CLICK HERE to respond to newsletter replies, requests and tips. Please include date of newsletter, name of recipe and number of servings.  Remember to include your name within the message as well.

To make the degree sign with your computer hold down the alt key and then press 167 on the number pad on the right side of the keyboard. The alt key is on the left of the space bar.

Broccoli Rice Casserole
1 box chopped broccoli
1 can mushroom soup
1 mushroom can full of minute rice
6 oz Velvetta cheese
½ stick butter
Mix together all of the above ingredients, cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Stir, microwave 3 more minutes, then let set about 4 minutes.

www.watkinsonline.com/hutto
sunnywatkinsgirl@aol.com
Order Toll Free: 888-965-7070

Watkins Six Onion Soup Base # 21183 is a blend of onion, scallion, leek, shallot, garlic and chives. Serve this gourmet treat as a quick easy first course for your dinner -- no one has to know it's instant.

My sister Jeannie in Henderson, Tx. cannot correspond with you either. When she clicks on the place to send an email she gets nothing. Any suggestions to help her out. She is a wonderful cook with lots and lots of good recipes to share. Hope to see my letter in the newsletter soon. Thanks so very much.
Barbara in Corsicana, Texas

Comment
To get the correct address just right click on the click me link and choose the option COPY SHORTCUT.
Go to your email program and paste (ctrl V) into the to field.
Nancy Rogers

How to Make Muffin Tops

The muffin tops are the best part of the muffin. No wonder everyone wants to make the tops only. Here are some tips to help you along.

1. Start out with a good muffin top pan. It should heat evenly and release easily.

2. Since muffin tops are a bit fragile—they are large and thin—they must slip from the pan very easily. Grease the tin well—even if your pan is nonstick. Be sure and grease around the edges to accommodate any overflow.

3. Each muffin top is about equal to a standard muffin, maybe a little larger. So if your recipe or mix makes twelve muffins, expect about ten muffin tops. (Our muffin mixes are designed for high domes and are larger than most mixes or recipes. Expect to get 12 to 14 muffin tops.)

4. Consider buying two pans so that you can bake the whole batch at once.

How to Convert a Muffin Recipe to a Muffin Tops Recipe
There are a couple adjustments that you will need to make to your favorite muffin recipe to make tops. Since they are thinner, they bake in less time. Many muffin recipes call for high heat at the beginning of the baking period to create the rise necessary for attractive domes. With muffin tops, that’s not necessary. We baked our recipes at 375 degrees and they were done in 15 to 16 minutes.

Nancy I hope that you are having a great time with your family and friends. To Linda in North Carolina, newsletter 3/18, was wanting a good way to fix Corned Beef and Cabbage. Linda I have been fixing this meal is way for so long.

Susie's Corned Beef and Cabbage
1, 3 lbs., corned beef
1 to 2 cups small carrots
4 red skinned potatoes, cut in half
1 small head cabbage
2 to 3 cups water

Rise off carrots putting in the bottom of the Crock Pot and cutting the potatoes in half then put them in the bottom of the Crock Pot. Add the water. Sprinkling half of the spice pack on the vegetables. Rise off corned beef putting it in the Crock Pot on top of the vegetables then sprinkling the rest of the spice pack on the corned beef. About an hour before you want to eat get out of the Crock Pot as much liquid that you need to cook the cabbage. If you can't get enough liquid then add some water. Cut the cabbage into quarters. Add to hot liquid and cook until tender.

To Amy B, I think in newsletter 3/10, wanting ground beef recipes I have two that are TNT that I made for years when our children lived at home.

Susie's Beef and Macaroni Casserole
1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ large onion, chopped
1, 28 oz., can tomato sauce
1½ cup macaroni, uncooked

Cook the ground beef and add to a warm Crock Pot. Add rest of the ingredient then mix together. Cook this for at least 8 hours and no more than 9½ hours.

Next one I have seen in this site but my one is called Salisbury Steaks. This is so good and so easy to make.

Salisbury Steak
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons catsup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, I used less when the kids were young
2 tablespoons onion, chopped finely
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 tablespoons butter/margarine now I use Olive Oil
4 tablespoons flour

Mix all the above together but soup, flour and butter/margarine. In a large skillet melt butter/margarine. As the butter/margarine is melting make the ground beef mixture into 4 patties. Coat the patties with the flour then add them to the skillet. Just brown them on each side. Remove and add the soup to the skillet then add the patties back in and let simmer until done, about 20 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the patties. I would serve this with mashed potatoes, salad.

