Home Made Manicotti

This is how my mother taught me to make Manicotti, she never used store bought noodles she made a crepe like batter and cooked them in a frying pan and then filled them and baked them smothered with mozzarella cheese on top.
Cooking them this way makes for a light and delicate noodle, with a very distinctive taste. I promise you this is a very easy recipe to follow, once you make manicotti this way you won't use a store bought noodle again.

Manicotti Shells:
1-1/4 cups water
5 large eggs
1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon melted butter or margarine, cooled
Additional melted butter, margarine, or vegetable spray, as needed to make crepes


Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, with liquid
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2-1/4 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper


Filling:
2 pounds ricotta cheese, regular or low fat
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, diced
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

To Make the shells:
Place the water, eggs, flour, salt, and melted butter in a blender or processor and process until smooth.

tip: You should use a teflon coated fry pan 7" or 8" n diameter, I use a ladle full of batter place it into the frying pan swirl to coat and using the tip/corner of a spatula ease up the edge of the shell and flip, They pretty much cook as soon as they're swirled around, so don't wait to flip. Once you do get it flipped just give it 2 seconds and it will be done, take it out and stack them with wax paper in between each shell.

Heat a 7" or 8" crepe pan over medium heat for a few minutes, then brush with a little melted butter or vegetable spray. Pour in just enough crepe batter to cover the bottom of the pan.


Cook the shell until it is "dry" on top and barely light brown on the bottom.

Turn the shell over and cook about 10 to 20 seconds.

Remove shell to a large plate and repeat the process until all the batter is used.


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make Sauce:
Prepare sauce by heating the olive oil in a large skillet and sautéing the onions and garlic.

Add all the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for an hour.

Make Filling and Assembly:
In a large bowl combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup parmesan cheeses (The rest is for topping). Add the parsley, salt and pepper, and mix well.

Pour some of the sauce into the bottom of a large shallow baking dish. Place about 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling in the center of each shell. Fold shell in thirds and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until all shells and filling is used. Cover the shells with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle on the remaining parmesan cheese.



The dish can be assembled in advance to this point and frozen or refrigerated until needed.

Bake the manicotti, uncovered, at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

If baking manicotti directly from the freezer, bake at 350°F for an hour or until thoroughly heated.

Poster's Notes:
This sauce can be used in any recipe calling for a marinara sauce, and it freezes well.

Crepes/Shells can be frozen in a stack, but a sheet of waxed paper must be placed in between each shell.

The shell transform this into a light, delicate main course. Can be made ahead and frozen. The tomato sauce can be made, frozen and used on any pasta, fish, or chicken.



Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A

Rugelach Recipe

From Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:

For the dough
4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces (See Note below)
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces (See Note below)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling
2/3 cup raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade ((I used peach jam)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds)
1/4 cup plump, moist dried currants ((I used raisins)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

For the glaze
1 large egg
1 teaspoon cold water
2 tablespoons sugar, preferably coarse sugar

Method:

For the dough
1) Let the cream cheese and butter rest on counter for 10 minutes. It should be slightly softened but cool.
2) Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine for 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds. Do not work the dough too long that it forms a ball on the blade.
(Note: I used a stand mixer and I find that it's easier to process by cutting the cream cheese and butter into cubes of 1-cm)
3) Remove the dough from the food processor, divide into half, shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to a day. (Wrap airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)

To make the filling
1) Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or microwave until it liquefies. Mix sugar and cinnamon together.
2) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)

To shape the cookies
1) Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
2) On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar.
3) Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the chopped chocolate and half of the currants. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
4) Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or trigangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut into quarters, then cut each quarters into 4 pieces.)
5) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each triangle becomes a little crescent.
6) Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (The cookies can be refrigerate overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.)

Getting ready to bake
1) Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

To glaze
1) Stir the egg and water together. Brush a bit of the glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.
2) Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden.
3) Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

Baba's Cream Cheese Kolacky Submitted by LIN

This recipe won #1 Cookie for 2008 in the Chicago Tribune Contest...it's wonderful!!

This recipe, submitted by Emily Dressel of River Forest, was handed down by her grandmother, Baba. During a kolacky-baking lesson, Baba offered this advice for making these tender cookies: "You have to just sense it, Emily. The dough will tell you what it needs."

1bag (10 ounces) dried apricots

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups flour (I added 1/2 tsp. of sugar to the flour)

Confectioners' sugar

1 Place apricots in medium saucepan; cover with water. Soak overnight. Heat the apricots and water to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring often with fork to mash and adding water if needed, until smooth and thick, about 10 minutes. (If necessary, you can chop finely with a knife or process about 1 minute in a food processor or chopper.) Add the granulated sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Cool completely.

