Labor Day Recipes

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Pinch garlic salt or onion salt
6 medium potatoes (peeled and quartered lengthwise)

Melt butter in 13 x 9 inch baking pan. combine flour, Parmesan, paprika salt pepper, garlic or onion salt in a large zip lock bad and set aside.

Rinse potatoes under cold water, drain them well. Place half of the potatoes in the bag shaking well to coat. Place them in a single layer in your baking dish. Coat the rest of the potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Turn once after they have been in for 30 minutes.

You can increase the recipe for larger groups.

Butternut Apple crisp

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (divided)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 to 4 cups peeled and sliced uncooked butternut squash
1 can apple pie filling
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal
6 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, alt, squash and pie filling. Spoon into a 10 x 6 x 2 inch pan. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Combine the remaining ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over squash mixture. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes more or until your squash is tender. Serve Warm.

Barbecue Muffins

1 10 oz. roll of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Separate dough into 10 biscuits and flatten into 5 circles. Press each into the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin tin cup, set aside. Brown the ground beef, drain off the grease. Then combine Ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and chili powder and stir until smooth. Add the meat and mix well. Divide the meat mixture among the the biscuits. using about 1/4 cup for each. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin and serving.

You could do this with mini muffins too, or double or triple the recipe for more.

Fruit Salad

2 cans crushed pineapple
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans fruit cocktail (17 oz. cans each) drained
2 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 bananas, sliced thin
1 cup heavy cream, whipped (or you can use a container of cool whip)

Drain pineapple, reserving 1 cup in a small kettle. Set pineapple aside. Add sugar, flour, eggs, orange juice and oil, Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and let cool. In a salad bowl, combine the pineapple, fruit cocktail, oranges and bananas. Fold in Whipped cram and cooled sauce. Chill for several hours.

Refrigerator Pickles (sweet sour)

1 quart vinegar
3 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. pickling spice
2 quarts water
1/2 cup canning salt
(Boil for 15 minutes with spices in a cloth)

Slice your pickles lengthwise. Layer pickles, dill and onions in ice cream pail, pour brine over. Put cover on and let sit on the counter for 24 hours. Refrigerate. Pickles are good fro several months. Makes 2 ice cream pails full.

Fried Chicken

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 pounds) cut up
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
cooking oil for frying

Gravy
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 to 2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken in a large flat dish. Pour buttermilk over and over and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a double strength Zip lock bag. Drain chicken pieces, to see one at a time in mixture. Shake off extra. Place on waxed pepper for 15 minutes to dry. Heat 1/8 to 1/4 inches of oil in a large skillet; fry chicken until browned on all sides. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes (until juices run clean and chicken is tender) Uncover and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove chicken and keep warm. Drain all but 1/4 cup drippings in skillet. Stir in flour until bubbly. Add milk and 1 1/2 cups water, and cook (keep stirring) until thickened. Cook 1 more minute. Add remaining water if the gravy needs to be thinned. Season with salt and pepper. You can serve the gravy over the chicken, or save in refrigerator until after your gathering for labor day. Then use with left overs.

Cow Pies

2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 Tbsp shortening
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped slivered almonds

In a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate chips and shortening. stirring until smooth. Remove from the stove or microwave and stir in raisins and almonds. Drop by tablespoons fulls onto waxed paper. Chill until ready to serve.

You can also take out the raisins and almonds and just use 1 cup of peanuts. Multiply recipe for larger batch.