When I got up this morning (Monday, January 21, 2008) it was -15 degrees! When it gets that cold I start thinking about “comfort food.” Comfort food to me is something that is hot and reminds me of being cozy and warm - like - Mac and Cheese, Meat loaf, goulash, etc. I’m sure it means different things to different people, depending on what part of the country you are from and how you grew up. Some even consider desserts as comfort food, but I’m not much into desserts so I’ll stick to the main course dishes and hopefully you will be able to find a couple that you would like to try out so you can feel warm and comfortable too.

Vegetable/Beef Chowder
1 - 4 lb roast - roasted, cooled and cut in cubes
5 cups chopped onion
5 cups chopped celery
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup margarine
20 cups beef bouillon
15 cups chopped potatoes
5 - 17 ounce can whole kernel corn
5 - 16 ounce cans tomatoes
10 cups sliced carrots
2 1/2 t. celery seed
2 1/2 t. thyme
2 1/2 t. salt
10 T. cornstarch
1 1/4 cup water
Saute celery, onion and garlic in margarine in stockpot. Add next 8 ingredients. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in mixture of cornstarch and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute longer. Ladle into serving bowls. Yield: 30 servings
Serve with: Shredded cheese & croutons

Buttermilk Biscuits
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup club soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups Bisquick biscuit mix
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In large bowl, mix all ingredients with wooden spoon. On floured surface, knead gently till smooth. Roll dough out till about 3/4 inch thick . Cut out biscuits and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or till lightly browned.

Shrimp Scampi
10-12 lg. shrimp - cleaned & deveined
1 tsp. garlic - minced, dried
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. wine - Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. dry parsley flakes
Lemons
Saute garlic in oil and butter with salt and pepper. Add shrimp. Cook approximately 2 minutes (until pink) and flip over. Add Rhine wine and squeeze fresh cut lemons over shrimp. Before removing from pan sprinkle cheese and parsley over shrimp and serve with juice from the pan.

Pizza Casserole
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 c. chopped onion, cooked
1 c. bell pepper, seeded and chopped
16 oz. purchased pizza sauce
1/4 lb. pepperoni, coarsely chopped
1/2 t. Italian herb seasoning
3 oz. canned sliced mushrooms, drained
1 c. milk
1 T. oil
2 eggs
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
14/ c. grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook first 3 ingredients 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, or until beef is browned. Drain and discard drippings. Stir in next 4 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, combine milk, oil and eggs in a bowl. Beat 1 minutes with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in flour and salt and beat 2 minutes on medium speed, or until smooth. Set aside. Spoon meat mixture evenly into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange cheese slices over meat mixture. Pour batter over cheese, covering completely. Sprinkle with Parmesan. (Dish can be prepared to this point; cover and refrigerate for 1 day before baking.) Bake 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serves 8.

Alfredo Fettuccine
8 ounces cream cheese - cut in bits
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Minced Garlic
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained
In large saucepan combine cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, butter and milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Toss pasta lightly with sauce, coating well. Leftovers freeze well.
Monte Cristo Casserole
1 cup nonfat milk
6 eggs OR 1 1/2 c. egg substitute
2 (12 1/2 ounce) packages frozen French toast - slices, thawed
8 ounces deli ham - diced
8 ounces deli turkey - diced
4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh parsley - snipped
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup strawberry ice cream topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Pour milk in a microwaveable container and heat until hot.
Whisk eggs in small bowl and add hot milk to eggs, blend.
Cut French toast into 3/4 inch cubes; place in a large bowl.
Pour egg mixture over bread cubes, toss gently, set aside.
Combine ham, turkey, cheese and parsley in a bowl.
Spray a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Layer half the French toast cubes with half the meat mixture in bottom of pan.
Repeat.
Let stand for at least 10 minutes (It can be held overnight.) Set at room temperature for a few minutes before baking-or bake a little longer if it’s cold.
Bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown and set in center.
Cool 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Slice strawberries.
Combine strawberries with strawberry ice cream topping in a small bowl.
Cut casserole into squares.
Serve topped with strawberry mixture.