2 Blend together the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; gradually blend in flour, using hands once the dough has begun to form, until it can be shaped into a ball (this may be more or less than 2 cups). Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

3 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into thirds. Roll out each third on a floured board into a 12-by-8-inch rectangle, 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 2-inch squares with a pizza cutter. Place 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of the apricot filling in the middle of each square. Fold each corner into middle; pinch together. (Moisten fingers with cold water if dough does not stick.)

4 Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets; bake until golden, about 17 minutes per batch. Cool on wire rack; sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Makes: About 6 dozen

Italian Creme Cookies

This cookie recipe is a versatile one, it can be anisette, vanilla, or lemon by simply adding the extract you desire into the icing. Be bold and use food coloring to make your cookies festive and sprinkle with decorations like sprinkles or colored nonpareils.

Ingredients

1/2 lb margarine
2 c sugar
1 lb ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 tbs vanilla
4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt


Icing
1/2 box confectioners sugar
2 tbs milk
1 tsp anisette extract, or ..one of your desire

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add cheese, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Sift 4cups of flour and add the baking soda and salt and combine well. Slowly add flour mix to the butter and cheese mixture. Mix until it is mixed well, the batter should be soft.

Place on ungreased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 -15 minutes.
Cool completely, Meanwhile make up your icings when the cookies are cooled ice them and sprinkle them, place them on a rack to drip of excess icing and let them dry before storing them in an airtight container. This recipe should yeild about 4 dozen cookies.

Punch Bowl Cake, Submitted by PsSweeney Pat

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on cake mix box
4 cups milk
4 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 boxes (4-serving size each) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup chocolate-flavor syrup
2 cans (15 oz each) mandarin orange segments, drained
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed


1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray.
2. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix milk and orange peel. With wire whisk, beat pudding mix into milk mixture about 2 minutes or until blended.
4. Cut or tear cooled cake into 1-inch pieces. Arrange half of pieces in 3 1/2-quart glass serving bowl, cutting pieces to fit shape of bowl. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the chocolate syrup over cake; spread with 2 cups of the pudding. Reserve 1/2 cup orange segments for garnish; arrange remaining orange segments over pudding. Add remaining cake pieces. Top with remaining chocolate syrup, remaining pudding and the whipped topping. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled.
5. Garnish dessert with reserved orange segments. Store covered in refrigerator up to 8 hours.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Make cake mix following high altitude directions on box for 13x9-inch pan.


Substitution
Do you like the flavor of white chocolate? Use white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix instead of vanilla.
Success
If you don't have a bowl big enough to hold this crowd-size dessert, two smaller bowls will work just as well.
Special Touch
For an extra-special treat, decorate with chocolate-dipped orange segments. Dip half of each orange segment into melted chocolate and place on a waxed paper-covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes or until chocolate is set. Just before serving, arrange dipped oranges on top of dessert.

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 400 (Calories from Fat 130); Total Fat 14g (Saturated Fat 6g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 45mg; Sodium 490mg; Total Carbohydrate 62g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 44g); Protein 6g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 15%; Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 10%; Iron 10% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 4
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Dancing dessert: Berry-filled Pavlova Submitted by Wata

As my own idea... my thought to make the nest easier -pipe the meringue using the star tip, You could get them taller making for a better presentation. Just make sure you patch any holes before you cook the nests. ~ Gia

Recipe & Photo by Sue Doeden

The meringue crust in this dessert, with its contrasting textures, melts on the tongue. It is filled with rich, fluffy whipped cream and fresh berries, bursting with flavor.

On her blog, Sue makes individual Pavlovas and fills them with Mascarpone Cream and Italian Peppered Strawberries
Perfect Pavlovas
For six years the Pavlova recipe was tucked into my “Summer Recipes” file. A cooking school classmate sent it to me with her penned comment beside the recipe, “This is a great one.” And I knew she was right. She made the delicate meringue shells and filled them with fruit when we were at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco.

Pavlova is said to be invented by an Australian chef as a culinary expression of the light-as-a-feather dancing of Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova. Many New Zealanders would dispute this, though, and the delightful dessert has become a treasure for both countries to boast about, each claiming it as their own.

The list of ingredients for Pavlova is short and straightforward. Egg whites, which are pure protein, are whipped with sugar to create a voluminous white cloud. Tiny amounts of vinegar and cornstarch are added right at the end.

The first step in preparing Pavlova is to separate the egg yolks from the whites, being very careful that not even one little speck of yolk gets into the egg whites. (Egg yolks contain fat, and fat interferes with the formation of firm and light whipped egg whites.) Separating eggs is easiest to do when the eggs are chilled, right out of the refrigerator. Store the yolks in a covered container in the refrigerator for another use. Hollandaise sauce, maybe? Allow the bowl of egg whites to sit at room temperature so that the protein strands in the egg whites will be able to easily stretch as they are beaten, resulting in a shiny, firm meringue.

