1 prebaked pie shell (For a variation, roll unbaked pie out on graham cracker crumbs and bake as directed.)
⅔ c sugar
¼ c cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
2 ½ c whole milk
5 large egg yolks
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
 
Whipped Cream
1 c heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
 

1.  Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium heavy saucepan until well blended. Gradually whisk in milk.  Next whisk in egg yolks. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, bring the mixture to a bare simmer over medium heat.

 

1. Remove from the heat, scrape the corners of the saucepan, and whisk until smooth. Return to the heat and whisking constantly, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute.  Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla extract.

 

1. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.  Press plastic wrap against the top of the pie and refrigerate until cool 3-4 hours. 

 

1. While pie is chilling, start beating cream with an electric mixer. When it becomes slightly thick, add powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form.  When ready to serve, top pie with the whipped cream.

 
For Banana Cream Pie, prepare the filling as stated above.  Thinly slice 3 bananas. Add ⅓ of the cream filling to the bottom of the pie crust. Next, layer on ½ of the banana slices. Spread on another layer of filling followed by banana slices and the final layer of filling.  Continue with steps 3 and 4 above.  Top with almond slices.
 
For Coconut Cream Pie, prepare the filling as stated above. Toast 1 ⅓ c sweetened coconut in a small to medium pan over medium low heat.  Stir frequently until evenly toasted.  Stir into the filling 1 cup of the toasted coconut. Pour into the pie crust and continue with steps 3 and 4 above. Top with remaining ⅓ c toasted coconut.
When I first met my husband, I didn’t know that pie baking was a prerequisite for acceptance by his family.  Luckily, I had lots of experience in this area.  Our first Thanksgiving, I won over his dad and great uncle with my pies and the rest of the extended family with freshly whipped cream. Celebrating with pie is a must with the Lundgrens.
 
Birthdays, holidays, weekdays…it doesn’t matter when. Recently, a coworker chose Banana Cream Pie for his milestone office birthday celebration and a Coconut Cream Pie accompanied it. With the leftover dough scraps, I cut out 4-0 and sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar before baking. My motto is to live life from one celebration to the next.  Add pie and that makes for one happy life!
​
​***Not all of our recipes are “USDA APPROVED”  We highly recommend that you follow the USDA guidelines when canning and cooking.  Our recipes are all “tried and true”….some are recipes our families have passed down for generations, some are just made up from the joy of cooking and canning, some of the recipes that we use are straight from the USDA Canning Book and some are passed along by our dear readers.  With all of that being said – can and cook at your own risk.  If you feel that a recipe is “unsafe”, simply overlook it and move on.  None of us are, “Canning Police” and we all should respect others.  Safe in your kitchen and safe in my kitchen – two different things….We won’t criticize your recipes please don’t criticize ours :).
Make these recipes at your own risk, we assume that should you desire to follow the recipes in this magazine, you are doing so “at your own risk”. We are and the writer is not liable, not responsible and do/does not assume obligation for…..

• Adverse reactions to food consumed such as food poisoning and any kind of food-borne disease
• Misinterpreted recipe
• Domestic accidents, including but not limited to cuts, bodily injuries, fires, and messy kitchens.

Glazed Pork Loin
⅓ C Dijon mustard
⅓ C dark brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 T apple juice
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pork loin (not tenderloin) 4-4 ½ lb.
Salt and pepper to taste
3 T olive oil
 
Gravy
3 T butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 C apple juice
2 C chicken broth
3 T flour
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Preheat oven to 475℉. For the glaze, combine in a small bowl, mustard, brown sugar, soy sauce, apple juice and garlic; set aside.
 
Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet. When hot, add pork, fat side down, and sear on all sides until golden, about 15 min. Remove from skillet and discard any remaining fat from skillet but do not wipe out the interior; set aside.
 
Place pork (fat side up) on a rack that sits over a roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of water in the bottom of the pan. Rub the entire exterior of pork generously with about ¼ of the glaze. Roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Baste more glaze on the pork every 10-15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325℉. Add more water, if needed, to keep drippings from burning. Continue roasting until pork is 150-155℉ internally. (Check after 20-30 minutes.) Remove from the oven and let roast sit on a carving board tented with foil for 10-15 minutes.
 
Deglaze the skillet by heating the original searing skillet over medium heat.  When hot add 1 T butter. When butter is bubbling, add shallot and cook until tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add apple juice and bring to a brisk simmer, stirring to release any browned bits from the bottom. Continue until reduced by almost half.
 
