Thanks,
Ginger

Apple-Feta Tossed Salad
2 T. margarine
1 cup walnut halves
1 T. sugar
1/8 tsp. pepper
5 cups torn romaine
5 cups torn red leaf lettuce
1 green and 1 red apple - chopped (toss in lemon juice)
1 cup feta cheese

Dressing:
6 T. olive oil
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp. pepper
In skillet, melt margerine over medium heat. Add the walnuts, sprinkle with sugar and pepper. Stir to coat and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for 15 minutes. Stir every five minutes and remove from sheet to cool.
In a large bowl, combine lettuces, apples and feta cheese. Combine the dressing ingredients and blend. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Top with sugared walnuts
12 servings -

BACARDI RUM CAKE

1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1 (18 1/2 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. bacardi dark rum (80 proof)
1 (18 1/2 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix (see note)
4 eggs
1/2 c. Wesson oil

GLAZE:
1/4 lb. butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. bacardi dark rum (80 proof)

Note: If cake mix has pudding in it - omit instant pudding. Use 3 eggs instead of 4 and 1/3 cup oil instead of 1/2 cup.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and flour 10 inch tube pan or 12 inch Bundt pan.

Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter over nuts. Bake 1 hour, cool. Invert on serving plate. Prick top. Drizzle and smooth glaze evenly over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until glaze is used up.

For glaze, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in rum.

1.5 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 stick of butter, softened

Mix all ingredients together with hands until all dry ingredients are moistened. Roll into 1"-1.5" balls, then put on very lightly greased (very very lightly) cookie sheet and flatten down to about 1/3" thickness). Bake at 350 until golden brown (normally about 15 minutes in my oven, but it's a vintage--like 1940s model--so I'm not sure about the thermostat).

They're Spanish butter cookies...otherwise known as mantecados uncastillo. Mmmmmmmm! Not overly sweet. They are a wonderful, wonderful complement to coffee. I don't like my desserts to be so very sweet anyway, so these cookies are heaven sent as far as I'm concerned.

One large (or two small) cans of cherry pie filling
One white cake mix
One stick of butter, melted

Spread the cherry pie filling at the bottom of a 9x13, or 8x8 if you want more cherry bang for your buck, pan. Evenly sprinkle the entire cake mix, DRY, over the pie filling, then pour the butter evenly over the top of that. Bake at 350 until golden brown. Best served warm with whipped cream, but good almost any time. :)

talk about easy....

~Grape Salad~
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 lbs. seedless grapes (washed and dried)

combine sugar and cream cheese- add vanilla and
sour cream-
toss in grapes

It's like that fresh fruit "dip" you can buy, only better!

Linda in Louisville

White Chicken Chili
Makes 4-6 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped ( or 1 tsp. Garlic powder)
1 can (4-ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cans (16 ounces) Great Northern Beans
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Salsa (optional)

In large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chopped garlic or garlic powder in the last 2 minutes. Add chilies, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until hot. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

I always double this recipe!! Folks love it.

2 jiggers of chilled

1 scant breath of chilled

Apply to ice cubes in glass.

Swirl.

Serves one.

You're my kinda guy! LOL!!! One of my faves is Absolut with a splash of Vintage Tonic, lemon twist on ice. YUM!

Cheers!

Shore

Sloppy Joe's - Use the amounts you want, I never measure

1 Ib. Ground beef browned with onion and green pepper

then add:
Celery finely chopped
About a tablespoon of Brown Sugar
Ketchup
Mustard
Cayenne Pepper to taste

Let cook on med-low on the stove for 20 minutes or until needed. If making lots for a potluck I cook as above and keep it warm in a crock pot. I also freeze individual servings to take to lunch at work. Just use a muffin tin, fill each tin till mounded, put in freezer, once frozen solid, rinse bottom of muffin tin in hot water, pop our SJ's and individually bag, then put another bag around that with a bun in it and through it back in the freezer. Grab and go!

Yummy!

Storygardner, I'm a pure chili-head, but have been trying to stay off too much red meat. I've had the White Chicken Chili - it is DELISH!

PV

TIRAMISU TOFFEE TORTE
1 pkg. (18 1/4 oz.) white cake mix
1 c. strong brewed coffee, room temp.
4 egg whites
4 Heath candy bars (1.4 oz. each), chopped
(I used the bagged Heath candy pieces)

FROSTING:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2/3 c. sugar
2 c. whipping cream
1/3 c. chocolate syrup
1/4 c. + 6 tblsp. strong brewed coffee, room temp., divided
2 teas. vanilla
1 Heath candy bar (1.4 oz.), chopped

Line 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, coffee and egg whites on low speed until moistened. Beat on high for 2 min. Fold in chopped candy bars. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake at 350* for 25-30 min. or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 min. before removing from pans to wire racks. When cool, split each cake into 2 horizontal layers.
For frosting, in a chilled mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese & sugar til smooth. Add the whipping cream, chocolate syrup, coffee and vanilla. Beat on high speed til light and fluffy, about 5 min.
Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; drizzle with 2 tblsp. of the remaining coffee. Spread with 3/4 c. frosting. Repeat twice. Top with fourth cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with chopped candy bar. Store (covered) in the refrigerator. Yield: 12-14 servings

SOUR CREAM COCONUT CAKE
1 box butter-flavor cake mix
16 oz. sour cream
12 oz. coconut
1 c. sugar
largest tub of cool whip

Bake cake in 2 9-in. pans according to pkg. directions. Split each cake into 2 layers. Mix sour cream, coconut and sugar. Reserve 1 c. for icing; ice between each layer with 1 c. of coconut mixture. Combine reserved 1 c. coconut mixture and whipped topping; ice cake thickly. Best if refrigerated (covered) for 3 days before serving to allow flavors to blend.

BROWN SUGAR PEANUT BRITTLE

1 c. sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. water
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. butter or margarine
2 to 3 c. raw peanuts
1 1/2 t. baking soda

Butter a large jelly roll pan, set aside.

In a heavy 3-qt. sauce pan, combine the sugars, corn syrup, water & salt.

Cook & stir til the sugars dissolve. Continue cooking til the mixture boils; stir in the butter.

Clip candy thermometer to side of the pan. Continue cooking, WITHOUT stirring, to 230* (thread stage).

Continue cooking, stirring frequently but gently, to 280* (soft-crack stage).

Stir in the peanuts. Cook, stirring constantly, to 300* (hard-crack stage). Immediately remove from heat; quickly stir in soda, mixing well. Immediately pour onto buttered sheet. For light, foamy brittle, carefully tilt and shake the pan to spread to edges. For thin brittle, stretch and pull with 2 forks as it cools. Break when cool and store covered.