The meringue is baked at a very low temperature, allowing a thin, crisp shell to form on the outside, leaving the inside just slightly chewy. Don’t be bothered by any cracks that may appear around the edges of the Pavlova or even in the middle as it cools. It just happens. The inside cracks will be hidden by whipped cream and berries. Those on the outside add endearing character.

You’ll have so much fun impressing everyone with this lovely light dessert that takes little effort to make. The meringue crust, with its contrasting textures, melts on the tongue. Rich, fluffy whipped cream with just a slight hint of sweetness and fresh berries, bursting with flavor. Working together, they make a perfect team.

The meringue crust of Pavlova is very versatile. Top it with any of your favorite seasonal fruit. Fill the meringue with lemon curd or ice cream. Add a touch of decadence with a drizzle of hot fudge sauce over each serving.


Ingredients

Pavlova with Berries and Whipped Cream

4 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch, sifted
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pints fresh berries of your choice
Extra powdered sugar for garnish
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet with no sides. Draw a 9- or 10-inch circle on the parchment, using a plate as your guide. Turn the paper over so the drawing is on the bottom. It will show through the parchment.

Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. If you are using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites at low speed until they are very foamy. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add superfine sugar, beating until the sugar is dissolved after each addition. Beat the mixture 5 to 10 minutes, until it is very shiny and thick. Fold in cornstarch and vinegar.

Spread meringue mixture into the marked circle on parchment paper. Use the back of a spoon to shape evenly, spreading meringue to the sides and leaving a slight depression in the middle, similar to a nest. Run the flat side of a knife up the edge of meringue mixture, all the way around, making furrows. This strengthens the Pavlova and gives it a nice decorative finish.

Bake the meringue in preheated 250-degree oven for 1 hour. Turn off the oven. Leave Pavlova to cool in the oven with door slightly ajar. It will take at least 2 hours for the Pavlova to cool completely.

Use a wide metal spatula to carefully loosen the baked meringue shell from the parchment paper. Slide the meringue onto a cake platter.

An hour before serving, beat heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until firm.

Spoon sweetened whipped cream into the meringue shell and spread evenly. Spoon berries carefully over the whipped cream, leaving a border of cream and meringue. Sprinkle the Pavlova with powdered sugar just before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Tips from the cook

--Avoid making Pavlova on a humid day. The meringues will become sticky and soft.

--The meringue shell can be made the day before serving. I bake the meringue the evening before I plan to serve it and just keep it in the turned-off oven overnight. An hour before serving time, I fill it with the whipped cream and berries and just let it sit until time to eat. You can also fill it at the last minute. The meringue will get soggy if it is filled long before eating.

--Be sure to use a glass or stainless steel bowl for whipping the eggs. Avoid a plastic bowl. Fat clings to plastic, and even though the bowl seems clean, there is a good chance that a bit of grease remains. Fat interferes with the formation of a fluffy meringue.

--Superfine sugar, sometimes called caster sugar, dissolves more quickly than regular granulated sugar. Granulated sugar can be used in this recipe, just be sure to beat the egg whites and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Coffee Cake Submitted by Clk

Easy 222 Coffee Cake Recipe

Preheat oven to 350.

In mixing bowl combine:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder

In 2 Cup measuring cup combine:

2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
*Milk

*After putting vanilla, eggs and oil in cup, full cup with milk to the 2 cup line.

Mix all together in a 9 x 13 greased pan for 30-35 minutes at 350.

When it comes out of the oven, rub 1 stick of butter over cake till melted. Sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Tiramisu

My all time favorite dessert is Tiramisu.. nothing compares to this in my opinion. There are quick recipes you can easily find on the net. Me? No way will I bother, It's the classic recipe or nothing. Tiramisu is pretty easy to make once you are familiar with it, and nothing can ever beat the traditional goodness that a "from scratch" recipe can give you, Not only in taste, the satisfaction that you did it, you made it and the proud smile you'll have ...when your friends and family tell you how good it is. I have included 2 videos and one classic recipe written by ~ Michael Chu.. Enjoy and play if you have any questions email me. As always share what you love -- I also wanted to ask you all if anyone is interested in a xmas cookie exchange of recipes for the holidays. It would be nice to get a jump start so that we can plan. Let me know your ideas. ~







This video is more traditional and might have some terms you are unfamiliar with "caster sugar is Super fine sugar"









It turns out it's pretty difficult to find a published recipe of tiramisu more than a decade old. The reason? Tiramisu was probably invented in the late 1960's or early 1970's at a restaurant called Le Beccherie in Treviso, Italy. Heavenly Tiramisu, Google's highest ranked site when doing a search on tiramisu, claims that Tiramisu has the same roots as zuppa inglese dating back to the 19th century. Unfortunately, like the reader that wrote into Heavenly Tiramisu, I have to object to this classification since the use of coffee or espresso is not traditional in zuppa inglese. If you add the espresso, then it is no longer zuppa inglese but tiramisu. This addition did not seem to happen in a regular manner or recorded recipe until Le Beccherie introduced it over thirty years ago.

