Merry Mix
Source: my Papa (family recipe)

1 box each:
   Rice Chex
   Corn Chex
   Wheat Chex
   Cheerios
   Cheese Nips
1 bag Cheetos (not the puffed kind, the regular kind)
1 bag pretzel sticks
1 can Spanish peanuts (the ones with the red skins)
1 lb. butter (that's a whole package, folks)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Celery seed
1 bottle Worcestershire sauce

1. Heat butter on stove, add some spices. Make it tasty.
2. Pour over all dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Empty most of bottle of Worcestershire sauce on top, stirring carefully to coat everything.
4. Slow bake at 175 F, stirring periodically. Merry Mix is done when none of the pieces are squishy from the saucey stuff anymore (about three hours).

Note: Keep in mind that most Worchestershire sauces are NOT vegetarian -- they contain anchovies. However, if you read the labels carefully, you can often find vegetarian Worchestershire. Check out the house brands in your local grocery store. At Fred Meyer, for example, the Kroger brand contains no animal products. Yippee!

Rad Spanakopeta
Source: Greek Cooking in an American Kitchen by the fine ladies of St. Demetrios (a few mods by ME)

2 bunches fresh spinach
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. butter
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 1/2 t. dried dill (or 3 T. fresh)
Salt and Pepper
1 T. flour
2 eggs
3/4 c. small curd cottage cheese
3/4 c. feta cheese
3/4 lb. butter
1 lb. phyllo pastry

1. Wash and stem the spinach, dry thoroughly. Cut into small bits (1/2 inch or so).
2. In a big skillet, heat oil and butter. Add onions and dill, saute. Add spinach and saute until all the moisture has evaporated (trust me, this really does happen). Add salt and pepper to taste, stir in flour, and cool.
3. Beat the eggs and stir in the cheeses. Stir into cooled spinach mixture.
4. Heat small amount of remaining butter and use it to make the triangles¹.
5. Arrange on a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 350 deg F for 25 minutes or until golden. If using a regular baking sheet, lightly grease with butter.

Freezing note: Unbaked spanakopeta can be frozen. Once buttered, arrange on waxed paper. Wrap carefully in plastic and foil (to keep away freezer burn) and freeze. To bake, put frozen spanakopeta on cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven (do not thaw).

¹ The way I do it is by cutting a big sheet of phyllo (from the frozen foods section) in thirds. Take one of those thirds, brush a little butter on it, and fold it in half. Brush a little butter on THAT and then put a dollop of the mixture on one skinny end. Fold like a Boyscout folds a flag into a triangle. Brush top with butter.

[ b a k e d g o o d i e s ]

Heather's Kickass Jammy-Jam Scones
Source: ME

2 c. unbleached flour
1 T. baking powder
3 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. butter
2 eggs
1/3 c. whipping cream
Some raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Throw the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a bowl. Mix it.
3. Take your butter (at room temp) and slice it into little bits. Throw it in. With your hands (you can use a pastry blender if you're a wuss) work the butter bits into the flour until they're little -- about pea-sized.
4. In another bowl, beat eggs and cream. Set aside a wee bit (you'll use it as a glaze later) and then throw the rest into the flour mixture. Stir it with a fork. You can smush it around a little bit, but don't be too vigorous -- you're just aiming to make everything stick together.
5. On a lightly floured board, knead the dough. The key to tasty, flaky scones is to FOLD the dough when you're kneading it, not just punch it around. You're folding in air, see, and that makes them way good. So knead them a bit (if you don't know what I'm talking about, smush the dough flat, fold it in half, smush flat, fold in half again, etc.)...seven to ten times will do.
6. Butter and flour a big Pyrex dish. Pat your dough into a circle about one inch thick -- like a round loaf of sourdough. Then flour a knife and cut it like a pie (you'll want to re-flour your knife repeatedly so you'll get clean cuts). I usually cut into six pieces, but you can do eight.
7. Take your thumb and wiggle it into the wide part of each wedge, making a little crater. Fill the crater with some jammy-jam. Brush the remaining egg/cream mixture on top and sprinkle sugar all over the damned thing.
8. Bake in 375 F oven for about 25 minutes. Serve hot with tea or cocoa. Impress your loved ones.