Everyone have a great day. Nancy and 4 legged associates take care and stay safe.
Susie Indy

For Donna in NW GA, I still have my Romertopf too. I can't seem to get rid of it even though I haven't used it in quite awhile. I have also saved a newspaper from 1981 which has several recipes and I have the brochure that came with the clay baker. I'll send in the recipes a few at a time. I have some recipes for vegetables too. One benefit of using the clay baker is eliminating the need for liquid. Vegetables cook in their own juices. Meat also becomes fork tender so less expensive meats can be used, and it's pretty enough to go from oven to the table.

You already know to soak the top and bottom in water for 15 minutes, and do not dry it.

Clay Pot Chicken
In the pot put one frying chicken halved. Surround it with the following:

1 c. frozen green beans
3 tomatoes, cut in quarters
6 small peeled onions
8 small peeled potatoes
1 clove garlic, mashed
1 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 c. white wine or apple juice
salt & pepper to taste

Cover pot and put in cold oven. Turn oven to 450 degrees and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes or so. Serve in pot.

Sliced Beef with mushrooms
1# sirloin
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. mustard
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. flour
1 c. red wine
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 cup beef broth
salt & pepper

Cut the meat into think slices and season with salt & pepper. Saute the meat and onion butter until browned. Transfer to clay pot. Mix together the broth, wine, mustard, lemon juice and flour. Add the mushrooms to the meat, then pour the liquid over them. Cover and place in the center of a cold oven. Set the oven at 375 degrees and cook for about 45 minutes. Season to taste and serve with boiled potatoes and a vegetable.

Happy Easter to everyone. Doris, S. Indiana

Ham Glaze and Sauce Recipes from Nancy's Kitchen
Nancy Rogers

Holiday Ham Fruit Glaze
1 c. apples, diced
1 c. apricots
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 c. apple cider
1/2 tsp. crushed cloves

Soak apricots in cider for 1 hour. After ham has cooked 1-1 1/2 hours, remove from oven. Add above ingredients, blended together. Ham rule of thumb = 325 degrees at 25 minutes per pound.

Mustard Glaze
1-1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. cloves
2 tbsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. dry mustard
Cider vinegar

Mix together with cider vinegar to form a paste. Put on ham the last hour (after taking off the skin) of baking time.

Honey Mustard Glaze
1/2 c. brown sugar
4 tbsp. honey
1/4 c. orange marmalade
1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Combine and spoon over ham an hour before finishing baking.

Cherry Almond Glaze
1 (12 oz.) jar cherry preserves
1/4 c. vinegar
2 tbsp. corn syrup
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 c. slivered almonds
3 tbsp. water

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except almonds and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the almonds. About 15 minutes before ham is done, spoon 1/4 to 1/3 cup glaze over ham. Repeat if desired. Stir water into remaining glaze; heat through and serve with ham. Makes 1 1/2 cups glaze.

Raisin Sauce for Ham
1 c. raisins
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. lemon
1 tbsp. vinegar

Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan over medium heat; stirring constantly until a boil and sauce has thickened. Spread some Raisin Sauce over ham 10 minutes before ham comes out. This is optional you can wait for ham to be on plate to put your Raisin Sauce on it. Makes about 2 cups.
 

Clay Pot Recipes

Just a note to say extra special thanks to Ditto and Siggy's Uncle Joe for the complete explanation of the history and recipes for Paprikas and Paprikash. It was like being given a great mini cookbook on
the subject. I printed it off and set up a new notebook as I was so impressed with all of wealth of information. I plan to try all the recipes and also the other great one sent in earlier. Thanks for more than answering my request.
BunnyFace

I have a Web TV 2 and it will not print from the latest way to print from the archives. It did print from the original recipe. I liked being able to print the recipes and miss it. Any ideas why it will not print but it does come up with a totally blank screen when pressed.
Lu in Mn

Comment
I don't have Web TV and do not know the answer. Maybe some of our family of members can answer your question.
Nancy Rogers

Hi all from sunny and cold Central IL!
I want to share a recipe I devised under desperation and a craving, a success story that worked!
Out of the blue, I got a craving for rice pudding. Being one of those people who always has everything I need on hand for any occasion, the rice pudding should have been a slam-dunk. But, is ome how (LOL) I was missing some ingredients, so I devised my own recipe, for

Butterscotch Rice Pudding.
1 cup arborio rice, cook w/2 cups milk and some raisins. Make rice according to package directions.
1 package instant butterscotch pudding made with 1/12 c. cold milk.
Immediately stir the hot cooked rice into the prepared pudding. Let it chill. Good for a snack, dessert, or in the case of my picky breakfast eater, an acceptable breakfast. At last! Hope you enjoy it!
No name was included with the message.

