Sam’s Bacon Wraps
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons of garlic salt or powder (whichever you prefer)
12 slices of bacon (you can use turkey bacon if you’re trying to cut back on fat)
24 long, thick pretzels

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cheese and garlic salt (or powder) in a shallow bowl and set aside. Cut the slices of bacon in half and wrap a piece around each pretzel. Swirl the bacon so that it starts at the bottom and ends at the top. Place each pretzel stick on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Back for about 15 minutes or until the bacon is browned. Take the bacon wrapped pretzels out of the oven and immediately roll bacon wraps in cheese and garlic mixture. Serve pretzels at room temperature.

Pumpkin Pie Dip
1 can of pumpkin
1 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the cream cheese and pudding thoroughly. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon and vanilla and mix. Serve with ginger snaps or vanilla wafers.

Sam’s Baked Pizza Dip
1-8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-14 oz. pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup onion, minced
1-6 oz. can sliced black olives
1-4 oz. can mushrooms
Sliced pepperoni Sliced ham or Canadian bacon
Corn or tortilla chips

Press cream cheese in bottom of 9-inch glass pie plate. Spread pizza sauce over cream cheese and spread shredded cheese over pizza sauce. Spread on remaining ingredients as you would for a pizza. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Serve with corn chips or your favorite crackers.

Emilie’s Ham and Cheese dip
1 round loaf of bread (I think sourdough is best)
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
8 oz sour cream
4 oz can chopped mild green chilies, drained
4-5 medium thick slices of ham, chopped finely
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Hollow out the center of the round loaf. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Put mixture into bread; replace top of bread; wrap in foil. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees.

Jodi’s 30 second spicy ranch dip
container of sour cream
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch seasoning

Mix it all up and serve it with your favorite chip!

Sam’s 30 second sweet sugar dip
1 container of cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix it all up with a spatula and enjoy with pretzel sticks!

Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole
4 (lb) cans sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
milk
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
marshmallows

Heat potatoes in juice. Drain. Mash well.  Add sugar, butter, whiskey and enough milk till it’s the consistency of mash potatoes. Place in buttered casserole. Sprinkle pecans on top. Heat at 350 degrees until bubbling, then cover top with marshmallows and brown.
Serves 8-10.

Sweet Potato Souffle
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup margarine, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup margarine

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a mixing bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, salt, sugar, vanilla, milk and margarine. Blend until smooth and pour into 9×13 inch baking dish. Prepare the topping by mixing together the brown sugar, flour, pecans, coconut and melted margarine. Sprinkle mixture over potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray one 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, 1/4 cup butter, milk and vanilla. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, margarine and coconut; sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.

Cornbread Dressing
4 cups of crumbled cornbread (homemade or a mix)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
chopped onion (about a cup)
chopped green pepper (about a cup)
chopped celery (about a cup)
broth from the cooked chicken
whole chicken – cut up and boiled

Saute the onions, pepper and celery in butter. Boil a chicken (let it cool) and take the meat off of the bone. mix up the crumbled cornbread, soup, chicken and all other ingredients. Put in a casserole dish – the cornbread should be moist. Flatten it out across the top. Bake at 350 degrees until golden on top.

Cheesy Bacon Green Bean Casserole
1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
3 ozs processed cheese food, cubed
1 T real bacon bits
1 (4 oz) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 (15 oz) cans cut green beans, drained
1 (2.8 oz) can french-fried onions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Heat the undiluted cream of mushroom soup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the processed cheese and bacon and continue stirring until completely melted.  Remove from the heat, stir in the mushrooms, then the green beans until evenly coated. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with fried onions, leaving a 1 inch margin around the sides. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes in the preheated oven until heated through and bubbly. Check near the end of cooking to make sure the onions aren’t getting too brown.

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
2 (14.5 ounce) cans green beans, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (6 ounce) can French fried onions
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place green beans and soup in a large microwave-safe bowl. Mix well and heat in the microwave on HIGH until warm (3 to 5 minutes). Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese and heat mixture for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer green bean mixture to a casserole dish and sprinkle with French fried onions and remaining cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven until the cheese melts and the onions just begin to brown.