Spaghetti Sauce And Meatballs
SAUCE:
6 #2 can whole tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 small stalk celery, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon oregano
2 Tablespoons salt
1/8 teaspoon sweet basil
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1-inch stick cinnamon
12 whole cloves
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 pound butter OR 1/2 cup olive oil MEATBALLS:
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
4 cups bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 small onion, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
SAUCE: First crush the whole tomatoes reserving liquid. In a large, 8 quart pot, place tomatoes, their liquid, and the tomato paste. Cook over medium heat while preparing vegetables. Add up to 6 ounces of water if sauce is too thick. Chop the vegetables and add a small handful to the simmering sauce. Heat the butter or olive oil over medium high heat and add the remaining vegetables, cooking until light brown. Add to the sauce. Add remaining herbs, spices and the sugar to the sauce and stir well. Simmer sauce at least two hours. Sauce is better if cooked all day.
MEATBALLS: Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Add a little water if mixture seems too dry. Form small balls about the size of an egg. Brown in skillet until meat is no longer pink. Add to sauce and continue simmering. Cook spaghetti noodles to serve a large crowd. Serve with the sauce and meatballs. Serves a large crowd!

Oven Stew
1 lb.beef stew meat
3 med. sized potatoes
4 to 6 carrots
1 sm.onion
1 c. cubed celery
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce - mixed with 1 can water
1 tsp.sugar
2 tsp.tapioca
Arrange meat in single layer in a baking pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Cut potatoes, carrots, onion, celery in good sized chunks and layer on top of meat. Mix tomato sauce, water, sugar and pour over meat. Season to taste. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons tapioca. Do not stir. Seal tightly in foil and bake at 325 degrees at least 2 hours.

Last week I ended with a recipe that called for a jar of dulce de leche, which may be difficult to find around here - but - you can make your own.
Place an unopened can (or do a few at once) of sweetened condensed milk in a pot, well covered with water, and bring the water to a boil. Keep at a low boil for two to three hours, making sure the water level always stays above the top of the can (if the can isn’t submerged, it may explode). The longer it cooks, the thicker the dulce de leche will be; after two hours, you’ll be able to drizzle it, and after three hours, it will be thick enough to sandwich cookies. Be careful when you open it as pressure will have built up.

Dulce de Leche Brownies
8 tablespoons (115 g) salted or unsalted butter - cut into pieces
6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate - finely chopped
1/4 cup (25 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (140 g) flour
1 cup (100 g) pecans or walnuts - toasted & coarsely chopped
1 cup Dulce de Leche
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).
Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn’t reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.
Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Here comes the fun part.
Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Dulce de Leche Cake
2 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. plus
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. fine salt
6 eggs, at room temperature - separated
1 1/4cups sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tbsp.dark rum
1 tbsp.vanilla extract
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 16-oz. jar dulce de leche
1. Heat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan with the butter and dust with 1 tbsp. of the flour. Invert the dish, tap out the excess flour, and set aside.
2. Sift the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside. Put the egg whites into a large bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. While the mixer is still running, add the sugar in a gradual stream and continue beating again to soft peaks. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add the reserved flour mixture and the whole milk in 3 parts, beating until smooth after each addition. Add the rum and vanilla and beat again briefly until smooth.
3. Pour batter into reserved baking pan and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Set the cake aside and let cool slightly for 30 minutes.
4. Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a bowl. Using a knife, poke the cake with holes all over, penetrating to the bottom of the pan. Pour the milk mixture over the warm cake and set aside to let cool completely.
5. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled and liquid is absorbed, at least 4 hours. Spread the dulce de leche across the top of the cake and serve.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter - melted
Filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup La Paila Dulce de Leche
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix crust ingredients together, and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
Reset oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla and mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix until smooth. Add milk and mix until well blended.
Measure 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and pour into a small bowl. Add La Paila Dulce de Leche and stir until well combined.
Pour plain batter over crust. Top with La Paila Dulce de Leche batter by placing rounded spoonfuls over the cheesecake batter and gently swirl into plain batter with the tip of knife or spatula.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and gently run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cheesecake (this helps prevent cracking). Let cool 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate 4- 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Dulce de Leche, Plum & Almond Pies
175 g Dulce De Leche Original
4 large plums
50g ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp amaretto liqueur
2 x 340 g frozen dessert pastry - thawed
golden caster sugar
1. Halve and stone the plums and chop them into small pieces. Put the pieces into a bowl, add the ground almonds, cinnamon and amaretto and stir together. Add the dulce de leche and fold together.
2. Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Place paper muffin cases into a deep 12 hole muffin tin.
3. Take one pack of pastry and roll into a bowl. On a floured surface roll the pastry to a thickness of a pound coin. Using a 9cm diameter plain cutter and cut out rounds of pastry. Carefully press each pastry round in to a muffin case. Repeat with the second pack of pastry until all muffin cases are lined with pastry.
4. Divide the pastry between them. Take a 7cm diameter crinkle cutter and cut out 12 rounds in the remaining pastry. Lightly brush the underside with water and place on top of the filled muffin cases, pressing the edges of the pastry down.
5. Bake the pies in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is light golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sugar.

