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FROZEN FRUIT CHEESE SALAD

~Submitted by Barbara, Chula Vista, CA

12 servings

2 refrigerator trays
2 cups small curd cottage cheese, sieved
1 cup dairy sour cream
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup drained pineapple tidbits
1 cup diced orange* (see note)
1 cup chopped, pitted cooked prunes**(see note)
1 large banana sliced
1/2 cup maraschino cherries
1/2 cup blanched, chopped almonds
Salad greens
Creamy Pink Dressing (recipe below)

Note: * I use canned mandarin oranges in place of fresh oranges
Note:** I do not like prunes so I substitute a cup of sliced bananas for the prunes.

CREAMY PINK DRESSING

Yield: 1 cup

1 cup dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Blend sour cream with cherry juice; refrigerate until needed.




PARATHA

~Submitted by Rita, Hampshire, England

Ingredients:
Filling:
4 to 5 medium potatoes, baked
1 1/2 cups chopped onions and green onions combined
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Cayenne

CHAPATI

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups water
Olive oil for saut?©ing

Wash and bake potatoes, after piercing the tops a few times with a fork, until tender inside. Remove skins and put potatoes into a bowl. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and spices. (A fair amount of cayenne can be added, as the flavor of the potato mixture will be diluted once it is wrapped in flatbread. Go a little hotter than you normally would and it should turn out just about right.) Mix ingredients well with your hands and set aside.

To make chapati, mix flour and water together and work into a well-mixed ball with your hands. Pinch off a small lime-size piece of dough and roll out into chapati, which is essentially an Indian version of the Mexican tortilla. Keep rolling pin and hands floured with whole wheat flour to keep the chapati from sticking. Pinch out an equal amount of potato mixture and place in the center of the rolled-out chapati. Fold the chapati dough over the top of the potato mixture. Pat down and roll out again into a ball about the same diameter as the first chapati you rolled out. (It will be roughly twice as thick as the plain chapati dough.)

Cook in a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat in a small amount of olive oil brushed onto bottom. Serve hot. Extra parathas can be refrigerated for a few days in an airtight container with wax paper to separate them.




AUNTIE HELEN'S SWEDISH APPLE PIE

~Submitted by LaDonna, Corvallis, OR

Preheat oven to 350

2 1/2 C peeled sliced apples
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C Sugar + 1 tsp sugar
3/4 C Melted butter
1/2 to 3/4 C chopped pecans (my family likes more)
1 C Flour
1 Egg lightly beaten
Pinch of salt

Spray pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fill pie plate 2/3 full with apples. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and 1 tsp of sugar. In med bowl mix cup of sugar w/melted butter. Mix well, and then add in pecans, flour, egg and salt. Spread this mixture over the apples. It won't cover them completely but will spread out while baking.
Bake this for 65 minutes or until golden brown.

This will become a family favorite very quickly! My teenage son requests this pie for his birthday rather than a cake.




BABA GHANOUJ
(Eggplant and tahini dip)

~Submitted by Nancy, NM

Here's a few from the excellent cookbook "The New Book of Middle Eastern Food" by Claudia Roden

2 lbs. eggplant
2 or 3 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
salt
4 TB tahini paste (sesame paste)
juice of two lemons, or more to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)

Optional garnish: 2 TB extra-virgin olive oil and 1 TB finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Broil or roast the eggplants until very soft inside. Peel them, letting the soft flesh fall into a colander with small holes, then chop the flesh with a pointed knife and mash it with a fork in the colander, letting the bitter juices run out. Pour into a bowl and add garlic, a little salt, the tahini paste, and lemon juice, beating well and tasting to adjust the flavoring. You may use a food processor, but the texture is best when it is done by hand.

Pour the eggplant into a shallow dish and garnish, if you like, with the olive oil and parsley. Serve with pita bread to dip.




BEEHIVE COOKIES

~Submitted by Angelique, TX

1 cup dates; chopped
1 egg; beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 c. honey
2 cups shredded coconut
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup walnuts; coarsely chopped

In mixing bowl, combine honey, egg and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Stir in coconut and nuts. Coat dates with 2 tablespoons of flour. Add to mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 12 minutes or until slightly browned.

