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How to use these pages:  Below is a list of the recipes on this page.  You can either scroll down the page and look at all of the recipes, or look at the titles.  When you find one that seems interesting, use your web browsers FIND function to take you directly to that recipe (on my IE browser it's Edit/Find (on this page)   or Ctrl - F on your keyboard).

AFC WEST CHICKEN WRAPS

ANCIENT GREEKS MADE STARCH

APPLE AND POTATO CHOWDER

APPLE BUTTER I

APPLE BUTTER II

APPLE BUTTER III

APPLE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

APPLESAUCE GINGERBREAD

AUTUMN APPLES APLENTY

BABY BOK CHOY AND DRIED SHIITAKE

BAKED APPLES

BAKED SANTA FE DIP

BARBECUE CHICKEN ON A BUN

BLACK BEAR STROGANOFF

BREAKFAST FRUIT CHIMICHANGAS

CARAMELIZED ONION

CARIBBEAN JERK PORK CHOPS

CHARTRES STREET TROUT

CHICKEN ALFREDO

CHICKEN AND NOODLE COMFORT SOUP

COACH HOUSE BLACK BEAN SOUP

CONCH CHOWDER

CORN DODGERS

CRANBERRY AND HORSERADISH SAUCE

CRANBERRY SAUSAGE STUFFING

CREAMY CRUNCHY MEMORIES

DAVES FIRST DOWN DIP

DOUBLE CHILI CHEESE DIP

EARLY GAZPACHO PALE BY COMPARISON

GRANDMAS APPLE PIE

GREEN PUMPKIN PIE

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN

HAGGIS

HEARTY TEXMEX SQUASH CHICKEN

HONEY MANGO SAUCE

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

JERK CHICKEN SANDWICHES

LEGAL SEAFOOD CLAM CHOWDER

MAKING APPLE DESSERTS

MANGO BBQ SAUCE

MANGO QUESADILLAS

MARINATED BEEF

OLD FASHIONED SOUR CREAM COOKIES

ORANGE TAPIOCA SALAD

PASTA SALAD

PEACH MELON CONSERVE

PECAN PIE BARS

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH APPLES

PORTLAND CHICKEN WINGS

POTATO SOUP

POTPOURRI GEL JARS

ROAST STICKY CHICKEN

ROASTED SHALLOTS AND

ROASTED TOMATO SALSA

SAMBUCA POACHED FIGS

SAUSAGE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH STEW

SERBIAN TORTE

SEVERAL TEA SANDWICHES

SHALLOT HERB BUTTER

THERMONUCLEAR SLOPPY JOES

TROPICAL SALAD

TWO LAYER SPINACH

VINARTERTA

WALDORF SALAD

WENDYS CHILI

WILD RICE WITH CHICKEN LIVERS

AFC WEST CHICKEN WRAPS

half a chicken

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp lime juice

1 crushed garlic clove

large flour tortillas or Lebanese bread

1 cup diced sweet peppers

1/2 diced red onion

Grill or bake a chicken. Remove the skin and bones from half a chicken and shred.

Combine mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic in a small bowl. Spread over 2-3 large tortillas or Lebanese bread.

Top with chicken, onions, peppers. Roll up and serve sliced or in waxed paper.

ANCIENT GREEKS MADE STARCH

(FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE STARCH)

CHARLES PERRY, Portland Oregonian

The Greeks discovered how to separate starch for cooking. Or to be more specific, the people of the Greek island of Khios, off the coast of present-day Turkey. That formula was followed with scarcely any change throughout the Middle Ages: Cover whole wheat with water for a week and a half, changing it regularly, and when it has softened, crush it, strain it and dry the starch for later use.

What impressed the Greeks about starch was that it didn't need grinding the way flour does; the Greek word for it is "amylon," which literally means "not milled." They probably thought of starch as a sort of pudding, because a related word, "amylos," means wheat slowly simmered until the hulls soften. (Amylos might sound like a simple-minded dish, but it was honored in the Middle Ages under the name "frumenty," and clear into the 19th century frumenty was a regular side dish at European banquets.)

The Romans had a more modern attitude toward starch. They used amulum for thickening sauces, as medieval European cooks continued to do. Cooks also have thickened pie fillings with starch since the Renaissance.

In the Middle East, there was a quite different approach. The Persians had devised a way of separating starch from flour, rather than from whole wheat. You kneaded dough, then kneaded it again under water until the starch washed out and there was nothing left but the chewy gluten, which you threw away. Middle Eastern cooks used the starch either in this liquid form ("malban") or dried ("nishasta," literally, "what settles"). They valued it for making puddings and sweetmeats similar to Turkish delight.

The Chinese prefer New World sources of starch such as corn, manioc and arrowroot for thickening sauces, but earlier they probably used wheat starch made by the Persian method. They know all about kneading dough under water, only they don't throw away the gluten. They call it "mianjin" ("the muscles of the wheat") and make vegetarian "pork" and "chicken" products out of it.

We've picked up on mianjin in this country, too. If you ever see the words "textured vegetable protein" on a food label, that's what it is.

APPLE AND POTATO CHOWDER

6 slices bacon -- diced

2 medium onions -- finely chopped

2 potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

3 large apples -- Granny Smith, peeled and cored, cut to 1/2-inch

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup light cream

1/4 cup green onion and tops, sliced thin

Gently cook bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat until browned and

crispy. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add onion to

saucepan. Cook 2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from bottom with wooden

spoon. Add potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pare

and core apples. Cut into 1/2-inch dice. Drain excess fat from saucepan;

discard. Add apple and chicken broth to saucepan. Bring to boiling. Season

with black pepper. Lower heat and simmer 25 minutes or until potato and apple are very soft. Stir several times with a whisk to puree some of the apple and potato, but still leaving the soup very chunky. Add cream. Gently heat. Reheat bacon bits in a small skillet. To serve, ladle chowder into soup bowls. Sprinkle each serving with the bacon bits and green onion. Yield: 6 servings.

APPLE BUTTER I

15 Medium-sized apples

1 qt. Apple cider

2 T Apple cider vinegar

3 Cinnamon sticks

2 Whole cloves

1/4 t Ground cloves

1/4 t Ground allspice

Makes 4 pints

Without peeling or coring the apples, cut them into thick slices and transfer them to a large, non-aluminum pan. Add the apple cider, vinegar, cinnamon sticks, whole and ground cloves and allspice. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until pulpy.

Work the apples through a food mill and into another saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and continue cooking the mixture until all the liquid has evaporated (this takes between 30 and 50 minutes).

Test it: Set a plate in the freezer for a few minutes to chill, then add a drop of the apple butter to the plate. If any liquid seeps out around the edge, the butter isn't ready. Cook for a few minutes longer until apple butter tests okay.

Ladle the butter into 4 hot, sterilized pint-size canning jars and attach sterilized tops and screw rims. Allow jars to cool for several hours. Then refrigerate for up to 1 week. OR, process jars for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

APPLE BUTTER II

Makes 2 pints

8 or 9 Medium apples (Golden Delicious, Empire, McIntosh, Paulared)

1 tsp Water

1 lb. Brown sugar

1 Orange

Core the apples and cut into quarters. Place in a Dutch oven with the teaspoon of water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or until apples are soft. Turn apples about halfway through the cooking time.

Grate the orange and put the orange zest into a measuring cup. Juice the orange into the measuring cup. You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup altogether.

Put the cooked apples through a food mill. Return the apple pulp to the saucepan and stir in the brown sugar and reserved apple juice/zest.

Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick (about 1-1/2 hours), or pour mixture into a large baking dish and bake, uncovered, in a 350°F oven, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour; reduce heat to 250°F and bake for another 2 to 3 hours until mixture is thick.

Remove from heat and ladle into 2 hot, sterilized pint jars, attach sterilized and screw rims. Process jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

APPLE BUTTER III

(Narrative by a reader:))

When I was young, my grandmother and my mother used to make apple butter

outside in a copper vat over a wood fire. Now My Mom and I (my grandmother

is now deceased) started to make our apple butter in a large roaster pan.

We would bake it in the oven the following:

As much applesauce as you can make to fill the roaster (we used a large

roaster, and you could use a small one. (We just use jarred applesauce;

about 8 quarts). Bring this to heat and add to it 2 cups brown sugar and 2 cups

white sugar. Add 2-3 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tsp. ground cloves and stir. Put in roaster in 300 degree preheated oven and let cook, as it cooks down pour in

some apple cider (or apple juice) to thin.. stirring often.

About an hour later stir and taste and add more white (granulated) sugar, more spices as needed to suit your taste. Keep adding apple cider as it thickens. Stir often. Cook for 12 hours. We would start at 6 a.m. and cook, adding cider and stirring until it gets to the right consistently that you like. This takes a lot of time, but in the end it's worth it. This is the real way to make apple butter country style!! Put the Apple butter in pint size sterilized jars, wipe top of jars very clean, put a disc on top and screw a band on tight. You can boil the filled jars in a

canner according to the manufacturer's directions (15 minutes, usually). Store on a shelf in a cool area.

APPLE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves (4 breasts)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 medium tart cooking apples -- peeled and cut into thin slices

1 cup apple cider

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Heat coals or gas grill. Place chicken breast halves between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Pound chicken to 1/8-inch thickness. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Coat apple slices with sugar mixture. Divide apple slices among chicken breast halves. Fold chicken around apples; secure with toothpicks.

Cover and grill chicken 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Remove toothpicks.

Mix apple cider and cornstarch in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Spoon over chicken. Serves 4

APPLESAUCE GINGERBREAD

1 cup Butter, melted

1 cup Brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup Molasses

2 Large eggs

1 cup Applesauce

2 cup All-purpose flour

2 tsp Baking soda

2 tsp Ground ginger

1 tsp Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9"x13" baking dish.

