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Wild Rice-Mushroom Soup

3 Cups Chicken Broth or Vegetable broth (I use bouillon cubes to make broth)
1/3 C Wild Rice 
½ C sliced green onions 
1 C half and half or light cream (I use Land O’ Lakes Fat Free Half and Half)
2 T flour
1 t snipped fresh thyme (recommended) or ½ t dried thyme, 
crushed 1/8 t pepper (Ground White) 
½  C sliced fresh mushrooms (I use about 6 large white mushrooms  plus I add 
some shitake mushrooms.)
1 T dry Sherry

In a medium saucepan, combine broth and uncooked wild rice.  Bring to 
boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.  Stir in green 
onions and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer or till the rice is tender, not 
mushy.

Combine the half and half, flour, thyme, and pepper.  Stir into rice mixture 
along with the mushrooms.  Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.  Cook 
and stir for 1 minute more.  Stir in sherry and heat through.  Makes 4 
entrée size services.

I have found that this soups reheats over low-med heat very nicely.

**Nutrition Information per serving:  177 calories, 8 g protein, 17 g 
carbohydrates, 8 g fat (5 g saturated), 22 mg cholesterol, 608 mg sodium, 
346 mg potassium.

**By using fat free half and half, you eliminate the fat and cholesterol to 
almost zero.  The calories do not change.

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Pumpkin Muffins

Make batter one or two days ahead for best flavor.

3 1/3 C all-purpose flour
2 C granulated sugar
2 T pumpkin pie spice
2 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
½ t salt
4 large eggs
2 C plain pumpkin
1 C butter (I use margarine), melted
2 C (12 oz bag) Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tins (Pam works just fine).

Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt 
in a large bowl.

Break eggs into another bowl.  Add pumpkin and butter/margarine and whisk 
until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour over dry ingredients and 
fold in with a rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups.  Bake 20 – 25 minutes, or until puffed 
and springy to the touch in the center.  Turn out on rack to cool.  Wrap in 
plastic and keep for 1 – 2 days.  Reheat before serving.

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Cranberry Apple Relish – from Cooking Light, November 2001

This tangy side is a perfect make-ahead candidate; you can store it in the 
refrigerator for up to three days before serving.

1 ½ C chopped, peeled Granny Smith Apple (about ½ pound)
1 C packed brown sugar
½ C white grape juice
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries.

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat; 
and simmer until thick (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Cool 
completely.  Yield:  16 servings (serving size: 3 T)

Calories 75 (1 % from fat), Fat 0.1g; Protein 0.2g; Carb 19.3g; Fiber 1.2g; 
Cholesterol 0 mg; Iron 0.5mg; Sodium 6mg; Calcium 16mg

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Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Fruit – from Prevention Magazine, December 2001

1 T margarine
3 - 4 large tart apples (granny smiths) cut into ½” pieces
2 T packed brown sugar
2 – 3 lbs sweet potatoes (not Yams), cut into ¾” pieces
½ C dried sweet cherries or golden raisins (I use more, plus I use a 
combination of cherries and sweetened cranberries – Craisins)
1 ½ T all-purpose flour
¼ t ground cinnamon
1 C fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth (I use the packets of bouillon 
with really, really low sodium (5 mg per serving) instead of the canned) ¼ C finely 

chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 13”x9” dish with cooking spray.  
Melt the margarine in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the 
apples.  Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the apples release 
some of their juice.  Add the brown sugar.  Cook for 2 minutes, or until the 
apples are partially softened.  Place the apples, sweet potatoes, and 
cherries in the prepared baking dish.

Place the flour and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Gradually whisk in ¼ cup of 
the broth until the flour dissolves.  Whisk in the remaining ¾ cup broth.  
Pour it into the baking dish.  Cover loosely with foil.  Bake for 1 hour, or 
until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove the foil, and sprinkle with the pecans.  Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 
12 minutes, or until the pecans are toasted and the broth is evaporated.

Serves 8.  Per Serving:  264 calories, 5 g fat.

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Pecan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Relish – Weight Watchers 
Magazine

I have made this recipe with both the relish described here and the 
Cranberry-Apple relish (what I did for you) out of Cooking Light.


Relish:
1 (16 oz) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/3 C chopped apple
¼ C firmly packed brown sugar
1 T cider vinegar
½ t grated orange rind
½ t ground allspice

Combine all relish ingredients, stir well, set aside.


2 (1-Pound) pork tenderloins

Crust:
1/3 C dry breadcrumbs
½ C finely chopped pecans (I do mine in my food processor)
2 T dried thyme or rubbed sage
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
Dijon Mustard (I like using a hot Dijon for a little kick)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine pecans, breadcrumbs, thyme or sage, salt and pepper in a shallow 
dish; stir well.  Spread mustard all over tenderloin (go ahead, get messy 
and use your hands – it’s easier!   Really!)  Roll tenderloins in pecan 
mixture, pressing pecan mixture into pork.  Place tenderloins in a shallow 
roasting pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Press any 
remaining pecan mixture into top of tenderloins.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 
– 25 minutes or until an instant –read thermometer registers 150 degrees 
(pork will be slightly pink).  Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.  
Serve with Cranberry relish.

Yield:  8 servings  Serving Size:  3 oz pork, ¼ c sauce.

306 Calories (22 % from fat); 25.3g Protein; 7.6g Fat (1.5g saturated); 
34.6g Carbs; 1.7g Fiber; 60mg Cholesterol; 2.2mg Iron; 305mg Sodium; 29mg 
Calcium.

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Uncle Bill’s Christmas Cutter Cookies


Cream well:

1 C Sugar
½ C Lard (I use margarine)
2 Eggs

Mix 1 scant teaspoon in hot water.  Allow to foam.  Add to sugar mixture 
along with the following:

3 C flour
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1 t lemon juice

Roll as thick as finished cookies.

Bake at 325 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.  ( I usually find it takes closer to 
12 – 15.   Cookie will not change color - you want these done but not brown, 
still cakey in texture.)

Tub frosting (i.e., Betty Crocker) works well on these cookies. 

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Brad Peterson's 3-Bean Salad

Veggies:
1 Can Green Cut Beans
1 Can Yellow Wax Beans
1 Can Red Kidney Beans
1 Can Garbanzo Beans

1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1   cup white or purple onion


Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup rice/tarragon/cider vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1   tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Whisk dressing together to disolve spices, add to vegetables, stir.

Refrigerate - Marinate for at least 12 hours, turn every couple of hours (if you can)

I recommend a tupperware or other storage container with a good seal so you can simply turn it over.

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White Castle Stuffing

10 White Castle burgers, no cheese -- with pickle removed
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
1 1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 1/2 tsp ground sage
3/4 tsp black pepper (coarse) -- we use less
1/4 cup chicken broth

Tear burgers into pieces. Mix. Bake with turkey. Eat.
Allow 1 burger per lb of turkey.

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Bourbon Sweet Potatoes with Pecans

3 large sweet potatoes
3 Tablespoons Bourbon 
1/2 stick salted butter (softened)
brown sugar (about 1/4 cup)
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1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons salted butter (softened)
2 cups pecan halves
approx 1 teaspoon sugar (to taste)

Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake at 425 for about 1 hour. Remove skins when just cool enough to handle. Add softened butter and puree until completely smooth. I used a hand mixer to start and switched to the hand-held shake/smoothie thingee to remove all lumps. Should be smooth like baby food.

Bake pecans for 10-20 minutes at 325. Mix hot nuts with butter and salt in a bowl, then spread out on a wax paper cookie sheet to cool. Sprinkle with some sugar to taste, or you can add sugar to a ziplock bag and mix the nuts in that.

Put puree in a glass pie dish. You can prepare this and the nuts a day ahead of time.
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When ready to serve, put brown sugar over puree and then bake at 325 for about 30 minutes. Before serving, microwave the nuts for 1-2 minutes and arrange on top of the potatoe puree.