Cranberry Fruit Relish

1 lb. cranberries      2 oranges

2 apples      1 tsp. lemon juice

1 can drained, crushed pineapple

1 ½ cups sugar

2 ounces Brandy or Grand Marnier

Garnish: chopped pecans

Directions: Chop the cranberries (by hand or in food processor). Cut the apples and

the oranges into small cubes with their skins. Add the remaining ingredients and stir

well. Allow the flavors to blend overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator.

Sprinkle with pecans before serving.

Comment: If you want more of a jellied recipe, add 1 box of cranberry jello (no

water) and add the juice from the crushed pineapple and 3 ounces of Brandy.

The sugar, lemon juice and Brandy syrup over any fruit makes a nice fruit salad. If

no cranberries (which are bitter) you can cut back on sugar.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Wanna Uneeb)

2 jars grape leaves

2 lbs. fresh lamb chops

2 cups Uncle Ben’s rice

½ tsp. Allspice

1/8 cup crushed mint leaves

Salt &  Pepper

Olive Oil

2 lemons

Directions: Cut the lamb meat off the bones. Save the bones. Chop the lamb meat

very fine. In a big bowl, combine raw lamb, 2 cups uncooked rice, crushed mint

leaves, Allspice, and enough olive oil to hold mixture together.

Wash the leaves. Lay each leaf out with the vein side up, dark side down. May need

to trim the stems. Place 1 tsp. meat/rice mixture on edge of leaf. Do not put more

than 1 tsp. mixture since rice will expand when cooking. Roll the leaf like a cigar.

In a soup pot, place lamb bones, salt, and pepper on bottom. Cover with a few

unrolled, extra grape leaves. Lay in the rolled grape leaves, seam down. When all

rolled leaves are in the pot, place an old plate on top of the stack to hold everything

down while simmering. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for one

hour. Most of the water will soak into the stuffed grape leaves.

Remove the plate. Squeeze the juice of two lemons over the mixture while still in

the pot. Let sit for 15 minutes. Read to serve.

Comment: Aunt Mary’s recipe. Lots of work. Only an aunt who loves you would

go to this much trouble. Very good. These will freeze.

Hasselback Potatoes

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 9 pieces

Kosher salt

12 Yukon gold baking potatoes

1 stick butter

Sea Salt

Pepper

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 T. finely chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, finelychopped

Directions:  Lay the bacon pieces on a baking sheet and freeze until hard, about 30 

minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water 

to boil.

Cut each potato not quite through in a series of crosswise slices about 1/4” apart or 

closer so that they are still joined together at the bottom.  (Like an accordion.)

Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook 4 minutes.  Remove with a slotted 

spoon and carefully transfer to a baking sheet; let cool slightly.  Pat the potatoes dry, 

then insert 3 pieces of the frozen bacon in to the cuts of each potato, spacing the 

bacon evenly and letting it poke out of the top.  Melt 5 T. butter and brush 

generously over the potatoes and in the cuts.  Reserve any excess butter for basting.  

Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. 

Transfer the potatoes to the oven and bake until the outsides are browned and crisp, 

about 2 hours, basing halfway through with the reserved melted butter.

When potatoes are almost done, melt the remaining 3 T. butter and mix with the 

scallions, parsley and garlic.  Spoon over the potatoes and roast 5 more minutes.  

Season with salt and pepper.

Comment:

Sweet Potato Streusel

12 large sweet potatoes

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup flour

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup toasted pecan pieces

1 cup mini marshmallows.

Directions:  Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Scrub sweet potatoes, prick with fork, 

place on baking sheet, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife insertedin the 

center goes in easily.

In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and flour together until crumbly.  Add 

the cinnamon, salt, pecans, and marshmallows; fold the streusel topping together to 

combine.

Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise and push the ends towards the middle, so it 

opens up.  Stuff the sweet potatoes generously with the streusel topping and return to 

the oven.  Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and brown.

Comment:  This is a large batch…often cut in half.

As a casserole alternative, Remove the baked sweet potato from skins and place into 

a greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle streusel over the top.  Bake for 20 minutes or 

until the topping is bubbly and brown.

German Potato Salad

1 slice bacon

1 potato per person

1 onion per 3-4 potatoes

2 T. flour

2 T. vinegar

Directions:  Peel and slice potatoes.  Boil potatoes in salted water.  Fry bacon 

halfway.   Drain most of grease.  Add onion to grease and cook until translucent.  

Add “some” potato water to make a thick gravy.  Add vinegar.  Add drained 

potatoes.

Comment:  Grandma Ida Romer’s recipe.