Combine melted butter, brown sugar and molasses in bowl. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in applesauce and beat batter well.

Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon into the batter. Mix thoroughly.

Pour into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or Brandy Sauce.

AUTUMN APPLES APLENTY

by Eleanor Bradshaw

Whether or not September brings a nip in the air to your part of the country, this month calls to mind images of apple trees heavy with fruit, apples on the teacher's desk, and apples -- lots of apples -- for making wonderful dishes.

The apple is America's favorite fruit. And it is no wonder. They are available year round. There are dozens of varieties, some widely known and nationally distributed, like Red Delicious, and others far less familiar to most of us, such as Patricia, an incomparable eating apple, but limited in production due to its poor keeping qualities.

Apples are extremely nutritious, especially with the skin on. A medium-sized apple has about 80 calories, and packs moderate amounts of calcium and iron, along with Vitamins A and B. Raw apples contain high amounts of pectin (apple jelly, for instance, doesn't require the addition of SureJell) and malic acid, which promote good digestion. The skin provides essential dietary fiber (about 3 grams). Studies have revealed that fruit pectins trap and prevent cholesterol from building up in the linings of blood vessel walls, resulting in lowered blood pressure and reduced symptoms of atherosclerosis. "An apple a day" is, I believe, how it goes. Two could be even better.

The goodness of apples has inspired cooks for thousands of years, and there is a wealth of cuisine that relies upon them. Grandma's Cookbook contains many recipes with apples at their core (pun intended -- I won't do it again); but here we showcase two kinds of Apple Butter, Baked Apples to perfume your kitchen and delight your palate, a moist and delicious Applesauce Gingerbread, Waldorf Salad (a study in contrasts: creamy/crunchy and sweet/tart), a main dish: Pork Tenderloin with Apples, and a bona fide American standby: Grandma's Apple Pie.

When cooking with unpeeled apples, always wash them first in order to remove any dirt acquired during shipping and any residual pesticides that may be present. Incidentally, Red and Golden Delicious apples shipped from Washington State, are coated with a harmless vegetable wax to replace the natural wax removed during the washing process.

Below is a table which reflects finished amounts that can be expected from large, medium and small apples:

***Size*** **Diameter** Sliced/Chopped **Grated** **Fine Chop** **Sauce**

Large****** 3-3/4" *******2 cups *************1-1/4 cups**1-1/2 cups****** 3/4 cup

Medium ****2-3/4" ******1-1/3 cups **********3/4 cup ****1 cup **********1/2 cup

Small****** 2-1/4" *******3/4 cup*************** 1/2 cup**** 3/4 cup********* 1/3 cup

Over 300 apple varieties are grown in the United States; however, only about 20 are produced by the major commercial orchards. These apples are not neces-sarily chosen for the excellence of their taste but, rather, for their prodigious harvest, their suitability for shipping and long storage, and their disease resis-tance. But there are plenty of fine varieties that find their way to supermarket produce departments, not to mention Farmers' Markets and the many privately-owned apple orchards that open their gates to the public during the autumn months.

It is good to have some specific knowledge about the uses for which certain apples happen to be well suited. The apples listed in the table below are commercially produced and likely to be found in most markets.

***Variety*** ***Eating*** **Salad** **Sauce** **Baking** ***Pie***

Cortland-------- Good -------Excellent- Good -----Good ------ Good

Golden Delicious-Good--- -Excellent--Excellent-Good ------Good

Red Delicious-Good-------Good------ Poor------ Poor------- Poor

Empire---------- Excellent--- Good----- Good------ Fair-------- Fair

Idared -----------Good -------Good------ Good ------Excellent--Excellent

Jonathan------ Excellent---- Good -----Good ------Excellent--Excellent

McIntosh--------Good-------- Fair------- Good------ Poor------- Fair

Paulared------- Good --------Good------ Good----- Fair-------- Fair

Rome Beauty-Poor-------- Fair-------- Good----- Good -----Good

Granny Smith-Good------ Good------- Fair------- Good----- Good

Winesap------- Excellent---- Excellent-Excellent- Good ---Good

Remember, too, that apple juice and apple cider can be used interchangeably in recipes.

BABY BOK CHOY AND DRIED SHIITAKE

MUSHROOMS WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

1 1/2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms

1 lb baby bok choy, washed and quartered

4 tbsp butter

4 large shallots, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

Soak mushrooms in 2 cups hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, strain, reserve liquid and chop mushrooms. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, add shallots, sauté, stirring occasionally to separate shallots, until crisp and light brown (about 10 minutes). Add mushrooms, increase heat to medium-high, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add baby bok choy, and sauté 5 minutes. Add reserved liquid, cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed and baby bok choy is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BAKED APPLES

4 Large apples (Golden Delicious, Idared, Jonathan, Rome Beauty)

1/4 cup Brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp Ground cinnamon

1 tsp Ground nutmeg

1/4 cup Raisins

1/4 cup Chopped pecans

4 tsp Butter

1/2 cup Apple juice or cider

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Peel apples and core them 3/4 of the way down. Place apples in an 8-inch square greased baking dish.

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and pecans. Spoon one-fourth of mixture into hollow core of each apple. Top each apple with 1 teaspoon butter.

Bring apple juice or cider to a boil, and pour into baking dish. Cover dish and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, basting occasionally with juice. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

BAKED SANTA FE DIP

The fresh tomato topping provides a cool contrast to the spicy dip. To cut preparation time, use packaged preshredded cheeses.

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1/2 cup light mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing

1 8-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained (3/4 cup)

1 4-ounce can chopped green chili peppers, drained

2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped (3/4 cup)

1/4 cup sliced green onion

2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

Vegetable dippers such as sweet pepper wedges and sliced jicama

Lightly salted tortilla chips or baked tortilla wedges

Stir together cheeses, mayonnaise or salad dressing, corn, chili peppers, chipotle chili peppers, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Spread mixture into a 9-inch quiche dish, shallow 1-quart casserole, or 9-inch pie plate. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Combine tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Cover and chill up to 24 hours.

To serve, bake cheese mixture in dish in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Spoon tomato mixture in the center. Serve with vegetable dippers and tortilla chips.

BARBECUE CHICKEN ON A BUN

Makes 6 servings

Pack the piping hot mixture into a vacuum bottle and transport to the game to share with appreciative friends.

1 whole chicken (4 pounds)

Water for boiling chicken, plus 2 cups (divided)

11/4 cups ketchup

1 onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

6 Kaiser rolls

Place whole chicken in large kettle, cover with water, and add flavoring ingredients, such as 1 coarsely chopped stalk of celery, a coarsely chopped onion, several cloves of chopped garlic, a teaspoon of salt, and several peppercorns.

Bring the water to boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove chicken from pan, cool and shred meat from bones. Reserve the broth for another use by refrigerating or freezing after straining off the flavoring ingredients.

In large saucepan, combine ketchup, 2 cups water, onion, salt, celery seeds, chili powder, brown sugar, Worcestershire, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Add shredded chicken and simmer until thickened and richly flavored, about 30 minutes.

Mixture may be prepared up to this point and refrigerated for 2 days. Before leaving for the game, return mixture to a boil and simmer about 5 minutes, then pack into a pre-heated vacuum bottle.

When ready to serve, spoon mixture onto the rolls.

BLACK BEAR STROGANOFF

4 lbs black bear meat, cut into cubes

1 bottle dry red wine (3 1/3 cups)

3 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup bacon drippings or oil

4 onions, sliced

6 tbsp butter (divided use)

4 cups beef broth or buffalo broth

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

4 cups sour cream

Place the bear meat in a ceramic bowl and pour the wine over the meat. Add the cloves, bay leaf, celery, and garlic. Let marinate in a cool place three days.

Drain the meat and pat dry. Pound each cube flat. Dredge meat pieces in the flour and brown, a few at a time, in the bacon drippings or oil. Transfer meat as it is browned to a large casserole.

Sauté the onions in three tbsp of the butter and add to the casserole. Add the broth, salt, and pepper, and simmer covered, until meat is tender, about one hour.

Sauté the mushrooms in the remaining butter. Add to the meat. Warm the sour cream; mix in a little hot broth; then stir into the bulk of the meat mixture. Reheat, but do not boil. Serves 16.

BREAKFAST FRUIT CHIMICHANGAS

Apricot Basting Sauce

8 oz Cream Cheese Softened

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese

1/4 cup Sugar

1 tsp Orange Peel, Grated

6 Flour Tortillas

1/4 cup Apricot Preserves

1 large Egg, Beaten

2 tbsp Butter, Softened

1 cup Apricots, Sliced

Flour Tortillas should be 8-inches in diameter and be warm. Prepare apricot

basting sauce; set aside. Heat oven to 500'F. Mix cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sugar, and orange peel thoroughly. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture into the center of each tortilla; top with 1 Tbsp of preserves. Fold one end of the tortilla up about 1-inch over mixture; fold in the right and left sides over the folded end and then fold the remaining side to overlap the others. Brush the edges with egg to seal. Brush each with butter. Place seam sides down on an un-greased jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 X 10 1/2 X 1-inch. Bake until chimichangas begin to brown and the filling is hot, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with apricots and Apricot Basting Sauce.

CARAMELIZED ONION

AND ROASTED RED PEPPER DIP

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 grilled chicken breast, diced

1 can (15 ounces) cooked black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup mixed grated cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

Preheat the broiler. Place the pepper under the broiler and broil, turning often, until the skin is charred and blackened on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the pepper from the broiler and place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions and cook, without stirring, until they begin to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring, until the onions are softened and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Remove the charred skins from the pepper, discard the seeds and ribs and finely dice the flesh.

In a medium bowl whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream and salt. Stir in the bell pepper, caramelized onion and pepper to taste. Stir in the green onions just before serving.

