Leftover Pie Fillings

     I made several batches of Kolacky cookies and I found it slightly cheaper to use pie filling then preserves. Even though I bought small cans I still had a lot leftover, so this morning when I made my grandsons pancakes I added a heaping tsp of each filling, blueberry, raspberry, and apple right to the dough. I then fried the pancakes as usual.. I did add a couple tablespoons of sugar also to the dough. They were incredible and sweetly moist enough so they didn't need any syrup or sugar on top. If you want to make a bigger production out of them spoon some filling on top and then add whipped cream. It's a breakfast for company, holidays, or special occasions. Photo by Jessica Spengler

Green Beans Almandine

      I'm sure many of you have made this dish, Green Beans Almondine or at least have eaten it. My family used to just have mixed vegetables with our holiday dinner. When I had my own family I started making the green bean casserole, however my hubby hates cream of mushroom soup and won't eat anything that contains it. I was never that crazy about it either so this year I made the almondine.

     I could not believe how flavorful toasting those wonderful almonds and then browning the butter with them was. It smelled and tasted incredible. The only problem I had with them was that I used fresh green beans and the cooking time for them was not nearly long enough to get them as tender as I wanted them. I think next time I will use frozen beans and cook them awhile. A lot of people enjoy them with a firm bite but I find they are just too hard for my tastes.

     I'm not one for exact measurements in cooking remember, so here's how I made mine it a nutshell. Start off with some slivered almonds and toast them on the stove moving and/or stirring constantly so they don't burn.Then add a couple tablespoons of butter and stir till the butter turns brown, then toss with your green beans and serve, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Photo by Kathy Maister