I made this recipe once for a Stake Merry Miss dinner with my mom.  It felt like we made hundreds of these things.  But its an easy recipe, relatively healthy and quick. Goes great with french bread and salad for a dinner or with muffins and fruit for breakfast.  I cook up a package of bacon and then drain it and store half cup amounts in small bags in my freezer.  I have also used instead of bacon, turkey bacon pieces, canadian bacon that I have fried, and small pieces of ham.

Sprinkle into greased pie pan:
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c swiss cheese shredded
1/2 c chopped green onion (1/2 of a bunch)

In a bowl combine:
2 c milk
3/4 c bisquick (at lower altitudes you can do 1/2 c)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs

Pour mixture over ingredients in pan.  Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

A great regular casserole.  Can't be made ahead of time as the filling has to be hot when you pour on the cornbread topping.  And it doesn't freeze.  But you can make the filling and then heat it up again when you are ready to assemble the casserole to cut down on the prep time.  It is a great winter dish, warm, spicy and hearty.


In a large pan brown: 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
Add 1 medium onion, chopped and 1 green bell pepper, chopped

Add: 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cans (14 1/2 oz) Mexican diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed
1 packet taco spice mix OR 2 tsp chili powder, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp flour

Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan.
Top with a mixture of:
1 c cornmeal
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 c milk
1/4 c oil
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cook at 400 degrees for 22 minutes.  Serve with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

I have old granny tastebuds, I admit it.  But every year the week after Halloween finds me making fruitcake for the holiday season.  In our family only I, Robyn and Spencer like fruitcake.  But nothing says holiday time for me like a piece of fruitcake with a cup of hot chocolate while reading a new book or looking at Christmas cards.  I used to make my Grandma Drechsel's recips but was never quite pleased with the results.  So last year we experimented to find our favorite recipe.  You are supposed to let fruitcake age in a cupboard wrapped up in saran wrap and aluminum foil.  But after an unfortunate event early in our marriage where I helped myself to a piece of fruitcake in a dark kitchen only to learn that it was not a green cheery piece I was eating but rather a moldy piece of fruitcake I take the cautious route.  I stick them in my freezer and then let them age for a week out in my cupboard before I eat them.  I have the feeling that no one else will ever make this recipe but me.  Since I love it though, it is going into the master cookbook.  This recipe is adapted from the Lionhouse cookbook


2 c chopped dates
3 c raisins
1 c candied pineapple
1 c candied red cherries
1 lb fruitcake mix (4 c)
2 c chopped pecans
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp mace
1/4 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c melted butter
1 1/4 c brown sugar
4 eggs
1/4 c honey
1/4 c citrus based fruit juice

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, cloves, mace, soda, and cinnamon.  Stir in the dried and candied fruit and nuts, making sure everything is well coated with the flour mixture.
In a large mixer bowl beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, honey and fruit juice.  Pour into the large mixing bowl holding the fruit and flour mixture.  Stir by hand till everything is well mixed together.
Spray two 8 x 4 inch pans with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Spray again.  Fill the pans 3/4 full.
Heat oven to 275 degrees.  On the lower rack of the oven place a pan of water.  Cook the fruit cakes on the second level.
Bake 2 1/2 hours at 275 degrees.  (You can do smaller loaves for 2 hours)  Cool
When cool dribble on additional fruit juice and wrap in saran wrap and foil.  Let age one week in a cool, dry place before eating.  I store mine in the freezer till ready to use and then age for one week.

Dear Friends and Family,

Jeremy has told me that is doesn't really count as a holiday but I think daylight savings time ranks right up there.  Sleep in for an extra hour and no longer have to wake up before the sun.  Cause for celebration in my book!

This week was a rather emotional one in our neighborhood.  The week started off great.  Robyn and I went to a friends' house who was hosting a brunch for her birthday.  I thought it was a brilliant way to celebrate a birthday rather than waiting around for someone else to celebrate for you.  Tuesday Robyn had a birthday party to go to, Allison and Spencer loved scouts and activity days.  Allison and I went out for a late night girls shopping trip for new clothes.  I was not sure whether to laugh or cry as Allison would preen in front of the dressing room mirror and asking me if I thought she needed a bra yet.  When did she get this old?