Anna Maria Volpi has an article on the history of tiramisu that supports the Le Beccherie origin. Having determined the origins of tiramisu, I had to find the recipe. Unfortunately, I have only Anna Maria Volpi's classic tiramisu recipe (which she claims is the original Le Beccherie recipe) to go by. I was unable to determine if this is (or was) indeed the original recipe, but it's the only one that claims to be, so I shall proceed (for the moment) as if it was.

Most of the ingredients were readily available, but I was not looking forward to purchasing 1-1/2 cups of espresso from my local coffee shop. I asked how many ounces were in a shot of espresso and they told me it was one fluid ounce. I quickly did some mental math and realized that it would be over $15 in espresso alone for me to test this dessert. I explained what I was trying to do and they offered to "work something out". Because I was trying a tiramisu recipe, the coffee shop sold me 12 shots of espresso for $1.95. Amazing. I'm bringing those people some tiramisu tomorrow. Now that I've acquired my espresso, it's time to start preparing the tiramisu.

The Original Tiramisu (serves 12)
4 large egg yolks beat beat whisk over steam beat fold assemble sift refrigerate 4 hours
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1 lb. mascarpone cheese beat
1 cup heavy cream whip to soft peaks
about 40 ladyfinger cookies soak 2 seconds
12 oz. espresso dissolve
2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbs. cocoa powder





I began by assembling four large egg yolks, 1/2 cup sweet marsala wine, 16 ounces mascarpone cheese, 12 ounces espresso, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and enough lady fingers to layer a 12x8 inch pan twice (40). I stirred two tablespoons of granulated sugar into the espresso and put it in the refrigerator to chill.






In a heatproof bowl, I whisked the egg yolks until they became a light and fluffy cream.




I poured in the sugar and wine and whisked briefly until it was well blended.










I poured some water into a saucepan and set it over high heat until it began to boil. Lowering the heat to medium (enough to keep the water boiling), I placed the heatproof bowl over the water (a convenient double boiler) and stirred as the mixture began to thicken and smooth out. I stopped when the mixture began to slowly bubble.







I removed the mixture, which has now become a custard, from the heat and put it on the side. This custard by itself is a great Italian dessert called zabaglione (sabayon in French cooking) and can be served as is or made into a more complicated dessert by mixed with fruit, serving with cookies, or made into tiramisu (and many more possibilities).




While the zabaglione cools a bit, I whipped (with my stand mixer to save time) the heavy cream until soft peaks. Soft peaks is when the whipped cream can almost stand on its own. Dip your whisk or finger into the cream and see if the spike that forms when you withdraw just curls over at the tip. If so, you've got soft peaks. If it stands up by itself, you've over beaten and produced stiff peaks. If the peak just sinks back into the cream, you don't have whipped cream yet. Keep beating.






Now, in a medium bowl, I beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth and creamy. I used alternated between beating with a whisk and mashing it with a spatula to make quick work of the cheese.










I poured the zabaglione onto the cheese and beat until smooth.









I then folded in the whipped cream. Folding prevent the whipped cream from continuing to progress on the path toward butter and separation (which is what happens when you over whip cream). To fold, simply use your spatula to cut into the mixture and scoop up mixture from below and "fold" it over the cream. Rotate and repeat. The final mixture should be have a fairly even distribution, but it's okay to still see some patches of yellow and white.





Now, I began to assemble the tiramisu. The recipe called for filling a 12x8 in. pan, but that's not a readily available size. I decided to try my luck with a 13x9 in. pan, so I prepared enough ladyfinger cookies to fill the pan twice (for two layers). Then I quickly dipped each ladyfinger into espresso. I poured about half the espresso into the bowl at a time, to make it easier to work with and ensure that the bottom layer didn't soak up all the espresso. No need to worry. There's so much espresso that the ladyfingers will fall apart before the espresso will run out. A gave the each ladyfinger cookie a one second soak on each side and then arranged it on the pan. Do each ladyfinger individually or you'll have ladyfingers falling apart.