Serve the dip with sliced vegetables, such as celery and carrot sticks, and potato chips. Makes about 2 1/4 cups

Cook's note: This dip can be made one day ahead (without the green onions), chilled and covered. Stir in the green onions just before serving.

CARIBBEAN JERK PORK CHOPS

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon chopped green onion

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

2 1/4 pounds lean pork loin or rib chops (6 chops) -- about 5/8 inch thick

Place all ingredients except pork in blender. Cover and blend until smooth.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade; cover and refrigerate for basting. Trim

excess fat from pork. Place pork in shallow nonmetal dish or heavy-duty

resealable plastic bag. Pour remaining marinade over pork. Cover dish or

seal bag and refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat coals or gas grill. Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade. Cover

and grill pork 4 to 5 inches from medium heat 8 to 11 minutes, turning

frequently and brushing with reserved marinade, for medium doneness (160º)

or until pork is slightly pink when cut near bone. Discard any remaining

basting marinade. Yield: 6 servings.

CHARTRES STREET TROUT

6 trout, filleted

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup butter (approximately)

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup capers

1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Buttered toast

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and butter it well. Arrange the fish fillets on the foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dot fillets liberally with the butter and cover with another sheet of aluminum foil. Bake eight to ten minutes or just until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Transfer the fish to hot dinner plates and sprinkle with lemon juice, capers, and parsley. Serve with buttered toast. Serves 6

CHICKEN ALFREDO

Olive oil (1 tbsp or less)

1 lb chicken breast meat cubed

3 green onions w/tops (scallions)

1 small onion, chopped

Garlic to taste

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (or less)

12 oz fresh mushrooms sliced

14 oz can tomatoes drained and diced

Basil to taste

Pasta (12 oz.)

In large skillet cook chicken, green onion, onion and garlic in oil; sauté until chicken is no longer pink. Stir cornstarch into 2 tbsp milk. Add to skillet with remaining milk, Romano cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes until sauce is slightly thick; stir in basil. Toss pasta with sauce.

CHICKEN AND NOODLE COMFORT SOUP

1 (3-pound) broiler-fryer, skinned, or 2-1/2 pounds of chicken pieces

6 cups water

3 fresh celery leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules, or 1 chicken bouillon cube

1 cup uncooked fine egg noodles

1 bay leaf

Combine first 4 ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove chicken from broth and cool. Strain broth; discard celery leaves and solidified fat. Return broth to Dutch oven; add green onions and next 8 ingredients.

Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Bone and chop chicken; add to broth.

Cook 5 more minutes. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle soup with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 7 cups.

COACH HOUSE BLACK BEAN SOUP

Makes 8 servings

This flavorful soup is a wonderful hit when the weather gets chilly.

1 pound dried black beans

21/2 quarts water

5 strips bacon, cut in small pieces

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 smoked ham hocks

3 sprigs fresh parsley

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, halved

2 carrots, diced

2 parsnips, chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup Madeira or dry sherry

2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped

Wash beans, cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain and wash again. Place them in a large pot with the 21/2 quarts water. Cover and simmer 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the bacon over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add celery and onion and cook until the onions are tender and transparent. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add ham hock, parsley, bay leaves, garlic, carrots, parsnips, pepper, salt and beans (with their cooking liquid).

Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours. Add more water if necessary to keep mixture very loose.

Remove soup from heat and remove ham hocks. Ladle half of the soup into a blender and puree. Remove any meat from the ham bone or hocks, chop fine and return to soup, along with the blended soup, Madeira wine and chopped eggs.

Soup may be prepared up to 2 days in advance. When ready to transport to the game or the picnic, bring mixture to a boil and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Pour hot soup into a pre-heated vacuum bottle.

CONCH CHOWDER

4 raw conchs

1/4 pound salt pork, cut into small cubes

2 tbsp butter

2 cups finely chopped onions

1 large green pepper, peeled, seeded, and cored

1 can (1-lb) Italian plum tomatoes

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

8 cups water

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash and scrub and conchs. Remove the meat from the shell. Skin the flesh and remove the intestinal vein. Clean well. Grind the meat.

Cook the salt pork in the butter until almost crisp. Add the onions and green pepper and cook, stiffing, until onions are wilted. Add the tomatoes, ground conch, potatoes, and water. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until potatoes are mushy, about one hour. This chowder is better if it is removed from the heat, cooled, then reheated. Serves 4

CORN DODGERS

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

Combine:

1 cup stone-ground cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

Pour over the dry ingredients

1 cup boiling water

Beat in until blended

2 tablespoons butter or bacon drippings

1 beaten egg

Drop the batter from a spoon onto a greased baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes. Makes about 24.

CRANBERRY AND HORSERADISH SAUCE

4 cups cranberries

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

horseradish to taste

Place the berries in a saucepan and add the water. Add the sugar and continue cooking fifteen minutes. Let cool and add the horseradish. Mold, if desired, and chill. Serve with game, poultry, or meat. Makes about 3 cups.

CRANBERRY SAUSAGE STUFFING

1 lb (four cups) cranberries

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 lb sausage meat, cooked until browned with drippings reserved

8 to 9 cups coarsely crumbled corn bread

1 cup diced celery

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp marjoram

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 unpeeled small red apple, cored and chopped

Place the cranberries, water and sugar in a saucepan and cook until cranberries are tender; about ten minutes. Drain off excess juice

Combine the drained berries, sausage, drippings and remaining ingredients. Use to stuff turkey or capons. Or place the stuffing in a casserole and bake one hour in a preheated 325 degree oven. Yield: As stuffing, enough for one 12-lb turkey or two 5-lb capons; as casserole, about three quarts.

CREAMY CRUNCHY MEMORIES

BARBARA DURBIN

Certain foods evoke memories from childhood that forever stick to the roof of our minds.

Like peanut butter.

And peanut butter and jelly sandwiches . . . on squishy white bread.

So when someone at FOODday (Portland Oregonian Tuesday Living section) brought up the subject, all of us had to weigh in with how we like -- or don't like -- the quintessential kid favorite.

If you'd been a fly on the wall, here's what you would have heard:

I grew up on snails, tripe, tongue, octopus, squid and rabbit, but my family's peanut butter inclinations were pedestrian at best. At our house, "crunchy" was exotic.

Our choices: PB&J on Wonder Bread or PB&J with butter on toasted Wonder Bread.

Period.

One day, as a 12-year-old, I witnessed my aunt make herself a PB sandwich on white, with Miracle Whip and dill pickles. My shock and prepubescent disgust rendered me almost speechless.

But, while nibbling scrambled eggs at my girlfriend's house, I watched her down PB&J with bacon on two slabs of white toast.

My mouth watered.

It suddenly struck me there was much more to life than what I knew, and discovery was going to be a fun ride.

Chris Christensen:

Peanut butter is a primal need. I know this in my bones. At age 18, I left the U.S. to spend my freshman year studying and traveling in Europe. Yes, the baguettes were the best ever. The cheese and pastries, spectacular. The Barcardi rum, very cheap.

But I grew to miss many things about the States, not the least of which was peanut butter.

I longed to open a brand new jar and slowly drag a spoon through a drift of soft, golden butter. I dreamed of licking a heaping tablespoonful like a Popsicle, then rolling my tongue around it and letting it slip down my throat. Bread is superfluous, even a distraction.

During spring break, I traveled to Spain with my roommates. It had been eight months since I had set foot on U.S. soil, and I was yearning for a taste of home. One day, as we paced the streets of Madrid, I happened to glance in a small grocery shop. There in the window sat a lone jar of crema de cacahuates. I recognized it immediately as peanut butter. I declared as much in a very loud voice: "Look -- peanut butter!"

An American traveler overheard and groaned in a disdainful tone, as if to say, "How pathetic. How common. How American."

I ignored him and dashed inside to buy the jar.

Two days later, it was nothing but a sweet, sticky memory.

Katherine Miller:

While growing up, I hated peanut butter. It wasn't sweet enough for my tastes, and it was way too thick, like eating school paste. Besides, it just wasn't offered in my house. I've never asked my mom why.

Somewhere along the way from there to here, I changed my mind.

I really like the peanut-butter-and-grape-jelly that comes already mixed. I like only grape jelly with my peanut butter.

When I was a broke and starving journalism intern right after college, I found that a spoonful of peanut butter dipped into a bag of chocolate chips cheered me right up. Besides, it was a cheap snack that went a long way.

And, yes, there's always a jar in my house now.

Fran Arrieta-Walden:

I never even tasted peanut butter until I was 30-something!

When my daughter was a toddler, I did my good-mother thing and bought my first jar because peanut butter sandwiches were the rage in her age category. One day, I took a tiny taste. Not bad, but not good enough to entice me to eat it on a sandwich -- yet.

When I finally discovered natural peanut butter, I was hooked . . . if you can call it that. Once a year, I buy a small jar, which lasts a whole year. Really.

Every now and then, I enjoy a toasted open-face sandwich of peanut butter and sliced bananas.

I've also learned to like peanut butter in savory sauces that don't taste like peanut butter. But, please, no peanut butter cookies or such . . . that's asking too much of my taste buds!

Merle Alexander :

Peanut butter sandwiches were rare in my house while I was growing up. My mother didn't think peanut butter was nourishing enough to encourage as a food regular.

For an occasional treat, we could have peanut butter spread on bananas or graham crackers. But given a choice, I probably wouldn't have eaten peanut butter sandwiches anyway. For several years, I thought Campbell's Scotch Broth Soup made a perfect breakfast AND school lunch, every single day.

My mother did cook a lot with peanut butter, including the old standby, peanut butter cookies, and my absolute favorite, peanut butter fudge.

All five of us kids were born in Ohio, so we enjoyed Buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, so named because of the way they look; see recipe on Disk 260). They're still a family favorite.

Amy Martinez Starke:

White squishy bread slathered with smooth peanut butter, Miracle Whip and crisp iceberg lettuce.

Mmmmm good.

The sandwich -- neatly packed in a Barbie lunch container -- along with a crunchy dill pickle tightly wrapped in foil was the highlight of my Friday school lunch. Growing up in Catholic schools, we abstained from meat on Fridays.

As we formed one straight line and marched down the brown-speckled linoleum stairs to the cafeteria on those days, we could smell fish sticks or tuna casserole. Options were not available.

My peanut butter sandwich seemed like heaven . . . at least to a second-grader who didn't like fish.

The 12-ounce jar of Skippy peanut butter was a staple in the kitchen cupboard. The jar was dipped into far more often to make peanut butter cookies than the "Friday sandwich."

It's still a staple in my house today -- smooth and crunchy.

Cheri Swoboda:

My first recollection of peanut butter sandwiches is eating them with pickles as a young child in the '40s.

Each June when school was out, my friends and I headed for the berry fields to make money -- or socialize with my friends mostly.

My mother packed my lunch. I'm sure I didn't have it every day, but often it was a peanut butter sandwich with slices of her homemade dill or sweet pickles and lots of butter. Most of the time it was on homemade bread, but the real treat was the store-bought white Wonder Bread.

I'm not sure if it was a food-safety issue for her, but those sandwiches may have saved me from upset stomachs as they sat in the hot sun all morning. In those days, we didn't take our lunches in coolers or packed with ice.

I still consider a peanut butter sandwich on white bread with crisp, sliced dill pickles comfort food.

Sharon Maasdam:

I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't like peanut butter as a child. I was the family misfit when it came to creating lunches for ourselves. While everyone else was constructing PBJ sandwiches, I'd rummage for something else. Anything else.

Cold meatloaf -- now there's a sandwich!

I genuinely liked less kid-friendly foods, such as sauerkraut, lima or kidney beans, green beans, peas -- even canned spinach in the days before fresh -- causing me to feel slightly guilty that I didn't like this quintessential kid food.

At the school cafeteria on Fridays, I'd pray those little old ladies in hair nets had made tuna fish sandwiches -- something we never had at home.

These days, I've come to like peanut butter -- the extra-chunky stuff on apple wedges or celery sticks, or in cookies and brownies.

But puleeeze don't spread it like asphalt onto marshmallowy-light bread and smear it with jelly and insist it's swell stuff.

Unless it's for you.

Barb Durbin:

I love peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Been that way since I first started carrying my Roy Rogers/Dale Evans lunch box.

Then, my mom decided to get fancy.

I'm not sure where she came up with the idea. Probably was a frenzied search for a meatless sandwich for Lenten lunches. But one day, there it was on the plate -- grilled peanut butter and cheddar cheese.

My sisters loved it, but I couldn't even take a taste. I couldn't imagine how hot peanut butter and melted cheddar cheese could make it past my throat. From then on, PB&CC was a Friday treat -- for the rest of the family.

Then, not long ago, with my own kids looking for something different to eat with tomato soup, I decided I'd try grilled PB&CC. It was a "here's what my mom fixed when I was a kid" moment.

Incredible. They loved it, too. Hmmm. I finally got up the courage to taste one. Not bad, I guess. But I'd still rather have a good ol' PB&J sandwich in my lunch, thank you.

DAVES FIRST DOWN DIP

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 grilled chicken breast, diced

1 can (15 ounces) cooked black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup mixed grated cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, green onion, cream cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, chicken, black beans and basil. Add the Tabasco and seasoned salt to taste. Top with the grated cheese and serve with chips.

If desired, this dip can be served hot. Prepare the dip in an oven-safe dish, top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve with chips. Makes about 4 1/2 cups

DOUBLE CHILI CHEESE DIP

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (15 ounce) can chili with no beans

4 green onions, thinly sliced 1/4 cup diced green chilies, drained

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Spread cream cheese into the prepared pie plate. Top the cream cheese with chili, onions, chilies, and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes.

EARLY GAZPACHO PALE BY COMPARISON

September 25, 2001, Portland Oregonian

Before Columbus, gazpacho was pristine white. Almonds, pounded in a mortar with chilled well water, rustic bread, garlic and olive oil, created creamy, thick ajo blanco. Garnished with green grapes, the cool, pale soup was soothing sustenance in an arid land. It was only after the arrival of the tomato from the New World centuries later that gazpacho blushed red.

Gazpacho is one of the oldest dishes of Spanish cuisine, and one of the best known. To understand the gazpacho found today on almost every restaurant's summer menu, you must understand its ancient, rural origins.

While on vacation in Spain last spring I met Clara Maria G. de Amezua, a scholar, author and teacher of Spanish cuisine. Although the letter G. in her name stands for a family name, in truth, I think it must stand for gazpacho, for she is one of the country's leading experts on its history. These are some of the things she told me.

In heat-blistered and sun-parched Andalusia, the southernmost province in Spain, food has always had to be light, easily digestible and wilt-resistant. It needed to be cool, refreshing and thirst-quenching as well, and had to contain enough salt to replace losses through perspiration. To meet all of these requirements, Spanish cooks created gazpacho.

As early as the 17th century, properly made gazpacho was so nutritious and important in Spain that for many it was almost the sole source of nourishment. It was King Philip IV's law that "two pounds of bread and olive oil for the gazpacho" be given to field workers each day. Farmhouse managers designated a special person called a gazpachero to prepare the dish for the field workers' main meal. In the winter, the mixture was warmed into a nourishing stew. This was survival food.

Stale bread was ever-present in the diet of rural people. In villages, where a family's bread was baked only once a week, housewives would make up their dough, marking each unbaked loaf of bread with a personal stamp for identification. The bread was then carried in baskets to a community oven to be baked.

The challenge was how to utilize every precious bread crumb. So with mortar and pestle, cooks ground stale bread, almonds and garlic to a paste, adding olive oil and salt, and thinning the mixture with water. Sometimes pine nuts or cooked lima beans were substituted for the almonds. These earliest white gazpachos were left to sit in the cool shadows until mealtime. Served with a glass of crisp white wine, gazpacho made a complete meal.

Olive oil was essential to gazpacho for its nutrition and staying power as well as its flavor and fragrance. Spaniards, surrounded by the olive trees that gave them their livelihood as one of the world's biggest producers and exporters of olive oil, were eating the purest of today's much-heralded Mediterranean diets.

Green gazpachos were made by mashing herbs such as cilantro and basil into the mixture and then topping the mixture with chopped lettuce. The green soups are almost forgotten today.

Enter the first tomato. Seville, which served as the entry point for the new food products that explorers and colonists brought back from America, saw the first tomatoes and peppers from the New World. These new ingredients transformed the traditional dish.

There are as many versions of modern gazpacho as there are cooks. Some like the soup thick and chunky with vegetables; others puree it and pass chopped vegetables at the table. Some prefer an intense garlic flavor, while others prefer a more subtle flavor. Chilies can give gazpacho a kick. Bread, stale or otherwise, isn't usually used, nor are nuts. About the only agreement today is that gazpacho should contain tomatoes and be served cold. The mortar and pestle are long gone, replaced by the electric blender.

Gazpacho is a summer salad posing as a soup. It can be composed of whatever is ripe in the garden. Luscious, vine-ripened tomatoes usually form the base. A clove of garlic, an onion, red or green peppers and cucumbers are the supporting cast. Olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper dress the salad. Chopped egg, fried bread cubes, diced onion, tomato, cucumber and bell pepper are garnishes.

In the American Southwest, around Santa Fe, New Mexico, cooks add lime juice, fresh herbs and hot chilies. They serve the soup in hollowed-out, extra-large beefsteak tomatoes, placed on shaved ice and garnished with minced jalapenos, green onions and chopped avocado.

It's hard to think of a dish that better fits the bill of the traditional heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, rich in non-processed and simple foods such as vegetables, grains and nuts and, its mainstay, olive oil.

Marlene Parrish is a cookbook author and food writer based in Pittsburgh.

GRANDMAS APPLE PIE

6 Cups Apples (Idared, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Granny Smith), peeled and

sliced

1 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Brown sugar, firmly packed

2 Tbsp All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp Butter

Pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Combine apples and lemon juice in mixing bowl. Combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Pour sugar mixture over apples, and stir to coat. Spoon filling into pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Dot with butter.

Transfer top pastry to top of pie, trimming off excess. Fold edges under to seal, and flute rim. Cut slits, decorative or not, into top pastry for steam to escape.

Bake in preheated 450°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F, and bake for 45 minutes.

GREEN PUMPKIN PIE

Pie crust, double recipe

1 green, unripe pumpkin, about 4 pounds

Brown sugar, 1 cup

Ground nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, 1 small pinch of each, or large pinch of

one of them

Vinegar, 1/3 cup, OR 3 T frozen cider concentrate

Butter, 1 t

Line buttered pie plate with half of the pie crust dough. Chill top crust. Preheat oven to 425 F. With a large knife, cut the pumpkin into quarters. Remove the seeds. With a paring knife, scrape away the outer skin and cut the flesh into crosswise slices resembling apple slices. Put the brown sugar and spices in the bottom of the pie pan. Fill the crust with the thin slices of green pumpkin. Pour the vinegar over them, and put a small piece of butter on top. Then lay the remaining crust over all. Crimp the edges of the pie and vent the top. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake 35 to 40 minutes longer, or until nicely browned.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN

IN GARLIC SHALLOT MARINADE

Makes 6 to 8 servings

This is a wonderful way to treat a pork tenderloin. I always get raves with this marinade.

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons sour mash bourbon or dark rum

1 teaspoon salt

4 to 5 cloves garlic, smashed or chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger About

21/4 pounds pork tenderloins

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sugar, bourbon, salt, garlic, shallots and ginger. Place the marinade in a self-closing plastic bag with the pork tenderloin and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 to 6 hours.

Remove the marinated meat from the refrigerator and drain for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Discard the marinade. Grill the tenderloins on all 4 sides, about 4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The meat will feel relatively firm to the touch.

Let the meat sit for about 5 minutes before cutting. Cut into 3/4- to 1-inch-wide slices.

HAGGIS

1 Plastic baking bag

-OR- 1 -Sheep's stomach, thoroughly cleaned

-OR- 1 -large sausage casing

1 Sheep liver, heart ,& lights (lungs)

1/2 lb Beef Suet

1 (or 2) Onion, large

1 Tbsp -Salt

1/2 tsp (or more) Black pepper -- freshly ground

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1/2 tsp Allspice

1 lb Oatmeal, old fashioned slow cooking type

1 cup Broth -- in which liver, heart were cooked (up to 1 1/2 cups)

This recipe makes enough to serve 6-10. If you are able to find a sheep's stomach, double the amounts. Rinse and repeat till clean.

If the butcher has not trimmed the heart, liver and lungs, do that first. (Cut the heart open to rinse it so it may cook more quickly.) Put them in a large pot with 1 to 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour and a half. Let it all cool and keep the broth. Run the liver and heart through the meat grinder. Take the lungs (lights) and cut out as much grisly part as you can and run them through a grinder too. Next put the raw beef suet through the grinder. As you finish grinding each thing, put it in the big pot. Peel, slice and chop onions and then add them to the meat in the kettle. Add the salt and spices and mix.

Toast or brown oatmeal lightly in heavy bottomed pan on top of the stove. Add to pot and mix thoroughly. Add 1 to 1/2 cup broth left from boiling the meat. Check if it sticks together when you grab a handful of the mixture. If not, add more broth

so that it holds together. Stuff in plastic baking bag till about 3/4 full. If you are using a sheep stomach, have the smooth side out and stuff it about 3/4 full and sew up the opening. Wrap in cheesecloth so that when it is cooked, you can handle it. Prick with a skewer (so it won't explode from the steam). (You may

wish to do this occasionally early on when cooking). Fill large pot with at least 1 gallon of water and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 4 to 5 hours. Serve with neeps (turnips) or clapshot (mashed turnips & potatoes).

HEARTY TEXMEX SQUASH CHICKEN

CASSEROLE

1 10-oz. Package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

3 medium size yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. peanut oil

3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 can cream of celery soup

1 (8-oz) container of sour cream

1 (8-oz) jar picante sauce

1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chilies, un-drained

1 (1.4oz) envelope fajita seasoning

2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels to remove excess

moisture. Sauté squash, bell pepper, and onion in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 6 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, chicken, next 6 ingredients, and 1 1/2 cups cheese. Spoon into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and bake 5 more minutes. Yield 6 to 8 servings

HONEY MANGO SAUCE

pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. grated ginger

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

2 tbsp. minced onion

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cups mangos, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup honey

Directions Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until mangos are completely cooked, about 15 minutes. Puree mixture then return to saucepan and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with duck, chicken or lamb. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

Makes 6 to 8 servings

This is my favorite take-along fare to Reeser Stadium since it can be transported straight from your oven to the game. If used as a dip, diners simply scoop the mixture from the dish with an assortment of fresh, raw vegetables. As a sandwich filling, it works particularly well in split and toasted French rolls, along with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and a smoked meat or cheese.

1 pint sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 6-ounce jars of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely diced green onion (white part only; reserve the green for garnish) Assortment of raw vegetables (broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, carrot sticks,

sweet red and green bell pepper strips)

Chunks of good-quality French bread

In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, artichoke hearts, cheese and green onion.

Spoon the mixture into an oven-proof 1-quart shallow 8-by-8-inch casserole dish and heat in 375-degree oven until the dip is very hot, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, garnish the top with a sprinkling of the green onion tops, and serve, surrounded by the vegetables and bread chunks. Makes about 3 3/4 cups; recipe can easily be doubled.

JERK CHICKEN SANDWICHES

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 grilled chicken breast, diced

1 can (15 ounces) cooked black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup mixed grated cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

In a medium bowl combine all the rub ingredients, adding just enough oil to form a pasty liquid. Rub the paste all over the chicken and let it sit 1 hour or overnight.

Prepare or preheat the grill to medium-high heat. When the grill is hot, grill the chicken about 4-5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness) or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove from the grill and let sit 5 minutes. Slice the chicken into thin strips and serve on an onion roll topped with the mixed greens. Makes 6 servings.

Cook's note: Toss the greens with a basic vinaigrette made by whisking together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon rice or white wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Use 2-3 tablespoons to mix with greens.

LEGAL SEAFOOD CLAM CHOWDER

4 quarts littleneck clams (about 1-2/3 cups cooked and chopped)

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 cup water

2 ounces salt pork, finely chopped

2 cups chopped onions

3 tablespoons flour

1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled, and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

4-1/2 cups clam broth

3 cups Fish Stock

2 cups light cream

Oyster crackers (optional)

Clean the clams and place them in a large pot along with the garlic and water. Steam the clams just until opened, about 6 to 10 minutes, depending upon their size. Drain and shell the clams, reserving the broth. Mince the clam flesh, and set aside. Filter the clam broth either through coffee filters or cheesecloth and set aside. In a large, heavy pot slowly render the salt pork. Remove the cracklings and set them aside. Slowly cook the onions in the fat for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cooked through but not browned. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the reserved clam broth and Fish Stock, and whisk to remove any flour lumps. Bring the liquid to a boil, add the potatoes, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Stir in

the reserved clams, salt-pork cracklings, and light cream. Heat the chowder until it is the temperature you prefer. Serve in large soup bowls with oyster crackers on the side. Serves 8

MAKING APPLE DESSERTS

By Dorothy Sibole

It's the time of the year when the triple-digit temperatures start to dwindle here in Texas. Children go back to school, and fall is just around the corner. September always makes me think of apples. How do apples relate to Texas cooking?

Apples are not native to Texas, but a food item does not have to be native to a land to be part of that land. For centuries, apples have been a staple in France, Germany and even Spain -- nations whose cultures are planted deep in the soil of Texas, making it the melting pot that is Texas.

When we think of apples as a dessert, we usually think of pies and tarts. But, the fruit is so versatile that I want to suggest some different ways to enjoy them. There are many different varieties of apples, more now than I recall from my childhood. The flavors and textures can differ greatly. Braeburn, Granny Smith, Red Delicious and Fuji are a few types found in supermarkets today. And because there are so many varieties, I am going to concentrate on three of them for the recipes I am using today. Two of them are my personal favorites because of their texture and flavor. The third is a variety I wanted to try a bit more.

Granny Smith apples have been cultivated for at least 140 years. They are green in color, varying from light to dark. Their origin traces to a mess of French crabapples that were tossed out in Grandmother Marie Ana Smith's Australian garden. She nurtured the sprouts from those crabapple seeds and the rest is history. The recipes I am making with Granny Smith apples today are a Granny Smith Sorbet and part of the mix for the Cast Iron Apple Pie. It happens to be my favorite type of sour apple with firm texture. One of my buddies from culinary school would sprinkle a little salt on a slice of a Granny Smith, and it would bring out a new taste dimension of this great apple.

The Royal Gala apple has in its heritage Cox's Orange Pippin, a wonderful old-fashioned English favorite, and both Red and Golden Delicious in its family tree. It has a gold base with red in stripes or in masses on the skin. I discovered it when I was working in the Grand Canyon. I was going on a mountain bike ride and wanted a snack for the road. It is such a clean, crisp, fresh and juicy apple that I was able to go a few more miles after I ate it. I am using this type in the Cast Iron Apple Pie, and you can also use it for the Poached Apple dessert.

The Ginger Gold apple is the last of the three apples. It is a new variety to me, and is a beautiful green like the Granny Smith with some gold and a red blush to it. These apples were discovered in a Virginia orchard in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is possibly a cross between Golden Delicious and Pippin apples. It, too, is a firm fleshed juicy apple. And the really great thing about it is that it can be put in almost any apple recipe. It holds well for both baking and cooking.

The first recipe today is something I was thinking about when talking to my friend who used to go camping with me in the Grand Canyon. With today's camping supplies, it's not hard to bring along a small folding oven to fit your camp stove. You could also use a traditional cast iron Dutch oven with the lip on the lid to hold hot coals. Food tends to taste better when cooked outdoors. A warm and delicious meal at the end of the day is always looked forward to at the campsite. This recipe is for the campers or tail-gaiters, but it can also be made at home for a nice easy "pie." The crust is omitted for simplicity of preparation at the campground. The topping and filling should be prepared in advance at home and packed into separate containers for the cooler.

EASY APPLE PIE IN DUTCH OVEN

Use a 6 Qt Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven

For the filling:

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)

5-6 good-sized apples, peeled, cored and sliced about 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

For the Streusel Topping:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons butter, cubed

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 apple, peeled, cored and diced small

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the filling, melt together the butter, spices and the sugar in the cast iron skillet. Add apples and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. For the topping, put the dry ingredients in a mixer and add the cubed butter. Mix until it is crumbly, then add the diced apple and shredded cheese. Put the topping on the filling in the pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or till the top is golden. You can use any kind of firm apple for this. Serves 8.

If you are like me and LOVE ice cream, I have a couple of recipes for you. The first is a sorbet. Sorbet, Granita and Sherbet, oh my! What is the difference you ask? Well, sorbet is the French term for sherbet. Sorbets differ from sherbets in that they almost never contain milk or milk products. Granita is the Italian word for ice, and it usually more granular than either sorbets or sherbets.

GRANNY SMITH APPLE SORBET

2 cups water

2/3 cup sugar

Bring this to a boil and let boil until soft ball stage is reached, which is about 230 degrees. If you do not have a candy thermometer, you can just let the sugar boil for about 10-15 minutes. This is what is known as a simple syrup.

6-7 Granny Smith apples

1 lemon

About 2 stalks of parsley (the whole thing, leaves and stem)

Juice the apples with the parsley; squeeze the lemon juice into the apple juice. If you do not have a juicer, go ahead and puree the apples with the parsley in a blender, and then squeeze the lemon juice into it. Then strain the mixture. If you use a blender instead of a juicer, go ahead and leave the skin on, but remove the cores. Add the sugar mixture to the strained liquid or the juice and pour into an ice cream maker. Run the mix until set which, depending on your ice cream maker, could take about an hour or more.

If you have an ice cream maker that decides to not work like mine did last night, add one frothy egg white to the liquid and put it in a plastic container and place that in the freezer. Stir it about once every half hour. Serve when ready, it can keep in a tightly stored container for up to six months. Makes 1 quart.

Cinnamon Sauce

1 cup heavy cream

2 cinnamon sticks

Put the heavy cream and cinnamon sticks into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 10 minutes. Then add the following ingredients:

1 cup cinnamon schnapps

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

Bring this to a boil then add 1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Remove from heat and chill until ready to use. I use this sauce in two ways mainly. One is to use as a topping for ice cream, and the other is as a sauce for the Poached Apple dessert. Remember to stir it up before serving and you can also heat in the microwave to serve it hot. Makes about 3 cups.

The last two dishes are the adventurous recipes, a little challenge for everyone, but not hard to make at all.

POACHED APPLES

1 apple per person, peeled, halved and cored

Liquid to reach three-quarters of the way up the apples in a sauce pan (see

below)

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise seed

1/2 vanilla bean, if possible but not necessary

In a pan, heat the liquid with the cinnamon stick, anise seed and vanilla bean to a slow boil. For the liquid you can use a liqueur, wine, fruit juice or even water that is flavored. Add the apples and poach them for about 10 minutes or until tender. I would use a good firm apple like a Granny Smith or the Ginger Gold. When done, let them cool and place the apples in their liquid in a container in the fridge and chill until ready to serve.

Chantilly Cream

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons confectionary sugar

Whip until medium stiff peaked.

There are several ways to serve this dish. You can place the two halves on a plate and drizzle it with the cinnamon sauce and a dollop of Chantilly cream. Or scoop some vanilla ice cream into a bowl, place an apple half on top, then drizzle some of the cinnamon sauce on top.

My last dessert is also my favorite. It is light and airy with tiny bits of apples inside.

SOUR APPLE SOUFFLÉ

This makes six small soufflés or one, seven-inch soufflé.

Soufflé Before Baking

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter

Mix these two ingredients together to form a smooth paste. This is called a Beurre Manie or kneaded butter.

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

Bring the milk and sugar to a boil and add the Beurre Manie, whisking until a thick smooth paste has developed. Remove from heat and let cool. You can pop the pan right into the refrigerator. In another bowl, blend together the following ingredients:

4 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons sour apple liqueur or apple juice

1/2 apple, peeled, cored and diced very small

When the milk paste has cooled, add the egg yolk mixture. This is the base for the soufflé. It can be held, tightly wrapped, for about a week in the refrigerator.

4 large egg whites

2 tablespoons sugar

Whip the egg whites until frothy and then add the sugar. When it has achieved a soft peak, it is ready to be folded into the base mixture. The whipped whites do not have to be a totally incorporated; you can have it looking marbleized and it will still rise nicely.

You should prepare the soufflé dish or dishes by first buttering them, then putting sugar inside to coat the dish. This idea is similar to buttering and flouring a cake pan, except you are using butter and sugar. This is so the soufflé will have something to cling to as it rises -- kind of like a mountain climber needing the rocks of a mountain to reach the top.

The soufflé mixture is poured into the prepared dish or dishes all the way to the top and the top is smoothed. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes for the single, large soufflé, or 15 minutes for smaller, individual ones.

MANGO BBQ SAUCE

3 large tomatoes

1 medium onion, unpeeled

1 or more ripe mangos, depending on size, peeled and diced

2 chilies chipotle in adobo (stewed, canned), drained

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions Broil or grill tomatoes and onion, charring all sides until soft, (about 35 minutes for onion, 25 minutes for tomato). Allow to cool, then peel onion and chop with tomato. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from saucepan into a blender and puree. Marinate meats or poultry in BBQ sauce. Place meat on grill and cook until done, basting periodically with sauce. The chilies chipotle give the smoky flavor desired. Serve hot as a side dish for guests to use as needed.

MANGO QUESADILLAS

8 flour tortillas

2 mangos, peeled and thinly sliced

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 oz. brie cheese, sliced

Directions Place equal parts, in order, of mozzarella, mango and brie on half of open tortilla, fold in half then grill for 2 minutes each side. Serve with mango salsa.

MARINATED BEEF

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 grilled chicken breast, diced

1 can (15 ounces) cooked black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup mixed grated cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

In a small saucepan, combine the vermouth, soy sauce and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat if needed to keep the mixture from boiling over.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the oil, garlic, pepper and vinegar. Transfer to a large bowl and cool completely.

Trim any excess fat from the beef. If desired, slice the beef into strips about 1/8-inch thick.

In a medium bowl or large plastic sealable bag, toss the meat with the marinade. Or marinate the beef whole. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Preheat or prepare the grill. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. If the beef was sliced into strips, thread pieces on the skewers. Grill the beef strips about 4-5 minutes, turning several times during grilling. Or, if you are grilling the beef whole, grill to your desired degree of doneness.

Makes about 24 appetizer-size servings.

OLD-FASHIONED SOUR CREAM COOKIES

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp lemon extract

Grated rind of two lemons

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and add alternately with the sour cream to the batter. Stir in the lemon extract and lemon rind.

Drop by teaspoonfuls, two inches apart, into greased baking sheets. Bake fifteen minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Tops will be pale. Makes 4 dozen.

ORANGE TAPIOCA SALAD

3 cups Water

3 ounces Orange Gelatin Powder -- (small package)

3 ounces Instant Pudding Mix -- Vanilla

3 ounces Tapioca Pudding Mix -- Instant

1 cup Mandarin Oranges -- drained

1 cup Pineapple -- crushed, drained

8 ounces Cool Whip(r) -- (small package)

Bring water to a boil in a large pan. Pour in gelatin and pudding mixes,

and let boil for one minute. Remove from heat and cool completely. When

mixture is cool, fold in oranges, pineapple and whipped topping. Let cool

for at least 2 hours. *This recipe can be doubled

PASTA SALAD

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 grilled chicken breast, diced

1 can (15 ounces) cooked black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup mixed grated cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, feta cheese, roasted red peppers, red onion, cucumber and tomatoes.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all the dressing ingredients. Cover the jar and shake vigorously to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving. Makes 16 servings.

PEACH MELON CONSERVE

6 cups diced peeled peaches

2 cups diced cantaloupe

6 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp syrup from preserved ginger

1/4 cup chopped preserved ginger

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Place the peaches and cantaloupe in a kettle and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the sugar, lemon juice and syrup and boil rapidly until mixture is thick. Stir to prevent sticking.

Stir in the ginger and pecans and pour into hot sterilized jars. Pour two thin layers of paraffin wax over. Cool, cover, and store in a cool, dry, dark place.

Makes about 10 jelly jars.

PECAN PIE BARS

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 grilled chicken breast, diced

1 can (15 ounces) cooked black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup mixed grated cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process all the base ingredients until the mixture begins to form small lumps. Sprinkle into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and press evenly onto the bottom using a metal spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare the pecan layer, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar, honey and heavy cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute, then stir in the pecans.

When the shortbread is golden, remove it from the oven and pour the pecan topping over the hot shortbread and spread evenly.

Return the dish to the middle of the oven and bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.

Makes 40 bars, each 1 1/2-by-1 1/2-inches.

Cook's note: Make these bars up to five days ahead and store, covered, at room temperature.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH APPLES

2 lb. Pork tenderloin

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 Tbsp Prepared mustard

1/4 tsp Dried rosemary, crushed (or more, to taste

1/2 tsp Ground mace

1/4 tsp Ground cloves

2 Tbsp Apple juice or white wine

1 28 oz. Can of crushed tomatoes

3 Large apples (Golden Delicious), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Spray a baking dish with vegetable cooking spray (or lightly coat with olive oil). Put the tenderloin in the pan. Combine the minced garlic, mustard and spices, and coat tenderloin with mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes, basting with apple juice or wine. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake another 10 minutes.

Pour crushed tomatoes evenly over and around tenderloin. Add apple slices to tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes or until your meat thermometer reaches 170°F.

PORTLAND CHICKEN WINGS

Chicken wings:

3 1/2-4 pounds chicken wings or chicken wing drumettes, washed and patted dry

Marinade:

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons rice vine vinegar

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup honey

Cut the chicken wing tips at the joint and remove; separate the remaining two pieces. (Reserve the tips for making stock if desired.) Place chicken wings in a large, sealable plastic bag. Set aside.

To prepare the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the mustard, paprika and rice wine vinegar to form a smooth paste. Add the Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Add honey and mix well to incorporate all ingredients.

Pour the marinade mixture over the chicken wings, seal the bag and tilt it to distribute the marinade. Lay the bag on its side in a large baking dish to prevent any leakage, or double-bag. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with foil. Remove wings from the marinade and place in a single layer on prepared sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake 15 minutes.

Brush chicken with a little marinade and rotate the pans. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 20 minutes longer. If the chicken looks dry or is browning too much, brush with a bit more marinade during the last 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve. May also be served cold or at room temperature. Makes about 36 pieces, three per serving.

POTATO SOUP

1/2 package of smoked bacon ends and pieces (do not fry)

potatoes

onions, if desired

evaporated milk

Cut off the fat from the bacon ends and pieces and put in a soup pot with

peeled, cut up potatoes. Add onions if you wish. Cover the ingredients

with water, and boil until the potatoes are done. If there is a lot of

water after the potatoes have cooked, drain a little bit out. Use a potato

masher to mash the potatoes into smaller pieces. Add evaporated milk, and

other seasoning if desired.

POTPOURRI GEL JARS

2 cups Distilled Water

4 packages Un-flavored Gelatin

50 drops Essential Oil -- (for fragrance)

Food Coloring -- as desired

Heat one cup water in medium sized saucepan. Add gelatin, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat and add remaining 1 cup of liquid as well as food coloring, and stir until dissolved. Put drops of essential oil into jars then add gelatin mixture. Place in fridge for approximately 2 hours. Remove, cover with plastic wrap or lid if you have one, and store at room temperature. To release the scent simply remove the lid... and when you are finished make sure you re-cover the jar so all the scent doesn't evaporate.

This recipe makes four gel jars/ aprox. 4 oz each.

To decorate for gifts, tie ribbon or lace around the neck of the jar or add silk or

dried flowers to the bow. It works very well to cut a circle of lace which can be reapplied after removing lid, by screwing the band on over the lace. This will allow the scent to be enjoyed as well as keeping the jar decorative while it is being used.

Another decorative idea is to use the 'Easter Egg Coloring' kit dye tablets to color the gel, or to use recycled candle jars or potted cheese jars.

Here are other methods of making these cute little jars. They really make

nice gifts.

1. You will need:

Clear glycerin soap

Essential Oil

Coloring if desired-to complement the fragrance you choose.

Grate or chop soap and place in glass measuring cup. Heat in microwave until

thoroughly melted. Stir in your essential oil and coloring. Pour into jars and decorate as desired. This will also be a thick enough mixture that you can suspend things like lemon slices or orange slices in them.

2. You will need:

4 envelopes plain gelatin

16 oz. bottle potpourri oil

In heat proof 4 cup glass cup place 8 oz. of potpourri oil. Heat in microwave until really hot. This will give off a VERY STRONG fragrance so you may want to open a window. Stir in gelatin until completely dissolved.

Add the remaining 8 oz. potpourri oil. Pour into jars and decorate. The potpourri oil is available in most WalMart stores and craft stores. It has coloring added to it so you don't need to add any additional coloring.

note: Some folks in humid areas had trouble with their gel accumulating a thin layer of mold when stored for a long time. If you are in an area like this, or plan to store your jars for an extended period of time, you may want to store them in your refrigerator or a cool, dark place, such as a cellar.

ROAST STICKY CHICKEN

1 large chicken -- (roasting)

1 cup onion -- chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

4 teaspoons salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in a shallow baking pan. Roast, uncovered, at 250 degrees F for 5 hours. After the first hour, baste chicken occasionally (every half hour or so) with pan juices. (It may take awhile to have pan juices) The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown. If the chicken contains a pop-up thermometer, ignore it. Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.

ROASTED SHALLOTS AND

BUTTERNUT SQUASH

6 shallots, chopped

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 F. Mix first four ingredients in a large roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour until squash is tender and evenly browned, stirring every 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temp. Serves 4.

ROASTED TOMATO SALSA

6 to 8 small ripe tomatoes, washed, halved horizontally and seeded

3 fresh serrano chilies, washed, stemmed, split lengthwise, seeded and finely

chopped wear gloves

1 medium red onion, peeled, ends removed, chopped

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar or to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 fresh jalapeno chili, washed, stem removed, split lengthwise, seeded and thinly

sliced, optional

Tortilla chips

Preheat the broiler. Place the tomato halves, cut sides down, on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil until the skin of the tomatoes has blistered and blackened. Do not overcook; pulp should not be mushy. Remove and allow to cool on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin.

Coarsely chop the tomatoes and place in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the serrano chilies, red onion, vinegar, sugar and cilantro.

At serving time, transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with jalapeno slices if desired. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes about 1 1/2 cups; 12 servings.

Cook's note: Serrano chilies are smaller and hotter than jalapeno chilies. If desired, jalapeno chilies may be substituted for the serrano.

SAMBUCA POACHED FIGS

WITH RICOTTA AND PINE NUTS

Serve this dish at the end of a meal - it's a fruit and cheese course in one.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup Sambuca (An Italian liqueur made from elderberries and flavored with

licorice.)

2 tablespoons sugar

12 firm-ripe fresh purple figs

3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta (preferably fresh)

Heat oil in a small skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and season with salt.

Simmer Sambuca with sugar in a saucepan (pan should be just large enough to hold figs upright), stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cut a very thin slice from bottom of each fig and stand figs in liquid in saucepan (figs will not be covered by liquid). Poach figs at a bare simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Cool slightly in liquid.

Season ricotta with salt and pepper. Divide figs among 4 plates alongside mounds of ricotta and drizzle figs with some of poaching liquid, then sprinkle with pine nuts and serve. Makes 4 servings.

[]Interestingly, sambuca is also the name of an ancient stringed instrument! []

SAUSAGE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH STEW

3 1/2-4 quart cooker makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1 medium potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 slender carrots, sliced diagonally 3/4 inch thick or 12 baby carrots

1 cup frozen cut green beans

1 can 14 ounces fat-free beef broth

1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed

1/4 pound low-fat turkey sausage or light kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and

thickly sliced

4 small onions, halved

1/4 cup cold water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

snipped fresh parsley, for garnish

Combine the squash, potatoes, carrots, beans broth, vinegar, pepper, and rose-

mary in an electric slow cooker. Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat; add the onions and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage and onions to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended, 6-8 hours. In a measuring cup, mix the water and cornstarch, and pour the mixture into the stew. Mix well and heat until the liquid has thickened. Garnish with the parsley.

SERBIAN TORTE

10 eggs, separated

1 3/4 cups sugar (divided use)

1/4 cup zwieback crumbs or dry bread crumbs

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 lb blanched almonds, very finely ground

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/2 lb soft butter

1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gradually beat in one cup of the sugar. Fold in the crumbs, lemon rind, and lemon juice.

Fold in the ground almonds and divide the mixture among four greased nine-inch

layer pans, lined on the bottom with parchment paper or unglazed brown paper. Bake fifteen to twenty minutes, or until layers are faintly browned. Cool on a rack.

Beat the egg yolks lightly. Place the yolks and the remaining sugar in the top

of a double boiler and cook over hot water until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens. Do not allow mixture to boil; it will curdle.

Remove from the hot water, beat in the chocolate and gradually beat in the butter. Refrigerate until mixture is spreading consistency. Use to fill and frost the layers. Garnish with the sliced almonds. Refrigerate until firm.

SEVERAL TEA SANDWICHES

Cucumber Sandwiches

Cool, refreshing, easy to make, and very English!

1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 Tbsp finely chopped watercress

1/2 cup softened butter

Thinly sliced bread

Thinly sliced cucumber

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix parsley, watercress and softened butter. Cut bread into rounds the same diameter as the cucumber slices. Spread bread rounds with herb butter, top with a slice of cucumber, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with remaining bread rounds. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Tea Sandwich Filling

1 package smoked chicken breast

mayonnaise

garlic

chopped pecans or hazelnuts

Cube the chicken and put through a food processor until very fine. Add mayo and garlic and mix thoroughly. Chop nuts (amount is up to you) and mix in last.

Another filling:

8oz cream cheese (room temperature)

1/3 cup Miracle Whip

1 pkg Zesty Italian salad dressing mix.

Blend well and let stand in refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Spread over canapé bread (use the French Loaf in the freezer section). Top with thinly sliced cucumbers and garnish with some dill. HINT: Pampered Chef has a bread pan in the shape of a flower that just makes these sandwiches a wonderful appetizer to take anywhere.

Other Filling Suggestions:

Flavored cream cheese spread

-Beat one 8oz. package softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup mayonnaise

until smooth and creamy. Makes 1 cup.

Your favorite chicken salad recipe

Your favorite tuna salad recipe

Your favorite egg salad recipe

Devilled ham

Thinly sliced smoked salmon and cream cheese

Thinly sliced roast beef with horseradish

Combine crabmeat or salmon with mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper

to taste.

Any spread with a cream cheese or mayonnaise base will work.

Thinly sliced fresh apples and thinly sliced Mars bars on wheat or rye bread.

Finger or Party Sandwiches

Elegant tea sandwiches are a welcome addition to almost any buffet or party

tray. Also known as finger or party sandwiches, they are the perfect

accompaniment to afternoon tea or to serve at a garden party. Most are not

only simple to make but can also be made well in advance. They readily lend

themselves to endless variety simply by varying the shape and/or filling.

Plan on making an assortment. When ready to serve, arrange attractively on a

platter with a bit of parsley or watercress for garnish and you're sure to

have something that will please everyone.

Shapes and Types:

Regular Tea Sandwiches

Using 2 thin slices of bread with the crusts removed, cover one slice with

filling. Top with remaining slice of bread and cut into 4 pieces. For

variation, cut bread into 4 pieces and top with bread pieces cut into

various different shapes using cookie cutters.

Pinwheel and Rolled Sandwiches:

-Remove crusts from unsliced loaf of sandwich bread and slice lengthwise

into approximately 1/3 inch slices. (Bread will slice easier if partially

frozen and you use a hot, sharp knife. Alternatively, ask your baker to

slice it for you.)