Tip roasting pan so only the fat drains out leaving the thick accumulated glaze on the bottom. Place pan directly over medium-low heat and add remaining 2 T butter. When melted, sprinkle pan with flour and stir well to combine using a wooden spoon. Raise heat to medium and cook flour, stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a brisk simmer, stirring as the mixture becomes thoroughly incorporated. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, using a whisk. Pour stock mixture into skillet with the apple juice. Add cider vinegar and mustard. Stir and simmer.
 
Slice pork ¼ to ½ inch slices. Serve gravy on the side. Enjoy!
 
Get ready, cooks, the holidays are upon us!  I love everything about this season - the menu and goodie tray planning, setting the tables with festive linens and my grandma’s dishes, sourcing the trendiest sprinkles for cookies, cooking for days on end, and best of all gathering my family and friends around the table for a memorable meal.  But the dishes, I dread the dishes.  That job can be left to the “dishwasher of my dreams” aka my dad or husband.
 
This dish is one of my absolute favorites.  Plates never come to the kitchen too dirty because the gravy is sopped up by any bread or veggie available.  An extra bonus is that the pork tends to be much more economical than cuts of beef. No flavor is lost, though.  My mom has dubbed it “good gravy”.  You will not regret adding this to your holiday menu plan.

***Not all of our recipes are “USDA APPROVED”  We highly recommend that you follow the USDA guidelines when canning and cooking.  Our recipes are all “tried and true”….some are recipes our families have passed down for generations, some are just made up from the joy of cooking and canning, some of the recipes that we use are straight from the USDA Canning Book and some are passed along by our dear readers.  With all of that being said – can and cook at your own risk.  If you feel that a recipe is “unsafe”, simply overlook it and move on.  None of us are, “Canning Police” and we all should respect others.  Safe in your kitchen and safe in my kitchen – two different things….We won’t criticize your recipes please don’t criticize ours :).
Make these recipes at your own risk, we assume that should you desire to follow the recipes in this magazine, you are doing so “at your own risk”. We are and the writer is not liable, not responsible and do/does not assume obligation for…..

• Adverse reactions to food consumed such as food poisoning and any kind of food-borne disease
• Misinterpreted recipe
• Domestic accidents, including but not limited to cuts, bodily injuries, fires, and messy kitchens.

​Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (from about 2 ½ apples)
2 cups walnut halves, coarsely chopped
 
Caramel Glaze
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream

1. Make the apple spice cake. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, preferably the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat together the granulated and brown sugars and the oil until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 1 cup at a time. Using a large wooden spoon, stir in the apples and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
4. Bake the cake for 65 to 70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let cool completely.
5. Make the caramel glaze. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes, or until the glaze thickens slightly but is still pourable.
6. Set the cake, still on the wire rack, on a baking sheet. Drizzle the glaze slowly over the top, letting some of it run down the side. Transfer the cake to a serving plate and let the glaze set before serving.

 
 
The fall is such a welcome season ushering cooler temperatures to relieve us from months of high heat.  It brings the comfort of routine when the freedom of summer is on its way out. As a teacher, my students and I are afforded a fresh start with many hopes for a new year of learning and growing.  This recipe is quite similar to one delivered to my school desk years ago by one of the best roommoms anyone could imagine.  It was baked in mini-bundt form and tied up in cellophane with school-themed ribbon.  She had a way of making those around her feel special and appreciated.  Home baked treats have a way of doing that, too! 
 
While this cake is a good dessert as we turn to those warm spices of fall, it makes a nice morning coffee cake as well.  The next day, pop a slice into the microwave for a few seconds to melt the caramel a bit again. Ribbons and cellophane are optional, but highly encouraged!

​***Not all of our recipes are “USDA APPROVED”  We highly recommend that you follow the USDA guidelines when canning and cooking.  Our recipes are all “tried and true”….some are recipes our families have passed down for generations, some are just made up from the joy of cooking and canning, some of the recipes that we use are straight from the USDA Canning Book and some are passed along by our dear readers.  With all of that being said – can and cook at your own risk.  If you feel that a recipe is “unsafe”, simply overlook it and move on.  None of us are, “Canning Police” and we all should respect others.  Safe in your kitchen and safe in my kitchen – two different things….We won’t criticize your recipes please don’t criticize ours :).
Make these recipes at your own risk, we assume that should you desire to follow the recipes in this magazine, you are doing so “at your own risk”. We are and the writer is not liable, not responsible and do/does not assume obligation for…..

• Adverse reactions to food consumed such as food poisoning and any kind of food-borne disease
• Misinterpreted recipe
• Domestic accidents, including but not limited to cuts, bodily injuries, fires, and messy kitchens.