Break It To Me Gently
 

I stand now on the threshold of a new year

Oh, mighty “potentate” of astrology,

I know you chart the daily path of my destiny.

Won’t you please bend a few rules and whisper to me

What in my future you foresee?

Will my bogged down bird of good luck arise from the ashes

Like a phoenix showering me with gifts

I could never afford.

In such a constant supply I can now squander

Instead of hoard.

Will y old car endure the winter, freeing me from

The misery I do fear and dread

Like when I want to go shopping in the wintertime,

To find the battery dead?

Will that old catfish I’ve been trying to catch

Using every trick in the book’

Will this be the year I’ll fool him and reel him

In on my hook?

Will the fly in my ointment vanish forever more,

Especially when opportunity comes

Knocking at my door?

I know there will be tribulations as in the past,

But will you break it to me gently, all the downsides

You see in my forecast.

                        Source Unknown

Creamy Cocoa

            For a different flavor-dissolve a dab of creamy peanut butter in your mug of hot cocoa.

            When serving applesauce with pork for a meal, add a touch of prepared horseradish.

            Adding an overripe banana to your oatmeal cookie batter will make the cookies less dry.

Accent Your Beverages

• Skewer berries, grapes, cherries, melon chunks and/or pineapple, then perch fruit kabobs across the top of the glass.
   

• Cut out fun shapes from oranges or lemon rind using mini cookie cutters.
   

• Add a little flakes coconut to the top of the drink for a dusting of “snow”.
   

• Accent beverages with festive candy-cane swizzle sticks.

Replace half of the vanilla extract in your pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake recipe with orange extract. It gives the dessert a unique flavor.

            If you are making pumpkin, squash or carrot pies, try adding a teaspoon or so of maple flavoring. It is also good added to whipped topping and baked apples.

Bacon Cheese Nibbles

1/4 cup butter or oleo, melted

20 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold

4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

            Place butter in a 13X9 inch baking pan Cut each roll into 3 pieces. Roll the pieces in butter, then pace in pan. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the rolls. Top with cheese. Cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 1 loaf.

Caramel Apple Pie

1 package Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls

2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup chopped nuts
 

Icing:

1 packet cream cheese frosting (included with rolls)

4 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping

            Thaw rolls, covered for 45 minutes. Cut each roll into 6 pieces then place back in foil pan. In a large bowl. Combine apple, sugar, cinnamon, cracker crumbs and nuts. Sprinkle over rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until rolls are done. In a small bowl. Combine cream cheese frosting and caramel sauce and drizzle over pie while still warm. Makes 6 servings.

                        Butter Baking Tips

• Baked goods made with butter generally stay fresh and moist longer.
   

• For flaky pastries, use cold butter. During baking, the butter pieces trapped in the dough melt, creating air pockets.
   

• To evenly distribute spices and flavorings in a batter, cream them with the butter.
   

• If butter cakes are refrigerated or frozen, bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor (Cakes made with whipped cream and other perishable fillings and frosting should be thawed in the refrigerator and served cold.
   

• To finest ingredients produce the finest desserts. For superior desserts, always use the freshest fruits available, the best quality chocolate, pure flavorings, and real, dairy butter.
   

• Do not substitute whipped butter for stick butter in recipes. Measurements will not be equal because whipped butter contains more moisture and air.

Almond Eggnog Pound Cake

6 tablespoons butter or margarine,, divided

2/3 cup sliced almonds

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix

1 & 1/2 cups eggnog*

2 eggs

1 teaspoon rum extract

1/8  teaspoon ground nutmeg

            Grease a 10-inch fluted tube pan with 2 tablespoons butter. Press almonds on top the bottom and sides of pan; set aside. Melt remaining butter. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, eggnog, eggs, rum extract, nutmeg and melted butter on low speed for 30 seconds or just until moistened. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.

            Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Makes 12-14 servings.

            * She used commercially prepared eggnog.

French Toast Sandwiches

12 slices Canadian bacon

6 slices Monterey Jack cheese

12 slices French bread (1/2 inch thick)

3/4 cup eggnog*

3 tablespoons butter or oleo

6 tablespoons strawberry preserves

            Place two slices of Canadian bacon and one slice of cheese on each of six slices of bread. Top with remaining bread. Place eggnog in a shallow dish. Dip sandwiches in eggnog.

            In a large skillet or griddle, melt butter. Cook sandwiches on both sides for 2-3 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Serve with strawberry reserves. Makes 6 servings.

Crab Spread

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

1 cup canned crab meat

1 cup (8 ounces) small-curd cottage cheese

2 teaspoons seafood seasoning

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Pretzel sticks

Assorted crackers and/or fresh vegetables

            In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, provolone cheese, crab, cottage cheese, seafood seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Sausage Herb Bread

1/2 cup butter or oleo, melted
 

1/4 cup each fresh rosemary and thyme, finely chopped, combined
 

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 

1 package (24 ounces) frozen dinner roll dough, thawed

1 package Roll Pork Sausage cooked, crumbled and drained

            Place butter, herbs and cheese in separate shallow bowls. Roll each dough ball on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8 inch thick circle. Coat each dough circle with butter, herbs and cheese. Arrange dough circles evenly in a 10-inch fluted tube pan to just cover the bottom, overlapping dough edges slightly. Sprinkle half the cooked sausage evenly across dough layer. Repeat with a second layer of dough and remaining sausage. Add a third layer of dough and press gently to expel any air. Cover and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 2 hours.

            Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. If top browns to quickly, cover loosely with foil. Remove from oven; cool in pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate. Cool another 5 minutes before slicing. Makes 8-10 servings.

 Cornish Hens

6 Cornish hens (20 ounces each)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup butter or oleo, melted

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup honey
 

Sauce:

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

            Place hens on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Tie legs with kitchen string if desired. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine the butter, orange juice and honey; spoon over hens. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for l hour or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees and juices run clear, basting every 15 minutes.

            In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, honey and vinegar. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into orange juice mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve with hens. Makes 6 servings.

Easy Chicken And Biscuit Pot Pies

4 cups frozen vegetables, thawed (broccoli florets, sliced carrots, peas) or what ever you wish

2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey

2 cans (10 & 1/2 ounces each ) Chicken Gravy

1 tube (12 ounces) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

            Mix vegetables, chicken and gravy in 3 quart shallow baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. Stir. Top with biscuits. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Makes 5 servings.

Mary Hoff worked at the Platteville Journal  before she got married.  After a few years, she started a column at the Tri-County Press and also covered Cole Acres Notes. When the Tri-County Press was sold to Bill Hale in Lancaster,  he asked to carry the column in the Grant County Independent.  Mary says she writes, "just to keep my mind from getting rusty." 

mjandmjh@pcii.net

"Be sure to send me your comments, recipes, or helpful tips."