Celebrate February

This February, celebrate with a couple Sweet Deals.

There are a lot of good things that happen during the shortest month of the year… and I’ve decided to add a couple more. Starting Friday, February 6, and running through Sunday, February 22, the Kindle editions of both of my award-winning historical romance novels will be sweetly priced.   Seahawk’s Sanctuary will be only $1.99!   And Lion’s Lair will be $2.99! This Kindle price deal will NOT be repeated this year, so please, don’t miss it.

And celebrate this February with an extra dose of love and romance.

The 4 year publication anniversary of my 1st novel, Seahawk’s Sanctuary, takes place later this month, and I wish to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the readers who have enjoyed my debut novel. Over the years, y’all have passed the word along to acquaintances, friends, and family members. You have kept its Kindle ranking in the top 5% and made it the success it is today!

Valentine’s Day is Saturday, February 14.  A day to celebrate LOVE.  Toss a spicy historical romance novel, or two, into the mix, and who knows where that may lead…

The Chinese New Year starts February 19. I believe it’s the year of the goat/sheep, and I certainly hope it’s going to be a quiet year. The last couple of  years for our immediate family has been full of critical illnesses, surgeries, and the loss of dearly-loved family members and close friends.  With all these reality checks, I’ve had to prioritize, and family comes first, so it’s been impossible for me to find any spare time to write.

But this is a new year, and I’m ready to set aside some of my free time to putting the stories in my head on to paper… Perhaps I will even be able to complete the much requested Seahawk sequel.

I also have a birthday coming up on February 22.  I’m going to be……………..(drum roll please)……………..  29!!!   Now y’all will only have to figure out how many times!  😀

Oh yes, there’s one more thing…  On Saturday, February 7, from 10am to 1pm, the Tri-County Literary Celebration is being held in Dean Hall at Cypress Gardens in Charleston, SC.  This is a free event and is open to the public!

I will be one of the many local authors attending this event, so if you’re in the area, please come by. There will be a large variety of books for sale, and I will have special pricing on both of my novels.

 

Pineapple Cheddar Casserole

With the holiday baking season once again upon us, I wanted to share this Easy & Yummy Recipe.  It’s a modified Paula Deen recipe.  Personally, I like  the flavor of the pineapple with a little less sugar and butter to serve as a side dish.  If you want to serve it for dessert, double the sugar and butter (per Paula Deen’s original recipe).
This is great hot, warm, or cold… And it’s sooooo easy!!!  Yummmm.
1/2 Cup   Sugar
6 -8  Tablespoons all-purpose Flour
2 Cups grated sharp cheddar
2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained, and 6 tablespoons pineapple juice reserved
1 Cup cracker crumbs (recommended: Townhouse)
4  Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the cheese. Add the drained pineapple chunks, and stir until ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish.

In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and reserved pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

March Madness Kindle Book Deals

Okay, to alleviate some of the weather related stuck-in-the-house March madness blues, for the next two consecutive weekends, I have scheduled a Kindle Countdown Deal at Amazon for each of my award-winning novels. Each ‘Click Here’ to the right will take you directly to it on the specified dates.

Don’t know what Kindle Countdown Deals are? Well, it’s a scheduled special pricing event on participating eBooks where the price starts extremely low (usually .99 or 1.99) and increases by $1 every 24 hours or so over 3 to 5 days depending on the regular retail price of the eBook. And Amazon even shows a clock ticking down the time you have remaining before each price increase takes place on each books’ page.

 The Lion’s Lair will start this Friday, March 21, and run through Monday, March 24.

The Seahawk’s Sanctuary will run the following weekend, from Friday, March 28 to Tuesday, April 1; which happens to be the 3 year anniversary of Seahawk going ‘live’ on Amazon. Wow, where does the time go?

 These Kindle Countdown Deals will also run on Amazon UK, but, because of the GBP pricing, they will only be a Saturday – Sunday event. (March 22 & 23 for Lion’s Lair, and March 29 & 30 for Seahawk’s Sanctuary.)

So, please mark these dates on your calendars and plan a little escape time… As for the yucky weather – it’s outside – forget about it!

I will send out reminders when countdown deals begin.Eggs

Happy Reading to Everyone!

***Thursday, March 20, is the first official day of Spring (Vernal Equinox) and, did you know that on this date you can balance raw eggs on their ends!

And rest assured, the warmer weather will get here… eventually.

I Love Cheese… What About You?