After the first layer of ladyfingers are done, I used a spatula to spread half the cream mixture over it. Then, I smoothed it out in preparation for the next layer.







I covered the cream layer with another layer of soaked ladyfingers.







The rest of the cream was spread onto the top and cocoa powder sifted over the surface to cover the tiramisu.








The tiramisu was now complete and would require a four hour chill in the refrigerator.






The flavor of this "original" tiramisu is very similar to restaurant tiramisu incarnations, except that the espresso flavor is extremely strong. The soaked ladyfingers were so strong that eating a piece of that layer by itself produced a strong bitter taste. Not something I've experienced with restaurant tiramisu (since many use coffee to dilute the espresso). Also, most of the restaurant recipes have a very strong alcohol component (perhaps because it's served in the evening as dessert instead of in the afternoon as a "pick me up"). I felt that the alcohol flavor was very mild (although my wife felt the alcohol flavor was more than adequate). As a combination (and eaten as a whole), this tiramisu was delicious (but the caffeine kick is strong enough to have me writing this article at almost two in the morning). It's easy to see from this recipe why this dish became so popular so quickly.

Copyright Michael Chu 2004

Marinating Dry Meats in a Brine for a Moister Meat

I have personally tried this and It's amazing how it imparts such great flavor into meat such as Pork, Turkey and Chicken. Give it a whirl and Enjoy you will not be disappointed.

Mandarin Orange Cake Submitted by CLK

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1 (small) can mandarin oranges AND juice

Mix all together and bake in greased and flour 9 x 13 pan at 350 for 30-40 minutes.



Poke top all over with fork when done and spread glaze (recipe below) on top.

Glaze

3/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp. milk

Sour Cream Chicken Submitted by CLK

Boneless skinless chicken

Mix in bowl the following:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Celery salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper

1 cup dry bread crumbs

Dip chicken pieces in mixture and coat with bread crumbs.

Bake uncovered in greaskd pan for 35-40 min, turning halfway through.

Hard Rock Cafe Orange Freeze

2 cups orange sherbet or sorbet
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup milk
1 sprig fresh spearmint (for garnish)

Put the sherbet, juice, and milk in a blender and blend for 15 seconds or just until the sherbet is smooth. You may have to stop the blender and, stir the sherbet up a bit to help it combine.

Pour the orange freeze into a tall, chlled glass. Place a sprig of spearmint on the top. Serve immediately.

Serves 1 dessert beverage.

Cherry Tomato and Gruyere Tarts

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 to 7 tablespoons of ice water
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
6 ounces of Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
30 cherry tomatoes sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh or dried thyme
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Garnish fresh thyme

Pulse flour, butter, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a food processor 12 times or until mixture is crumbly. Add 5 tablespoons of ice water; process just until dough begins to leave sides of bowl and forms a ball, gradually adding remaining 2 tablespoons water, if necessary, for dough to form ball.

Divide dough in half; shape each portion into a ball. Cover and chill 20 minutes.

Roll each portion of dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut pastry into 12 rounds, using a 4 1/2 inch cutter. Place rounds on 2 un-greased 15x10 inched jellyroll pans. Crimp edges with a fork, if desired.

Spread rounds evenly with Dijon mustard; top with cheese slices, tomato, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle rounds with shredded cheese; drizzle with oil. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately. Yield one dozen.

Applebee's Banana Berry Freeze

Ingredients
1 10oz box of frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1/3 cup pina colada mix
2 cups of ice
2 ripe bananas

Garnish
Whipped cream
2 fresh strawberries

Use a blender to puree the entire contents of the thawed box of frozen strawberries.
Add 1/3 cups pina colada mix and 2 cups of ice to the blender.
Cut the end off the end of banana -- set these pieces aside to use later as a garnish--then put the bananas into the blender.
Blend on high speed until the ice is crushed and the drink is smooth. Pour into two tall stemmed glasses, such as daiquiri glasses.
Slice each strawberry halfway up thru the middle and add one to the rim of each glass.
Cut each banana slice halfway through the middle and add one to the rim of each glass next to the strawberry. Top with whipped cream and serve with a straw.
Makes 2 servings

Regency Beef Tenderloin

This dish is absolutely amazing, we have come to enjoy it so much Christmas would not be Christmas without this on our family table. I hope you can all give this one a try you will not forget it.


Regency Beef Tenderloin

1 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tblsp. brown sugar
2 Tblsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tblsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 green onion, chopped
1 5 to 6 lb. beef tenderloin, trimmed

Combine first 7 ingredients; stir well.
Place tenderloin in Ziploc bag or shallow dish. Pour marinade over tenderloin; seal or cover. Marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove tenderloin from marinade, reserving marinade. Bring marinade to a boil in a small saucepan; set aside.