The Original Green Bean Casserole
2 cans green beans, cut
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can french fried onions
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put beans and soup in a large microwaveable bowl.  Mix well and heat in the microwave on high until warm (about 4 minutes).  Still in a 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and heat the mixture in the microwave again for 2 or 3 minutes.  Put the green bean mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkle the french friend onions and another 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese on top.  Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and the onions begin to brown.  Enjoy!

Feta Cheese Mashed Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 (4 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese (feel free to add more if your a feta fan!)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (you can use 1/2 and 1/2 to make it healthier)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place the potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl; mash. Add the feta cheese, cream, salt and pepper; beat until fluffy.

Deluxe Mashed Potatoes
4 large potatoes
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream (you can use french onion dip instead for some zip!)
1 tablespoon chopped chives
3/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Paprika

Peel and cube the potatoes; place in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat until tender; drain. Mash until smooth (do not add milk or butter). Stir in cream cheese, sour cream, chives, onion salt and pepper. Spoon into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Dot with butter; sprinkle with paprika if desired. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings.

Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
6 turkey wings
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup water
2 quarts chicken broth, divided
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange a single layer of turkey wings in a large roasting pan. Scatter the onions over the top of the wings. Roast in the preheated oven for 1-1/4 hours or until wings are browned. Place browned wings and onions in a 5 quart stockpot. Add water to roasting pan and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the the water from the pan into the stockpot. Stir in 6 cups broth, carrot, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours. Remove wings from the pot and place on a cutting board. When the wings are cool, pull off the skin and meat. Discard the skin and save the meat for another use. Strain contents of stockpot through a large strainer into a 3 quart saucepan. Press on the vegetables to extract any remaining liquid. Discard the vegetables and skim the fat off the liquid. Bring the contents of the pot to a gentle boil. In a medium bowl, whisk flour into the remaining 2 cups chicken broth until smooth. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering turkey broth; simmer 3-4 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Stir in the butter and pepper. Serve immediately or pour into containers and refrigerate or freeze.

- Butterball Turkey Talk-Line
Call 1-800-Butterball
The Turkey Talk-Line from the folks at Butterball is a great place for answers to turkey questions. The line is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM PST. Bilingual help is available.

- Reynolds Wrap Turkey Help
This page has FAQ, tips on how much turkey to buy, how to defrost a turkey, testing for doneness and reheating leftovers.
Call 1-800-745-4000

- Honeysuckle White Help Line
Call 1-800-810-6325
This line offers pre-recorded answers to lots of your turkey preparation questions. Online help and leftover recipes.

- Perdue Farms
Call 1-800-473-7383
Find out about roasting, carving, stuffing, gravy and turkey leftovers.

- USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
Call 1-888-674-6854
If you have questions about food safety, including storage, handling and preparation of the Thanksgiving turkey, call the USDA hotline weekdays from 8 AM to 1 PM PST. TDD line: 1-800-256-7072 Online help for most frequently asked questions.

- Fleischmann’s Yeast Baker’s Help Line
Call 1-800-777-4959
This helpline, for all your questions about breads and rolls, is open Monday – Friday from 9 AM – 7 PM, all year long.

- Land O’Lakes Holiday Bake Line
Call 1-800-782-9606
Any and all baking questions are answered from 10 AM to 5 PM PST at Land O’Lakes from now until Christmas Eve.

- Hershey’s Consumer Hotline
Call 1-800-468-1714
Let the folks at Hersheys walk you through every chocolate question you’ve ever had. Ask for recipes too! This line is open Monday – Friday from 6 AM to 1 PM PST, all year round.

- Betty Crocker Hotline
1-888-ASK-BETTY
This phone line is open Monday – Friday from 4:30 AM to 2:30 PM PST, year round. Get information on everything from baking perfect cookies to delicious gravy.

- Libby Consumer Hotline
1-800-854-0374
Stressed about your pumpkin pie? Get tips and advice, plus recipes using canned pumpkin. The line is open Monday – Friday from 5 AM — 5 PM PST, all year round.

- Ocean Spray Consumer Hotline
1-800-662-3263
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about cranberries, including ideas for using leftover canned cranberry sauce. The hotline is open Monday – Friday from 6 AM – 1 PM PST, all year round.