Soft'n'Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (aka THE BEST DAMN COOKIE EVER)
Source: Martha Stewart

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room-temperature
1/2 c. granulated white sugar
1 c. packed light-brown sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 c. chocolate chips (about 12 oz.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter with both sugars; beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.
4. Add flour mixture gradually; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop heaping tablespoon-sized balls of dough about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet (I line mine with a Silpat). Bake until cookies are golden around the edges but still soft in the center, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet 1-2 minutes.
6. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely. Cookies will keep at room temp in an airtight container for 1 week.

Note: I use salted butter and just reduce the amount of salt by a little. I also use dark brown sugar. Mmmmmmmmmm! I like to keep aside a little bit of the dough before adding the chips because there's nothing like baking a few of these puppies au natural.

Pumpkin Cookies
Source: Betsy

2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 c. Libby's pumpkin
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

1. Combine first six dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar with a handmixer.
3. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and blend til combined.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients until just mixed.
5. Bake on greased cookie sheets (or Silpat) at 350 F for 15-18 minutes.

Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)
Source: KUSP.org with some modifications by me

3/4 c. warm water
4 t. active dry yeast (2 packages)
1 t. anise seeds
1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted and cooled to room temp
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 egg yolks (I actually used 4 and was happy with the result)
1 T. freshly grated orange peel
1 t. salt (less if you use salted butter like I do)
4 to 5 c. flour

1. Mix water and yeast together and let sit for five minutes.
2. Stir in anise, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peel, salt, and 3 c. flour. Beat well with a wooden spoon for a few minutes. Gradually add up to 2 more cups flour (I use just over a cup) until dough begins to form a sticky ball.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, adding flour until needed, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. Punch down.
4. Reserve a small portion of dough. Form remainder into a large, slightly elongated round loaf on a very lightly greased pan (or a Teflon one). Divide reserved portion into two pieces and roll between hands to form long snakes. Lay across loaf to form an X (these are the bones on the bread-skull).
5. Bake at 375 F for 30 to 40 minutes until done. Cool slightly before serving.

Note: If you like, you can glaze the dough with a beaten egg mixed with 1 T. water before baking. Once out of the oven, some people like to brush the freshly baked loaf with melted butter and immediately sprinkle it with raw sugar.

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: Vegan Vittles

1 c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. chocolate chips (if you get the cheap semi-sweets from the grocery store, they're frequently dairy-free)
1/4 c. coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. If not using Silpat or nonstick cookie sheets, coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.
2. Mix together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
3. In a separate container, mix together water, oil, and vanilla extract. Pour into flour-oat mixture and mix well to make a stiff dough. Add chocolate chips and walnuts, stirring until combined.
4. Space two inches apart on cookie sheets and bake 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to rest on cookie sheets for five minutes before transfering to cooling rack.

Triple-Ginger Snaps
Source: Lindsay

1 1/2 c. unsalted butter
2 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. molasses
2 eggs (see Note)
4 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
4 t. ground ginger
4 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
3 T. fresh ginger, grated
1 c. candied ginger, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add molasses and eggs and mix well.
3. Combine flour, ground ginger, baking soda and salt, and add to butter mixture. Blend in fresh and candied ginger.
4. Drop by teaspoonful onto Silpat (or parchment-covered baking sheet), about 2 inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool.

Note: If you add an extra egg or two, they will come out a little softer and loftier (and delicious). Optionally, one can refrigerate the dough for an hour, form into balls, and roll in Turbinado sugar before baking.

[ d r e s s i n g s & d i p s ]

Tara's Make Your Enemies Into Friends Taco Dip
Source: Tara (a few mods by me)

1-2 cans refried beans
2/3 c. mayo or plain yoghurt
2/3 c. sour cream
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
2 avocados, diced and tossed with lime juice
1 lime, juiced
2 pkgs. shredded cheese of the Mexicanish variety (cheddar/jack/etc.)
1 bell pepper, finely diced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Green Tabasco

1. In a large, high-sided pan (9X13ish, or two smaller pans), spread beans in an even layer.
2. Mix sour cream and mayo with taco seasoning, a little lime juice, and a good shake of Green Tabasco. Spread evenly on top of beans.
3. Sprinkle diced avocados over top and cover with cheese.
4. Sprinkle peppers and tomatoes on top of cheese, then top with green onions.
5. Refrigerate until approx 30 minutes before serving (it's also good cold, but a bit tricker to scoop with chips). Serve with chips.