I’m a great lover of cheese.  And with most of the US still in winter’s firm grip, I thought I would repost a couple super easy, great tasting cheesy recipes!

Talkin’ Old South Comfort Food… This is it!

Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese – Southern Style

MacnCheesePreheat oven to 375 degrees

1  1/4  C  Elbow Macaroni
16 oz  block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese  (cut 8-10 slices approx. 1/8 +” thick)   I use a little over half of the block

1    large  Egg
1/4  C   Water
1/2  tsp  Salt
1/8  tsp  Black Pepper

1  C   Milk  (I use Half & Half which is more in keeping with the raw milk they would have used.)

Cook elbow macaroni according to directions on the box and drain.  Make sure you stir the macaroni occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.  While the macaroni is cooking, you will have time to slice the cheese. (I rarely use the entire block unless I’m doubling the recipe.)  Butter an 8×8 casserole dish and pour in half of the drained macaroni. Place half of the sliced cheese on top of the macaroni and repeat the layers.  Whisk the egg, water, salt and pepper together in a bowl, then whisk in the milk.  Pour over the layers of macaroni and cheese.  The egg and milk mixture should completely cover the layers of macaroni and cheese. Bake for approximately 40 – 50 minutes.  The egg and milk mixture should be cooked thoroughly and it will be slightly brown and crispy on top.   Enjoy! Serves  4 – 6

*** Special notes

2   C  (8 oz) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese can be substituted for the slices of Cheddar  (Or a little more, depending on how cheesy you’re feeling.)

This recipe can be doubled, but I do not double the salt and pepper–maybe 50% more of each… This will be more of a ‘to taste’ addition.

And if you double the recipe, make certain to use a large, shallow casserole dish, leaving room for expansion of the egg and milk mixture.  And no more than 2 layers of the mac and cheese, or the outside will get too well done and the middle won’t be cooked through.

A Little History –

Thomas Jefferson loved Macaroni and Cheese and was known to have it served to dinner guests during his presidency.   He might not have invented the dish, but he did own a macaroni machine.  So if they were making it during Thomas Jefferson’s time, surely we, with all our modern conveniences, can!!!  I’ve decided to post a recipe that has been handed down through my husband’s family.  It is the Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese recipe his grandmother made and she was born in 1890 near Bamberg, SC.  I was fortunate enough to have known and spent time with this grand lady before she passed away closing in on the age of 102 . . . and she was sharp as a tack (pardon my slang) to the very end.  Recipes were handed down from mother to daughter back then, and this recipe certainly goes back to the Civil War/Reconstruction years, and is probably older.

****************                      *****************                      *****************

The following recipe will feed lots of people.  My family loves it and asks me to make it all the time!  And, what’s even better, it’s very simple to make! If necessary, you can even make it up the day before and refrigerate it covered overnight.  Just made certain you bring it up to room temperature (usually takes a couple hours) before putting it into a hot oven.

If you only need about half of the recipe (approximately 6 servings – bake for about an hour), take the remaining  uncooked mixture and freeze it in plastic containers. I do this all the time. When needed, take them out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. Place the thawed mixture in a casserole dish, mix in a Tablespoon of water, top with crushed crackers or Corn Flakes, and bake until golden brown and delicious.

 

ESCALLOPED POTATOES

1      32 oz. bag of Southern Hash Brown Potatoes    completely thawed

1/3  C   Butter    melted

1 can  Cream of Chicken Soup    undiluted

1/4  C  Water

16  oz. Cheddar cheese    shredded

8  oz.   Sour Cream

1     tsp.   Salt

¼  tsp.  Pepper

1      medium Onion    finely chopped

1     C  crushed Townhouse Crackers or  Corn Flakes

 

Combine Cream of Chicken soup, Sour Cream, Salt, Pepper, melted Butter, and chopped Onion in a large bowl. (And I do mean LARGE bowl) Mix in shredded Cheddar in 2 to 3 increments until incorporated.  Stir in Hash Brown Potatoes until completely covered with cheese mixture.  Place mixture in a extra large 2 1/2 to 3 inch deep casserole dish. (or it may be put into two medium sized ones)  Top with crushed Townhouse Crackers or Corn Flakes.  Bake uncovered 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours in preheated oven at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Maple Butter Yummmmm!

This recipe is Oh, So Simple and Oh, Sooooo Good!!!  And this stuff is great on just about anything. Spread it on waffles, pancakes, toast, muffins, or homemade doughnuts!  So, do yourself a favor and try it… You won’t be sorry.   😉  

On my recipe card this is called Hard Sauce. I’m not certain why, but I’ve changed the name to what I believe is a better representation.  Or maybe it should be called YUM-YUM BUTTER!

                MAPLE BUTTER

            ¼ lb. Butter (1 stick) at room temperature

1  C Confectioner’s Sugar (I use 10x)

Pinch of Salt

1 Egg white

1 tsp. Maple Extract   (If you wish, you can experiment by using other extracts instead of maple.)

Separate egg and put white into a small bowl. (You can always add the yolk to the pancake or waffle mixture later.) Using an electric hand mixer, whip egg white to the soft peak stage.  Place softened butter in another bowl; add confectioner’s sugar and salt. Whip together using the electric hand mixer. (You can use the same beaters, because it’s all going to be put together anyway—just scrape off as much of the egg white as possible. And start mixing on the lowest setting or you’ll have confectioner’s sugar everywhere!) Once the sugar is incorporated, add the maple extract to the butter mixture and mix for about 30 seconds to get it blended throughout. Next, add the whipped egg white and mix until light and fluffy (about a minute or two).  Scrape off the beaters and cool in a covered container in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.   ***I find this is about the right amount of time to make those hot waffles or pancakes.***

Place any leftover (doesn’t happen in my house, but you never know) in a sealed container and it will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge; just take it out 10 minutes before you need it to let it become spreadable.

Books, Books, and Even More E-Books

At the end of 2013, Amazon had 2.3 million eBooks available for the reading public’s enjoyment.  And, if that seems like a lot… Several sources estimate there will be another 250,000 eBooks published every 3 months in 2014!  So, by the end of this year, poof, another million books.  All I can say is WOW!

I remember attending a writer’s conference in October of 2010 where most of the literary agents and publishers in attendance poo-pooed eBooks in general and several even commented that eBooks were a passing fad.  And yet, when a panel of these publishers and literary agents were questioned directly about eBooks and independent publishing as the new trend, if you watched closely, you could see it and, yes, even feel it…they were uncertain and concerned about the future of the established way of publishing as a whole.  And over the past couple of years, I have watched as publishers have increased the price of eBook editions (which originally were supposed to cost readers less) and in some cases, they now cost more than the print editions. Why???  Once it’s been uploaded, it’s done. There’s no paper, printing, distribution, or postage costs as with print copies.  Another great advantage to eBooks are those pesky little errors that are easily missed by authors, editors, and readers because our brains auto-correct them. They can be here today and gone tomorrow – if we’re driven to having an error free read – instead of waiting for the next printing run!

Also during this 2010 conference, there was a lecturer in attendance who had already embraced this new tend and was willing to provide free guidance, support, and supply a network of reliable resources to any author willing to listen. Luckily, I was one of the novice authors who attended both of his lectures.  So when I left the conference, I was confident in my decision to embrace this new trend and succeed!

I have thought long and hard about the current publishing explosion. On one hand, I think it’s great; and yet, on the other hand, with so many books being released in such a short period of time, I wonder how new authors will ever be discovered. However, I am confident that if these debuting authors have the gut-burning passion to write, are serious enough about their work to learn the craft of writing, (which may take years) and hire a professional editor to help them release the very best work possible, the readers will find them.

Personally, I believe this is just the beginning.  Where we’ll be in another 3 to 5 years is anyone’s guess.

2014 – Celebrate the New Year, New Moon & Counting My Blessings

First of all, I want to thank all the readers who have purchased my books and I hope many of you took advantage of the Kindle Countdown special pricing of my novels during the Christmas holiday. It’s my sincere wish that everyone will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Secondly, I’m very glad the end of 2013 is only a couple of days away.  This year has been a trial for me from start to finish…  Our family,  as well as many friends and business associates have not only lost one or more loved ones this year, but have family members that have been, or are, critically ill.  I’ve worn black way too often this year… the last time just yesterday.  And while we lost two dearly-loved family members, thankfully, my father’s cancer is in remission. On the first day of 2014, I plan to spend a few moments remembering the loved ones we lost and counting my blessings – deeply thankful and appreciating time spent with family members and friends who are near and dear to me. This year has reminded me to cherish everyone I care about because you never know what tomorrow will bring…  So, to all my family and friends out there… I love you!

Now, despite the fact that we live on the east coast, with a husband who is a pilot, we observe the start of the New Year at London, England time, or more specifically, Greenwich mean time (which is +5 hours or at 7 pm EST).  So, with the New Year’s celebrating only hours away, followed by a day that, for us, features the Rose Parade and numerous college football games, usually with friends and family, I thought I would post a delicious escalloped potato recipe that will feed lots of people.  My family loves it and asks me to make it all the time!  And, what’s even better, the recipe is very simple to make! If necessary, you can even make it up the day before and refrigerate it covered overnight.  Just made certain you bring it up to room temperature (usually takes a couple hours) before putting it into a hot oven.

If you only need about half of the recipe (approximately 6 servings – bake for about an hour), take the remaining  uncooked mixture and freeze it in plastic containers. I do this all the time. When needed, take them out of the freezer the night before to thaw in the refrigerator. Place the thawed mixture in a casserole dish, mix in a Tablespoon of water, top with crushed crackers or Corn Flakes, and bake until golden brown and delicious.

 

ESCALLOPED POTATOES

1      32 oz. bag of Southern Hash Brown Potatoes    completely thawed

1/3  C   Butter    melted

1 can  Cream of Chicken Soup    undiluted

1/4  C  Water

16  oz. Cheddar cheese    shredded

8  oz.   Sour Cream

1     tsp.   Salt

¼  tsp.  Pepper

1      medium Onion    finely chopped

1     C  crushed Townhouse Crackers or  Corn Flakes

 

Combine Cream of Chicken soup, Sour Cream, Salt, Pepper, melted Butter, and chopped Onion in a large bowl. (And I do mean LARGE bowl) Mix in shredded Cheddar in 2 to 3 increments until incorporated.  Stir in Hash Brown Potatoes until completely covered with cheese mixture.  Place mixture in a extra large 2 1/2 to 3 inch deep casserole dish. (or it may be put into two medium sized ones)  Top with crushed Townhouse Crackers or Corn Flakes.  Bake uncovered 1 ¼ – 1 ½ hours in preheated oven at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Holiday Special – Kindle Countdown Deals

With time growing oh so short, and in an attempt to give ample notice, I wish to announce that I will doing something a little different this year.  As a holiday special, both of my novels, The Seahawk’s Sanctuary and Lion’s Lair, will be enrolled in the NEW Kindle Countdown Deals starting December 24.  From my understanding, my novels, in the eBook format, will be priced at 99 cents on December 24 and increase by $1 increments every 24 hours until they return to their regular retail price.  Simply click on the ‘Clink Here’ to the right of this page if you’re interested in purchasing either of my novels during the 3 to 4 day countdown special, or… here’s the link to view all the Kindle Countdown Deal specials that are currently in progress:  amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks/b?ie=UTF8&node=7078878011   

So mark your calendars… You will be able to download these novels and many others on your New or existing Kindle device, PC, tablets, or phones. And, don’t forget… they can be purchased and gifted, for those last-minute shoppers, during this time as well…

My sincere thanks to all the readers out there, and may we hold the joy and peace of the holiday season in our hearts throughout the New Year.   🙂

Easy-to-Make Southern Biscuits and British Scones

Biscuits and Scones can be served at any time during the day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea time, dinner, supper, and late-night snacking. Wow, they’re the perfect Hobbit food!

These unassuming breads are great all by themselves or with butter and jam or honey, (for the purists) or can be stuffed with a fried egg and/or cheese, along with any meat from bacon, ham, sausage, or country-style steak for a hearty meal to go.  Oh, and let us not forget that they can be split open and topped with fresh fruit or, a southern favorite, sausage gravy… And where would we be without a biscuit or two to sop up all that salty red-eye gravy or any gravy for that matter?

And these little morsels are not as difficult to make as everyone believes… The secret is: DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH! (Unless you want to paint them black and use them for hockey pucks.)

