Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

A close up of cookies on a plate

Ingredients 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup light brown sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt (plus a pinch of sea salt to sprinkle over warm cookies – if desired) 3 cups oats (not instant) 1 ½ cups raisins…

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Old Fashioned French Dressing

A jar of tomato sauce sitting on top of a table.

Ingredients 1 cup ketchup ½ cup canola oil ½ cup sugar ½ cup apple cider vinegar Juice of 1 lemon 4 Tbsp chopped onion (2 medium slices) ½ tsp garlic salt 2 tsp paprika ½ tsp pepper Directions Blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor until well combined. Refrigerate at least one hour…

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Old Fashioned Lace Cookies

A plate of cookies on the table outside

Ingredients 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened (can leave at room temp an hour or microwave whole stick for 10 seconds – no more!) 1 ½ cups sugar 1 Tbsp vanilla 1 cup oats (just regular unflavored oatmeal) 4 Tbsp flour 1/3 tsp salt Directions Preheat Oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment…

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One of Everything Fruit Cobbler

A bowl of fruit is sitting on the table.

Ingredients 1 c flour 1 c sugar 1 egg 1 stick soft butter (8 seconds in the microwave while still in the paper should do it) 1 can of your favorite fruit pie filling, apple, cherry, peach *see note Directions To make the topping, mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl using a…

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Paradise Dip

Ingredients 1 lb lean ground beef 8 slices bacon 1 onion, chopped ½ cup sour cream ½ cup mayonnaise 6 oz cream cheese 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ cup mozzarella cheese 1 Tbsp soy sauce 4 Tbsp ketchup Optional, several shakes of hot sauce ½ tsp salt  Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.…

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Parmesan Cheddar Thumbprints

Pecan shortbread cookies on a plate.

Thumbprint cookies have always been a favorite component of any self-respecting Southern cookie jar. That usually means little buttery sweet cookies with a little mound of jam in the middle. Those are marvelous, perhaps the subject of another post, but these savory Thumbprints are destined to become a family favorite when an appetizer is in…

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Parmesan Crisps

A bowl of salad with crackers on the side.

Ingredients Grated Parmesan cheese, approximately 1 heaping Tbsp makes one crisp Paprika for sprinkling crisps (you could use pepper instead) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grate cheese on the large hole side of a 4-sided box grater onto a piece of wax paper. (Or bowl if you…

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Party Goldfish Snack Mix

Christmas dog dinner table setting.

Somewhere back in the sixties America was introduced to cheddar Goldfish and we thought they were a lot of fun. My mom used to make a delicious version of Cereal Mix with Goldfish crackers. I thought maybe the recipe came from a popular women’s magazine, but she said it was one of many on the back of boxes of…

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Pasta de Nata

A large building with arches and pillars in the center.

It has been a long time since my last post for two very good reasons. The first is that we went to Portugal, and I will share that with you the recipe I brought back. The second is that my blog is being upgraded after 10 years for easier access and just to be prettier…

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Pastitsio

A close up of noodles with meat and sesame seeds

Ingredients MEAT SAUCE: 1 onion, chopped 1/4 stick butter 1 ½ lb ground round 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 14 oz can diced tomatoes 4 Tbsp tomato sauce 1/2 c sherry (I add more as sauce gets dry) MACARONI MIXTURE: 1/2 lb macaroni 1/4 stick butter 2 ounces…

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