Note: A lot of these ingredients are optional. Leave out whatever people don't like, add in whatever you do. Like lettuce? Layer a bag of that finely shredded iceberg in there. Hate avocado? Kick 'em to the curb! If I have fresh salsa laying around, I toss that into the wet mixture that goes on top of the beans. Leftovers? I recommend scooping this "dip" into a tortilla for a makeshift (and delicious) soft taco.

Lemon Tahini Dressing
Source: Kerry (modified by me)

Celery
Bell pepper (optional)
Onion
Tahini (roasted sesame paste)
Tamari soy sauce
Fresh lemon juice
Black pepper
Vegetable oil (optional)

1. Cut up the vegetables and toss in a blender.
2. Add some tahini, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Blend till smooth. If you wish, add some vegetable oil.

Note: Play with this until you find combos you like. Kerry's recipe is below, but I tweaked the amounts when I made it, so it's really kind of subjective. Man, I could drink this stuff. Goes great on falafel, pita, naan, veggies, rice, salad, meats, etc.

Kerry's original recipe
1 to 2 stalks of celery, cut up
1/2 green pepper, cut up (optional)
1/3 medium onion
1/2 c. tahini
1/2 c. tamari soy sauce (has to be tamari)
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
dash of pepper
1 c. vegetable oil
Blend everything except the oil in a blender until smooth.
Then add oil, as it is blending, very slowly into the middle of the swirling dressing.

World Famous Guacamole Recipe (a personalizable approach)
Source: ME

Avocados
Tomatoes
Limes
Salsa
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Salt
Green Jalapeno Tabasco

1. Halve some avocados and scoop out the flesh (ew) into a bowl.
2. Throw some fresh lime juice on top to keep em from turning brown.
3. Mash slightly.
4. Dice some fresh tomatoes and throw into bowl. Mix.
5. Throw in a little bit of salsa from a jar.
6. Throw in some chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and Green Jalapeno Tabasco.
7. Mix all well. Guacamole is best chunky, but still quite tasty when smooth. If smoother, a dollop of sour cream mixed in is a nice touch.

Stacey's Salad Dressing
Source: Stacey

5 T. olive oil
1/2 T. Dijon mustard
5 t. lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
5 t. orange or grapefruit juice
1 t. white wine or red wine vinegar
1/2 t. honey
1/2 t. salt
Pepper to taste

1. Blend together using a whisk or a food processor. Use to dress spinach or green salad. Especially tasty with onions, fruit (peaches, citrus, papaya, apples) and candied nuts (pecans, almonds). Also good with cheese (blue or gorgonzola).

Heather's World Famous Four Vinegar Dressing
Source: ME

Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
White Rice Wine Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Garlic (fresh or powder)
Onion powder
Dried oregano, crushed in palms
Dried basil, crushed in palms
Dried thyme, crushed in palms
Chili powder
Black pepper
Salt (just a teense)

1. Whisk all ingredients together.

Note: I like a lot of dressing because if there's too much I can always soak it up with bread. The dressing is best if prepared ahead and allowed to „get to know itself¾ for a little while (overnight, if you know you're making the salad the next day is wise) but still tasty whipped right up. Crushing the herbs is essential if the dressing is made for immediate consumption, because that'll release the flavour better. I tend to use more vinegar and way less olive oil. TOTALLY APPROXIMATE quantities are as follows: 1.5-2 T. oil, 1 T. red wine vinegar, 1.5 T. balsamic, 1/2 t. white rice wine vinegar, and however much lemon juice you feel like. Spice to taste -- a little more oregano than basil, and a little more basil than thyme; not tons of salt; a dash of chili powder for kick. Have fun with it.

