination of sugar and cinnamon.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Make sure the crust is browned, the apples are tender and the mixture is a little bubbly.

Cool a little before serving.  Great when served with homemade whipped cream.  In fact, serve with coffee and add a dollop of whipped cream to the coffee with a sprinkle of cinnamon on the whipped cream.  Beautiful!

Home Made Pie Crust

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water

In a large container, combine flour and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for four hours or overnight.  Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate.

The next time you are entertaining try this recipe for hummus.  It’s quick and easy and you don’t have to be precise in your measurements.  If you like garlic or lemon add a little more!  Taste as you go and find the flavor that works for you.

Ingredients
2 (12 oz.) cans chick peas (garbanzo) drain liquid and set aside
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup sesame seed paste (tahini)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cumin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Add about half the liquid from the chick peas can or enough of the liquid to make the mixture into a dipping consistency.  The hummus should be a smooth paste.  Serve with pita bread or with vegetables for dipping.

I don’t know about you, but just because it’s summer I don’t lose my taste for pasta.  One of my favorite pasta recipes is baked mostaccioli.  The last thing I want to do, though, is turn on my oven so I adjusted my recipe to allow me to use my grill as an oven.  In this recipe, I like using smaller disposable loaf pans so that I can evenly cook the mostaccioli on a grill without overcooking the edges.  I also like using the disposable pans so I don’t ruin my good pans on the grill.

Ingredients
12 oz. of Mostaccioli noodles
2 cups of Mozzarella cheese
5 oz. of Parmesan cheese
28 oz. of Marinara sauce
3 Italian sausage links
Salt
Vegetable oil

Bring approximately 4 quarts of water to a boil.  Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of oil to the water.  Boil mostaccioli for 10 to 12 minutes until al dente.  Drain noodles and add marinara sauce.  Cut sausage diagonally and pan fry.  Set aside.  Fill two 8” X 3 7/8” X 2 15/32” loaf pans half way with noodles and sauce.  Add a layer of sausage, mozzarella and parmesan cheese followed by another layer of noodles and sauce.  Top with another layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Set the temperature of your grill to 350 degrees or as low as you can, place the loaf pans on the top rack and close the lid of your grill.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until sauce bubbles out around the sides of the pan and the cheese is melted and ever so slightly browned.  Serve with garlic bread.

The next time you are going to see friends and have to bring a hors d’oeuvre, think seafood.  These stuffed shells are easy to make and have always been a hit at parties.

Ingredients
12 Jumbo pasta shells
4 oz. can of deveined tiny shrimp
6 oz. can of Fancy White Crabmeat
1 to 2 tablespoons of finely chopped celery
1 to 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 ½ to 2 cups of shredded baby Swiss cheese

Drain shrimp and crabmeat cans.  Put the shrimp in a medium size container and break them up with a fork.  Add crabmeat and break that up with a fork.  Add celery, onion, mayonnaise to mixture and blend together.  Add cheese to taste, blend and refrigerate.

Cook shells al dente per package directions and allow to cool.  Mixture will fill 8 to 10 shells.  Additional shells are to allow for broken shells.  Gently open shells and stuff with mixture.  Serve.

Nothing cools you off after a workout or working around the house like a smoothie.  You can make a smoothie with just about any fruit you want from pineapples to mangos and you can make the smoothie into an energy drink or low calorie.  Your choice.  My favorite is a strawberry banana smoothie.

Ingredients
1 banana pealed and quartered
1 to 2 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup cold water
1 packet of sugar or sugar substitute
1 packet Crystal Light On The Go Sunrise

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve in a tall glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry.

If you love shellfish, but your budget doesn’t allow you to get oysters… try mussels.  Mussels are ignored in the shellfish world so they are a fraction of the cost of oysters.  What’s better is that they always seem to be on sale.  My favorite recipe for mussels is below.  You can serve a pound of mussels as a meal for two with French bread and a salad or they make a great appetizer.

Ingredients
1 pound of mussels
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic
3 cups of dry white wine

To clean the mussels, put them in a large container filled with water and soak them for 30 minutes or until the mussels disgorge any sand.  Drain the mussels and remove the "beard" from each mussel with your fingers.  If they're dirty, scrub the mussels with a brush under running water.  Throw away any mussels if the shells are not tightly shut.

In a large pot over a low heat, melt the butter and then add the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is translucent.  Add the wine and raise the temperature to bring the wine to a low boil.  Add mussels and cover.  Cook until the mussels open.  Remove mussels from the pot and discard any mussels that did not open.  Serve with French bread for dipping.

Before winter leaves us and we start cooking outside again, I thought I would share one of my old favorite recipes. Beef stroganoff is a rich, filling dish that is perfect for a cool evening. Give it a try over noodles. You’ll love the taste!

