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Happy New Year! We have always loved the start of a brand new year. Hopes are high, dreams are cast...and everyone gets a fresh start.
Click here to watch our newest video...Gooseberry Patch has some exciting news for this brand new year!
We've been growing our community of cookbook lovers and contributors since 1992, and the heart of our cookbook community is you! You've told us year after year how much you've loved collecting our cookbooks, sharing them with family & friends, and contributing recipes for them.
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Gooseberry Patch has many exciting plans for the New Year. We are planning on publishing more & more cookbooks throughout the year! This means there will be more ways for YOU to get your recipes published. Our cookbooks will now be offered in even more great retail stores in your local neighborhood like Cracker Barrel, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Kroger, Safeway and many more to come. And of course, you can always find our cookbooks conveniently on our web store at www.gooseberrypatch.com.
Focusing all of our energy on cookbook publishing does mean one big change for Gooseberry Patch...we will no longer be offering a mail-order catalog. We know you'll miss our "Country Store in Your Mailbox" as much as we will. But the future of Gooseberry Patch cookbooks is very bright. We are very excited about expanding our Gooseberry Patch cookbook publishing so you'll have lots of new Gooseberry Patch cookbooks to enjoy for many years to come!
We'll be having more contests and giveaways than ever! We're growing our online community...our Blog, our page on Facebook, and Twitter. We'll be traveling across the country and attending more events, like the Country Living Fair. We're planning lots of new ways to meet our Gooseberry Patch friends, like you!
Most of all, we want to thank you for your continued friendship and support. Gooseberry Patch exists because of you! We look forward to sharing our love of cooking with you more than ever in the coming years.
So we wish you a Happy New Year...may yours be filled with family, friends and lots of yummy Gooseberry Patch recipes!
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Prairie Bacon Corn Chowder
Submitted by Mary Rogers of Waseca, MN
This hearty, creamy soup makes a party-size batch...just add a basket of hot rolls, a crisp green salad and a pan of brownies and you're set for chilly-weather entertaining!
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1 lb. bacon, chopped
4 c. potatoes, peeled and diced
2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. water
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2 10-3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
2 15-1/4 oz. cans corn, drained
16-oz. container sour cream
2-1/2 c. milk
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In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon for 5 minutes; drain. Add potatoes, onion and water to skillet. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain; transfer mixture to a slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients; add to slow cooker and stir to blend. Cover and cook on low setting for 2 hours. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe. |
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Get more for your money when selecting canned tomatoes! Packed with flavorful extras like green pepper and onions, garlic and even mushrooms, seasoned tomatoes mean fewer ingredients to purchase and prepare.
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Turn toss-away food jars into custom containers...fun to display in your pantry! Arrange vinyl stick-on letters on a clear glass jar, then brush on glass etching cream, following package directions. When the cream sets, peel off letters to see the name revealed like magic.
Individual frozen meals can be convenient but costly...why not make your own? Spoon portions of favorite homecooked dishes into small freezer containers, label and tuck in the freezer. Later, just heat and eat. No more unplanned trips to the hamburger stand for dinner! |
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When cheese is on sale, go ahead and stock up! Pop it into the freezer to use later. Cheese tends to turn crumbly when frozen...not so good in recipes using fresh cheese, but perfectly acceptable in baked casserole dishes. To use, let cheese thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Don't toss out the last cheese crackers or taco chips in the package. Crush them and add to meatloaf instead of store-bought stuffing mix or dry bread crumbs. Your thrifty meatloaf will be even more delicious than usual! |
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Tuck odds & ends of leftover cinnamon rolls, fruit muffins and doughnuts into a freezer container...they're scrumptious in your favorite bread pudding recipe.
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If you often use chopped onion, celery and green pepper to add flavor to sautéed dishes, save time by chopping lots at once. Create your own sauté blend and freeze it in a plastic freezer container. Add it to skillet dishes, straight from the freezer...there's no need to thaw.
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Big glasses of icy cold milk are a must with homemade cookies! You can save by using instant nonfat powdered milk. For the tastiest flavor, add a little vanilla extract and chill the milk overnight before serving.
For an affordable get-together, invite friends over for "just desserts!" Offer 2 to 3 simple homebaked desserts like cobblers, dump cake and fruit pie, ice cream for topping and a pot of steamy coffee...they'll love it! |
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Self-rising flour is handy for quick biscuits. If you're out of it, though, here's an easy substitution. For each cup needed, add 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a measuring cup, then fill the cup level with all-purpose flour. Mix well before using. |
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It's easy and economical to make your own crumb crusts. Combine 1-1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup melted butter. Mix well and press into a pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, cool and fill as desired. |
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Better safe than sorry! Some home canning methods used many years ago are not
really considered safe anymore. Before trying Great-Grandma's old pickle recipe, check it with updated canning advice provided by the US Department of Agriculture or your county extension agency.
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We asked our friends on our page on Facebook and Twitter if they had questions they'd always wanted to ask Vickie & Jo Ann. Here are a few of our favorites:
 You two were friends before you started your business, and I was just wondering how your friendship has been affected by working together all of these years? (submitted by Penny Gore)
 V:Well, Penny...we laugh a lot! We also each have our own areas of experience and expertise, and different parts of the business that we focus on. We enjoy working together, but have other interests outside the office, too. Right now, I am enjoying dancing lessons and Jo Ann is taking knitting classes.
Do you have one of everything that Gooseberry Patch has ever sold over the years? (submitted by Crystal Grindstaff Shook)
 J:Oh, no! After 25 years, we'd need a warehouse to store it all! We've both been pretty good at just keeping our very favorite items over the years. Of course, we each have all of the cookbooks, because we use those every day.
What are your plans for the future? What's new at Gooseberry Patch that we can look forward to? (submitted by Kara)
V:We're working on several very exciting projects right now for the new year. If you keep up with us through our Email Club, our page on Facebook and our Blog, you'll be the first to hear about all of our good news.
How difficult was it to get started in the gift business? (submitted by Julie MacPherson Ball)
J:We jumped right in and never looked back, Julie. Too much information might have scared us away back then!
Have you ever thought of selling Gooseberry Patch shirts or hats? (submitted by Tina Lee George)
V:Great idea, Tina! We'll definitely keep that in mind. Maybe we'll add a few aprons, too!
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February brings us more snowy days and the promise of lots of chocolate...see you then!
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