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Spinach Salad with Spicy Pecans
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, Janelle

Pecans:
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground red pepper
1/3 c. pecan halves
cooking spray

Vinaigrette:
3 T. finely chopped shallots (about two)
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. sugar
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1 t. Dijon mustard
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Salad:
2 (6 oz) packages fresh baby spinach
2 nectarines, cut into wedges.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. To prepare pecans, combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Rinse pecans with cold water, drain (do not allow pecans to dry). Add pecans to the sugar mixture, and toss to coat well.
3. Arrange pecan mixture on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Optional variation: arrange pecan mixture on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat, omitting the cooking spray.
4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Coarsely chop pecans (optional). Set aside. If salad will not be served for several hours, store pecans in an airtight container (the moisture in the air will make them sticky).
5. To prepare vinaigrette, combine all ingredients listed under vinaigrette in a small bowl and whisk until blended. Optional Cuisinart/food processor directions: slice shallots into thinish rings, toss in processor with other ingredients, pulse to blend (pausing to scrape dressing off sides periodically).
6. Combine spinach, nectarines and dressing in a large bowl, toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with pecans. Optional for meat eaters: fry some prosciutto in a pan till crispy and add to salad.

Heather's World Famous Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Source: ME

Four cheese tortellini (chicken-stuffed work well, also)
Orange bell pepper (cored and diced)
Yellow bell pepper (cored and diced)
Cucumber (peeled and de-seeded, quartered, and sliced)
Black olives [Kalamata if you're adventurous, but not everyone likes Greek olives] (sliced)
Feta cheese [I like Athenos ‚ it's tolerable to most people because it's made from cow not sheep or goat] (crumbled or cubed)
Tomatoes (chopped)
Red onion [optional] (peeled, diced OR sliced in thin rings)
Heather's World Famous Four Vinegar Dressing

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Make dressing in a large salad bowl.
2. Toss pasta in boiling water and follow cooking directions on package. Prepare vegetables. As you slice vegetables throw them into the dressing in this order: Tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives, feta, cucumber.
3. Remove pasta from water when ready -- make sure it's not too soft (it'll soak up a bit of the dressing). Rinse several times in cold water (be careful not to break them open with the force of the water), sprinkle with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking, and put in fridge for a minute to cool.
4. When chilled, stir pasta into bowl with other ingredients, mixing well. Serve.

Serving note: This salad is great served immediately, or in a few hours (when the juice can soak into everything for a while) or even as leftovers. It usually keeps for a few days, when covered tightly with plastic wrap (so the pasta doesn't dry out).

Bonus: I use the exact same recipe to make a Greek-style salad, substituting baby spinach leaves for the tortellini (in which case I make the chunks of veggies a bit bigger), as well as a different pasta salad using orzo (those little rice-like pasta bits) and chopping the veggies smaller. Artichoke hearts are a nice addition to this recipe, too, if so inclined.

[ s o u p s ]

Quick and Dirty Tortellini Soup
Source: ME

Approx 2 cans vegetable broth
1 can low-sodium tomatoes
Approx 10 to 12 oz. fresh refrigerated tortellini
Powdered oregano
Black pepper
White pepper
Dried thyme
Dried basil
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Fresh baby spinach
Parmesan cheese

1. In a pot combine vegetable broth and tomatoes (including their juices). Break the tomatoes up with your hands when adding them to the pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Once the base is boiling, add tortellini. Turn heat down a bit and add some delicious spices. Using spices listed above, season to taste.
3. While the tortellini are cooking, put a steaming basket on top of the pot and throw in a few handfulls of spinach. When wilted from the soup steam, set spinach aside.
4. When the tortellini were cooked (see package directions), toss in the spinach, add a glug of balsamic vinegar and a smaller glug of olive oil, ladle the soup into bowls, and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with bread and salad.

Note: I'm pleased with the result. It seems to me you could add all sorts of things, but I like the simplicity of having it be sort of like tortellini in red-sauce-soup. Good reheated the next day for lunch, too.