Good morning Nancy
It has been awhile since I have written in. I want to make a broccoli cauliflower salad for Easter. I can't seem to find my favorite one. Maybe your wonderful cooks have a TNT one. Have a Blessed and Happy Easter.
Orlena in Illinois

Hello Nancy and all of our recipe family,
I have been watching the news here in Calgary, and it shows pictures of the terrible weather that seems to be happening all over the southern states. There seems to be terrible destruction and heartache. Do you suppose our members could check in and let us know that they are okay?

Here in Calgary the snow is gone and we are having very pleasant spring weather.
Carole with an "E" in Calgary

Papricka,
In the March 18 newsletter you asked about the cake with the cream of coconut/sweetened condensed mixture poured over the top of it...in my family we always froze the cake and defrosted it for approx. 10-15 minutes before serving. The cake was always firm and very moist, never mushy. We always cut it into regular little square pieces and served like normal cake. Hope that helps.
Jinger

Nancy's group: My husband's report came back today from his MRI last Friday. It said the cancer had moved into his lymph nodes. That was what I was afraid of, but I have Faith that the Good Lord will have mercy! Thanks for your prayers!
Betty T. Ga.

To Betty in GA. My prayers are with you and your husband, Having cancer myself, maybe feel a little bit what you feel. Now I just take each day with hope and a positive attitude. And with the love of my family and friends. I hope that everything goes well for you all. And as the card you sent says. The Blessing of the Lord be upon you ( Psalm 129: 8.)
Debbie in Lubbock.

Hi, Nancy!
I hope you are enjoying a very blessed Easter with your family. Thanks for all that you do for all of us.

This is for Peg in beautiful East Tennessee from the 3/18 recipe letter: To make the degree sign, hold down the Alt. key while pressing 0186 on the keypad on the right of your computer (not the numbers across the top of the keyboard.) I wondered for years how to make that symbol on the computer and finally someone posted it to Nancy's newsletter (I've forgotten who, but I'm very thankful they did!)

For Betty T. in GA: We serve a miracle working God and we are praying for your husband. Thank God from Whom all blessings flow! We hope you daily feel His presence with you and your hubby!

This is for Judy in Alaska (recipe letter 3/18) With three sources of lemon flavor, this cake is for serious lemon lovers!

Triple Lemon Bundt Cake
1/4 c. butter
3/4 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
6 eggs
1 t. lemon extract
2 T. plus 1 t. lemon juice
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon Jello, dry

Cream butter, shortening and sugar; add eggs and mix well. Stir in lemon extract and lemon juice. Separately, stir together flour, salt and dry Jello. Add to creamed mixture. Transfer to a greased and floured Bundt pan and bake at 350º for 1 hour or until done. Very moist.

Hope all in the family are doing well.
Sharon in Texas

My Favorite Casserole Recipes for Easter.
Nancy Rogers

Scalloped Corn
30 saltine crackers
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
Dash pepper
1 (16 oz.) can cream style corn
1 beaten egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put crackers in plastic bag. Coarsely crush with rolling pin to make 1 1/2 cups. Combine corn and milk in baking dish. Stir in egg. Add 1 cup of the crushed crackers, chopped onion, salt and pepper. In a skillet melt the butter over low heat. Watch carefully so it does not burn. Combine remaining 1/2 cup cracker crumb with butter. Sprinkle butter and crumb mixture over top of the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove baking dish with potholders.

Green Bean Casserole
2 boxes frozen French style green beans (thawed)
1 med. onion, chopped
Butter
1 c. sliced water chestnuts
1 c. shredded cheese
1 can mushroom soup
1 can French fried onion rings

Sauté onions in butter. Layer in a greased casserole: 1. Beans 2. Onions 3. Water chestnuts 4. Cheese 5. Mushroom soup 6. Repeat layers Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through. Add onion rings the last 5 minutes. Serves 6.