Banana-Caramel Pie
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 bananas
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the butter in a mixing bowl until evenly blended. Press the crumb mixture evenly into a 9 inch pie plate.
Bake pie crust in preheated oven until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.
Open the can of dulce de leche, and pour half, or about 3/4 cup, over the pie crust. Slice the bananas and arrange half in a layer over the dulce de leche filling. Pour the remaining dulce de leche over the bananas. Top with remaining banana slices.
Pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl, and beat until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla extract; continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon the whipped cream over the bananas. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Blueberry Oatmeal
Breakfast Cake
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 400º F. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a 1-cup measure stir milk, oil and egg; pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries; spoon batter into prepared pan.
Bake until cake is golden and pulls away from sides of pan 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Crockpot Oatmeal
2 cups milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup finely chopped apple
1/2 cup raisins and/or dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
Grease the inside of crockpot. Combine ingredients in crockpot and mix well. Cover and turn on low heat. Cook overnight or 8-9 hours. Stir before serving.

Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal
5 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
cinnamon, to taste
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup raisin (optional)
Mix together in a large air-tight container, oatmeal, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in nuts and raisins, if desired.
Scoop oatmeal mixture into quart jar; tighten lid and store until ready to use. To serve, pour desired amount into microwavable bowl. Add milk to desired consistency. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and microwave again for 30 seconds. If not hot enough, microwave again until cereal is thickened and hot throughout. Add chopped apples and maple syrup, if desired.

Oatmeal Souffle Recipe
1 cup Milk
2 tablespoons Butter
3/4 cup Quick-Cooking Rolled Oats
1/3 cup low-fat Cream Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
3 Eggs, separated
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and sugar 1 1/2 quart souffle dish or casserole; set aside.
Put milk and butter into a small saucepan and heat until barely boiling. Slowly add oatmeal, stirring constantly. Cook oatmeal until thick, stirring often. Remove from heat and add cream cheese, salt, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir briskly to blend and smooth the mixture.
Beat the 3 yolks slightly and slowly add them to the oatmeal, stirring constantly. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but still moist. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir and fold the whites into the oatmeal mixture. Don’t overfold; fold only until no large lumps of whites remain. Spoon the mixture into the souffle dish.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center still trembles a trifle but most of the souffle is set. Serve immediately with cream or warm milk.
This souffle is still tasty when cold and fallen. For a touch of decadence, serve with whipped cream.
To reheat, place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or heat individual servings in the microwave.

