PECAN PIE RECIPES AND THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS
FROM JERRY M. PARSONS, PROFESSOR AND HORTICULTURIST

One stick oleo - Melted
One-and-three-fourths cup sugar
One-fourth cup flour
Three eggs beaten well
One-half cup buttermilk
One teaspoon vanilla
One cup pecans

Add sugar and flour to melted oleo. Beat in eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and pecans. Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Reduce heat to 300 degrees for 40 minutes.

Three eggs beaten
One-half cup sugar
Three-fourths cup white corn syrup
One teaspoon vanilla
One-half cup melted margarine or butter
Dash of salt
One cup chopped pecans

Hand beat eggs. Mix all other ingredients. Pour in unbaked pie shell. Bake at 300 degrees for one hour or until brown and center does not shake.

One-half cup butter or margarine
One-half cup sugar
One-half cup brown sugar (packed)
One cup flour
One-and-one-half cup coconut
One-and-one-half pecans (chopped)
One-fourth teaspoon salt
One teaspoon baking powder
Two eggs
Two tablespoons melted margarine
Two tablespoons flour
One cup firmly packed brown sugar
Two teaspoons vanilla
Confection sugar - sprinkle on top

In medium bowl mix one-half cup brown sugar, one-half cup margarine and one cup flour with finger tips or fork until crumbly. Pat into a 8x12 baking pan, covering bottom, bake for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cool. Meanwhile, mix one cup brown sugar, eggs, two tablespoon flour, baking powder and vanilla. Beat well. Add coconut and pecans. Pour over crust, spreading over crust evenly. Bake 20 minutes.

1 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup cold margarine or butter
1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (325 degrees F. for glass dish). In large bowl, combine flour, sugar and cocoa; cut in margarine until crumbly. Press firmly on bottom of 13x9 - inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir in nuts. Spread evenly over crust. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store covered in refrigerator.

1 (9 - inch) unbaked pastry shell
1 pound (2 medium) sweet potatoes (yams!), cooked and peeled
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 (14 - ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, (NOT evaporated milk)
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Pecan Topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large mixer bowl, beat hot sweet potatoes with margarine until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except pastry shell and Pecan Topping; mix well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven; spoon Pecan Topping evenly over top. bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool. Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pecan Topping: In small mixer bowl, combine 1 egg, 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup, 3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted, and teaspoon maple flavoring; mix well. Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans.

As you gobble the holiday feast and ponder all of your thankful thoughts, don't forget those many "taken-for-granted" little things which give the good life real gusto.

I want to mention some of the "Thanksgivings of Gardening" which all of us share:

1. Be thankful for physical strength which is necessary to prepare a garden.

2. Be thankful for that look of joy that flows from your youngster when he picks that first red tomato.

3. Be thankful for an understanding family who will eat your garden-grown vegetables regardless of how they look.

4. Be thankful for the personal pride stimulated by a successful garden.

5. Be thankful for the invaluable experience gained from struggling to produce a garden.

6. Be thankful for the vegetable farmer who does produce a good crop every year to supply us when we fail.

7. And last but not least, be thankful for the miracle of growth which we all, whether young or old, experience each and every time we plant a seed and watch it grow.

REMEMBER, things COULD BE WORSE. You could:

-wake up face down on the pavement.

-put your bra on backward and it fits better.

-call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold.

-see a "60 Minutes" news team waiting in your office.

-see your birthday cake collapse from the weight of the candles.

-have your son tell you he wishes Anita Bryant would mind her own business.

-turn on the news and they're showing emergency routes out of the city.

-have your twin sister forget your birthday.

-wake up and discover your waterbed broke and then you realize that you don't have a waterbed.

-have your car horn go off accidentally and remain stuck as you follow a group of Hell's Angels on the freeway.

-have your boss tell you not to bother to take off your coat.

-realize that the bird singing outside your window is a buzzard.

-walk to work and find your dress is stuck in back of your pantyhose.

-call your answering service and they tell you it's none of your business.

-have your blind date turn out to be your ex-wife.

-put both contact lenses in the same eye.