Makes 2 1/2 doz. cookies




CLASSIC KEY LIME PIE

~Submitted by Larry Holmes, Ontario, Canada

4 eggs separated
juice of four Key limes, about ?? cup
?? teaspoon key lime zest
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
6 tablespoons sugar (for meringue)
?? teaspoon cream of tartar
?? teaspoon tartar
graham cracker crust (recipe follows)

Prepare pie shell, allowing it to cool while making filling. In large bowl, beat the egg yolks with a whisk to lighten them and then stir in milk. Stir in lime juice and zest, then pour the mixture into the shell. Refrigerate while preparing meringue. Whip egg whites (at room temperature) with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks, adding the sugar and cream of tartar slowly. Pile the meringue on top of the filling, sealing it to the pie shell around the edges. Bake in a 400?° F. oven until the peaks brown slightly (5 - 10 minutes). Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Pie should be refrigerated for at least one hour before serving.

Graham cracker crust: Mix ingredients with a fork. Pat into a 9-inch pie pan and bake in a 400?° F. oven for 10 minutes. Cool.

Source: Gulfshore Life




NONNA'S SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALL SAUCE

"THE REAL THING"

~Submitted by Jean, Syracuse, NY

Our family recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs given to me by my Mother-in-law, who makes the best red sauce I've ever tasted, and I have been making it myself for over twenty years!

Serves 6? 

The trick to this recipe, as in most Italian cooking is to use the best ingredients you can find. Although my Mother-in-law cans her own tomatoes from her garden, I don't have that option, so I buy a good canned, chopped tomatoes imported from Italy. Pomi is one brand that is now available in grocery stores, and is a personal favorite of mine. The choice of meat is up to you, but I try to add a piece of both sparerib, and beef to the sauce, and prefer a combination of beef and veal, or beef and turkey for the meatballs. Here is the recipe:

For The Sauce:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 Small Onion, Chopped Fine
1 Stalk of Celery, Finely Chopped
2 or 3 Small Pieces of Meat (Pork, Beef, or Chicken)
Salt & Pepper
1/4 Cup Chopped Basil
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
2 (6oz) Cans Tomato Paste
1 Large Can Pureed Tomatoes ( I use 1 (26oz) box Pomi Tomatoes)
About 5 Cups water
3 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Pound Of Spaghetti or Pasta of Choice

Brown the meat pieces in the oil until well browned. Add the garlic, onion, and celery and saut?© until tender. Add the paste, tomatoes, water and herbs, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to your own personal taste. Turn mixture down to a simmer, then drop the prepared meatballs into the sauce. Do not stir for the first 15 minutes or so until the meatballs begin to firm up.

Continue to cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding extra water as needed if the sauce becomes too thick. This sauce, with or without the meatballs can now be used over your pasta of choice. Just before serving, stir the 3 tablespoons of grated cheese into the sauce. Though most people would choose spaghetti, personally I prefer rigatoni or penne. Serve over pasta cooked al dente, and offer a little more Parmesan cheese at the table. With the addition of a nice mixed salad and some crusty Italian bread, this pasta dish would easily make a complete meal. I would choose a robust Chianti wine to accompany this meal.

Meatballs:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 lb. Ground Pork or Veal
Salt & Pepper
1 or 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Parsley
2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg
1 Cup Soft Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Water

Add the bread crumbs to the water to moisten. Mix all the ingredients together with the bread crumb mixture. Shape into golf ball sized balls, and gently drop into the simmering sauce.

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For Two...

CORNISH HEN DINNER FOR TWO

~Submitted by Jean, Syracuse, NY

Serves: 2
Prep. Time: 1:45

2 Cornish game hens
McCormick Salt & Spice?® OR Crazy Mixed Up Salt?®
16 oz. bag frozen whole green beans
1 box Stove Top Stuffing?® - prepared as directed
1 Tbs. flour
2/3 cup chicken broth

Slide finger between skin and meat of hen, separating them and making pockets. There should be 4 total pockets, one on each side of the bird, on the breast and back.

-Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. seasoning in each pocket and use finger to spread throughout.
-Rub 1/4 tsp. seasoning on the inside of hen.
-Sprinkle additional seasoning on the outside of the bird and rub in.
-Stuff cavity of hen with Stove Top?®.
-Place hens breast side down in regular-size Reynolds Oven Bag?®, which is placed on a cookie sheet.
-Spread green beans around hens.
-Tie bag closed and poke holes in top to vent.
-Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, 20 minutes.
-Drain drippings from bag into small saucepan.
-Stir in flour and heat to bubbling.
-Slowly stir in chicken broth.
-Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
-Divide the hens and green beans on 2 plates, scoop out stuffing, and serve with gravy.
-Throw away the mess!