Place tenderloin on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part registers l45 degrees for med-rare, or 160 for medium. Baste occasionally with marinade.

Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with horseradish butter or Royal butter.

HORSERADISH BUTTER

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup prepared horseradish, drained.

Combine all in a bowl & mix with an electric mixer until well blended.

Serve at room temperature (2 cups)

Serves 12

Corn Maque Coux (Smothered Corn)

Corn Maque Coux (Smothered Corn)
A spicy Cajun dish of smothered corn and seasonings (pronounced mock shoo)
12 ears fresh corn
2 T vegetable oil
1 T butter
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 medium-sized green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup milk
***********
Scrape off corn kernels into a bowl; scrape milk and remaining pulp from cob with a knife. Combine oil and butter in a large skillet; heat until butter melts. Add the corn, onion, and bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, hot sauce and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, or until the corn is tender. Lower the heat if the mixture begins to stick. Add the milk, stir, and remove from heat.

Chinese Five Spice - Rubbed Chicken Wings w/ Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

40 Chicken wing pieces
4 tablespoons Chines five spice powder
2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce - Recipe Follows

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. If you have whole wings.. cut them into 3 sections.. discard the wing tips, or keep for stock. Place the wings in a large bowl. Sprinkle them with the five spice powder & cayenne pepper add generous pinches of salt and pepper. Rub mixture into the wings coat them well until all of the loose rub is used up.

2. Line the wing pieces on to a baking sheet ..making sure that the side facing up is the side of the wing which has the most skin. Roast wings until cooked through crispy, and browned about 30 mins.
serve hot with creamy cilantro dipping sauce.

Creamy cilantro dipping Sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Juice of half a lemon or lime ..Ive used both.
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Combine all sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl. Whisk to incorporate fully and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Red Velvet Cake

2 ½ cups plain flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 tsp cocoa baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1- ½ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla flavoring

1 tsp almond flavoring

2 eggs (medium or large)

1 bottle red food coloring (1 oz size)

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and cocoa powder into a big bowl that you’ll use to mix the cake. Using a hand or table mixer, put in the milk. Mix. Add oil and mix. Add vinegar, vanilla and almond flavoring. Mix. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add and mix. Add the food coloring. Mix until the batter is even in color.

Grease and flour 3 cake pans – size 8 inches. Evenly pour the batter into the three pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the center tests done with a toothpick. Let the cake cool and then frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup margarine (softened)

8 oz. cream cheese

½ tsp vanilla flavoring

1 box of confectioners sugar (1 pound)

1 cup pecans (may also want some extras to sprinkle on top)

Beat the margarine and cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl until light and creamy. Add vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat well. Hand stir in pecans. Spread cream cheese icing between layers of the Red Velvet cake, up the sides and on top. If you have lots of pecans, then sprinkle some pieces on top.The pecans are especially good toasted a bit in the oven for this recipe.

English Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup hot water
1 envelope dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups all purpose Flour, sifted
Nonstick Cooking spray

Special equipment - Electric griddle, and 3 inch metal rings
If you dont have 3 inch metal rings use a tuna can with both the top and bottoms removed remove label and wash.

1. In a bowl, combine the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, shortening, and hot water. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved, let cool.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the yeast and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar in the warm water and set aside until yeast has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add this to the powdered milk mixture. Add the sifted flour and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the griddle to 300 degrees F. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings onto the griddle and coat lightly with cooking spray. Using a #20 ice cream scoop place 2 scant scoops of the mixture into each ring and cover with a pot lid or cookie sheet, and cook for 5. or 6 minutes. Remove the lid and flip the rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for anoher 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown.
4. Place finished muffing on a cooling rack, remove the rings, and let cool. Split with fork and serve.

Note..
Ice cream scoops are numbered by how many scoops per quart they dish out, so a #20 scoop gives you 20 scoops per quart.

Jack Daniels Grill Glaze

The Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze is one of the most scrumptious sauces you will ever taste on just about any meat. It goes well with Salmon, Baby Back Ribs, Steak, Chicken, & Pork chops, Oh, don't forget about the Chicken wings!

The Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup of water
1 cup of pineapple juice
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon jack daniels whiskey
1 tablespoon crushed pineapple
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Cut about 1/2 -inch off the top of a whole head of garlic. Cut the roots so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove the papery skin from the garlic, but leave enough so that the cloves stay together put garlic into small casserole dish or baking pan, drizzle olive oil over it, and cover with a lid or foil. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 1 hour. Remove garlic and let it cool until you can handle it.

2. Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until misture boils then reduce heat until misture is just simmering.