Baked Bean Casserole
2 cans (1 lb. each) pork and beans
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 c. catsup
4 slices bacon, cooked, cut in pieces
1/2 c. sliced onions

Combine all ingredients. Place in a 2 quart casserole. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Rice Casserole
1 c. uncooked rice
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can French onion soup
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can water
1 stick margarine or butter
1 (8 oz.) can mushrooms

Mix all ingredients together, cut margarine in pieces and place in 1 1/2 quart covered casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or until almost all the liquid has been absorbed.
 

Hello Nancy, I just want to take a moment and wish you and all our friends out there a very Happy Easter. Whether it be Sunrise Services or Easter Bunny Egg Hunts, enjoy the day with family and friends. And to all who are going thru trying times right now, you are in my prayers.

Thank you Nancy, and thank you all NancyLanders for being out there for so many of us!
Billie in Fl

Trish in IL: The chili recipe was great, thanks! I am a stone's throw from you in Chatham. Cool!!
For NancyB who wanted the carrot cake recipe, I don't know if it is a clone, but I have a good one that is similar to what you are describing.

Carrot-Spice cake
1 box spice cake mix
2 cups shredded carrots (buy them preshredded!)
1/4 c. raisins
1 c. boiling water
1 small box orange jello

Frosting: (or buy premade)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 or more tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 c. powdered sugar

Prepare cake mix as directed, stir in carrots and raisins. Bake in 13x 9 pan 35-40 min at 350 degrees. (or until done). Remove from oven. Mix jello and boiling water, stir well. Poke holes into cake. Pour jello over cake. Chill 3 hours.

For frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, and spice with electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition. Spread onto cake.

This frosting is great. I use it on lots of other things.
Hope this is what you were looking for!
Lori in IL

This is for Judy in Alaska regarding lemon cake.

This is the best lemon sheet cake that I have ever eaten. Everytime I make it for a gathering I always get requests for the recipe.

Lemon Sheet Cake
1 package (18 1/4 ounces) lemon cake mix
4 eggs
1 can (16 ounces) lemon pie filling
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons white vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl beat the cake mix and eggs until well blended. Fold in pie filling. Spread into
a greased 15 inch by 10 inch by 1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until
a toothpick inserted near the center come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
Spread over cake. Store in the refrigerator.
Yield: 30 35 servings.

You can also bake in a 10 x 13 pan. Just bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cheri D Alpena, Michigan

Re: Degree symbol
Peg/East Tennessee, hold down the alt key and type 248 on the number key pad on the right, it want work on the number pad at the top, then release the ° sign will pop up.
Brenda/Alabama

Hello
I couldn't wait to try the suggestion made to me by Cheryl regarding the solution in cleaning my stainless steel kitchen sink. Well!! I tried cleaning it with baking soda. Wow!! I swear it looks like the day it was installed. I am so glad that you asked your daughter about this! I found myself calling everyone that I know and telling them that they have to try it. I am now looking to clean everyone's sink! I guess it beats cleaning windows! LOL

Thanks so much for this suggestion. Can this be used on my fiberglass bathroom tub?
Happy Easter. Fran, Upstate New York

Q: In the March 16 newsletter, someone mentioned a recipe for Honey Baked Lentils. I was unable to find it. Would someone please repeat it.
Thank you Grandma O, IL
R: Dear Grandma O,
I sent in the Honey Baked Lentils recipe that was in the Feb. 12 newsletter. Here it is again along with the comments made by Dee.

I hope this helps, from Merry M in MN
Comment:: (I just want to thank the person who sent in the recipe Honey Baked Lentils. Sorry I don't remember the name. This recipe was a keeper. I did tweak it somewhat by adding garlic, pinch of cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and BBQ sauce. I didn't have ground beef but used sirloin steak cut in bite size pieces. This recipe turned out very tasty. Dee in Canada)

Honey Baked Lentils
Serving Size: 1 cup Yield: 7 servings

1 pound (2 1/3 cups) uncooked lentils
1 small bay leaf (optional)
5 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup water
1/2 pound ground beef
1/3 cup honey

Combine rinsed lentils, bay leaf, and 5 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes. Do not drain. After cooking, discard bay leaf. Chop onion. Combine onions, and 1 cup water. Add to lentils and mix. Brown ground beef (if using). Drain and discard fat. Add the meat to the lentil mixture and mix.
Pour honey over lentil mixture. Cover tightly and bake it for one hour at 350°.

