Stuffing and Dressing are the same wonderful concoction – it just depends on how you use it. We love it by whatever name you call it. For years we put it in the Turkey, that is, until we got a convection oven. Convection ovens cook the bird quicker and moister! I grew up with bread stuffing and this recipe is an embellished version of my mother’s recipe. Adding bacon and Mushrooms to anything makes it better!!

Dry the bread cubes on cookie sheets in slow oven (225). Stir occasionally. You don’t want them to brown, just dry out. (Can be done few days ahead – cool and store in plastic bags.)

Cut bacon in 1 inch pieces and bake on cookie sheet in 350 degree oven. Stir every 5 minutes until brown. (You can do this in a fry pan but I find it less messy to do in the oven. And if I set the timer, I can do other things instead of standing over it and stirring constantly.) Pull bacon pieces out of grease as it gets done and drain on paper towels.

Reserve 3 Tablespoons of the bacon grease. Heat the bacon grease and the butter in large skillet until bubbling. Sauté the celery and onion in the grease over medium low heat until the onion is translucent.

Mix bread, cooked bacon, onion & celery mixture and mushrooms in a bowl in a large bowl. Add the seasonings to suit your taste. (Note that dried sage gets stronger as it cooks.) Add chicken broth a little at a time using just enough to make the mixture moist. Add eggs to mixture and mix well.

Put combined ingredients into greased 8 ½ x 11 x 3 casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until brown on top and set up in center – about 45 minutes.

Double this recipe and have some for leftovers. This is incredible added to a turkey sandwich the next day.

Too bad we have so many favorite dishes at our house, that we forget about this one until Thanksgiving each year! This is a great condiment with turkey, chicken, and pork, and just over-the-top incredible as a garnish on sandwiches.

The flavor gets very strong after a few days, so use the balance to cook over top pork chops or pork loin in the oven with sliced garlic and onions.

Sort the cranberries and rinse.  Using a zester / grater, zest the Tangerine skin, then Juice the Tangerine.  Combine your Zest, Juice, Sugar, & whole Cranberries into your food processor bowl.  Pulse using very short 1 to 2 second pulses.  You want the cranberries to break down to the size of mustard grains or slightly larger, so don’t over process.

Summer's here for a little while longer... time to fire up the patio grille, and these potato wedges can be prepared right along side your favorite meats.

Pre-heat Grille – if using gas you will be cooking over medium heat - and get 9” x 12” pan ready that you can put directly on the grille.

Melt butter and add oil and put in pan. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then slice each potato half lengthwise into ¼” slices

Add Potatoes to pan, add Chili Powder and Natures Season’s Salt and mix with the butter and oil until every potato wedge is evenly covered

Cook over medium heat on grille – turning every 5 to 10 minutes.

Potatoes will take about 30 minutes to cook depending on grille temp. They will get nice and crusty!

You can garnish with fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro if you’d like. Warning – these are addictive.

Note: We recently tried this recipe with 1/2 baking potatoes & 1/2 Sweet potatoes - they were awesome! So you might want to test your own recipe with all types of potatoes!!

Lot's of cold weather across the country here in the states, particularly cold in Nashville for this time of year too! Consider warming up with a nice bowl of piping hot soup to take the chill out of those cool winter evenings. Another of Ellie's recipes "fit for company" as we like to say.

Chop your broccali florets, peel & chop the stems. Melt butter in a large saucepan, adding diced onion, then cook until soft - about 5 minutes.

Add broccoli, potato, & garlic, then cook covered over low heat for 5 minutes. (Check & stir frequently so your potatos don't stick to the pan).

Next, add chicken broth & seasonings, then bring to slow boil... Now reduce the heat & let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, & puree mixture in the pan with a stick blender (or in small batches in your food processor / blender).

Place your soup back in the pan with the whole milk to reheat over low to medium flame. Check your seasonings now...

Serve with garnish of chopped green onions & cheddar on top. A hearty meal indeed!

Thanks to Ellie's incredible cooking this traditional Italian bean soup is a food staple at our house, & most appropriate for a cool evening dinner this Fall. While this might seem like casual cooking, don't be afraid to share with your family & friends - promise they will eat every bite!

Great addition to your hors d' oeuvre tray or with a chicken salad lunch.