Onion Canapes

1 loaf white bread, firm, sliced thin
1 c mayonnaise
1 c sweet onion, minced fine
¼ c brown sugar

With 1 ½” round cutter, cut three rounds out of each bread slice. Spread each round with a thin coating of mayonnaise and sprinkle with onion. Add a dab of mayonnaise and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Preheat broiler. Place canapés under broiler till heated through and toasted. Makes about 80.

Mushroom Supreme

1 lb mushrooms
2 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes
½ stick butter
½ c hot water
2 T flour
½ c cream
1/8 t salt
Dash pepper
½ c bread crumbs
1 c parmesan cheese

Saute the mushrooms in butter. Dissolve beef cubes in water. Melt butter and blend with flour. Add cream, salt, pepper, and beef broth. Add this to mushrooms. Top with cheese and bread crumb mixture before baking. Bake in buttered casserole for 30 minutes at 350.

Salmon Dilly

1 large salmon steak
1/3 to ½ c half and half
½ tsp fresh dill, minced
Salt (optional)

Place salmon in shallow baking dish and add half and half so the fish is half immersed. Sprinkle with dill or chives and add some salt, if desired. Bake 30 minutes at 350, occasionally spooning some of the liquid over the salmon, until fish is flakey.

No-Mix Blackberry Cobbler

5 ½ T butter
1 ½ c sugar, divided
2 c blackberries
2/3 c flour
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
¾ c milk
Melt butter in deep 8 or 9” square pan. Set aside. Stir ½ c sugar into fruit and set aside. Sift flour, 1 c sugar, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl, then whisk in the milk. Pour batter into prepared pan but do not mix. Pour fruit over batter, but do not mix. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 until puffy and golden brown.

Notes: I’ve also made this with 2 cups fresh peaches and it was delicious.

No-Bake Granola Bars

2 ½ c rice krispies
2 c oats
½ c raisins
½ c brown sugar
½ c light corn syrup
½ c peanut butter
1 t vanilla
½ c chocolate chips

Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Bring the brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a small sauce pan, stirring constantly, over medium heat. Take pan away from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until blended. Pour this mixture over the cereal mixture and stir until coated. Let it stand for ten minutes. Stir in the chocolate chips. Press into a 13×9” glass or metal pan. Let stand until firm before cutting into bars.

Hoagie Dip

½ lb ham
¼ lb salami
¼ lb Ham-O-Cola
1 medium tomato
½ head lettuce
¼ lb American cheese
¼ lb provolone cheese
Oregano
Mayonnaise

Dice all meats and cheeses. I find the fastest and easiest way is to stack alternate slices of the cooked ham and American cheese and dice them, and then to stack the salami, ham-o-cola, and provolone cheese and dice them. This ensures a good mixture and prevents the cheeses from sticking together.

Dice the tomato and lettuce and add to the mixture. Add oregano to taste. (I use about 2 t.) Add mayo until just moist. (I use about ¼ c.)

Mixture will get juicier as it sits.

Serve as an appetizer over small pieces of French bread.

Outrageous Cookie Bars

½ c butter
1 ½ c graham cracker crumbs
1 ¼ c sweetened condensed milk
2 c chocolate chips
1 c coconut
1 c walnuts (optional)

Prehead oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a 13×9” pan. Add graham cracker crumbs and press into pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the crumbs. Sprinkle chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts over the milk and press in firmly. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool.

Ice Cream Truffle Pie with Raspberry Sauce

Crust
14 chocolate wafer cookies, ground into crumbs
3 T butter, melted

Cake
1 pint chocolate ice cream
1 c chocolate chips
½ c heavy cream
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Chopped walnuts

Sauce
1 bag raspberries, frozen

For crust, mix ingredients until crumbs are evenly moistened and spread on the bottom of a lightly greased 9” pie plate. Freeze crust for at least 30 minutes.

Thaw chocolate ice cream until spreadable, then spread over frozen crust, smoothing top of ice cream. Freeze about one hour.

For truffle layer, combine chocolate chips and cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until chocolate begins to melt, then remove from heat and stir until very smooth. Spread evenly over the frozen pie. Freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.

Soften vanilla ice cream and then spread over pie. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or chocolate crumbs and freeze for up to two weeks.

For sauce, defrost raspberries. Puree them in food processor or blender until smooth. Press through a strainer, discarding all seeds. Use as is, or add a little sugar, or 1 T Grand Mariner, if desired.

Notes: This is from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. Allan doesn’t eat many desserts, but he does like this one, so I usually make it if he’s here for his birthday.

Frozen Chocolate Torte

3 egg whites
½ t cream of tartar
¾ c sugar
¾ c chopped pecans
2 c heavy cream
¾ c chocolate syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 275.

Beat egg whites until frothy. Add ½ t cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until very stiff peaks form. Fold in chopped pecans.

Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using an 8” plate, draw a circle onto each paper. Divide and spread meringue over each circle, shaping into flat shells.

Bake for 45 minutes. Without opening oven door, turn oven off and do not remove meringues for another 45 minutes. Then remove and cool.

When ready to assemble, beat cream until very stiff. Fold in syrup and vanilla. Spread 1 meringue layer with half of the chocolate cream. Add second meringue and cover top with remaining cream mixture. You can make swirly designs in the top cream layer with a fork and/or decorate with chocolate shavings or pecans.

Freeze at least six hours.

Remove from the freezer 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes: This is a recipe I got while living in New Jersey and working at Arthur Andersen. One of my bosses bought a Junior League Cookbook from any city he visited on business, and this was in one of them, although I forget from which city. It is easy (as is anything I make!) and can be made ahead, and has always been a big hit.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

1 stick butter
1 c sugar
2 eggsg
2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t soda
½ t salt
1 c sour cream
1 t almond extract
1 small can cranberry sauce
½ c chopped nuts
2 t sugar
½ t cinnamon

Cream butter, add sugar and cream well. Add eggs and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with sour cream that’s had almond extract stirred into it. Pour into greased tube pan, first a layer of batter, then a layer of cranberry sauce, finishing with a batter layer. Sprinkle with nuts, sugar, and cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes.