Thank you very much for that recipe TheOldMaid I will definitely have to keep that one in mind. I think my tomatoes are winding down cue to the extreme heat, but maybe I'll get enough to try this one once.

Last night I made Pepper Jack Mac and shastastwin requested the recipe so here it is...

1 c uncooked elbow macaroni
2 bacon strips, chopped
1/4 c onions
1/4 c mushrooms
1-1/2 tsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp chicken broth
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp 2% milk
3/4 c shredded pepper Jack cheese
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning (I use basil, thyme, and oregano)
dash of salt and pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile in a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 3/4 tsp of drippings.
In the same skillet, saute onion and mushrooms in drippings and butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until the cheese is melted.
Drain macaroni; stir macaroni and bacon into sauce mixture.

stwin, the thing you will like best about this recipe is that it serves two (or three ) so it's gonna be perfect for you and your wife.

Mmmm... your recipe sounds so good, fantasia! Except for the fact that I do have to make close to five times that about amount to feed my family. Maybe I will try to adapt our recipe.

I made applesause cookies today. I had never made them before. However I did put my own twist on the recipe. And it turned out very good, I think. Everyone ate them, so they couldn't have been bad.

SnowAngel

I love cooking with applesauce. My mom has an Applesauce Muffin recipe that I need to steal from her because they are SO GOOD.

So yesterday I discovered the 2012 edition of Taste of Home: Best Loved Cookies and Candies magazine and I could not resist. I have either their 2010 or 2011 edition and I have made so many awesome recipes out of there it's not even funny. *is a massive fan of Taste of Home*
I've been looking through it trying to decide what to make first and I might start with a variant of Sugar Cookies. Confession, I've never made sugar cookies before.

Anybody else starting to plan their Holiday season cooking?

I'm a bit obsessed with looking up and reading recipes though I seldom follow them, nor is my skill very good at following them. However, I was able to follow a cream puff recipe in a pastry cookbook my mom had. And here they are!

They tasted pretty good! The only thing I might tweak is the cream puff dough itself... I might make it a little bit more fluffy. Not sure how to do that, but I'm assuming add more butter? My mom has been making a lot of Indian sweets of late... I'll get a picture and post them!

Fantasia, tell us how your sugar cookies go!
As for holiday cooking, I haven't really thought of anything except for making apple pies but we'll see how that goes.

Yummy Bella!! Those look so tasty.
Re: Your mom's Indian sweets, would she mind sharing any recipes with us?

I haven't taken the time to make sugar cookies yet and probably won't get to them until the weekend, but my sister-in-law taught me a dessert that I HAD to pass on. Googling it, I see it's a Duncan Hines recipe, but anyways, it's so fun.

3-2-1 Microwave Cake

1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
1 box any flavor regular Cake Mix (we used chocolate)
2 tablespoons water

1. Mix the 2 cake mixes together in a gallon zip-lock bag.
2. To make the cake: take 3 tablespoons cake mix; mix this with 2 tablespoons water; Mix together and microwave for 1 minute (we did this in a coffee cup). Let this rest for 15 minutes and serve with toppings. (We did not wait 15 min. Maybe 15 seconds.... )

Super simple, tasty, fun, not the best cake ever, but if you need to satisfy a sweet tooth, this is a great way to do it.

That is a great quick recipe... I don't think even I could make a mistake! Must try (to make it, not to make a mistake ).

Astro. Indeed, fantasia, it looks like such tasty fun!

Applesauce muffins: a favourite of my family's. I haven't made them in a few years, but ... thanks for the reminder.

I made sugar cookies for Christmases when the kids were young. They'd 'help' me, and enjoyed decorating them, of course.

I don't do as much Christmas baking as I used to do, but still enjoy some of the festive recipes, one of my favourites being a Christmas/Yule log. ♥ <- That is not my exact recipe (mine's an old family one), although it's close, and the finished product looks quite similar. I find the log a bit fiddly, but oooh soooo goood!

Bella, your cream puffs look like they're out of a magazine! Awesome. Let us know if when you add the butter, the puffs become fluffier. Cream puffs is a beloved recipe of mine (and a favourite for me to bring to family gatherings). I find they're tricky getting 'just so', but what a sight—and taste—when they turn out. Mmmmm ... I'd be curious to know how our recipes compare, Bella. Maybe I'll post mine in here in a bit.

Since the autumn weather is here to stay, I made a huge pot of chili the other day (for our Thanksgiving meal, actually). It's just such a comforting food.

We're finishing off a large batch of banana muffins now, since I never compost any old, brown bananas, but either use them right away to make into muffins (or loaves) or freeze to use later.

Funny that everyone's on an applesauce kick all of a sudden. I ate (drank?) all of my tomato supply, so I've been using applesauce in my smoothies instead.

* 1 cup (8 oz) orange juice (about 236 mL but can round up)
* 1/2 cup applesauce
* mixed berries

Very, very good.

For the holidays, a cheap and tasty Creamy Punch.

* 2-liter Faygo/Town Club/etc. Black Cherry sodapop (if can't find anything else, Cherry 7-Up)
* 2-liter Canada Dry ginger ale
* Standard size tub of cherry sherbet. Milk must be in the top 3 ingredients.

Melt/soften the sherbet. Add fizzy stuff slowly and stir often. Will look odd as you start but will look good when you finish.

Variations (keep the ginger ale):

1. Orange sodapop & sherbet. Probably the first version you ever had, and still a classic.

2. Lemon/lime sherbet and sodapop.

3. Especially at this time of year, you might be able to find cranberry sodapop. If you can't find a matching sherbet, cranberry sodapop and raspberry sherbet. I got asked for recipe for this 10+ times.

Drink up!

So my husband and I decided to make some homemade tomato soup tonight to use up the last of our garden tomatoes. (Well, maybe. I see more coming on outside ) I'm a great hater of tomato soup and a fair number of tomato sauces. Odd as I love tomatoes. Anyways, we found this recipe online....
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jersey-fre ... etail.aspx
We didn't bother peeling and seeding the tomatoes, we just blended them in a food processor. The recipe actually turned out fairly good (my husband really liked it). It reminded me of pizza sauce actually. Anyways, I thought I'd share in case anyone wanted to try it.

That creamy punch looks yummy, T.O.M. I think I'd favour the orange or lemonlime options.

fantasia, I'm with you: I adore tomatoes, but quite dislike tomato juice or soup. Glad that recipe turned out well for you.

I made an easy cream of broccoli soup the other day. It's my mom's old recipe and we cheat a bit by adding a couple of canned soups. The small pieces of potatoes are so delicious with the broccoli. I always double the following, so that it fills a large dutch oven pot. The soup can also be done in a slow cooker. And a bonus is that it freezes very nicely.

1 can cr mushroom soup
1 can cr potato soup
2 cups milk
Bring these ingredients to a gentle boil.
ADD:
1 cup grated cheese
1 large bunch broccoli, cooked for 5 minutes prior
Optional: add ham or bacon

It is so hearty and tasty—a meal in itself with fresh rolls and butter. Mmmm!

I have my cream puff recipe at my side now, but don't have time to type it all out, but will do so at some point before Christmas though.

Here is a holiday (or any-day-a-holiday) pie that is good enough to sell at church. I know, because the church has sold them and people ask for them.

Pineapple Dream Pie (no bake)

1 large can crushed pineapple
2 envelopes gelatin (Knox or equivalent size)

2 tablespoons butter
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg (optional)

2 8-ounce tubs Cool Whip

3 graham pie shells (strongly preferred, but can settle for ordinary as long as ordinary already are baked)

...

In sauce pan, mix pineapple and gelatin. Stir and warm a little, then set aside.

In large electric mixing bowl, mix butter, cream cheese, sugar, egg. Mix on low until creamy.

Add the pineapple-gelatin mixture and mix well.

Add the Cool Whip and mix on medium setting until completely blended.

Pour into graham pie shells.

Refrigerate until it sets up.

[Note: you also can add maraschino cherries, coconut, or bananas. Pour into jello mold for a mold dessert.]

Makes 3 pies or one large mold.

"It never fails for me, hope you love it! Hope to see you at the church suppers --" the pie-maker.

She retired, and I don't want her recipe to be lost. And yes, it is very good.