-Flatten slices with a rolling pin and spread each slice with butter and

then with your choice of filling. If desired, add a row of pickles, olives,

pimento or anything else that seems appropriate at the end you will be

rolling from.

-Roll up tightly enclosing pickles, etc. in center of roll. Wrap tightly

and refrigerate until ready to serve.

-Slice into rounds using a sharp knife (or electric knife, if possible).

A variation on this idea is the rolled sandwich. Use a regular slice of

bread, crusts removed and spread with filling and roll. Wrap tightly and

refrigerate. Unwrap and serve. Chilling should help sandwiches to retain its

rolled shape but a toothpick may be necessary. If desired, tuck parsley into

the ends for garnish.

Ribbon Sandwiches:

Take two slices of brown and one slice of white bread and remove crusts.

Spread one side of brown and both sides of white with butter. Stack bread

alternating brown bread, filling, white bread, filling and finishing with

brown bread. Make sure that buttered side of bread is in contact with the

filling to prevent it from becoming soggy. Cut into bars, triangles, squares

or any other desired shape. Wrap very tightly until ready to serve.

Checkerboard Sandwiches:

You will need an equal number of square slices of each brown and white

bread. (My preference is three each.)

-Beginning with a slice of white bread, butter and spread with filling and

top with a slice of brown bread which has been buttered on both sides.

Spread

filling on brown slice and cover with a white slice, buttered on both sides.

Repeat, ending with a brown slice on top and only buttered on the side which

touches the filling.

-Trim crusts. Wrap and refrigerate until filling is firm.

-Cut loaf into 1/4" slices. Lay one slice down with the white strip facing

you. Spread with butter and filling. Add another slice with the brown strip

facing you. Spread with butter and filling. Repeat until you have used all

slices. Do not spread butter or filling on top slice. You should have

created a block which resembles a checkerboard design.

-Wrap and refrigerate until firm. When ready to serve, cut into 1/4" slices.

A Few Tips:

*For the most attractive appearance, use fine but firm textured bread.

*If making sandwiches in advance, wrap tightly in foil or plastic immediately after preparing to prevent bread from drying.

*If sandwiches include watery ingredients like cucumber or tomato, it's best if these ingredients are cut and added immediately prior to serving. If this isn't possible, salt the cucumbers to draw out the juices and drain well. Rinse before using. For the tomatoes, cut and drain well on a rack prior to using. These steps will help prevent the bread from getting soggy.

*An electric knife is particularly helpful when making these delicate sandwiches as it allows you to cut them without pressing down and distorting their shape.

SHALLOT HERB BUTTER

4 oz butter, divided

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Melt two tbsp butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add thyme and black pepper. Remove from heat. Add remaining butter, stir until completely combined. Store covered in fridge. Use over cooked meat, poultry, or seafood. Makes 1/2 cup.

THERMONUCLEAR SLOPPY JOES

It works equally well as a stew, sandwich or flour tortilla filling, or topping for extra-spicy nachos.

3 to 31/2- pound boneless chuck roast

1 7-ounce can diced green chilies

4 tablespoons ground cumin (divided)

2 tablespoons chili powder

Salt and pepper

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel brand)

2 141/2-ounce cans stewed tomatoes

1 cup minced pickled jalapeno slices (see note)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

12 onion buns,

12 flour tortillas, or large platter of corn chips

Shredded lettuce

Additional garnishes: sliced or diced tomatoes, chopped green onions, sour

cream, guacamole, shredded cheese, and pickled jalapenos

Place roast on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil measuring about 18 by 25 inches.

Combine the diced green chilies, 2 tablespoons of the cumin powder, the chili powder, salt and pepper (to taste). Spread the mixture over the top of the roast and wrap the foil around the roast, sealing well. Place in a baking pan and bake in a 325-degree oven for 31/2 to 4 hours, or until the meat is so tender it falls apart.

Be careful when unwrapping the roast; the steam will burn! Lift it from the pool of drippings in the foil and allow it to cool on a plate until it is easy to handle.

Meanwhile, pour the meat drippings (about 1/2 cup) into a small container and skim off the fat. Set aside.

Using a fork or your fingers, shred the cooled roast into small strips and fibers of meat; set aside. A 3-pound roast will yield about 4 cups of shredded meat.

In a large pot, sauté the onion in the oil until soft. Add the reserved meat juices, shredded meat, diced tomatoes with green chilies, stewed tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, remaining 2 tablespoons cumin powder and the salt. The mixture will seem very soupy at this point.

Simmer gently, uncovered, over medium-high heat until thickened and reduced, but still rather saucy, about 30 minutes.

If you are planning to transport the mixture to a tailgate party and will have no equipment to reheat it, then pack it into two 1-quart, wide-mouth vacuum bottles.

The filling can be prepared ahead of time and then refrigerated or frozen. When ready to use, thoroughly reheat mixture by bringing it to a boil and simmering about 5 minutes on stove, or micro-waving on high until very hot and bubbly.

To make sandwiches: Partially split each bun lengthwise, sprinkle with shredded cheese, then top with hot filling, another sprinkling of cheese and shredded lettuce.

To make roll-ups: Set out warm flour tortillas and garnishes; let guests assemble their own.

To serve as a stew: Ladle into bowls and pass around garnishes.

Note: Wear gloves when handling fresh, canned, dried or pickled chilies; the oils can cause a burning sensation on your skin.

TROPICAL SALAD

Servings 8

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup lime juice

4 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 heads romaine lettuce torn into pieces

2 cups mangos, cubed

1 large avocado sliced

Directions Blend together oil, lime juice, sugar, onion powder, salt and pepper. Toss lettuce, mango and avocado. Pour on dressing.

TWO LAYER SPINACH

AND RED SWEET PEPPER TORTA

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups reduced fat or regular cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 grilled chicken breast, diced

1 can (15 ounces) cooked black beans

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Tabasco sauce to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

1 cup mixed grated cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the red pepper just until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the chopped pepper from the skillet and allow to cool.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In an 8- or 9-cup baking or souffle dish mix together the melted butter and bread crumbs and pat the mixture into the bottom of the dish; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan, garlic, thyme and eggs.

Place half of the cheese mixture into a separate bowl. Add the cooked spinach to one mixture and mix together. Place the spinach mixture into the crumb-lined baking dish, smoothing out the top. Combine the cooled peppers with the remaining cheese mixture and carefully spoon it over the spinach layer.

Bake the torta for about 40 minutes, or until set and the top is slightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool.

When cooled, chill the torta until ready to serve. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature. Serves 12

VINARTERTA

Layers:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk

Filling:

2 lb. prunes

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

To prepare layers, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and add alternately with the milk to the butter, mixing at low speed on an electric mixer or stirring with a wooden spoon. Dough will be soft.

Turn dough out onto a piece of wax paper, wrap, and chill several hours until firm enough to roll. This step may be hastened if the package is put into the freezer, but care must be taken that the dough does not freeze.

While dough is chilling, prepare filling. Cook the prunes in water to cover for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain prunes, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Cool. Pit the prunes and place fruit and reserved juice in the container of an electric blender or pass through a good chopper. Add the sugar and salt to prunes in blender and blend until smooth or stir into ground fruit. Transfer the prune mixture to a saucepan and heat, stirring, until hot. Cool. Add the vanilla. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the chilled dough into eight equal portions. Leave the remainder of dough in the refrigerator and roll out one portion at a time on a lightly floured pastry cloth into a circle about 1/8 in thick and 8 to 9 inches in diameter. A flan ring makes a good cutter. Place round on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Cool on a rack.

Repeat with the remaining dough portions. Scraps collected and chilled will produce two more rounds, giving a total of ten layers. When layers and filling are cool, put filling between the layers, pressing down on each layer lightly with palm of hand. Wrap cake in waxed paper or cloth and allow to mellow for several hours. Note: this cake freezes well.

WALDORF SALAD

3 Medium apples, unpeeled, cored, chopped (Golden or Red Delicious, Cortland,

Winesap, Empire)

3 ribs of celery, diced

1/2 cup Chopped pecans

1/3 cup Raisins

3/4 cup Whipping cream

2 Tbsp Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Ground white pepper

Combine apples, celery, pecans and raisins in a large bowl.

Combine the whipping cream, lemon juice and white pepper and whip until mixture is thick and forms soft peaks.

Stir cream mixture into apple mixture. Chill before serving. May be served on lettuce leaves, if desired.

WENDYS CHILI

2 lb. ground beef

1 (29 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (29 oz.) can kidney beans (with liquid)

1 (29 oz.) can pinto beans (with liquid)

1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)

1/2 cup diced green chili (2 chilies)

1/4 cup diced celery (1 rib)

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp. cumin powder

3 Tbsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. salt

2 cup water

Brown ground beef; drain the fat. Using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into

pea-size pieces. Combine the beef with remaining ingredients and bring to a

simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.

Makes 12 servings.

Variations

For spicier chili, add 1/2 teaspoon more black pepper.

For much spicier chili, add 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1 tablespoon cayenne

pepper.

For a real stomach zinger, add 5 or 6 sliced jalapeño peppers to the pot.

WILD RICE WITH CHICKEN LIVERS

6 oz wild rice

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup butter

3 onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced

12 chicken livers (approximately 12 oz)

3 tbsp cognac

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Prepare the wild rice according to package directions, using the broth for final cooking. Heat the butter inn a heavy skillet and sauté the onions and garlic in it until tender, but not browned. Add the mushrooms and cook three minutes.

Increase the heat, add the livers and brown quickly on all sides. Add the cognac and stir to loosen cooked-on particles. Add the cooked rice and toss to mix.

Reheat the mixture and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serves 6 to 8.

Note: the wild rice and chicken liver mixture may be served as a separate vegetable, as a base for squab, poultry, or game, or as a stuffing.