Ingredients
1 pound of sirloin cut into strips
3 tablespoons of flour
½ teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of butter
8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
½ cup of chopped onions
1 clove of mashed garlic
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 ¼ cups of cold beef broth
1 cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons of dry white wine
Package of extra broad egg noodles

Coat meat strips with a mixture of the salt and 1 tablespoon of flour. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a hot skillet and then brown the coated meat quickly on both sides. Add the mushrooms, garlic and onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is tender. Remove mixture from pan, melt remaining butter into the pan drippings and blend in 2 tablespoons of flour and tomato paste. Stir in beef broth and cook over a medium heat until thick and bubbly. Return meat mixture to skillet and stir in sour cream as well as wine. Cook slowly until heated through. Do not boil. Keep warm over hot water. Serve over egg noodles.

On a cold winter night there is nothing like hot and spicy comfort food to get the chill out of your bones.  At the top of my list for a winter meal is Hot Beef Stew.  Not only because it tastes so good, but since it’s cooked in a slow cooker, dinner is ready as soon as you walk in the door from work.

Ingredients
3 pounds of stew beef
4 medium/large onions
4 large carrots
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon of ground ginger
¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon of Szechuan sauce
¼ cup cooking sherry
¾ cup soy sauce

Optional Ingredients
½ pound of cooked linguine noodles broken into 3" lengths
3 cups of cooked white rice

Any inexpensive cut of beef is perfect for this recipe.  After six hours in a slow cooker, even the toughest piece of meat will melt in your mouth.  Cut the beef into 1" cubes. Quarter the onions and cut the carrots into 1'' pieces.  Place all ingredients into a slow cooker, stir and cook on high for 6 hours.  You can serve Hot Beef Stew a number of ways.  Over rice is delicious, but my personal favorite is serving the stew over a bed of linguine with a little hot water to make the stew a little "soupy" with a garnish of chives.

One of the simplest appetizers I know that is always a hit is an artichoke dip.  There are hundreds of variations to this recipe which include shrimp, spinach and crab to name a few.  Below is the basic recipe with a couple of optional ingredients.  Try the basic recipe and then get creative.

Ingredients
1 15 oz. can of artichoke hearts
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 cup of mayonnaise

Optional Ingredients
12 oz. mozzarella cheese
½ teaspoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of chives

Drain and smash or rough cut artichoke hearts.  Mix artichokes with Parmesan and mayonnaise.  Add any of the optional ingredients.  In a baking dish cook the mixture at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes.  If you are pressed for time, you can microwave the ingredients.  Serve warm with crackers.

I came across this recipe that my mom used to make every year for New Years Eve.  The spread was always delicious and popular whether served hot or cold so don't expect any leftovers!

Ingredients
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can crab meat or 1 package frozen crab meat
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated onion (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 oz. of grated cheddar cheese
Small rolls cut in half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie pan with non-stick foil.  Mix all ingredients together.  Spoon crab meat mixture on small half rolls and place on lined cookie pan.  Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Mixture may also be served cold or warmed in a microwave.  Place in a serving piece with several spreaders and let guests spread the mixture on crackers.

Nothing warms your heart and stomach more than a good, rich tasting chicken meal served over noodles.  Don’t let the brandy in this dish concern you.  The liquor all cooks out just leaving the rich taste behind.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
6 to 8 pieces of chicken
3 cups of flour
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
4 tablespoons of butter
3 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of white pepper
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of Emeril’s Essence
6 tablespoons of brandy
4 teaspoons of lemon juice
3 cups of water
4 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons of powdered chicken flavored stock mix
2 cups of sour cream
1 16 oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts
Package of extra broad egg noodles

Clean chicken, rinse and pat dry.  Set aside 4 tablespoons of flour and flavor the rest with a ½ teaspoon of pepper, 2 teaspoons of salt, Emeril’s Essence and garlic powder.  Heat oil in a fry pan at a medium to high heat.  Coat chicken pieces with flavored flour and lightly brown chicken on both sides.  Place chicken in a 9” X 12” baking dish skin side up and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a sauce pan over a low heat, melt the butter and blend in the unseasoned flour as well as the remaining salt and pepper.  Stir in the brandy, lemon juice, water and bouillon.  Continue cooking and stir until thickened and smooth.  With a wire whisk gradually blend in the sour cream.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Rinse artichoke hearts.  Remove foil from baking dish and add artichoke hearts throughout dish.  Recover the pan with the foil and continue cooking for 15 minutes.  Serve chicken and sauce over egg noodle

One of my family’s favorite meals is smothered pork chops with oven baked potatoes. They love how succulent the chops turn out and the heartiness of the potatoes. What makes this meal, though, is the gravy. This spicy gravy pulls the whole meal together and keeps my family running to the dinner table.

