Here is another really good "holiday-ish" recipe that my family enjoys. I have taken this to work as a contribution to a holiday brunch, and have received NUMEROUS compliments on it, as well as requests for the recipe. This is easy as, well, I won't say pie, since that's so obvious. It's just really easy, really simple, and really good!

Christmas Morning Casserole

* This recipe came from a coworker in Tennessee, at my first teaching job. You can totally alter any of the ingredients in it; if your family doesn't enjoy Cheddar cheese, throw in Swiss instead. Not crazy about pork sausage? Pick up a roll of turkey sausage. This is so forgiving, it won't matter if you use crisply cooked and crumbled bacon instead of sausage altogether!  (Although my family wouldn't go for this, if you don't eat meat, you can leave it out altogether.  I would, though, add a little salt for some added taste that leaves when the meat products disappear).

1. 6 slices bread (white, wheat, whatever)
2. 1 pound pork sausage (sage, spicy, mild, turkey, whatever)
3. 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (or Swiss, or Monterey Jack, whatever)
4. 6 eggs, beaten
5. 2 cups milk (whole, skim, 2 percent, whatever)

Cook sausage until browned, making sure to stir to crumble it up.  Drain well.  Cut your bread into cubes, and place into the bottom of a well greased 13x9 baking dish.  Spoon sausage over the bread cubes, and sprinkle with cheese.  Combine eggs and milk.  Mix well and pour over cheese.  Cover casserole and refrigerate overnight.  Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.  

I apologize in advance for the tardiness of this posting! (This SHOULD have been posted yesterday, as Overwhelmed! very clearly posted on her blog... yesterday was a crazy day in the library, followed by a crazy dinner out with the fam, and finished up with an "enjoyable" grocery shopping trip with the entire fam through Wal-Mart and Sam's Club).  For those of you are questioning what exactly I'm referring to about Overwhelmed!, go here. You'll be SOOOOO glad you did!

So! The following recipes are ones that are special to my family, and ones that we enjoy during the holiday season(s), and I think I'll post them in order that they COULD appear during a holiday meal...

Chicken and Corn Chowder

*  This recipe comes from EPCOT Center, in Orlando, Florida.  My parents still live in Florida, and while I was growing up there, we would visit Disney World and its sister park, EPCOT, every so often.  I have always liked to collect cookbooks, and on one trip, I happened to pick up a cookbook that features recipes from different restaurants throughout Walt Disney World, EPCOT Center, Disneyland in California, and the various hotels that are on Disney property.

1. 1/2 cup margarine or butter
2. 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3. 6 tablespoons flour
4. 4 chicken bouillon cubes
5. 2 1/2 cups hot water
6. 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked potatoes
7. 1 can (16 or 17 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
8. 3 cups hot milk
9. 1 teaspoon sugar
10. 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (if you have it; if not, black works just fine!)
11. 2 chicken breasts, poached, cooled, and chopped

Heat butter in a large saucepot and cook onion until it's tender but not brown.  Add flour; cook and stir for 5 minutes over low heat.  Do not brown.  Add bouillon cubes and hot water, stirring with a whisk to fully mix together.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  This will become thick, almost like a condensed soup straight from the can. Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boiling point.

Southern Cornbread Dressing

*  This isn't really a recipe; it's basically a mistake that worked really well, and one that continues to this day, at least in my family.  (My husband, who was born in New York, raised on (shudder) white bread STUFFING (BIG difference, ya'll, and those of you who are from the South can totally understand from whence I come with this, I do believe) will eat ONLY this dressing during Thanksgiving and Christmastime, and will pass on by his mother's WHITE BREAD STUFFING.  Go figure!

1. 3 boxes JIFFY Cornbread Muffin mix (MUST BE JIFFY, NO EXCEPTIONS!)
2. 3 eggs
3. 1 cup milk
4. 3-4 ribs celery, chopped fine to medium, depending on your relationship with celery
5. 1-2 onions, chopped fine to medium, depending on your relationship with onions
6. 1-2 boxes/cans (the big ones) of Swanson chicken broth
7. Poultry seasoning or sage, again, depending on your relationship with these spices
8. Black pepper, to your taste

To begin this process, prepare your cornbread.  I generally will use my 13x9 baking pan to bake it all off together, since it's going to be crumbled up anyway.  The boxes will tell you how to do it, but you will only be combining all of your eggs, the cornbread mix, and your cup of milk.  Mix together well, and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes, or until browned up nicely on top.