BISCUITS –

2/3 C  Milk (Stir 1 Tbsp. of Vinegar into Milk to curdle it and set aside while you mix dry ingredients together.)
1/2 C  Crisco (I use the original white, but I’m sure you can use the butter flavored one.)
2 C   all-purpose Flour (I use Bread Flour)
3 tsp.  Baking Powder
1 tsp.  Salt

Put all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together with a fork.  Cut Crisco into flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles fine crumbs.  Add the curdled Milk and mix until it just comes together.  Turn dough out onto a couple teaspoons of Flour.  Quickly fold dough over onto itself 5 to 6 times – adding small amounts of flour if dough is too sticky – and lightly pat out to 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick.  Cut with biscuit cutter getting as many biscuits as possible out of the dough initially and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. (1 inch apart for crusty sides or touching for soft sides) Bring any leftover dough together as quickly as possible and cut out remaining biscuits. (There will always be some dough scraps leftover. You can either bring it together to shape what is referred to as a “dog-ear biscuit” or throw it away.) Place the oven rack in the lower-middle position and preheated oven to 425 degrees. (I wait until all the biscuits are on the baking sheet before turning the oven on. This gives the biscuits approximately 10 minutes while the oven is heating up to rise before baking.)  Bake until golden brown, approx. 10 -15 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Makes approx. 12-16 biscuits.

*** I know a few cooks who just turn the dough out of the bowl onto a small cookie sheet, pat it out, and then, using a thin sharp knife, cut the dough into 2 to 3-inch squares and separate them slightly. (There’s no waste with this method and saves reworking the dough, which is why the second ones are not as light, for the round-shaped biscuits.)  So, if shape is not an issue, (round vs. square) give it a try.

For Victoria’s Cinnamon Honey Biscuits  –  Simply heat a couple tablespoons of Honey with an 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon in a small saucepan on LOW heat.  Stir until incorporated and drizzle over biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.  You can also add a couple Tbsp. of Raisins to the biscuit dough when you are folding it.

Oh, I almost forgot… If you want Cheese Biscuits, add about  1/2 C  shredded Cheddar, in installments, to the dough when you are folding it.

Let me know how they come out…

 

*** I have to admit, I’ve been working on these scone recipes for over a year to make them as simple as possible.  I hope you will try them and a couple of the variations…

SCONES –                                                                   IMAG0777

2  C  all-purpose Flour
1/3 C   Sugar
1   tsp. Baking powder
1/2  tsp.   Salt
1/4   tsp.  Baking soda
8  Tbsp.  cold Butter  (1 stick)
1/2  C  Sour cream   ***I’ve substituted with vanilla Yogurt (Greek style is better) with no noticeable difference in the finished scones.***
1  large Egg
1/2  C  Raisins

1) In a bowl, mix Flour, Sugar, Baking powder, Salt, and Baking soda together.  Using a pastry blender, cut cold butter into flour mixture until it resembles course meal.  In a small bowl, stir Sour cream (or Yogurt) and Egg together until smooth, then add to flour mixture and using a fork, stir until dough clumps together.

2) Add raisins and continue to mix until the dough comes together. (Dough will be very sticky.)  At this point, I divide the dough in half and turn each out onto a 8″ pie pan with about 1 tsp. of flour in the bottom of each pan and dust the top with 1 tsp. of flour as well. Lightly pat the dough out with your fingertips into a 5-inch circle and flip over. Pat out a little more, (dough should be about 3/4 ” thick) leaving about 1-inch of space from edge of pan. With a very sharp knife, cut dough in each pan into 4 triangles and separate slightly – which will use up most of the extra space in the pie pan.

As with the biscuits, the oven rack should be in the lower-middle position.  The oven can be preheated to 400 degrees or you may wait until this point to turn the oven on allowing the scones rise slightly.  Bake approximately 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.  Scones can be served warm or at room temperature.

Variations –

Cranberry-Orange Scones :

Follow recipe above, but at step 2 add a generous teaspoon of finely grated fresh orange zest and substitute dried cranberries for raisins.

Cherry-Vanilla Scones :

Follow recipe above, but at step 2 add 1 tsp. of Vanilla extract to the Sour cream and Egg mixture and substitute dried cherries for raisins.

Apricot-Almond Scones :

Follow recipe above, but at step 2 add 1 tsp. almond extract  to the Sour cream and Egg mixture and substitute chopped dried apricots for raisins.

Blueberry-Lemon Scones :

Follow recipe above, but at step 2 add a generous teaspoon of finely grated fresh lemon zest and substitute dried blueberries for raisins.

***I frequently put half of  the dough into another bowl before step#2 and make half recipes in different flavors.***  It’s a little tricky if you want to do the Cranberry-Orange and the Cherry-Vanilla, but I just pour 1/2 tsp. of the extract over 1/4 C of dried fruit before adding them to that half of the dough.

Good Luck!

Suger, Spice, and Apple Pies are Nice!