Smothered Pork Chops
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of onion powder
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
4 ¾ inch bone-in pork chops
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of buttermilk

On a plate, mix flour, onion powder, garlic powder, Creole seasoning, salt and pepper with a fork. Wash pork chops and pat dry. Preheat oil to a medium heat in a large frying pan. Dredge chops in flour mixture and shake off any excess flour. Lay chops in the frying pan and cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Remove chops from pan and set aside. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour with the fat until the fat dissolves. Add in the chicken broth and let the mixture cook down for about 5 minutes. Add in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy. Return the chops to the pan, cover them with gravy and simmer for about 5 minutes to make sure the chops are cooked through. Taste gravy and add seasonings if necessary. Serve chops and potatoes (see recipe below) covered with gravy.

Oven Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
4 carrots peeled and cubed
2 medium onions peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons of butter

Bring a pan of water to a boil, add potatoes as well as carrots, boil for 5 minutes and drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a metal baking pan. Add potatoes, carrots and onions to the pan and cook for 1 ½ hours flipping them three times to brown everything evenly.

One of the easiest and least expensive meals you can make is chicken goulash. My mother-in-law introduced me to this dish and it very quickly became a staple around our house. One of the best things about this meal is that you can use chicken legs, thighs, legs or a combination of parts so everyone gets the pieces they like. The chicken can be with bones or boneless, have skin or the skin can be removed. The other great thing about this meal is that you can do the majority of the preparation the night before and finish the dish off the next day just in time for dinner.

Ingredients
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 stalks of celery finely chopped
1 red pepper finely chopped
1 green pepper finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Garlic Powder
8 to 10 chicken pieces
2 14 oz. cans of chicken broth
4 ounces of sour cream (optional)
3 tablespoons of flour

In a large stockpot, melt ¾ of a stick of butter and sauté equal amounts of onion, celery as well as red and green peppers for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt, pepper, garlic and paprika to the mixture. Always use more paprika than you think you should. Lay a layer of your favorite chicken parts on top of the vegetable mixture. Flavor the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Repeat another layer of chicken and seasonings. Cover and cook at a low to medium heat. Listen for the sound of bubbling and then after a ½ hour add 2 cans of chicken broth. Simmer for 20 minutes, allow the goulash to cool and refrigerate overnight. Skim the fat off the top of the goulash and then bring the mixture to a low boil. Taste the goulash and if necessary add salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. Mix 3 tablespoons of flour in water and add to the goulash. Once the goulash thickens, add the sour cream and serve immediately over noodles, spaetzle or quinoa.

Nana’s Baked Beans

Summer is winding down and the chances for a picnic are dwindling so make the most of your next picnic with this recipe for baked beans. Nana was always asked to bring the baked beans to every family get-together. Once you taste them you’ll know why.

Ingredients
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (16 oz.) can butter beans
1 (12 oz.) can chick peas/garbanzo beans
1 (24 - 28 oz.) can pork & beans
1 medium onion
½ pound bacon
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and combine all four beans. Blend the brown sugar, ketchup, mustard and add to the beans. Quarter each slice of bacon and fry until crispy. Finely chop and then sauté onions in bacon grease until soft. Add bacon and onions to the beans. Pour mixture into a baking dish and bake for about a hour until gooey and bubbly.

Beer Can Chicken Without the Beer

Nothing is better than a whole chicken cooked on the grill.  Cooking your chicken on the bone will give you the juiciest chicken ever.  Although this is called beer can chicken, I prefer to cook the chicken without the beer or beer can.  You can get beer can chicken racks all over.  I prefer the Weber Poultry Roaster with the built in drip pan.  It makes cleanup a breeze.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
Emeril’s Essence
Sea salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken, clean off the excess fat and thoroughly rinse the chicken under cool water.  Mix the spices to taste in a small cup.  Insert the cone of rack into the cavity of the chicken so that the chicken will sit upright on the grill.  Rub the spice mixture over the entire bird.  Place the rack on a grill pre-heated to a medium temperature.  Cook until golden brown with an internal temperature of 180 degrees.  Allow the chicken to sit for five minutes, remove the bird from the rack and cut into serving sized pieces.

Quick and Easy Fish on the Grill

Summer cooking is all about the grill.  Whether you are cooking on a grill at home or at a picnic, this recipe will give fish lovers an alternative to the traditional grill fare of red meat.  This recipe also will appeal to families with differing taste buds.  Since each meal is cooked separately, each family member can flavor their fish to their own tastes.