After your cornbread is baked, you will then cut/crumble it up into a really large bowl, combining it with your chopped onion and celery, and the poultry seasoning, sage, and black pepper TO YOUR TASTE.  Once all of this is combined well, start adding the chicken broth.  You will want to stir it together, making sure to have all your ingredients incorporated well.  I don't have an exact measurement of how much chicken broth to use, because it's all according to your eye.  If the mixture looks wet, soggy, and kind of sitting in a puddle, that's exactly what you want.  Once it looks that way, put it back into the SAME PAN you baked your cornbread in to begin with.  You will put this back into the same oven that you started with, and let it bake back together, probably around 45 minutes to an hour.  If it starts browning up on the top and edges quicker than 45 minutes, pull it out.

Hello Dollies

*  I'm sure that everyone has had this recipe in their boxes/envelopes/photo albums somewhere, because it goes by so many names. (Seven layer cookies, magic cookie bars, etcetera).  But these are special to me because my Nanny LOVED these cookies, and before she passed away last year with Alzheimer's, my mama would make these for her around Christmastime.  

1. 1 stick butter or margarine
2. Graham cracker crumbs
3. 1/2 bag butterscotch chips
4. 1/2 bag semisweet chocolate chips
5. 3/4 cup chopped pecans
6. 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
7. 1/2 to 3/4 bag of mini marshmallows
8. 1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk

To begin, melt your stick of butter in a 13x9 baking dish in a 350 degree oven.  After the entire stick has melted, but not browned, sprinkle in enough graham cracker crumbs to entirely cover up the melted butter.  Sprinkle on the rest of your ingredients, order doesn't matter, but finish the entire deal with your marshmallows, topped off with the sweetened condensed milk.

This will go back into the 350 degree oven for approximately 10-12 minutes, long enough to brown up the sweetened condensed milk, and puff up the marshmallows.  BEWARE!  These are STICKY, GOOEY, SWEET BEYOND BELIEF, but OH SO GOOD!!!!!!

Ya'll, just skip on over to Overwhelmed with Joy's blog, so that you, too, can be involved in this! I know that I can always use new recipes to try out on my family, and after reading about last year's recipe exchange, which featured over 200 different holiday recipes, I can't wait for it to begin!

She will be listing the directions for participating this upcoming Friday, October 5th, so be on the lookout!

She was extremely gracious to allow everyone to use her button (that you see featured above), so make sure to check it out!

Ya'll, I need, no, have to have some apple recipes.

Molly Moo and myself went apple picking this past Friday with her preschool class, and to date, we have created the following from our peck of picking:

Two gallon-sized freezer zippy bags full of peeled, cored, and sliced Macintosh and Golden Delicious apples. These are for Big Daddy and Turkey Day. Since he has the better recipe for apple pie and all, I figure I do not want to hurt his feelings. It's only fair, don't you think?

An apple pound cake. We are going to dinner tonight with friends, and I was asked to bring dessert. Figuring that I don't really enjoy fruit flies and all, I searched until I found something to make with a few apples. Four down, only forty more to go. Sigh.

A few pint jars of apple butter. I found a recipe online that allowed me to make apple butter with my crockpot on during our sleeping hours. Good point to all of my slaving during my sleep? The house smelled like apple cinnamon potpourri this morning when we all got up. Trey, however, said that the pleasant, expensive-smelling aroma was reminiscent of "stink." But what do you expect from a seven-year old boy? One who enjoys, how do I say this without offending anyone, the process of pooting. There. I said it. Ewwwww, huh?

So, ya'll, I need help. If you have any kind of apple recipe (sweet, savory, etcetera), please send it to me. I would GREATLY appreciate it! And so would the rest of the Green Family. We all wait with apple-scented, baited breath!

Happy Almost Fall, Ya'll!

Today has started out as a beautiful fall day here in upstate New York. Funny as this sounds, I enjoy rain, and ya'll, it is raining like nobody's business here. And I am lovin' every minute of it. The kids and Daddy-O are getting ready to head out in it, to ride bikes, and play, and do their normal activities that are generally restricted to a Saturday morning.

So! What to do, what to do? I'll tell you what I have already begun from earlier this morning: made some deelish pumpkin bread. I will post the recipe at the end of this, so that all of my millions hundreds one reader can try and let me know what she thinks!

Here is your finished product, in all its pumpkin-y, spicy goodness!

And here is the recipe:

• One (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 cup oil (you can substitute applesauce for part of oil, if you'd like)
• 3 cups sugar (again, you can substitute other sweeteners, if you'd like)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

You will need to start by combining the pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water. After they are all incorporated, add your dry ingredients. Then pour your batter into two greased and floured 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Or you can use the individual size disposable pans. I have also seen this baked in the smaller coffee cans.

