Aunt Myrna's Apple Pie Filling for Canning

5 C sugar
1 C cornstarch
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
10 C water

Heat until thick and bubbly. Add:

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, and
a few drops yellow food coloring

Prepare 5 1/2 - 6 lbs of apples. Slice into jars. Fill with syrup to within 1 inch of top. Process quart jars for 25 minutes.

One quart jar will fill a nine inch pie. Recipe yield was 6 quart jars.

Carmel Apple Dip

1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 cup butter
1/2 jar marshmallow cream

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil over stove, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in marshmallow cream. Allow to cool. Serve with sliced apples.

Spinach Turnovers

2 T. oil ( I don't use)
1 lb. fresh spinach, washed
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
1 cup cottage cheese, drained
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 pkgs. Pepperidge Farms Patty Shells, thawed

Clean spinach. Chop onion and saute in oil, along with spinach. Cook until limp. Set aside to cool. Beat an egg and mix it with the cottage and feta cheeses. Add cooled spinach mixture. This is the filling.Roll the individual patty shells into 6" squares (as large as possible). Put a blob of filling on the patty shell and fold it like a turnover. Pinch the edges closed. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sea Bass In Papilotte

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 (6-oz) fillets black sea bass or striped bass (1/2 to 1 1/4 inches thick) with skin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 thin lemon slices (less than 3/4 inch thick; from 1 large lemon)
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 tablespoons drained bottled capers

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.
Pat fish dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange fillets, skin sides down, in 1 layer in center of foil on baking sheet and slide 2 lemon slices under each fillet. Arrange 2 thyme sprigs on top of each fillet.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté garlic, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, about 1 minute. Stir in capers.
Spoon hot tomato mixture over fish, then cover with another sheet of foil, tenting it slightly over fish, and crimp edges together tightly to seal.
Bake until fish is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness of fish); check by removing from oven and carefully lifting up a corner of top sheet of foil, pulling up sides of bottom sheet to keep liquid from running out. If fish is not cooked through, reseal foil and continue to bake, checking every 3 minutes.
Transfer fillets with lemon slices to plates using a spatula (be careful not to tear foil underneath) and spoon tomatoes and juices over top. Serve immediately, discarding thyme before eating.

*You can substitute halibut for the seabass.

Whole Wheat Bread

3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup honey
1 cup warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 packet dry yeast

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of water ( at a temp. of 110 to 120 degrees F ) with the salt, the honey, the yeast, the oil and the milk and stir until mix.
Step 2: Mix in the flour and stir until the dough starts pull away from the bowl.
Step 3: Place the dough on a lightly flour surface and knead the dough for 6 to 10 minutes or until the dough become smooth.
Step 4: Place a small amount of oil in a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl and flip the dough to cover the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise for approx. 1 hour , the dough should double in size. Note: This made take longer if the room is cold.
Step 5 : Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a 8 inches log and place into a lightly grease loaf pan.
Step 6 : Loosely cover the pan with lightly oil plastic wrap and let raise for 30 to 60 minutes until the dought raises approx.1 inch above the pan.
Step 7: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F place in center of oven and cook for about 40 minutes after 20 minutes loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil , test if the wheat bread is done by thumping the bottom of the bread it should sound hollow. Let brad cool on a rack then slice.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is excellent as a dessert, with a meal or as a snack. The recipe below has been configured for the large size (29 oz) can of cooked pumpkin. This makes about 4+ loaves of bread (using an 8 1/2 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan - either glass or metal). In addition to being quick and easy, this recipe is flexible. If you are concerned about too many sweets, you can leave out the chocolate chips and/or cut the sugar by a cup without unduly affecting the taste. To increase the yield and make a lighter, fluffier bread or cake, beat with an electric mixer for an additional couple of minutes - this will add more air and give a larger amount of batter to cook (this is a variation on our grandparents trick of adding extra water to the soup in order to have enough to serve when company showed up unexpectedly at dinner time). Since pumpkins are a good source of beta carotene, this makes a healthy, as well as tasty, snack for children.

7 Cups Flour
6 Cups Sugar
4 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
8 Eggs
4 Cups Pumpkin*
2 Cups Cooking Oil
1 1/3 Cups Water
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Cups Chocolate Chips

*Can use a 29 oz can of cooked pumpkin (without spices - do NOT use canned pumpkin pie filling as that contains spices) or you could bake a pumpkin and use the cooked pumpkin vegetable

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make sure these are all mixed together well.
Make a hole in the middle and add eggs, pumpkin, cooking oil and water. Mix well with a spoon or electric mixer until batter is smooth.
Add vanilla and chocolate chips.
Grease bread loaf pans or muffin pans and pour the mix into the pans. Fill the pans about 3/4 full with batter.
Bake for about 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Let pan cool for 5 minutes and then holding the pan with a pot holder, shake lightly until bread separates from sides and bottom of pan. Turn pan over and drop bread on a cooling rack to cool. If you do not intend to eat all the loaves right away you can wrap the individual loaves well in aluminum foil and store them in freezer until needed.

Garlic and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a 4-quart saucepan, combine broth, potatoes, and garlic over high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover; simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and garlic, reserving broth. In a large bowl, mash potatoes and garlic with 1/2 cup reserved broth (if needed), sour cream, oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. Serve warm.