3. Squeeze the sides of the head of garlic until the pasty roasted garlic is squeezed out. Measure 2 teaspoons into the saucepan and whisk to combine. Add remaining ingredients to the pan and stir.

4. Let misture simmer for 40-50 mins or until sauce has reduced by about 1/2 and is thick and syrupy. Make sure it does not boil over.

yield 1 cup of glaze

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 10 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Italian Chicken Soup Submitted by CLK

Italian Chicken Soup
1 whole chicken
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 onion, quartered
1 tomato
a nice chunk of fresh parmesan cheese

Cook all ingredients for 2 hours, shred chicken, puree veggies and cheese and add everything back to pot. Cook farfalina (tiny bows) separately, IN SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER (enough to cook pasta), when pasta soaks up most of the water, add it all to soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve with grated parmesan and fresh parsley on top.

Chicken Francese - One of my Favorite Italian Dishes

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

* 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
* All-purpose flour, for dredging
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 4 large eggs
* 3 tablespoons water
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
* 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1/2 lemon, juiced
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Bobby Flay's Grilled Red Potatoes w/Bacon & Bleu Cheese Vinagrette

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay









Ingredients
* 4 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed, cooked until almost tender, drained, and halved
* 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
* Salt and freshly ground black
* 3/4 pound hickory smoked bacon
* 1 large red onion, finely sliced
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
* 1 cup crumbled Maytag blue cheese
Directions
Preheat grill. Toss potatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill cut side down for 3 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling 2 to 3 minutes. Place in a large bowl.

Place medium skillet on the side burner or the grill and heat until almost smoking. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Let cool and crumble.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, and sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved, and the onion is caramelized Pour the onion mixture over the potatoes, add the crumbled bacon and parsley and toss to combine, season with salt and lots of black pepper. Spoon the salad onto a large platter and sprinkle with the crumbled blue cheese.

Excellent Marinade for Chicken, Pork, Beef and Fish

One small bottle of light soy sauce (lower sodium)
1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger too

4 tablespoons of dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1/2 cup of orange juice

1 whole onion cut up to a dice

hand full of Cilantro roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic put thru a crusher or smashed up well

and ground pepper - no salt .. the soy is salty

This marinade is very good on pork ribs and country ribs, chicken beef and some fish.. it is a very flavorful and strong marinade do not over marinade. I have marinaded the pork about 5 hours or overnite. Chicken needs less time I would say no more then 3 hours. Fish I do not do more then one hour. This would also make a great mainade for shish ka bobs.

If you do not like cilantro then omit it. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, I just used this the other day for a bbq and they all loved it. Experiment and have fun!

Fresh Dill Potato Salad Submitted by Docnana

Fresh Dill Potato Salad

7 C of red skin potatoes, cut up (skins on)
½ C Italian dressing
½ C sour cream
½ C mayonnaise
2 t. horseradish (I use slightly more horseradish)
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 T fresh dill (or 2 tsp if using dried dill weed)
Salt & pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes up and leave the skins on. Cook in boiling water until tender (I don’t let mine get too tender). Rinse and drain, put them in a bowl and coat with Italian dressing. Do this while they are still hot so they will absorb more of the flavor. Cover and marinate them in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Lift potatoes out of the dressing and put in another bowl. Mix together the remaining ingredients. Blend dressing and fold into the potatoes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chicken Saltimbocca Submitted by GiaMia

Chicken Saltimbocca
Preview: Chicken Saltimbocca

by Tony M in Rouxbe to watch the Video

Layered with prosciutto, sage, and melted cambozola, this tender chicken dish is finished in a sexy sauce.

Serves
2 to 3
Active Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins

Step 1: Preparing the Mise en Place
Preparing the Mise en Place

* 3 oz cambozola cheese
* 1 clove garlic
* 3 slices prosciutto
* 2 chicken breasts
* 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
* 3 large fresh sage leaves

To prepare the saltimbocca, slice the cheese into 6 pieces. Thinly slice the garlic, and cut each slice of prosciutto in half. Set aside.

Cut each chicken breast into 3 equal pieces and sprinkle with pepper. Tear each sage leaf in half and place on top, followed by the cheese and prosciutto. Cover with plastic wrap, and flatten to just under ½-inch.

Related Drill-downs

* What is Mise en Place?
* What is Émincé
* How to Remove Chicken Tendons

Step 2: Cooking the Chicken and Making the Sauce
Cooking the Chicken and Making the Sauce

* 1 tsp olive oil
* 4 tbsp white wine
* 1/2 cup chicken stock
* 2 tbsp cold Unsalted butter
* salt and pepper - to taste
* juice of half a lemon

To cook the saltimbocca, preheat a stainless-steel pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, and once hot, add the chicken, prosciutto side down. Shake the pan periodically and once the chicken releases on its own, you’ll know it’s time to turn it. Don’t worry if the cheese oozes out of the sides during cooking. This will make the sauce even tastier. Check for doneness and place onto a plate. Loosely tent with foil.

