Butterscotch Blondies

This recipe for Butterscotch Blondies from Land O' Lakes has been a standby for me for many years. I picked up the recipe one year when I was doing an assortment of bars for Christmas boxes. It earned a firm place in my repertoire and is an easy choice when I need to bring a treat to a potluck or party but am short on time. It's one of those recipes -- like my Ginger Molasses Cookies -- that tastes so much better than you would assume from just reading the recipe.

Butterscotch Blondies

Note:  This recipe can also be made in an 8 x 8 square pan, although it may require a little more time in the oven. Double the recipe if you'd like to make a 13 x 9 pan, and increase cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes.

adapted from Land O' Lakes

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup (about 1/2 bag) butterscotch morsels

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Sift together flour,

baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter with sugar and brown

sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients,

beating on low speed until thoroughly combined.

Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle butterscotch pieces evenly over top.

Bake 5 minutes or just until butterscotch is shiny and soft. With knife, swirl pieces

into batter to create a marbled effect. Return to oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes

longer, or until set. Cool on wire rack; cut into bars.

Yields: 16 bars

Sweet and Salty Goldfish Crunch Mix

This party mix is great if you want something a little different than the usual Chex Mix.

Sweet and Salty Goldfish Crunch Mix

2 (6-oz.) bags salted Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers
1 1/2 cups dark raisins
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
1 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tbls. light corn syrup
2 tbls. water
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix goldfish, raisins and peanuts in a large baking pan. Place in warm oven (275F) while making syrup mixture.

Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Add sugars, corn syrup and water. Boil to 270F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over warm goldfish mixture and toss gently.

Spray 3 large cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Spread mixture equally on the 3 prepared cookie sheets. With a wooden spoon, separate into bite-size pieces while still warm. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Makes 8 cups.

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Thanksgiving in the South, at least in my family, always includes cornbread dressing to go with the turkey. Traditionally, Southerners don't stuff the bird but cook a cornbread-based mixture in a pan. When I was growing up, my mother told me this was because cooking stuffing inside the turkey was dangerous -- it could lead to ptomaine poisoning.

This isn't just an old wives' tale. It's true that the stuffing can get soaked with turkey juices but not cook to a high enough temperature to be safe as it's buried deep inside the bird. Besides, there would never be enough stuffing to go around to give everyone an ample portion (not to mention seconds and leftovers).

My family frequently duplicated the basics of Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas dinner as well, and I always welcomed the opportunity to have turkey and dressing in December, too. We've gotten away from that habit, but really you can have turkey and dressing -- or chicken and dressing -- any time of year.

My mother did not have a written recipe for her dressing. She worked with some basic ratios but this was mostly a recipe that she made by look and feel. I've continued in this vein, but given that I only make this once per year at best, I decided to document what I did last year. So, with a few tweaks, this is essentially my mother's dressing. We frequently prepare a double recipe so that we can enjoy leftovers the next day, and have enough for guests to take some home if they like.