Tonight in the kitchen, I made Rosalynn Carter’s Hushpuppies. They are easy to make and simply delicious.

What’s a perfect side dish to have on your Thanksgiving dinner table tomorrow? Pretzel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole of course!

Pretzel Topped Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups chopped pretzel sticks

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter (melted and divided)

1 large can (2 pounds) Sweet Potatoes, drained

1 small can evaporated milk (5 ounces)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the chopped pretzels, pecans, brown sugar and 1/2 cup melted butter; set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes until smooth.

Add milk, sugar, vanilla and remaining butter and beat until well blended.

Spoon the sweet potato mixture into a greased shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Sprinkle the pretzel mixture over the top.

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until the edges are bubbly and the topping is browned.

Today in American history…Abigail Adams was born on November 22, 1744 🇺🇸

There is nothing like a delicious chocolate cookie – especially with walnuts and fresh from the oven.

Today in the kitchen I made Lady Bird Johnson’s Chocolate Nut Drop Cookies and they are so delicious.

Here is Mrs Johnson’s personal recipe.

PS. I don’t think I can eat just ONE 😋

Today in American History…Lyndon Johnson and Claudia “Lady Bird” Taylor were married on November 17, 1934 in San Antonio, Texas.

Lyndon and Lady Bird were introduced by a friend in 1934. She had aspirations of leaving Texas to become a teacher in Alaska or Hawaii when they first met. But upon meeting him she said she was drawn to him “like a moth to a flame.”

He was a Congressional Aide at the time with political aspirations. His personality was abrupt and forward unlike the more reserved and pragmatic Lady Bird. On their first date, he proposed marriage to her which took her by surprise and she wanted to wait a year to possibly get to know one another more.

Lyndon Johnson was persistent and relentless in marrying Lady Bird and after ten weeks of writing letters and phone calls she relented and accepted his marriage proposal.

They were married within a day of her accepting his proposal and the ceremony took place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas.

“He was the most outspoken, straightforward, determined person I’d ever encountered. I knew I’d met something remarkable – – but I didn’t know quite what” – Lady Bird Johnson

Last night I made Mamie Eisenhower’s Million Dollar Fudge recipe in honor of her birthday. I used her original recipe but tweaked it only by using semi-sweet chocolate bits for the entire recipe. It came out delicious and the hardest part was letting it cool for a few hours (couldn’t wait to eat it!)

P.S. I also used chopped walnuts in the recipe in the place of “nut meats.”

Today in American history…former First Lady Mary Geneva “Mamie” Eisenhower was born on November 14, 1896 in Boone, Iowa 🇺🇸

Apple Pie is truly one of the most iconic dishes in our country. It’s served at cookouts, holidays…Thanksgiving…it’s one of those food items that represents our country.

There is the popular saying “As American as Apple Pie” which was first used in the early 1800s but didn’t become popular until World War II.

The phrase became common for soldiers to say “for mom and apple pie” when speaking to journalists about why they had enlisted in the war. Since World War II, the phrase has been used for anything that symbolizes patriotism in our great land.

Apple Pie was first introduced to the new colonies by European settlers and quickly became popular. The recipe for Apple Pie was first published in 1796 in America’s first cookbook, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. Here is Amelia Simmons recipe for Apple Pie:

“Stew and strain the apples, to every three pints, grate the peal of a fresh lemon, add cinnamon, mace, rose-water and sugar to your taste – and bake in paste No. 3.

Every species of fruit such as peas, plums, rasberries, black berries may only be sweetned, without spices – and bake in paste No. 3. “

Homemade Apple Pie

Ingredients

5 cups (5 apples) thinly sliced, peeled medium apples (I used Honeycrisp Apples)

¾ cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 package of prepared pie-crust, bake according to instructions and set aside.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Peel 5 medium apples and slice them thinly until you have 5 cups.

In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients minus the apples and lemon juice. Mix well.

Add lemon juice and apples into the mixture and coat the apples thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Add the top layer pie crust and seal the top and bottom together. You can crimp or fork the edges…however you personally like for your edges to be designed.

Take a knife and cut thin slices on the top of the pie to add ventilation while baking – you want those apples to be softened when you finally remove from the oven.

Before going into the oven, line the edges of the pie with aluminum foil for the first 15-20 minutes of baking. This will prevent the crust from burning.

Put the pie into oven, with the aluminum foil wrappings, for 15-20 minutes and remove.

Using a pastry brush, brush melted butter all over the top crust of the pie. Then sprinkle granulated sugar.

Put back into the oven for another 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the apples are softened.

Remove from the oven. Cool for 2-3 hours before slicing and serving.

Enjoy your pie! Maybe even add some vanilla ice cream on top 😋

Today in American History…James Garfield married Lucretia Randolph were married on November 11, 1858 at the home of her family in Hiram, Ohio.

It wasn’t an easy marriage for both at first. They had different temperaments and were from different backgrounds – he was outgoing, social and friendly. She was more reserved and studious. The marriage was one that they felt was the “right thing to do” and they went forward with it even though both had their misgivings about the impending marriage.

During the first five years, he spent a lot of time away from home and it has been written that they only spent twenty weeks together during those years.

She was an avid diary writer and during one of his visits home, she shared her writings with him on how much she loved him and wanted to be a good wife, mother and longed for his affections. It was after this that they decided to do whatever it took to make amends in their marriage and everything turned around for them in a positive and loving way.

She often referred to the beginning of their marriage as the “dark years” but they would go on to have a successful and loving marriage for the rest of their years together until his tragic death on September 19, 1881 due to the injuries from the assassination attempt on his life on July 2, 1881.

In a letter written to Lucretia in December 1867, he wrote:

“We no longer love because we ought to, but because we do. Were I free to choose out of all the world the sharer of my heart and home and life, I would fly to you and ask you to be mine as vou are.”

In a letter written to James in September 1870, she wrote to her husband:

“…I stopped amazed to find myself sitting by our fireside, the loved and loving wife, lifted up from the confusions and out from the entanglements… felt that we are not living on the same plain [sic] as heretofore, that we are scarcely the same beings, but like conquering sovereigns we live in high isolation, wedded in heart and soul and life.”

Tomorrow is Veterans Day 🇺🇸

I’m incredibly proud to be part of a family that has served our country from The Revolutionary War to the modern era.

To each and all of you that have served I humbly want to say thank you. Today is a day to honor you and all of your sacrifices that you’ve made to protect and to serve our beloved country.

You are true American heroes.