Make sure the surface of the pan is shiny with the oil that remains, adding a bit more if needed. Add the wine, then garlic, and let simmer. Reduce this to about 2 tablespoons, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

The sauce should look a little syrupy and have a nice sheen to it, before you add the stock. Bring this to a boil and reduce again by half. Once it looks syrupy again, add the cold butter and gently swirl until everything is melted and combined. Add the lemon juice and taste the sauce for seasoning.

Reduce the heat to low and return the chicken to the pan, pouring in any accumulated juices. Coat both sides of the chicken in the sauce. Place onto a platter, pour the sauce over top, and serve.



NOTES:
This dish is perfect for a dinner party, as the first step can be done ahead of time. Place the chicken on a tray, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. This can be stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day before cooking.

Cambozola cheese is a combination of creamy Camembert and blue Gorgonzola cheese. You can substitute with Blue Castello, Bleu de Bresse, (both are also creamy and mild). You could also substitute with Brie, Camembert or Gorgonzola dolce.

I took this from a site.. as it's a traditional recipe of Chicken Saltimbocca, I have my own twist on this recipe I will add as the next recipe. This site has a video you can watch by clicking at the top the link Video.. if you hadn't noticed it. This site has a lot to offer and a cooking school if your looking to learn new techniques and terms. Check it out!

Raspberry Mousse Submitted by LIN

This elegant looking Raspberry Mousse is easy to make.

Servings: Makes 12 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes


Ingredients
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen red raspberries in sugar, thawed and divided
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Red food coloring (optional)
1 (8-ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
Instructions
In saucepan, combine 1 package undrained raspberries and cornstarch; cook and stir until thickened and clear. Chill.
In blender, combine remaining drained raspberries, EAGLE BRAND® and lemon juice; blend until smooth. Place in bowl; stir in a small amount of food coloring (optional). Fold in whipped topping.
Spoon half the mousse mixture into dessert dishes; top with equal portions of raspberry sauce then remaining mousse mixture. Chill. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Notes: Tip: Serve in festive stemmed dessert cups. Tie gold ribbon and a small bow at the base of the stem and cup to create added elegance for your holiday settings. Variations: Replace frozen raspberries with strawberries or blueberries.

Cookie Dough Truffles Submitted by LIN

Cookie Dough Truffles


The flavorful filling at the center of these yummy candies tastes like genuine chocolate chip cookie dough...without the worry of raw eggs. That's what makes them so appealing. Plus, they're easy to make.

SERVINGS: 33

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 pounds semisweet candy coating, chopped
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 5-1/2 dozen.

Blueberry Cherry Torte Submitted by LIN

Torte:

4 cups ground walnuts
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon


(Reserve 1/2 cup of the above for the topping)

1 can Blueberry pie filling
1 can Cherry pie filling

1 packet of dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
(dissolve yeast in WARM water)

4 egg YOLKS (save the whites)
1/2 cup MILNUT
(blend the yolks with the milnut)

Dough:

2 sticks margarine softenend
1 stick butter softened
4 cups flour
(blend together)

Then,
BLEND in yeast and egg yolk mixture into the above dough ingredients. Cut the dough into 3 parts.

Roll out first saved dough semi thin. Place on 11 x 16 sheet
Sprinkle nut mixture on top

Roll out second portion of dough. Put on top of nuts. On top of this dough, you will add the pie filling... the blueberry filling on one half and the cherry filling on the other half.

Roll out last portion of dough. Place on top of cherry and blueberry pie filling.

BAKE: @350 for 30 minutes ..while it's baking do this:

Make meringue:

Beat saved egg whites add 6 TBLSP sugar and 1/4 teasp cream of tartar.

Take torte out of the oven and spread meringue on top. THEN, sprinkle the reserved 1/2 of nuts on top of meringue.

PLACE BACK into oven for 10 - 15 more minutes until meringue is slightly browned. After is cools, I cut it into diamond shapes...not too large! ENJOY!!

Vanilla Wafer Cake Submitted by Bonnie (Moon)

vanilla wafer cake.

2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 12 oz box of vanilla wafers, crushed, to resemble flour
1/2 cup milk
1 7 oz. pkg of flaked coconut
1 cup pecans, chopped

Cream butter and sugar together, add eggs and mix well, add vanilla wafers and milk, alternately, add coconut and pecans, mix well. Bake at 325 for 1 and 1/2 hours. This is a very dense, moist cake, and is great for holidays.