Home Cooking With Trisha Yearwood: Stories and Recipes to Share With Family and Friends by Trisha Yearwood

just until wilted, about 5 minutes. Set the pan off the heat. Drain the cabbage. Add the crumbled bacon, mayonnaise, cheese, soup, eggs, salt, and pepper and stir together until completely mixed. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs with the melted butter, then sprinkle over the top of the cabbage mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

potato casserole
    Whenever I ask my children for menu suggestions, they always say mashed potatoes. I think they would eat mashed potatoes with anything! The only problem in our house is that nobody likes them cold, and on the rare occasion when we have leftovers, they usually sit in the refrigerator until I throw them out. In this recipe, the potatoes stay creamy and it’s an easy dish to warm up in the microwave. You can even make it ahead of time and pop it into the oven at the last minute.
    SERVES 8
    6 large russet potatoes
    1 tablespoon salt
    8 slices bacon
    ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
    ½ cup mayonnaise
    ½ cup sour cream
    1 cup milk
    8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
    ½ teaspoon garlic salt
    ½ teaspoon pepper
    Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
    Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Place the potatoes and salt in a large saucepan with water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until very tender, about 30 minutes.
    While the potatoes boil, cook the bacon in a medium skillet or in the microwave. Drain the bacon on paper towels and, when cool enough to handle, crumble it into small pieces. Set aside.
    Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, and half of the cheese to the potatoes. Add the garlic salt and pepper. Use an electric mixer to whip the potato mixture until thoroughly combined and spoon into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and the remaining cheese over the top and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through.
    You can cook the potatoes faster if you use a pressure cooker. Cook the potatoes for about 5 minutes.

baked bean casserole
    I’m always saying, “Simple is better!” I have made simple baked beans as a side ever since I began cooking twenty years ago. This recipe came from Beth’s friendGail Shoup. The dish quickly became the new baked bean side at our house. It is hearty enough for a meal. Garth loves a smoked barbecue sauce that our friendCharlie Nichols makes and brings to him on a regular basis. Garth calls it Charlie-que Sauce! It’s a secret recipe that Charlie got from his grandmother. I use Charlie-que Sauce in these beans because it’s Garth’s favorite, but any thick barbecue sauce will do. Maybe someday I’ll get Charlie’s secret recipe!
    SERVES 12
    1½ pounds lean ground beef
    1 small onion, finely chopped
    1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
    2 16-ounce cans pork and beans
    ½ cup barbecue sauce
    ½ cup ketchup
    2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
    2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    1 tablespoon soy sauce
    4 tablespoons brown sugar
    6 to 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 × 13 × 2-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
    In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Add the pork and beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Crumble the bacon over the top of the casserole. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving.
    These beans go great with Fred’s Barbecued Pork Ribs .

cranberry-orange relish
    We’ve always served the traditional canned cranberry sauce (one of my nephew Kyle’s favorite food groups) at Thanksgiving and