Toasty Baked Oatmeal
2 cups regular rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1 firm-ripe pear, rinsed, stemmed, cored, and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325º F.
In a large bowl, mix oats, baking powder, and salt. Stir in almonds, apricots, and pear.
In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, brown sugar, oil, and cinnamon. Pour over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
Pour mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Bake until liquid is absorbed and top is light golden, about 45 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve warm.

Oatmeal Soup
1 onion, sliced
1/2 C mushrooms, sliced (I’d use WAY more)
2 cloves garlic, minced (Once again...more!)
1 C rolled oats
7 C vegetable broth
1 16 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Mrs. Dash/Spike Seasoning (or whatever) to taste
1 C lowfat soy or rice milk
Saute onions, mushrooms, and garlic in a little bit of the broth until tender. Stir in oats, broth, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 min. Season and stir in “milk.

Granola
1/3 cup each oil
1/3 cup honey
4 cups oats
1 cup dried fruit (raisins, diced apricots, etc)
Seasoning of choice (cinnamon, vanilla, orange extract, nutmeg, cloves, etc)
Stir oil and sweetener together in a large skillet. Heat until warm, Add seasonings now and stir in well. Add oats, mix until well coated. Heat over low to medium heat, stirring until lightly brown.
Remove from heat.
Add optional ingredients: coconut, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, etc.
You can store this in a sealed container for at least two weeks. We usually make a huge batch in a roasting pan and that’s how long it lasts us. It might last longer, but we always eat it sooner than that. We like it with milk or yogurt.

Blueberry-Oatmeal Muffins
1 cups rolled oats
1 cups fresh orange juice
Grated zest of 1/2 orange
1 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 T. molasses
1 cups frozen blueberries or fresh blueberries, stemmed and washed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper cupcake liners into 12-cup muffin tins. (If you don’t have paper liners, lightly butter the muffin cups.)
In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, orange juice, and orange zest.
On a sheet of wax paper, combine both of the flours, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the oat mixture and mix. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Beat in the vanilla and the molasses.
Add the blueberries and gently fold them in by hand. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them about three-quarters full.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

Chocolate-Oatmeal Carmelitas
3 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
One 16-ounce jar dulce de leche (1 1/2 cups); see Note
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. In a large bowl, whisk 3 cups of the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the butter, oats and brown sugar and mix until combined. In a small bowl, mix the dulce de leche with the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour.
2. Pat half of the oat mixture into the baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Scatter half of the chocolate chips and pecans over the crust. Dollop half of the dulce de leche mixture on top. Crumble the remaining oat mixture evenly into the pan. Cover with the remaining chocolate chips, pecans and dulce de leche. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the edges are set. Let stand uncovered at room temperature overnight. Cut the carmelitas into bars and serve.
MAKE AHEAD Once cooled, the carmelitas can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
NOTES Dulce de leche, the Latin caramel sauce, is available at most supermarkets and specialty food shops.