Note: For a meatless meal, replace 1 cup of the water with 2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 2 cups tomato sauce and omit the ground beef.

Recipe from Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service

Oatmeal Scotchies: Remember these little yummies as a kid? How I used to love the smell of these cookies baking in my great grandmother's oven.

Oatmeal Scotchies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
1 (11 oz) package butterscotch morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Slowly add flour mixture, beating well until combined. Stir in, by hand, the oatmeal and butterscotch morsels.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Dawn - Cape Cod, MA

Nancy I have a couple of other recipes that were served often. They are easy to make and sometimes I would make them and then freeze and pull out when I needed a meal. I also made meatloaf put foil in a loaf pan put the meatloaf in the foiled loaf pan putting the over hang on top of the meatloaf and would freeze it. When it was totally frozen I would take the meatloaf out of the pan and put back into the freezer. Then I had a meatloaf that I could pull out and cook.

Susie's Reuben Casserole
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 slices rye bread, cut into cubes
¼ to 1/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ to 1/3 cup Thousand Island dressing
1 lb. sauerkraut, drained well
4 oz. cooked corned beef sliced
1¼ cup Swiss Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat, then cook the broad cubes until light golden about 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside. In a bowl mix together the mayonnaise and Thousand Island Dressing. In a 9x9" baking dish, arrange the sauerkraut to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay the Corned Beef on top and pour dressing over all. Sprinkle with the cheese and sprinkle the bread cubes over top. Cook this for about 20 to 25 minutes heated through but not bubbling. It is to serve 4 but in our house it never did. I would bake it in a 9x13" pan and double the recipe.

Chicken Dish
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut up into 1" pieces
1 lb. baking potatoes sliced into ½" pieces
2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" slices
6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tables dried oregano
salt and fresh ground pepper
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400º. Place the chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, olive oil and oregano in a 9x13" baking pan. Season with salt and pepper and toss little bit to mix well. Bake until chicken os cooked through and potatoes are tender. This should be about 45 minutes. Remove and serve hot with sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top. To this recipe you can use 1 lb. tomatoes and 1 large onion sliced 3/4" thick. This should serve 4.

Everyone have a great. Nancy and 4 legged associates have a great time.
Susie Indy

To Papricka, I have made this cake many times, and it never comes out soupy, but it is very moist. No spoon needed, just enough room for a very tasty rich and delicious dessert.

For Peg in Beautiful Tennessee, Rose in WI originally sent this in to us in March of last year. I'm so glad I kept it, because it has come in so very handy. Thanks Rose!

Symbols:
Use the number pad for these.

° (degree sign) hold down alt and type in 0176
¢ alt 155
¼ alt 172
½ alt 171
¾ alt 0190
® alt 0174
© alt 0169
T alt 0153
¥ alt 0165
For many more go to - Start - All programs - Accessories - System tools - Character map.

For Judy in Alaska, Did you see my Lemonade Cake? I will re-submit for you if you are interested.
Dee floating in S. Illinois

I would like the recipe for Blender Cheese Cake using Splenda Granular. I just love your news letter. So many recipes and helps.
Mida

Immediately stir the hot cooked rice into the prepared pudding. Let it chill. Good for a snack, dessert, or in the case of my picky breakfast eater, an acceptable breakfast. At last! Hope you enjoy it!

Hi everybody,
re: dyed eggs.
One year my sis, who is very artistic and creative, brewed up really strong tea. Went out to the yard and collected leaves. Tied the leaves to the hard boiled eggs with a very fine thread and dunked them into the tea. left them there several hours, until the desired color was right. and let the eggs dry. Then she removed the leaves. These were really beautiful , She used them in her Easter Table display.
I hope my description is clear enough.
Happy Easter All, Barb in Oregon

This is for Papricka's question regarding the Cream of Coconut and Condensed milk poured over the cake. The cake should be refrigerated and served the next day. You can cut pieces (I do this in a 9 x 13 pan and cut squares--don't know if this works w/ a layer cake!).

