Chocolate Mint Cookies

My old roommate, Alpine, used to get together with a friend to try out new cookie recipes. I was lucky enough to be around the house when she tried this recipe because it's fabulous! Alpine followed the recipe and used the Andies on top of the cookies. I, however, didn't have Andies around when I made my batch, so I did without. These cookies are great as intended (chocolate mint) or naked (chocolate).

By Susan Black

Yields 3 dozen.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

18 Andies chocolate mint wafers*

1. In a large pan over low heat, cook butter, sugar and water until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool off slightly.

2. At high speed, beat in eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, beating until blended. Chill dough about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. While cookies are baking unwrap mints and divide each in half. When cookies are brought out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie. Let the mint sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the mint on top of the cookie.

*Variation: When mixing ingredients, add in mint chips. Do not add Andies chocolates on top.

Rustic Fruit Pie

Don't make this pie if you're a perfectionist because it will not look "perfect". This is a "pie" because it's baked in a pie pan but it's not your typical pie. The crust bubbles up beneath the filling, making for a beautiful and unusual pie. The original recipe calls for cranberries, which I use when they are available. When my store does not have cranberries in stock, however, I use cherries or raspberries. I'm sure that any berry would work wonderfully.

Inspired by Kathleen Daelemans

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, cherries, cranberries, rasberries, etc.)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the butter in a 9-inch round pie pan. Set pan in the oven long enough to barely melt the butter. Remove buttered pan from the oven, swirl the pan to coat it evenly with the butter, and set it in a warm place.

3. Toss the berries with sugar and walnuts and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk and stir until just combined.

5. Pour the batter into the pan. It will be very thin (like pancake batter).

6. Pour the berry mixture over the batter, distributing evenly.

7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the berries are bubbly and soft and slightly golden. Serve warm (and if you're like me, serve it with ice cream).

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Fudge-Frosted Rice Krispie Bars

by Grandma Shirley McDermott

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1 c. white syrup
1/2 c. granulated sugar
5 c. Rice Krispies
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped peanuts
1 c. marshmallows
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter

Makes up to 40 bars.

Cook butter, syrup, and sugar to soft ball stage. Combine Rice Krispies, coconut, peanuts, and marshmallows. Pour half of syrup mixture over Rice Krispies. To rest of syrup, add chocolate chips and peanut butter. Stir Rice Krispie mixture and pour into 9 x 13 in. buttered pan. When chips and peanut butter are melted, spread on bars. Cool and cut into squares.

Cream Puffs

by Beth E. McDermott Harrington

Ingredients:
1 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1 c. flour
4 eggs

Makes 12 puffs.

Heat oven to 400. Heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat for 1 minute, or until it forms a ball. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, all at one time. Continue beating until smooth. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfulls 3 in. apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

To serve: Cut open puffs. Most people scrape out the fluffy stuff in the inside of the puffs, but as my friends say, "that's the good part," so I keep that part intact. Fill the puff with a dollop of whipped cream, mousse, ice cream, fruit, etc. Be creative!

Banana Carrot Bread

by Unknown

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. sifted flour
3/4 c. canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. finely grated carrots

Combine bananas, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs and stir with mixer. Sift flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in large bowl. Stir in banan mixture. Fold in carrots. Spoon into greased and floured large loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Caramel Corn

by Aunt Marge

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. white syrup
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vinegar
Nuts (optional, and can be whatever kind you choose)
Popped corn

Stir butter, white syrup, and brown sugar and let this come to a soft boil. Add baking soda and vinegar and stir. Add nuts. Stir. Pour over popped corn and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Taken verbatim from a very old can of Libby's pumpkin

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. fresh, frozen, or sweetened dried cranberries

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil in small mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 9 X5-in. loaf pans.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 to 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Rice Puddin' with Drunken Fruit Sauce

Originally by Paula Deen ("Carolina Gold Rice Pudding", www.food.com), adapted by Laura Harrington

Ingredients:

(Rice Puddin'):

1 c. Jasmine rice

1/2 tsp. salt

1 14-oz can evaporated milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 c. raisins

1 1/2 Tbs. vanilla

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

(Drunken Fruit Sauce):

1 c. orange juice

1/2 c. sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. rum

1 c. frozen berries (thawed)

Note: The rice puddin' and sauce are meant to be made in a double boiler, but alas, I do not own one. You can also make this in a normal sauce pan - just keep a close eye on it (especially on the sauce)!

Put the rice in a sauce pan. Add the salt and water as directed on the Jasmine rice bag. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the evaporated milk, butter, and raisins. Cook, stirring frequently, over simmering water until the pudding thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg.

Sauce: Combine the orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a sauce pan. Cook the mixture over simmering water until it thickens. Add the mixed berries. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, butter, and rum. Serve warm over rice pudding.

Buelah Jones' Banana Bread

by Buelah Jones

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter (i.e. 1 stick)

1 c. sugar

3 crushed bananas (the browner, the better)

2 eggs

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. nuts

pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, flour, soda, nuts, salt, bananas.  Pour into bread pan.  Bake in moderate (i.e. 350 degree) oven for 1 hour or until a fork or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the bread loaf.