In doing some research for what I was going to put in the column this week I discovered that January is “National Hot Tea Month.”
As a child I can remember receiving a small china tea set and having many happy hours of serving tea to all my dolls, and whoever else was in the vicinity. I don’t hear about people having tea parties much any more. It seems as though everyone is “too busy.” It really is too bad that we have gotten to the point that we have a hard time finding time to just sit and relax. I got to thinking that maybe once a month it would be fun to have a “tea party” and invite a few friends to sit and enjoy a cup of good tea in china cups and enjoy some scones or finger sandwiches to go with it. That got me thinking about when my mother would host the church Ladies Aid at her house and we would prepare sandwiches where we would use cookie cutters to cut bread in interesting shapes, spread them with a variety of sandwich spreads and top them with a sliced green olive, cucumbers or other decorations.
To make a perfect cup of tea:
1. start with filtered or purified drinking water
2. select which loose, whole leaf tea you want to brew
3. place tea leaves in a tea infuser with small holes so no tea leaves enter the cup and large enough for tea to expand
a. black tea: 1 t. to 12 oz. water
b. herbal and other infusions: 1 T. to 12 oz. water
4. pour water over tea leaves
a. to brew black tea and herbal infusion teas use a water temp. of 203º
b. to brew green and white tea use a water temp. of 170-190º
c. to brew oolong tea use a water temp. of 190º
5. Steep
a. black and oolong tea: 4 minutes
b. green tea: 3 minutes
c. white tea: 4-6 minutes
d. oolong tea: 5-8 minutes
e. infusion tea: the longer, the stronger, but will not get bitter
Remove tea leaves and pour the tea and serve with one or more of the following.
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
1-2 European cucumbers
Salt and black pepper
White wine vinegar
Pumpernickel or wheat bread very thinly sliced
Butter at room temperature
Peel a European cucumber and slice it into transparent slices with a mandolin or very thin slicer (a potato peeler works well too). Sprinkle these thin slices with a little of white wine vinegar and salt and let drain in a sieve for about 1/2 hour. Drain away any excess water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cover a slice of lightly buttered thin brown bread with 2 layers of cucumber and a bit of black pepper and top with another slice of buttered bread. Press firmly with the palm of your hand. Cut off the crusts. Cut into small rectangles or triangles. Cover with plastic wrap until served.
Cherry and Pecan
Cream Cheese Spread
1 cup dried sour cherries
1 cup water
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
scones or crackers as accompaniments
In a small heavy saucepan simmer cherries in water until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Remove pan from heat and cool mixture. In a bowl whisk together cream cheese, pecans, lime juice, thyme, zest, cherry mixture, and salt and pepper to taste until spread is combined well. Spread may be made 2 days ahead and kept chilled, covered. Serve spread with scones or crackers.
Cucumber and Smoked
Salmon Sandwiches with
Horseradish Butter
1/2 cup lightly salted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon white prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 squares pumpernickel or wheat bread
1/2 medium English cucumber, sliced thin
4 ounces sliced smoked salmon
Combine butter, horseradish, chives, dill, and salt and mix well. Spread each piece of bread with 1 tablespoon of the butter mixture Place 1 ounce of sliced salmon on four of the bread slices.
Top with thinly sliced cucumber and another piece of bread. Press firmly and cut off crust around sandwiches. Cut each whole sandwich into four squares or triangles, or with a round, crescent or star cutter, if desired. Keep tightly wrapped until serving.
Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches with Smoked Almonds
3 cups chicken broth or water
2 whole boneless chicken breasts with skin (about 1 1/2pounds) halved
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
24 very thin slices homemade-type white bread
1/2 cup finely chopped smoked almonds (about 2 ounces)
In a deep 12-inch skillet bring broth or water to a boil and add chicken breasts in one layer. Reduce heat and poach chicken at a bare simmer, turning once, 7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and cool chicken in cooking liquid 20 minutes. Discard skin and shred chicken fine. In a bowl stir together chicken, 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, shallot, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Make 12 sandwiches with chicken salad and bread, pressing together gently. With 2 inch round cutter cut 2 rounds from each sandwich. Put almonds on a small plate and spread edges of rounds with remaining 1/2 cup mayonnaise to coat well. Roll edges in almonds. Sandwiches may be made 2 hour ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled.
Herbed Vidalia Onion
Tea Sandwiches
2/3 cups mayonnaise
1 cup minced fresh curly parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste
12 very thin slices firm white sandwich bread
2 Vidalia or other sweet onions, e.g., Walla Walla (1 pound total) cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
Stir together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup parsley, tarragon, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Tabasco in a bowl. Cut 4 rounds from each slice of bread with a 1 5/8-inch round cookie cutter, and arrange in 1 layer on a tray. Spread rounds evenly with herbed mayonnaise. Cut out 2 or 3 rounds from each onion slice with the cutter. Top half of the bread rounds with the onion rounds, transferring onion rounds carefully with a spatula so the rings don’t separate, Invert remaining bread rounds on top of onions. Lay 2 12-inch squares of wax paper on a work surface. Spread remaining 1/3 cup mayonnaise in a very thin layer over one wax paper square and spread remaining 3/4 cup parsley evenly over the other square. Carefully roll the edges of each sandwich first in mayonnaise to coat lightly, then in parsley, and arrange sandwiches on a serving platter (Sandwiches may be made up to 2 hours ahead, and refrigerated covered with plastic wrap.)
Turkey, Cranberry and Cucumber Sandwiches
1 c. cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. onion, thinly sliced
1 T. sugar
pinch salt
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. dried cranberries, mined
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 c. cashews, chopped
12 oz. roasted turkey, ground
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Combine cucumber, vinegar, onion, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Blend cream cheese, cranberries, lemon juice, cashews, turkey, salt and pepper in a second bowl; set aside.
To assemble, spread on side of each slice of bread with some of the cream cheese/turkey mixture, then top with some of the cucumbers and another slice of bread; cut into desired shapes.
Smoked Salmon
Wasabi Tea Sandwiches
2 tablespoon wasabi powder
3 teaspoons water
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
12 very thin slices whole wheat bread
8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Mix wasabi powder and 3 teaspoons water in medium bowl to form paste. Add cream cheese; using electric mixer, beat until well combined. Place all bread slices on work surface. Spread each with wasabi cream cheese, dividing equally. Top 6 bread slices with smoked salmon, dividing equally. Sprinkle lemon peel, then cilantro over salmon. Top with remaining bread slices, cheese side down. (Make Ahead: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Wrap sandwiches individually in paper towels and refrigerate.) Trim crusts. Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles.