Soupa Avgolemono
Source: ME

2 cans vegetable broth
1/2 c. converted rice
1 1/3 c. water or broth
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 large lemons
Powdered oregano
White pepper
Dried thyme
Dried basil
Black pepper

1. In a small pan, bring 1 1/3 c. water or broth to a boil. Add a pinch of oregano and pepper to liquid and stir in rice. Reduce heat and let cook, covered, until rice is done (check package directions).
2. While rice is cooking, warm vegetable broth in a larger pot. Spice to taste with listed ingredients (oregano is the key here -- the others only need a little tiny bit).
3. In a large cup, whisk together the juice of 1 1/2 lemons with two eggs.
4. When rice is cooked, slowly integrate the lemon-egg mixture into the broth. Temper the mixture by first spooning a little hot broth into the cup, whisking briskly. Slowly pour more broth into the mixture a little at a time, whisking continuously until mixture is quite warm. Pour mixture into remaining broth, now whisking the large pot. The goal is to keep the egg from cooking (and creating egg-flour soup) by slowly introducing it to the heat.
5. Once the egg-lemon mixture has been fully combined, spoon the rice in (stirring, of course, so the shock of the hot rice doesn't cook the egg). Let sit a moment on low heat and then serve.

[ s i d e s ]

Out of the Ordinary Green Beans
Source: ME

1 1/4 lb. fresh green beans
4 T. unsalted butter
3 shallots
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
2 T. white rice wine vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. dried thyme
Black pepper
Slivered almonds (optional)

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, peel and slice shallots into thin rings and string green beans, trimming the ends.
2. When water is boiling, add green beans. Boil until crisp-tender (about five minutes). Immediately remove from heat, drain, and plunge into icewater. Shocking the beans will retain the crispness, prevent further cooking, and maintain the beautiful bright green colour. When cool, drain and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, heat some of the butter until melted and add shallots. Caramelize shallots on medium heat, scraping any brown stuff from bottom of pan with wooden spatula (the brown stuff is tasty).
4. When shallots are a translucent brown and caramelized, add remaining ingredients (butter, lemon juice, vinegar, thyme, mustard, and pepper). Quite frankly, I'm not sure if 1 t. thyme is right -- do it until it looks good. Pepper to taste. I like pepper.
5. When sauce is all yummy looking, toss in the green beans and heat through. If desired, top with almonds. Serve immediately.

[ b i g d i s h e s ]

Macaroni and Cheese
Source: Martha Stewart, Janelle

8 T. butter
6 slices bread, cubed
5 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. flour
2 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
4 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
2 c. grated gruyere
1 lb. pasta

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Butter 3 qt. casserole dish. Place bread in bowl and pour in 2 T. melted butter. Stir to coat.
3. In a medium saucepan, warm milk over medium heat. In a separate pan, melt 6 T. butter. Whisk in flour for 1 minute. Pour mixture into warm milk.
4. Stir till thick and bubbly. Remove from heat, add salt, nutmeg, pepper, and cayenne.
5. Cook pasta till outside is cooked, inside underdone.
6. Stir most of cheese into milk. Add pasta and pour into casserole.
7. Cover with remaining cheese, then bread.
8. Bake till browned, about 30 minutes at 375 F. Cool 5 minutes, then serve.

Cheaters' Lasagne
Source: ME

1 jar smooth pasta sauce
10oz (more or less) shredded mozzarella
1 small tub lowfat cottage cheese
1 small tin sliced olives
1 large bell pepper (or two smaller ones -- colour of your choice)
1 small bunch fresh basil
Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. no-bake lasagne noodles (they're the totally flat kind)

1. Preheat oven to 350/375 F.
2. Whirl cottage cheese in blender until smoother -- so it resembles ricotta.
3. Spray 9X9 casserole dish with cooking spray (optional) and spread a small amount of red sauce on bottom of pan.
4. Being layering in this order: noodles, cottage cheese, peppers, olives, basil, mozzarella, sauce. Repeat.
5. For the top layer, lay the noodle level down and spread a generous helping of sauce evenly across the top. Sprinkle a bit of mozzarella and some Parmesan over the sauce.
6. Cover with foil. Bake until done (45 minutes or so).

