FARMINGTON – Mary-Ann Dunn has found a great method for trying new recipes. “I buy a cookbook, look through all the recipes and write down the page numbers of ones I’d like to try. Then, I have my three children pick numbers. Whatever they pick, I make,” she said.

Dunn learned to cook by practice. “I never cook the same thing,” she said. “I like to eat out, but I’m too frugal to. So, I just make whatever I would get,” said Dunn.

One of the meals she enjoys making at home is pizza. Dunn gets many recipes from the “Taste of Home” magazine. She also uses a Betty Crocker cookbook from the early 1980s.

Dunn also enjoys cake decorating. “I took a class from Carousel Crafts in Jay,” she said. “When the kids were young, I would bake the cake, my husband would shape it and we all would decorate it.” Traditions such as this are important to Dunn. “On New Year’s, we have two rules. Everyone has to make something, and everyone has to think of a game to play. We get to spend the holiday together.”

Certain dishes are also tradition around the holidays. “At Thanksgiving, we always have to have green bean casserole and apple pie. At New Year’s, rotisserie chicken and glazed meatballs.”

When Dunn isn’t cooking, she helps her husband, Ted, build their log home, a project they’ve been working on for two years. “We are doing all the work ourselves as we can afford it. We already built our garage and barn. We are making it tongue-and-groove. The house is going to be solar and wind-powered,” she said.

Spaghetti pie

Ingredients:

½ pound spaghetti, uncooked

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup cottage cheese

1 pound ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped green pepper

1¾ cups stewed tomatoes, drained and cut up

2/3 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon oregano, crushed

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions (remember, you are cooking only a ½ pound). Drain. In large bowl, toss spaghetti with oil; reserve one cup spaghetti for filling. Toss remaining spaghetti with Parmesan cheese and eggs. Turn into 10-inch pie plate. Press spaghetti mixture into bottom and up sides of pie plate to form crust. Evenly spread cottage cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust. Set aside. In medium skillet, sauté ground beef, onion, and green pepper until meat is brown and crumbly. Drain excess fat. Stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, salt and reserved spaghetti. Heat thoroughly. Spoon meat mixture over cottage cheese. Cover loosely with greased foil. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Continue baking, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Refrigerate leftovers.

Glazed meatballs

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1¼ cups soft bread crumbs

1 tablespoon horseradish; she uses jarred horseradish

1½ pounds ground beef

1 cup water

½ cup chili sauce

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup soy sauce

1½ teaspoons ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground mustard or 1½ teaspoons prepared mustard

Method:

In a bowl, beat eggs and milk. Stir in bread crumbs and horseradish. Crumble ground beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1½-inch balls. Place in a lightly greased 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. In a large saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; add the meatballs. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Pumpkin roll

Ingredients:

Cake:

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

¾ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 package soft cream cheese

4 tablespoons margarine

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar, beating well. Add pumpkin, mixing until blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Add to egg mixture, mixing well. Spread batter into greased and wax paper-lined, 10- by 15-inch jellyroll pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool for 15 minutes. Place cake on clean hand towel. Cool 10 minutes longer. From 10-inch side, roll cake up into towel. Set aside. Meanwhile, prepare filling. Beat together cream cheese and margarine. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract, blending until smooth. Unroll cake and place on plastic wrap. Evenly spread filling over cake. Roll up cake. Cover with plastic wrap. When serving, cut cake in even slices. Garnish with mint leaves and/or orange slices, if desired.