Apple Crumb Bars

1 cup quick or old-fashioned (rolled) oats
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg, beaten
4 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Crumb Topping
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup quick rolled oats
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan. Prepare Crumb Topping; set aside.

In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, and sugar. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. In medium bowl, combine oats, 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in beaten egg. Spread mixture evenly in pan.Toss apples with sugar, remaining 1/4 cup flour, and the nutmeg. Spread apples over oatmeal layer. Sprinkle Crumb Topping in a diagonal pattern over apples. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender. To yield 40 bars, divide the 15-inch-long side into 8 sections. Divide the perpendicular 10-inch-long side into 5 sections.

Apple Carrot Muffins

1 3/4 cups raisin bran cereal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup finely chopped peeled tart apple
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple, carrots and walnuts. Fill paper-lined muffin cups or cups coated with nonstick cooking spray three-fourths full.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

These are very moist and taste a lot like carrot cake.

Shepherds Pie

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons butter
7 or 8 potatoes, mashed
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon ketchup
beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Parmesan cheese


Brown ground beef and sauté onions in 2 tablespoons butter until golden. Mix ground beef with onions, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of beef broth and cook, covered, over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist. Beat egg yolks until light, then in another bowl, beat whites until stiff. Beat the yolks, cream, 6 tablespoons butter, and garlic powder into hot mashed potatoes. Gently fold in beaten egg whites. Put meat mixture into a casserole then top with potato mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350° until potato topping is puffed and browned, about 25 to 35 minutes.

Lazy Day Shepherds Pie

Fry hamburger, mix with peas and mushroom soup. Top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle cheese on top. All ingredients will be hot so just pop the casserole in the oven enough to melt the cheese. I use this one a lot and everyone loves it. Another variation is to put this all in a pie shell and bake.