Considering the amount of last-minute shoppers in the grocery stores, and yes, I was one of them – picking up a few things I had forgotten earlier in the week – I thought I would repost these yummy apple recipes.  And I usually don’t bake my pies until the night before, or early in the morning before the turkey goes in. Home-baked really is better… and these recipes are super easy!   (I usually get my husband to peel, quarter, and core the apples while I make the Sugar Crumb Topping.)

I use fresh crisp slightly tart apples for baking.  Granny Smith Apples are available just about everywhere, but older varieties such as York or Stayman (NC mountain apples) work great too!  I use the pre-made pie crusts that you unroll.  I have a crust recipe that was handed down from my great-grandmother, but I can’t tell the difference and I’ve made a lot of pies.  If anyone wants this crust recipe, email me, and I’ll send it to you.

Apple Pie :                 Preheat oven 375 degrees F

8 – 10 Apples – depending on size of apples – peeled and sliced (approx.  1/4 inch thick slices)

Unroll the pie crust and place a tsp. of flour on one side. Spread the flour evenly over the crust and place the floured side down into the pie pan. (This will help keep the crust from sticking)

Place half of the sliced apples into the pie crust – making sure that the first layer evenly covers the crust.  Sprinkle apples with 2 Tbsp. of sugar and 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon. Place remaining apple slices on top. (It’s better if they are domed up a little – the apples will cook down and the pie will level out). At this point, you can sprinkle the second layer of apples with more cinnamon sugar, unroll the other pie crust and place it on top of the apples (don’t forget to cut vents in the top crust) or the topping I use is a Sugar Crumb Topping . This way, I have the other crust to make another pie!!!

Sugar Crumb Topping
3/4 C   light Brown Sugar  (pack it down)
1/4 C    White Sugar
3/4 C    Flour  –  plain
1/4  lb  Butter  (1 stick)
1/4 – 1/2 tsp.  Cinnamon  (optional) This is to taste… I like cinnamon.
Grate in a little nutmeg (approx. 1/8 tsp.)

Cream butter and sugars together in a bowl with a pastry blender or large tined fork.  Add flour and cinnamon.  Blend together.  This should end up being crumbly in consistency.  If it gets too soft, just put it in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Carefully pour the topping over the apples a little at a time.  I usually divide it up into thirds.  Cover the apples as well as possible, and pat down lightly so that it won’t fall off when you move it to the oven.  It may be a good idea to place the pie on a small cookies sheet to catch the syrup when the apples in the pie start to bubble.  Bake 45 – 60 minutes.  Pie should be bubbling…

Next, where would we be without our Sweet Potato Pie?  Now, down here, there is a difference between Sweet Potatoes and Yams.  Sweet potatoes are red and have a higher sugar content, while Yams are yellow.  I use the second crust in the package for :

Nana’s Sweet Potato Pie –        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

3  C   Sweet potatoes – baked  (approx. 2 large or 3 medium size) The potatoes can be baked a couple days ahead of time. Place them in a plastic zip-lock bag once they’ve cooled and store in the frig.
6  Tbsp.  Butter
1/2  C  Milk
1 tsp.  Vanilla
1   Egg  (slightly beaten)
1  C   Sugar  –  white
1/4 tsp.  Salt

Place peeled Sweet potatoes and Butter into a large bowl and cream together.  Add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Bake for 40 – 50 minutes.  This pie is not spicy like Pumpkin Pie, it has more of a mild vanilla pumpkin custard flavor.

Now… Back to Apples –  What follows are a couple very simple, but very flavorful apple recipes…

Imperial Apples –

1 can of Apples – drained  (I use Luck’s Fried Apples –  Not with the cinnamon already added)
1 Tbsp.   Brach’s Imperial Cinnamon candies (can be found in small bags in the candy section of most grocery stores, pharmacies, or Wal-Mart – especially around Valentine’s Day)

Place drained apples in a small casserole dish. Cut any of the thicker slices in two.  Sprinkle Cinnamon candies over the apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.  Be very careful, the sugar of the candy melts and covers the apples making them turn bright red and flavors them wonderfully.  This recipe can be doubled…

Bacon Apples –

2  cans of Apples
4 – 6   slices of Bacon

Pour Apples into rectangular baking pan.  Lay slices of uncooked bacon onto of apples.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 – 45 minutes.  The bacon will crisp up in the oven and flavor the apples.  I know that this recipe may sound a little strange, but there’s something about Pork and Apples – they just go together!