Rumprint Cookies
2/3 c. Unsalted butter - softened
1/3 c. Granulated sugar
1 Egg
1 t Vanilla extract
1/4 t. Salt
1 3/4 c All-purpose flour
1/4 t. Nutmeg or to taste
Filling
1/4 c. Unsalted butter - softened
1 c. Sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 t. Rum extract or to taste
Nutmeg for garnish
1. Beat butter in large bowl of electric mixer until light; beat in sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and salt; beat well. Stir in flour and nutmeg until well mixed. Refrigerate dough, covered, 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Have ungreased baking sheets ready.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch diameter balls. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Press down centers with thumb. Bake until barely golden, about 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
4. For filling, beat butter until light. Beat in confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Add rum extract to taste. Beat well. Fill a pastry
bag fitted with a medium star tip with the filling. Pipe a star into the center of each cookie. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Chill until filling firms, 15 minutes.

7 Layer Bars
1/2 c. Butter
1 c. Graham cracker crumbs
1 c. Semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. Butterscotch chips
1 1/3 c. Flaked coconut
1/2 c. Walnuts - chopped
1 cn Sweetened condensed milk
Melt butter in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over butter. Sprinkle in layers, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, and top with coconut. Pour condensed milk over all. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool and cut in bars.

Almond Joy Cookies
2 squares Unsweetened Chocolate
1 cn. Sweetened - condensed milk
3 c. Sweetened - flaked coconut
1 t. Vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Almonds for garnish
Heat in a double boiler, 1 can sweetened condensed milk and 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate, until chocolate is melted. Stir until mixture is smooth. Pour over a bowl containing 3 cup of sweetened, flaked coconut. Add 1tsp of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Mix well until coconut is completely coated. Drop on a cookie sheet which is lined with parchment paper, by tspfuls. Press a whole almond into the top.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Check at 8 minutes, as bottoms of cookies brown quickly. Remove from oven, cool, remove from pan.