Cheese Breadsticks (Jodi)
1 roll refrigerated pizza dough
2 T butter melted
1/2 t garlic powder
1 cup mozzarella and cheddar blended shredded cheese

Combine butter and garlic powder.  Spread pizza dough out on pizza pan and brush with butter mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake according to directions on the pizza dough.  Let it cool and then cut them into strips!

Icebox Yeast Muffins (Sam)
1 pkg dry yeast
2 cups very warm water
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 cups self-rising flour

In one bowl, put yeast in water.

In a separate bowl, cream sugar, butter and egg. Add dissolved yeast to this mixture. Blend in flour and stir until well mixed. Place in airtight container and store in fridge overnight. Drop by spoonfuls into well greased muffin tins, 1/2 full. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

“Popeye’s” Biscuits (Murphy)
4 cups Bisquick baking mix
3/4 cup 7-Up or Sprite
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup butter

Blend Bisquick mix, sour cream and 7-Up(or Sprite) together. Melt butter in a pan.  Roll out the biscuits and dip them in the melted butter.  Place biscuits on a pan and pour the remaining butter over them.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Oatmeal Banana Nut Bread (Drew)
1/2 cup shortening (or you can substitute fat-free vanilla yogurt for half of the shortening)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the banana and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat into creamed mixture. Stir in oats and nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Maw Maw Peck’s Bread Pudding (Emilie)
loaf of stale french bread
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 cup applesauce
1 red apple, diced very small
1/2 cup golden raisins
butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
1 T vanilla
1/2 t nutmeg
brown sugar
cinnamon

Sauce on top:
powdered sugar
good whiskey

Heat oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with thinly sliced stale French bread. Mix together pecans (or walnuts), applesauce, diced red apple and golden raisins and the pour mixture over bread. Thinly slice more French bread and dot each piece with butter.  Mixture eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, whole milk, vanilla and nutmeg and then pour this over bread until all is soaked.  Sprinkle a little brown sugar and cinnamon on top.  Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until you can stick a knife into the center and it comes out clean.  To make the sauce just mix as much sifted powdered sugar and whiskey as you like (to taste). The pour mixture over each serving as it gets eaten!

This recipe is from Emilie’s Maw Maw.

Bonus recipes:

Bacon-Wrapped Breadsticks
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
3 T chili powder
1 package thin-sliced bacon (16 oz size)
1 package thin bread sticks (3 ounce size)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a pie plate, combine brown sugar and chili powder; set aside.  Cut bacon in half lengthwise. Wrap 1 piece of bacon around each bread stick. Roll each bread stick in brown-sugar mixture. Place bread sticks in a single layer on a cooling rack.  Place rack on a foil-lined 15x10x1 jelly roll pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Cream Cheese Bacon Crescents
1 tub (8 oz) Philadelphia Chive and Onion cream cheese
3 slices Oscar Mayer bacon, cooked, crumbled
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix cream cheese spread and bacon in small bowl until well blended. Separate each can of dough into 8 triangles each. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise. Spread each dough triangle with 1 generous tsp. cream cheese mixture. Roll up, starting at shortest side of triangle and rolling to opposite point. Place, point sides down, on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

This was in an email sent to us from Karen in response to Jodi’s Chicken Tamale Casserole:

SPOON BREAD TAMALE BAKE
1/4 olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 ½ lb ground chuck
1 clover garlic, minced
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 – #2 can tomatoes (2 1/2 cups)
1 – 12 oz can whole kernel corn
1 TBSP salt
1 1/2 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup corn meal
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup corn meal
2 TBSP butter
2 eggs beaten lightly
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In oil, in skillet, brown chuck, onions, garlic, green pepper; cook, stirring, until onions are golden. Stir in tomatoes, corn, 1 TBSP salt, chili powder & pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup corn meal mixed with water; cover, simmer 10 minutes, add olives, turn into 3 quart casserole. Meanwhile heat milk with 1 tsp salt & butter, slowly stir in 1/2 cup corn meal; cook stirring until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and eggs, pour over meat mixture. Bake 1 hour 10 minutes, 375. If refrigerated, if not bake only 30 – 40 minutes.

* We have had several comments that there is too much salt in this recipe.  This is the exact way the recipe was emailed to us so that’s how it was posted. If it looks like too much salt to you, then definitely take some out!  Thanks for the emails!