This won second place in the Pillsbury pie contest at the N.C. State Fair. They just sent out this revised recipe: 

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

1 (9" deep dish)Pet-Ritz pie shell, unbaked
3 eggs, beaten until just mixed
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnut or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs as directed. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in sour cream and raisins. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle nuts on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Top should not be too brown. Cool before serving. May garnish with whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon.

Each Wednesday, I offer a recipe based on what's on sale at the grocery store. This week, Kroger is running one of their $5 off when you buy 10 items on the sale list. Bumblebee Tuna, 2.5 ounce pouch ends up being 49 cents each, or FREE if you have some of those 55 cents off/1 coupons that are floating out there. Who can pass up FREE?

For a complete list of other good deals, check out Sue Stock's Taking Stock blog on Wednesdays where she pairs coupons with what's on sale at the grocery store. 

So I wanted to use this new cookbook that has come in recently: "Quick, Cheap Comfort Foo: 100-plus Fresh Recipes for Meals in a Hurry," by Victoria Shearer. She has a recipe for a tuna-artichoke panini that really is just a new take on the tuna melt so I adapted it to use that free tuna.

And since I've been cleaning off my desk recently and running cookbook giveaways, I thought I'd give away a copy of this cookbook. So here is the deal, you have to leave a comment at the bottom of this post before noon Friday, Nov. 6. I will choose a winner at random and mail them a copy of the cookbook.

Here is a link to three more cookbook giveaways running on the blog right now. 

Eight-year-old Noah Guthrie won first place in this year's Malt-o-Meal recipe contest at the N.C. State Fair. Guthrie's Cinnamon Toasters Apple Delight is now has a blue ribbon.

Here are the winning recipes from Friday's N.C. Cattlemen's Beef Council recipe contest: Shawn Wakefield's Thai Short Ribs with long grained wild rice won first place.

Halloween is still several days away but these "blondies" are calling my name and I'm thinking why wait. There is no time like the present, right?

Martha Stewart has so many cool treats that I think Halloween should be extended into November.

Each Friday, I offer a recipe for those of us who love to cook but can't find the time until the weekend. The Momofuku cookbook just came in this week. And yes, I squealed with delight when I saw it. Here is an interesting story about the cookbook. 

I was intrigued by this recipe for fried chicken. The instructions: "Steam the chicken first, just until it's cooked, then use the fryer just to crisp and brown the outside." Now that will spare you one of the worst parts of making fried chicken; standing over the skillet full of grease for a long time. 

Amanda Boury of Youngsville won another first-place ribbon (one of four so far at this year's fair) in Wednesday's N.C. Pork Council's Tarheel Pork Challenge. I judged this contest, and Boury's Grilled Pork Cranberry Brie Paninis really stood out from the crowd, as well as the pork tenderloin that took second place. 

What I discovered judging the pork contest is that a lot of folks overcook pork. Even the pork council representatives say that is their biggest public education front: convincing people that they don't have to cook pork until the pink is gone. If you cook pork like chicken, you end up with chewy, tough meat, which unfortunately for many competitors was the case. You're not going to win a pork cooking contest by overcooking the meat.

Here are the winning recipes from the N.C. Pecan Association's cooking contest. This is the fifth ribbon won by Amanda Boury of Youngsville, and one of four blue ribbons.
Her pecan pesto pizzette with goat cheese won first place in this contest. Way to go Amanda!

Here are the winning recipes from Tuesday's N.C. Egg Association for egg sandwiches recipe contest. First place went to Amanda Boury of Youngsville for her Carolina Club Sandwich. Second place went to Gail Fuller of Raleigh for her Humpty-Dumpty Club Sandwich. Third place went to Mancia Walker for her peanut butter apple French toast. And an honorable mention went to Mary Boury of Knightdale for Italian Egg Pockets.

Each Wednesday, I offer a recipe based on what's on sale at the grocery store. This week, Lowes Foods has winter squash on sale for 89 cents a pound. The winter squash sale allows me to share a vegetarian recipe that can be eaten as main dish with rice flecked with almonds on the side or as a side dish for those meat eaters out there.

This recipe for Baked Squash with Yogurt and Mint comes from Bon Appetit's
"Fast Easy Fresh" cookbook, which will likely be among my cookbook choices
as Christmas presents this year. If you have ever been a subscriber to the magazine, you know you can depend on Bon Appetit recipes. And so, this cookbook is worth the money.

And so is this dish at $1.09 a serving.