This turns out very moist. It would possibly be mushy if not for the refrigeration part. If I am correct, the original sender suggested putting in the refrigerator. I apologize for not paying close attention, however, since I already make this cake, I did not print this recipe.
Tina in GA

Since this is a cousin to Rice Krispies® Treats, this is an easy recipe. Instead of melted marshmallows, you will cook a syrup with brown sugar and corn syrup but the concept is the same.

To make this recipe, you can use commercial granola or make your own granola from a recipe. You can also use our Walnut Vanilla Granola Mix which is what we did in developing this recipe.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-6 cups of granola

Directions
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

1. Add the granola to large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a pan on the stovetop, bring the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar to a boil. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
3. Immediately stir the hot syrup into granola. Continue stirring until the granola is well coated.
4. Turn the granola and syrup mixture into the buttered baking pan. Lay a sheet of waxed paper over the granola and use the palms of your hands to firmly press down the granola, compacting the granola into a uniform brick.
5. Bake for 5 minutes (see note). Let cool and cut into squares. They are easier to cut if still just a little warm but don’t try to remove them from the pan until completely cooled. For the best results, use a sharp serrated knife when cutting.

Baker’s notes: When first put into the baking pan, the granola has a sticky consistency much like Rice Krispies Treats. The slow bake firms and dries the granola. We baked our batches anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. At the shorter time, the granola bars will be softer and at the longer, drier and harder. We liked it at 5 minutes with softer bars.

I want to thank Linda, from Fort Collins, CO., Jane, from North Carolina, Barb, from Florida, Barb from Oregon, Gaye Roy from Utah, and Madeline from Poughkeepsie for their recipes/ or websites for the Zuppa Toscana Soup from the Olive Garden. I am so anxious to try these. Thank you all so much and have a Blessed Easter.
Cindi in Northeast Nebraska

Comment
Other members that sent in the recipe as well were Beth

This is for Peg, in beautiful East Tennessee (it is beautiful there!)
To get the degree sign, if Nancy doesn't have the chance to do it; just hold down the alt key, and type 0176 at the same time. Let go, and there is the degree symbol!
Trish in Illinois~

This information was sent in by others as well.
Linda Ft. Collins, Co.

I have noticed in a number of the newsletters that there is an ongoing discussion about the watery Kraft products. I understood that the problem was in the salad dressing (Miracle Whip) not the mayonnaise. This subject was discussed sometime back and it was suggested that if you liked the "Miracle Whip" type salad dressing that you look at the label of the store brand for their content. I noticed that our local store brand still lists water down quite a ways in the list of ingredients. I do doctor it a bit to our taste. Mayonnaise still made by Best Foods or Hellmann's on the east coast are still the same yummy product.
I hope that those who like salad dressing in their potato salads will check the ingredient labels.
Jane, No.Calif.

For Papricka: I make a similar cake that I believe I got from this newsletter. It was called Preacher's cake. It is similar to the one you have, but it also has some pineapple juice in it. The sauce is very runny when spread onto the poked cake, but after setting, it is a solid cake and very moist. Since I use a white cake mix and everything is white, I called it "White Christmas Cake" this last Christmas when I served it to my dinner party. I swirled a little bottled raspberry sauce onto the plate and on top of the cake to make more festive It went over very well. Sandy in Iowa

For Linda in N. Carolina: I made corned beef and cabbage in both the oven and in a crock pot. Both turned out well, but I have to pass on something that puts the corned beef sandwiches over the top. After roasting or slow cooking the regular way, put it onto the grill for a few minutes on each side. It makes out of this world sandwiches. Sandy in Iowa

For Peg in E. Texas: The Food Channel has a website and posts all the recipes you see on TV. In the old days, I used to have to listen carefully and write fast to get a recipe. I would always miss something and hope to see a rerun. Now, it is so easy to just go to the website and print the recipe you want. I would like to wish all in Nancyland a very wonderful Easter.
Sandy in Iowa

For Linda in NC - Here's an easy Corned Beef recipe which is very good.

Corned Beef & Cabbage
5 potatoes, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp salt & pepper to taste
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 can corned beef, broken up
1 can cream of celery soup
1 -1/2 cups milk

Put potatoes in large, deep casserole dish which has been sprayed with cooking spray. Add cabbage, then onion and top with corned beef.

Put soup & milk in blender to mix well. Pour over top of corned beef mixture.