Secretly Delicious Spinach Pie
Source: Rose's Granddaughter (RecipeZaar)

5 eggs
2 T. milk
3 roasted garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 t. lemon pepper
1 dash salt
1 large flour tortilla (I used a spinach herb wrap)
1 1/2 c. any blend shredded cheese
3 c. fresh spinach, chopped Fresh salsa (optional)

1. Mix the first six ingredients (eggs, milk, garlic, lemon pepper, and salt) in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Lay the flour tortilla in a deep glass pie dish, press gently, folding it a bit so that it sits in there like a slightly wrinkly pie shell (it does not need to be perfectly flat against dish).
3. Starting with the cheese, layer cheese and spinach on tortilla until you run out (reserving a little cheese for the top). Press gently to settle everything.
4. Pour egg mixture evenly over spinach, being mindful not to pour any outside of tortilla. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cover with foil.
5. Bake in oven at 365 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil during last ten minutes of baking to get a slightly crispy cheese top. Pie is done when a fork stabbed in the middle comes out clean.
6. Use sharp knife to cut into pie slices and serve hot. Top with fresh salsa (optional).

Pasta Primavera
Source: ME

2/3 pkg. angel hair pasta
1 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch half-moons
Handful sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
1 small onion, sliced into wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, julienned
1 bell pepper, cut in 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 c. broccoli florets
Handful grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 lemon, juiced
Thyme, approx. 2/3 t.
Basil, approx. 1/4 t.
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil, approx 1/4 to 1/3 c.
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and prepare pasta according to package directions. When al dente, remove from heat, drain, rinse with cool water (to stop the cooking), and toss with olive oil. Set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or wok. Add garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes until onions start to get a little floppy. Sprinkle with black pepper and salt.
3. Add zucchini, peppers, and carrots. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Crush herbs in your palm and add to mixture. Add broccoli florets and snap peas, sprinkle with juice of one lemon, and toss.
4. Just before adding pasta, add grape tomatoes. Combine pasta and vegetables and heat through, tossing to coat angel hair. Serve immediately sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Alexandra's Feta Pasta
Source: Dayment

1 large bag frozen chopped spinach
2 cans diced tomatoes (if you can find the ones with basil/oregano/onions/garlic/etc., all the better)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 8oz. pkg feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
Heavy whipping cream
1 16 oz. box pasta (I like mini pene or ziti)
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring a pot of water to boil.
2. In a large skillet, saute chopped onion in olive oil.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat spinach until you can press out most of the water. When onions are soft, stir in spinach and tomatoes.
4. Cook pasta until al dente and drain.
5. In a 9X13 dish, toss in half the pasta, veggie-goop, and feta. Add a splash of cream and salt/pepper, stir. Add remaining halves of ingredients, stirring to combine.
6. Top with grated parmesan. Lightly cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes, removing foil for last five minutes so cheese gets a nice crust.

[ s o r b e t s & d e s s e r t s ]
Lemon Raspberry Sorbet
Source: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

3/4 c. fresh lemon juice (about 3 or 4 large lemons)
2 c. water
1 1/2 c. granulated white sugar
1 c. raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 egg white

1. In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for one minute. Remove from burner. Toss in one cup frozen or fresh raspberries (do not stir).
2. In a largeish mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the white of one egg for about ten or fifteen seconds, till foamy. Slowly drizzle in the hot syrup (continuing beating), thereby tempering the eggs. Keep beating for a few minutes, until the meringue foam on top cools a little bit and the raspberries are mostly broken up.
3. Add the lemon juice. Refrigerate till cool, then add to ice cream maker.

Bosc Pear & Apple Cider Sorbet
Source: ME

3/4 c. sugar
2/3 c. water
4 ripe bosc pears
1/2 c. fresh squeezed apple juice (the unfiltered stuff)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t. salt

1. In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for one minute. Remove from burner and allow syrup to cool.
2. Peel and core pears, and slice into wedges. Blend in food processor or blender with sugar syrup, apple juice, lemon juice, and salt till smooth.
3. Refrigerate till cool, then add to ice cream maker.

Lime Sorbet
Source: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

1 1/4 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 large egg white
2/3 c. fresh lime juice

1. In a small pan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Let boil for a minute or two then remove from heat.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat egg white till foamy, about ten seconds. Slowly beat in hot sugar liquid, being careful not to cook the egg white. Beat until meringue slightly cools before adding juice.
3. Refrigerate till cool, then add to ice-cream maker.

Citrus Explosion Sorbet
Source: ME

2 c. strained minneola tangello juice (about 9)
juice of 2 large lemons, strained
juice of 3 meyer lemons, strained
juice of 1/2 lime, strained
     (Total: 3c. liquid)
just over 3/4c. sugar
1/2c. water
egg white

1. In a small pan, bring sugar, water, and a splash of all juices to a boil. Let boil for a minute or two then remove from heat.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat egg white till foamy, about ten seconds. Slowly beat in hot sugar liquid, being careful not to cook the egg white. Beat about one minute before adding the juices.
3. Refrigerate till cool, then add to ice-cream maker.

Abraham and Heather's Low Fat Key Lime Pie
Source: ME!

1 9" Graham cracker pie crust
1 14 oz. can non-fat sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1 8 oz. pkg. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 c. key lime juice

1. Combine milk, egg yolks, and lime juice in a bowl.
2. Using an electric mixer, incorporate cream cheese a bit at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat until smooth.
3. Pour into pie crust and bake at 350† for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and allow to stand for another 10 minutes before refrigerating. Garnish with whipped cream.

Yield note: I didn't want to make one big pie. I had enough filling to fill six tiny Keebler graham cracker crusts as well as an improvised 8" crust (made out of crushed vanilla wafers). This recipe makes a lot of goo.

[ m o c k t a i l s ]

Sunset Cooler
Source: Jenna

4 oz. cranberry juice

1 1/2 oz. orange juice

Splash lemon juice

Ginger ale

Blend juice with ice until smooth, top with ginger ale, garnish with flag.

Mai Tai
Source: Jenna

1/2 c. pineapple juice

1/4 c. club soda

1 T. grenadine

1/4 c. orange juice

1 T. cream of coconut

Shake or stir to blend and pour over ice.

Lime Rickey Cocktail
Source: Jenna

1/2 c. fresh lime juice

1/2 c. sugar syrup (2/3 c. + 2/3 c. water, boil and cool)

1/2 t. bitters (12 dashes)

3 c. club soda

Mix lime juice, syrup and bitter. Pour into 4 ice filled glasses, top with 3/4 cup soda. Garnish with lime peel spirals.

Peach Daiquiri
Source: Jenna

14 oz. canned peaches, drained, reserve juice

1 T. lemon juice

6 ice cubes

1/3 c. milk

1/2 c. peach juice

Blend all ingredients in blender till smooth. If using fresh peaches, add 1 T. sugar.

Pac Man
Source: Jenna

Dash of bitters

Dash grenadine

Splash lemon juice

Ginger ale

Stir all but ginger ale over ice, fill with ginger ale, garnish with orange slice.

Pink Lady
Source: Jenna

1 1/2 c. milk

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. grenadine

1 t. sugar

6 ice cubes

Blend until smooth.

Flamingo
Source: Jenna

4 oz. cranberry juice

2 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. lemon juice

2 oz. club soda

In shaker half-filled with ice, combine and shake all but soda. Strain into glass and top with soda. Garnish with lime wedge.

Mom's Orange Julius
Source: Jenna

1 can frozen OJ concentrate

1 c. milk

1 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

5-6 ice cubes

Blend a few seconds till smooth. makes 6 cups.

Red Ruby Frost Punch
Source: Bill Jamison
makes 24 servings

1 pt. bottle cranberry juice

1 1/2 cups lemon juice

1 c. sugar

1 pt. raspberry sherbet

2 26 oz. bottles chilled ginger ale

Combine cranberry juice, lemon juice and sugar, blending well. Chill. Pour over ice in punch bowl. Add ginger ale and sherbet. Serve at once.

Tomato Tang
Source: Bill Jamison
makes 4 servings

2 18 oz. cans tomato juice

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 t. salt

3/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 drop hot pepper sauce

Celery for garnish

Combine ingredients and serve in glass garnished with salted rims. Garnish with celery.

Orange Cranberry Toddy
Source: Bill Jamison
makes 8 servings

2 c. cranberry juice cocktail

1/4 c. sugar

1 stick cinnamon

8 whole cloves

6 c. orange juice

2 oranges, sliced

Heat first 5 ingredients to boiling point. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Garnish with orange slices and add cinnamon sticks or swizzle sticks if desired.