Then Tuesday night Jeremy woke me up at 1:30 to tell me that after I had fallen asleep he had been called to go the hospital.  A neighbor's 17 year old son was found an hour after getting home from YM, dead in the hallway of his home.  Jeremy was there as despite their efforts at the hospital to revive him, they could not bring him back.  Jeremy was up for most of the night after that.  The next night was our ward temple night.  Many of the youth and their parents were at the candle-light vigil at the high school so our numbers were small.  But it was a good reminder to me about the purpose of our family and our life here on earth.  Only a few weeks earlier our friend's 13 year old daughter in Orem was killed while waiting at the school bus stop by another 13 year old girl thinking she could drive.  Jeremy was quite involved in the fund-raising efforts for that family (the dad had died 5 years earlier in a car crash and a ponzi scheme con man had taken all the insurance money).  So it is no wonder when we told our kids what had happened that Robyn asked if all teenagers died.

So funeral plans dominated our week and our thoughts a bit.  Jeremy went over to stay at the house during the funeral and the viewing.  Our neighbor kids joined us for movie night while they went to the viewing.  Kids and I spent Saturday at the funeral.  So we have had lots of deep talks this week about what is important in life.  And to top if off with a Fast Sunday full of people testifying just really brought it home.

But we did have one night of fun.  Jeremy and I were able to go out Saturday night.  Jeremy patiently trolled through Ikea and Walmart with me looking for girls' Christmas presents, we had a great meal at Walmart and then watched Knight and Day which we really enjoyed.

Combined with all the other events of the week, Jeremy has been busy visiting all the elders in our ward.  Home-teaching numbers have been struggling for a while so they are busy committing people to make a big push in November.

Spencer spent a day at junior achievement city up in SLC on a field-trip.  It is where the 6th graders act out a town's economy.  Spencer was a bank manager which he thought was very cool.

Last week was full of sunshine and warmth, one last hurrah before the snow hits.  I hacked away at bushes, trees and pulled out our garden.  Robyn ran around on her bike whenever possible usually in some glamorous outfit.  I opened up windows whenever possible to get rid of some of the funk that pervades our house.  And I found a new series I am enjoying called The Dresden Files.  So lots of good this week along with the sad.

Love to you all, Heather

This recipe is from my neighbor Diane.  She cooks it in a jelly roll pan for 25-30 minutes.  While I like the super thick style that has to be eaten with a fork.  Either way its delicious and a completely fall like dessert.


2 c flour
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 c oil
4 eggs
2 c pumpkin
1 pkg mini-chocolate chips (12 oz)
1 c chopped walnuts opt.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl - flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda.  In a mixer blend together the oil, eggs, and pumpkin.  Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.  Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts if wanted.  Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan (or a jelly roll pan).  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes (if doing a jelly roll pan cook for 25-30 minutes).  Cool then frost with cream cheese frosting.

8 oz cream cheese
6 Tbsp butter
1 3/4 c - 2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Mix on low speed for 30 seconds and then beat till smooth on medium high speed, around 3 minutes.  Cut into bars.

Every Halloween we make brains (stuffed pumpkins), bones (breadsticks) and blood (marinara sauce).  My neighbor Deborah shared the same recipe for stuffed pumpkins this year with our ward, so I must not be the only one out there who likes this recipe.  My kids like the idea of eating brains more than the actual recipe but Jeremy and I love it.


1 medium sugar pumpkin (washed and cleaned out - save the top) (if pumpkins are small, use 2)
1 diced medium onion
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 8oz can water chesnuts
Optional: add 1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, or 1 c dried craisins or 1/2 c sliced almonds

Saute onion in oil.  Add hamburger and cook till done.  Drain.  Add soup, soy sauce, brown sugar and mushroom if wanted.  Simmer about 5 minutes.  Stir in water chestnuts and craisens or almonds.  Place pumpkin on greased pan (you need a lip of at least a 1/2 inch to contain the juices).  Spoon mixture into pumpkin and cover with pumpkin top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until pumpkin meat is tender.  To serve scoop out pumpkin meat with the stuffing.  Serve with salt and pepper.

This is what our kids spent their Sunday afternoon working on.  The computer can be such an educational tool...