Ingredients:
Seasoned coating mix for fish
Lemon pepper
Paprika
Six slices of lemon
Six slices of onion
Butter
Emeril's Original Essence
Garlic powder
Fish

This recipe will work with a wide variety of fish fillets including walleye, northern, perch, blue gill, bass, salmon and tilapia to name a few or you can use a whole trout.  Preheat grill to a medium temperature.  Rinse your fish two or three times in baths of cold water and pat dry.  Lightly coat the fish with your favorite seasoned coating for fish.  Flavor the fish with lemon pepper, paprika, Essence, garlic powder and/or any of your other favorite seasonings.  On a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, lay two pads of butter, three slices of lemon as well as onion and your fish.  On top of the fish, add the same amounts of butter, lemon and onion.  If using a whole trout, flavor the inside of the fish and add two pads of butter.  Wrap the fish tightly in the aluminum foil and place on grill.  Cook for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the amount of fish in your package.  While cooking, turn your package twice.  Plate and serve or, for easy clean-up, serve in the foil on a plate.

Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff for picnics and nothing says picnic like potato salad. For a twist on traditional potato salad, try this Italian potato salad. If you like your potato salad with a little zing, take note of adding the green cabbage to the dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4-5 medium red potatoes
4 large eggs
1 scallion
3 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
1 tomato
1 dash of Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stalk of celery
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 to 4 tablespoons of finely chopped green cabbage (optional)

Place potatoes in a pan of cold water, bring to boil and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Place in cold water to stop cooking. Peel potatoes and place in fridge until cold. Cut into ½” cubes. Place eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to boil. Remove pan from heat, cover and let stand for 21 minutes. Place eggs in cold water to stop cooking, remove shells and place in fridge until cold. Finely chop scallion and celery. Wedge tomato. Remove yolks from three eggs. Chop up whites. Mix yolks with some of the mayonnaise until creamy. Slice remaining egg and set aside. Place potato cubes in mixing container. Add egg whites, scallion, celery, creamy egg yolks, chopped egg whites, Italian salad dressing, balance of mayonnaise and seasonings to potatoes. To add a little zing, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of finely chopped green cabbage. Gently fold until completely mixed. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with tomato wedges and egg slices.

There is nothing like meatloaf for good old fashioned comfort food.  This recipe provides a meatloaf that is juicier than any meatloaf we have ever tasted and has the extra zip of bacon.

Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 eggs
½ cup water
½ cup catsup
¼ cup bread crumbs
Medium onion finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
4 to 6 raw slices of bacon
Catsup to cover meatloaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large container, combine eggs, water, catsup, salt, pepper as well as garlic powder and mix with a fork.  Add ground meat, onions and bread crumbs to mixture and mix together.  If mixture is not moist enough, add catsup.  If the mixture is too moist add additional bread crumbs.  Form into loaf in a 9” X 13” baking dish.  Cover loaf with raw bacon strips and pour catsup over entire top of loaf.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for up to 5 minutes.  Remove meatloaf from pan with two spatulas and place on serving dish.  After approximately 5 minutes cut into slices.

When you are looking for a meal that will satisfy adults and children alike, try this grown-up version of Sloppy Joes.  The spices in this dish have the sophistication for mature palettes and the taste that has made Sloppy Joes a kid favorite.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground beef
½ cup of celery
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 large onion
1 cup water
1 ½ tablespoons of flour
½ cup of catsup
1/8 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon of vinegar
¼ tablespoon of salt (maximum)
Pinch of pepper

Brown ground meat and break up any large chunks.  Drain fat.  Sauté celery, green and red peppers as well as onion until translucent.  Mix together water, flour, catsup, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add mixture to vegetables and heat until the mixture thickens.  Combine the ground beef with the vegetables/sauce and heat until the flavor spreads through the mixture and it thickens.  For best results refrigerate overnight and reheat.

Using kitchen shears, remove and discard the tips of the chicken wings then cut the wings at the joint.  Rinse the wings and set them aside.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a food storage bag.  Add the chicken wings to the mixture and marinate overnight.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove the wings from the bag, shake off any excess marinade and arrange the wings in a single layer on a baking dish.  Cook the wings on the middle rack of the oven for about 20 minutes, turn the wings over and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until the meat is cooked through and golden brown.

Earlier this month Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow which means to all of us winter weary people that we can expect another six weeks of winter. When it comes to meal time during these next six weeks, keep in mind that nothing takes the edge off of these cold winter evenings like a good, hearty soup.

Ingredients:
1 pound package of Green Split Peas rinsed, drained and picked over
One ham bone with some meat still on the bone
Pepper
4 medium sized sweet onions

Add rinsed peas and ham bone to a large soup pot. Fill pot with enough cold water to cover the ham bone completely. Remove skin from onions, cut each onion into six chunks and add to the pot. Add pepper to taste. Bring soup to boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally, for three to four hours. Allow pot to cool and refrigerate overnight. Remove pot from refrigerator and skim fat off the top of the soup. Simmer soup until all the meat has fallen off the bones. Discard bones and cut large chunks of ham into bite size pieces. Continue simmering until soup is a thick consistency.

Serve soup with a salad and French bread. For a twist, ladle the soup into a dish and add a splash of dry sherry to the soup.