Almost Pecan Pie Cookies
Crust:
1 c. Butter - melted
1 c. Light brown sugar
2 c. Flour
Filling:
4 Eggs - slightly beaten
2 c. Pecans - chopped
1/4 c. Flour
1 t. Salt
3 c. Dark brown sugar
1/2 t. Vanilla
1 cn Coconut
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Mix the butter, 2 cups flour and light brown sugar. Spread evenly in a 9x13” pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325. Mix the filling ingredients together, except the powdered sugar. Spread over the crust.
Bake for 40 minutes until the mixture is firm. Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar while it is still warm. Cool. Cut into 48 squares. Freezes well.

Baklava
2 1/2 c. Sugar
1 1/2 c. Water
1 T. Lemon juice
1 lb. Pecans - chopped
1/4 c. Sugar
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/8 t. Nutmeg
1 lb. Filo dough
1 c. Butter - melted
Prepare syrup first: bring to boil 2-1/2 cups sugar and water; add lemon juice. Simmer until it is a pale yellow color. Syrup should be thick and cold when poured over hot Baklava. Mix nuts, 1/4 cup sugar, and spices; set aside.
Melt butter. Butter 9” x 13” cake pan thoroughly. Keep filo pastry covered with a damp tea towel while working with individual sheets. Layer sheets in baking pan, one at a time, brushing each layer with melted butter. After layering six or so, begin alternating layers of filo pastry with nuts.
Brush one layer with butter and sprinkle the next with 1/2 cup nut mixture. Continue to alternate buttered layers and nut-covered layers until all but ten of the sheets have been used. Layer the last ten sheets as you did the bottom six, brushing each with butter.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes. Score pastry into diamond shapes about 1-1/2” X 2”. Pour cold syrup over hot pastry. Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from pan.

Cupcake Cones
Cupcakes:
1 Pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 1/4 c. water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
30 Small flat-bottomed ice cream cones
Icing:
5 c.powdered sugar
3/4 c.shortening
1/2 c. butter or margarine - softened
2 1/2 T. milk
1 1/4 t. almond extract
sprinkles and candies to decorate
For cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients according to cake mix package directions. Fill each cone with about 2 - 1/2 T. of batter. Place cones about 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely. For icing: beat all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Ice each cupcake with about 1 T. icing. Before icing hardens, decorate with sprinkles and candies.

Southern Pecan Dainties
1 lb. Light brown sugar
3 c. Pecans - chopped
3 Egg whites - beaten
1/4 t. Salt
1 t. Vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients together. Drop by scant tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 300~ oven for about 20 minutes.

Health Candy Bar Cookies
2 c. Brown sugar
2 c. Flour - all purpose, sifted
1/2 c. Butter - or margarine, softened
1 Egg
1/2 t. Salt
1 c. Milk
1 t. Soda
1 t. Vanilla extract
6 Heath candy bars
1/2 c. Pecans - chopped
Blend together brown sugar, flour and butter. Reserve 1 cup of mixture.
Add to the remaining flour mixture, egg, salt, milk, soda and vanilla. Crush Heath candy bars and add pecans. Mix with reserved flour mixture. Sprinkle over the batter in the pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350.

Frying Pan Cookies
2 Eggs - unbeaten
1 c. Sugar
1 1/2 c. Dates - chopped
Salt
Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from stove and add 2 cups of Rice Krispies. Roll in balls and dip in coconut.

Taffy Apple Cookies
1 c. Butter
2/3 c. Sugar
1 Egg - beaten
2 1/2 c. Flour - all-purpose
1/2 t. Baking powder - double-acting
1 t. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 pk. Caramels
1/4 c. Water
2 T. Evaporated milk - skim
Nuts - ground
Cream butter with sugar. Add egg and mix well. Blend flour with baking powder. Add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Mix well and roll into tiny balls. Bake at 350 deg. for 10 - 12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Remove from oven and insert toothpick (colored for the holidays) deep into the cookie. Let cool completely.
In top of double boiler, melt 1 1/2 packages caramels with water and evaporated milk. Stir constantly. When completely blended, dip cookies into mixture and then into nuts. Dip bottoms in powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Place on tiny liners.