Wassail

40 Years!

We are celebrating 40 years!  

The Tin Bin opened its doors on Thanksgiving weekend in 1973 and hosted our first annual open house.  Forty years later, those same traditions are in place - the serving of wassail and holiday treats and the whole family helping to greet all of our customers.  Now, we have customers all over the world and not all of them can actually come to our open house.  We just wanted to say thank you to all of you!

Enjoy the wassail recipe!

Tin Bin Wassail

Sipping some warm wassail on a cold night feels heavenly. Try our recipe for your next holiday gathering - your guests will love it!


1 gallon apple cider
1 gallon cranberry juice
3/4 cup sugar
cloves, allspice, and cinnamon to taste

Combine above ingredients and heat. Serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick. Add some white rum if desired.

Hot Crab Dip

From our 25th Anniversary Tin Bin Cookbook (celebrating 38 years this year!)

Hot Crab Dip

1 lb. crab meat
1 C. mayonnaise
12 oz. soft cream cheese
1 tsp. horseradish
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated onion

Combine ingredients; pour into a shallow baking dish or a deep-dish pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Serve with water crackers or thinly sliced baguette.

This would be a great appetizer for your Thankgiving feast.  Hope you all enjoy a blessed holiday!

Artichoke Dip

One of my favorite appetizers to take to a party:

Artichoke Dip
1 C mayonnaise
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C parmesan cheese
1 to 2 coves of minced garlic
1 small chopped onion
1 T chives or parsley
16 oz can of artichoke hearts (not marinated)

Drain and chop artichokes.  Combine all ingredients.  Place in shallow casserole or deep-dish pie plate.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Serve with crackers or a French baguette.

Peanut Soup

The first time I ever had Peanut Soup, I was a little girl of about 8 years of age visiting Colonial Williamsburg.  We ate at the King's Arms Tavern.  Here is a recipe for this wonderful soup from our out of print 25th Anniversary Tin Bin Cookbook (printed in 1997).  Maybe we should do another cookbook?

Peanut Soup
1 med onion
2 stalks celery
2 sticks butter
1/2 C flour
3 qt. chicken broth
3 C creamy peanut butter
1 pt. milk
1 pt. half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Mince onion and chop celery and saute in butter until tender; add flour and stir to make a smooth paste. Slowly add broth while stirring and bring to a boil; add peanut butter and stir.  Reduce heat and add warmed milk and half and half.  Stir and heat about 3 minutes.  Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Chop peanuts or chives to garnish top.  Serves 12 to 14.

Bread Pudding Recipe

Another recipe from our out of print 25th Anniversary Cookbook (published in 1997 in loving memory of James Dale Lutton - co-founder of The Tin Bin):

12 slices bread
 1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 C milk
4 eggs
sprinkle cinnamon
raisins (if desired)

Cube bread into baking dish.  In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar.  Pour over bread cubes.  Add raisins if desired.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream.

Thanks to Jo Ann Lutton for all the great recipes, for being a great mom and for the opportunity to join the "family business."

Breakfast Casserole Recipe

From our out of print 25th Anniversary Cookbook (in 1997):

Something delicious for Christmas brunch - Breakfast Casserole

12 slices bread, trimmed
1 lb crumbled bacon
1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
3 C milk
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Beat eggs and milk together.  Layer bread, bacon, cheese, egg mixture twice.  Refrigerate overnight.  Bake in a 9x13 casserole dish at 325 degrees for 1 hour.  Serves 8 to 12 people.

Wassail Recipe

Sipping some warm wassail on a cold night feels heavenly. Try our recipe for your next holiday gathering - your guests will love it!

1 gallon apple cider
1 gallon cranberry juice
3/4 cup sugar
cloves, allspice, and cinnamon to taste

Combine above ingredients and heat. Serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick. Add some white rum if desired.