Cover and bake at 375 for 1-1/2 hours.
Susan-NC

This is for Marlene in Fla., who is doing a cookbook for her church group. I have found that your local Office Depot Office Max copy centers can help you produce a very nice cookbook at far less then one of those cookbook companies. You may not have the option of the fancy covers, cute graphics, but you can still produce a nice cookbook.

Using a local copy service allows you to put in to the book those longer more detailed recipes.. Choosing a nice card stock for the chapter separators and a contrasting card stock for the front and back covers , bound with either a pig tail or comb binding makes for a nice book. If you have a friend or co-church member who is artistic, use pen and ink drawings to illiterate the chapter's contents and of course, design the cover to your book. Check this out and see if there isn't a vast difference in price, plus you don't have to order vast numbers of books at a time and having the local service available they can reproduce your next order in a matter of a couple of days.

Don't forget to number the pages and to prepare an index. Use one of your own cookbooks for ideas.
Jane, No. Calif.

Nancy & Nancylanders: I guess I sent my thank you for the hominy recipes too soon as there were several posted after I sent the initial Thank You so now I want to extend another Most Sincere Thank You to all who responded with the many hominy recipes. I've copied them all and will be trying them over time, some with a little personal tweaking. For Linda in North Carolina who in the Tuesday, 18 Mar Newsletter, ask for a good way to prepare Corned Beef and Cabbage, I used one of my crock pots this year to prepare the St. Patrick's Day fare. I just purchased a package of already prepared (corned) Corned Beef with the little seasoning packet. I put the Corned Beef in the crock pot and sprinkled the seasoning over the top then I poured 1/2 of a 12 ounce can of beer and a 1/4 cup of vinegar over the meat. I covered the crock pot and cooked the corned beef for 3 hours on HIGH heat setting then added small unpeeled red potatoes, bite size chunks of carrot and a head of cabbage cut into 6 wedges, reduced the heat to LOW heat setting and allowed the corned beef and the vegetables to cook for another 4 hours. The veggies came out wonderfully (the cabbage could have been a bit more solid) and the corned beef was VERY tender. Simplest way to prepare corned beef and cabbage that I know of.

With regard to the postings lately regarding Old Bay Seasoning, while I like this seasoning very much, I use a similar product called J.O. Brand Seasoning. It is used the same way that Old Bay is used, i.e., Steaming Crabs or Shrimp or for corn on the cob - and I've even used it to season freshly popped pop corn. The label show the contents to be salt, mustard, red pepper, celery, paprika, cracked red pepper, black pepper, thyme, ginger, laurel leaves, mace and cinnamon. I purchase this product on-line from the J.O. Spice Co., Inc. which is located in Baltimore, Maryland. They also have other products such as batter mixes for seafood. Their toll-free telephone number is 1-800-537-5714, but I buy from their on-line store.
Mr. Myron Drinkwater - Lake Forest, CA

Knitter in Ill, once I was visiting a friend in Tampa Fl. and her husband ask me to fix him some collard greens or turnip greens. I told his wife when she went to the store to buy some. When she came back I ask where the greens were and she told me in the refrigerator. When I looked I found dandelions! I thought my husband would laugh his sides off. He couldn't understand how anyone did not know the difference between greens and dandelions. Your email, brought back memories. Betty T. Ga.

Nancy, I hope you have a very Happy Easter with your family. Easter is a great time to remember all the things we have to be thankful for . To be able to do what a lot of people in this world are not able to do. Remembering the great times we had growing up with our families going to Church on Easter Sunday with our new fancy clothes. Then after Church we would go home looking forward to the big Easter egg hunt we always had. To finding new colored baby chickens or a colored bunny rabbits that showed up only at Easter time. Now as we get older we can look back at those great memories that we had as Children that we are able to pass on to our Children. Memories that will pass on from generations to generations as new ones are made.
Take care. Pat SW Okla.

Online Games
Hangeroo Game   Mahjongg Game   Checkers Game   Space Invaders    Tetris Game    Flashman(Pac-Man)    Crossword Puzzle Wordsearch   Trivia

CLICK HERE to respond to newsletter replies, requests and tips. Please include date of newsletter, name of recipe and number of servings.  Remember to include your name within the message as well.
++++++++

Life and Times of Sigmund Freud Kitty (Told in his own words)

CLICK HERE to respond to newsletter replies, requests and tips. Please include date of newsletter, name of recipe and number of servings.  Remember to include your name within the message as well.

Graphics by AudreyJean