Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
3 eggs lightly beaten
4 cups of chicken stock
1 Tbsp of cornstarch
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp white pepper
3/4 cup of mushrooms, chopped

Directions:

Reserve 1/2 cup of chicken stock and mix with cornstarch until dissolved.

Place the chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, green onions, mushrooms, and white pepper in a pot and bring to a boil.  Ad the cornstarch and stock mixture and stir.  Reduce heat to a simmer.

Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup.  The egg will spread out into ribbons.  Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions.  Serve immediately. 

Creamy Cranberry Salad

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 6 oz raspberry jello mix
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple
3/4 cup orange juice
1 apple with peel, grated
1 cup whipping cream
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Process cranberries in blender or food processor.  Pour sugar over cranberries, stir to dissolve.
Bring 3/4 cup water to boil.  Stir in gelatin and cool.  Stir cooled gelatin into cranberries, add pineapple, Orange juice, grated apple.  Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Whip cream and beat in cream cheese and powdered sugar.

In glass serving dish layer half the cranberry mixture, then the whipped cream mixture, Then the remaining cranberry mixture.

Bacon Pie Crust

We had a bacon Thanksgiving so a friend gave me this awesome recipe for a bacon pie crust.  It was perfect for this cranberry apple pie.  I'm thinking it would also be good in a chicken pot pie.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Kosher salt

2/3 cup cold water

4 oz thick cut bacon; finely diced and frozen (4-5 strips)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices and chilled

Directions:

• For the Crust: In a small bowl, stir the Salt into the Cold Water until it dissolves. In a separate bowl, use your hands to toss the Bacon with Flour until well coated. Pulse the Flour and Bacon in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Return mixture to large bowl. Add the Butter to the Flour mixture and then press in the Butter with your fingertips until coarse crumbs form with a few bigger pieces remaining. Add the Salted Water all at once, and quickly gather the dough with your hands into a large, shaggy clump. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, shape into disks, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Cranberry Apple Pie

Ingredients:
1 9 inch deep dish pie crust
6 apples peeled, cored, and chopped
1 12 oz pkg fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup quick cooking tapioca

Topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Invert pie shell over another pie pan of equal size.  This will keep the crust from shrinking down into the pan.  Bake in this position for 10 minutes, until partially baked. Turn right side up, and remove the extra pie pan from inside the crust.

In a large bowl, combine apples, cranberries, and sugar.  Cover, and set aside for about 20 minutes.  Mix in tapioca, and set aside for 15-20 minutes, until tapioca has absorbed fruit juice.  Spread mixture into the partially baked pie shell.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter.  Work mixture with fingertips until crumbly.  Spread mixture over the apple-cranberry filling. Brush exposed pie shell with lightly beaten egg. 

Place the pie on a cookie sheet to catch drips.  Bake 45-60 minutes on the bottom rack of the preheated oven, or until apples are tender when tested with a wooden pick.

Brown Sugar Smokies

Ingredients:
1 pound bacon
1 16 oz  pkg little smokies
1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage.  Place the wrapped sausages on toothpicks.  Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar.  Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.

Easy Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 lb savory sage or original recipe sausage roll
1 lg onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 14 oz pkg cubed stuffing
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, crumble sausage.  Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is brown.  In a bowl combine the sausage mixture with the cubed stuffing. Add the poultry seasoning, broth and butter.  Toss to combine.  Pour into a 13x9 inch pan.  cover.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes