Morsels of Megret

What I'm about to share with you is a stand-by recipe that I turn to often when potluck dinners call. What I'm talking about is a dish that many of you might attribute only to old ladies who bring it to church socials, the overly-sweet taste holding an underlying flavor of mothballs and startch (subtle, but there to the discerning tongue). I am not old, nor do I ever recall having buying mothballs, so if you see this at a potluck and I've brought it, it's safe to eat. Overly-sweet, yes. Easy? Oh, yes. But sometimes your tummy just cries out for easy four-ingredient convenience food. Well, maybe sometimes. WATERGATE SALAD (I have no idea whether the title is politically-inspired or not....if you can do research on this and get back to me, I'd love to hear.) 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple with juice 2 (3.4 oz.) boxes instant pistachio pudding mix 1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip, thawed 3/4ths of a 10 oz. bag of mini marshmallows Combine all. Place in a glass bo

For one of the hundreds of parties we are to attend this year during the holidays (or so it seems!), I wanted to find something rich, finger-food-style, and oh-so-chocolatey. Our electric power was restored by this time (we had an ice storm, in case you don't read my other blog), but our cable internet was still out. Thus, I had to resort to magazines and cookbooks to plan this week's menu (yes, the old-fashioned way!). I found this recipe from Baker's chocolate company, and I amended it to make it a little less sweet and a little more chocolatey. Pure yumminess. BAKER'S DEATH BY WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES 1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate 3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 c. flour 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker's Premium White Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 cup Bakers' White Chocolate Chunks (I used semisweet chocolate chunks instead) 2 c. chopped

My friend Suzanne had this great idea last week....why don't we get together to do our holiday baking this year? It would make a sometimes stressful task become tons more fun and festive. So, in good holiday spirit, we packed up the car with bags, boxes, and butter (and Gardner) and headed on over. Here are a few snapshots of our day.

Last night was "Must Use Red or Green Night" at home group. I was at a loss as to what to make for a main dish. Turkey and cranberry sauce? Yes, but overkill at this time of year. I decided to deviate from the traditional and go for something a little out of the ordinary. Turns out, this recipe I stumbled across is indeed a holiday favorite of Cooking Light readers: Green Chile-Chicken Casserole. Layer after layer of corn tortillas, creamy green chile sauce, and shredded chicken.....this one is a keeper. Maybe this will fit the bill for the main course at your holiday dinner....that is, if your guests are open to newfangled things at Christmastime. GREEN CHILE-CHICKEN CASSEROLE (Cooking Light, Nov. 2003) 1 1/3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 1 cup canned chopped green chiles, drained 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup fat-free sour cream 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans condensed 98% fat-

My culinary escapades are threatened.....by pregnancy, that is. That's right. I found out this week that I'm about 4 weeks along, and I'm SUPER excited. That means, though, that nothing tastes "right" to me anymore. I haven't had the full blown aversions yet, and I pray they don't show up. But there's something I can't deny and that is that everything tastes "off." Don't worry. I still have lots of baking and cooking ahead of me, especially for Christmas celebrations. I plan to still do every bit of it, and afterwards, post it here with mouthwatering photos. The only difference this time around is that I won't be able to give you accurate taste test results. Maybe Ken can be the guinea pig and do that for me....being my guest blogger/taste tester. He'd like that. So here's to nine months of....who knows what. I can't wait to see what this baby likes to eat. Gardner, my 14 month old, loved cheese (still does). How many

I must say....swiss chard is probably the member of the greens family with the most Christmas spirit....just look at those colors, would you? Too bad we don't like it. I just can't get myself to enjoy the peppery, almost smoky flavor of its stems and leaves. Some things are prettier on the plate than on the palate.

Another winning recipe from Cooks Country .... (And warning from experience....WAY underbake these....if you leave them in the oven even 30 seconds too long, they'll turn into ginger"snaps" that will crack a tooth.) Molasses Spice Lemon Sandwich Cookies 2 c. all-purpose flour 2 t. baking soda 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. ground ginger 3/4 t. salt 1/4 t. ground cloves 2 c. granulated sugar, divided 1/4 c. dark molasses 1 large egg 15 T. unsalted butter, divided (12 T. melted and cooled, 3 T. softened) 3 T. fresh lemon juice 2 c. confectioner's sugar Whisk together flour thorugh cloves in medium bowl. In large bowl, cream together sugar, molasses, egg, and 12 T. melted butter till combined. Add dry mixture a little at a time, beating well. Cover and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place remaining 1/2 c. sugar in small bowl. Shape dough into 3/4" balls, and roll in sugar. Place 2" apart on baking sheets. Bake till tops just start to crack, about 4-6 minutes, r