YES I can cook!!

First off to all of you who cook, prepare, grocery shop, have all these dishes ready all at the same time, all while hosting a bunch of people for Thanksgiving Dinner- you deserve a trophy.  While hosting an entire holiday dinner is on my "Gotta See, Gotta Do" life list I can't imagine having all of those dishes ready at the same time, much less getting all of the ingredients for everything to be perfect.  So again props to the betty homemakers of the world!!

This year, since I wasn't drinking we didn't get away with just bringing wine to dinner.  Patty emailed me last weekend, "Brookie, do you know how to cook?  Can you bring a side?"  Well of course I can cook, or at least was willing to give it a try haha :)  But for Thanksgiving dinner, this was nerve racking, I had some of the main side dishes, didn't want to f it up!!  Anywho, everything was a success, recipes below:

Green Bean Casserole

(From the Kitchen of Patty Vinall)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter divided

2 tsp flour

1/4 tsp pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tsp grated onion

1 pint sour cream

1/2 pound swiss cheese, grated

2 16 oz can green beans, french style

Directions:

Melt 2 tsp butter.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, sugar, onion.  cook.  Add Sour Cream until thick.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Pour on top of drained beans and top with crackers or durkee onions.  topr with rest of butter.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Jello Pretzel Surprise ~ A Family Favorite

(From the Kitchen of Jennifer Blankenship)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup this pretzels (crushed) - Very easy to crush with the chopper from Tupperware

3 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 stick margarine

1 (8 0z) cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 8 oz cool whip

1 6 oz box strawberry gelatin
1 3/4 cup boiling water

1 qt. frozen strawberries - these come in little containers - get sliced with sugar

Directions:

in 9 x 13 dish cream together margarine and 3 tbsp sugar, add pretzels - then spread on bottom of glass baking dish.  bake 325 for 19 minutes.  let cool completely.

Mix Cream Cheese and 1 cup sugar together throroughly.  Add Cool Whip to mixutre and spread on a colled crust

Mix Gelatin with 1 and 3/4 boiling water.  Add Frozen strawberries to mixture.  Stir Thoroughly.  When this mixture begins to congeal, place on top of the cheese topping mixture and let congeal all way.

And just because I was in the mood to Bake as well....

Pumpkin Bread

(from the Kitchen of Kelly Facer)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups of Sugar

1 Cup of Salad Oil

4 Eggs Beaten

1 LB Can of Pumpkin

3 1/2 Cups of Flour

1Tsp of Baking Powder

2 Tsp of Baking Soda

1/2 tsp of Ground Cloves

1 Tsp of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice

2/3 cups of Water

Directions:

Combine Sugar, Oil, and Eggs.  Add Pumpkin, Sift dry ingredients, and gradually add to mixture.  Gradually add water.

Bake in a greased loaf pan, 350 degrees for 1 hour.