When I baked this today, I used one "regular" loaf pan, along with a Pampered Chef stoneware "flowerpot" style pot.

If you have any "autumnal" recipes you'd like to share, feel free! I'm up for anything!

Where on earth did my daughter come up with this one?

Me: "Molly, what do you want for breakfast?"

Molly: "Ummm, some cereal."

Me: "What about a waffle? Bubba is having a cinnamon toast waffle this morning."

Bubba: "Yeah, sis. You like those Flip-Flop waffles; how about one of those?"

Molly: "Nah, I don't like those anymore."

Me: "Why not? You picked them out, and said that you liked the chocolate and the vanilla parts!"

Molly: "Those waffles have boogers in them."

Hmmm. A little investigatin' has taken place, and ya'll, you know what I discovered?

The Eggo company definitely did NOT place boogers into their delicious Flip Flop waffles (chocolate + vanilla flavor, otherwise known as "choco-nilla"). They, instead, the awful people, placed CHOCOLATE CHIPS into them.

The horror.

Well, ya'll! There is some FABYOOLUSS news over at Boomama's blawg (as she so delicately puts it). She and Bigmama recorded their first podcast, and they will be posting it sometime over this weekend. I can't wait to hear it! If you haven't gotten around to visiting with these two HYSTERICAL ladies, then I suggest you do so. NOW.

Secondarily, ya'll need to help me with the following:

1. I am attempting to make myself some Amish Friendship Bread starter. I think I tried to make some when we were still living in Tennessee, but I can't remember if what I was trying to make was actually this stuff or not. So here's where I need the help. The last time I tried to make some starter, it ended up being a moldy gross mess. The more I think about this, the more I think I got the recipe for "Herman" from my mama. Do ya'll know anything about "Herman?"

2. It is almost apple picking time here in upstate New York. This summer, we didn't really can or preserve anything, with the exception of the Wild Black Raspberry jelly that I made a few weeks back. I would like to make some Apple Butter this fall, so does anyone have a recipe that they would like to share? When we were still in Tennessee, Daddy-O and I (this was before chillens, ya'll), took ourselves to the Smoky Mountains, and brought home a bushel of apples, and I made us some homemade apple butter. The recipe that I used called for Red Hots. You remember those? THe little red, circular cinnamon candies? The funny thing about that is the fact that the only place I could find them was the Amoco Gas Station Minit Mart at Exit 4 in Clarksville, Tennessee.

SO! If anyone is so inclined, and would like to share a couple of recipes with me in regards to the above requests, then I would be so very appreciative. Who knows, if we start recipe-sharing, then we could develop an online Potluck Dinner!

Have a great Saturday, and hope to hear from you soon!

Well, the suspense is over. I didn't win the 37-inch flat screen television from Five Minutes for Mom. A great big congratulations to Phuong, who did win! Here's hoping that the winner will enjoy! And, folks, you are probably asking yourself, "Exactly why does this girl have that picture of melted cheese to start out this post?" Well, ya'll, I gotta tell you. I really do enjoy some melted cheese, and even more than melted cheese is the cheese that gets crunchy after it's cooked, whether melted, baked, fried, microwaved, I think you get the picture. And, because this picture was just so pretty, and because we had macaroni and cheese tonight with our dinner, I had to post it. That's all. Moving on!

So we have pretty much nothing going on around the house right now. Daddy-O's knee has swelled itself right up, thanks to his banging on rocks pretty much all day this past Wednesday. And, surprise of surprises, he neglected to tell his physical therapist that yesterday. Goes to figure that I didn't accompany him there, right?

Anywho! I am in need of some new recipes, ya'll. (Since there have been a few people who have actually checked out my blog since I have joined up on MOG (Moms of Grace community), I feel like maybe I'll make a few internetty friends here before long)!

I have checked through BooMama's recipe website, and, I must say, I will more than likely return for that one, although I'm going to have to do a big-time search for that, since I didn't think to tag it for my del.icio.us site. Which, by the way, if you'd like to join my network for that, my del.icio.us username is wapplibrarian.

Here's what we had for dinner tonight, and I need some creative inspiration, my internetty friends! We had brown sugared ham steak, steamed broccoli with the oh-so-gourmet topping of melted Velveeta, and homemade macaroni and cheese. At least I didn't have to break out a second cardboard box for this feast, right?

So hit me up with some ideas for foods that your families (picky eaters welcome here!) enjoy. I appreciate it!