Greatest Recipes

12 oz Spaghetti; cooked and still

-warm 1 T Unsalted butter

2 T Bacon drippings

1 lg Onion; chopped

3 Celery ribs; chopped

1 Green bell pepper; chopped

1 c Mushrooms (about 10-12 med.)

-minced 3 Cloves garlic; minced

1 ts Worcestershire sauce

2 ts Chili powder

1 T All-purpose flour

1 1/2 c Beer or chicken stock;

-unsalted 3 Ripe tomatoes; preferably

Roma or another Italian -plum variety 1/4 c Chili sauce

3/4 c Half and half

2 T Parsley; minced

2 c Cooked chicken; diced or

-shredded 1/2 c Pimento-stuffed green olives

-sliced 2 c Medium cheddar cheese;

-grated (about 8 oz) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking dish. In a bowl, toss the spaghetti with the butter, and set it aside. Warm the bacon drippings in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder together until the vegetables are well softened, about 15 minutes; cover the skillet if the mixture appears to be getting dry. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to incorporate it, and add the beer or stock, the tomatoes, and the chili sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the sauce for 30 minutes, until it has thickened slightly and reduced a bit. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the half and half and parsley. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti and toss well. Layer half the spaghetti and sauce mixture in the baking dish. Top with half each of the chicken, olives, and cheese. Add the other half of the spaghetti, and top with the remaining chicken, olives, and cheese. (The casserole can be assembled ahead to this point, covered, and refrigerated, overnight. Remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking it.) Bake the casserole 25 minutes or until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles heartily around the edges. Serve the casserole hot. Serves 6.

1 c Unsalted almonds, chopped

1 ts Chocolate extract

1 Vanilla bean (1 inch)

1/2 Orange peel, scraped

2 c Vodka

1 sm Lemon wedge, scraped peel

Lightly pound almonds with hammer (in bag or cover with paper towel) and combine with other ingredients in bottle. Be sure to thoroughly scrape orange and lemon peels. Let steep for two weeks, turning bottle occasionally. The chocolate extract tends to settle on the bottom and the finished liqueur may need to be mixed before serving. Strain and filter. Experiment with different variations of this recipe, perhaps alternating hazelnuts or adding some spices. Yield: 1 pint Container: Wide mouth quart jar

1/2 lb Sweet (Mild) Italian Sausage

-; Thinly Sliced 2 tb Olive Oil

1 lg Onion; Chopped

1 md Green Bell Pepper; Coarsely

-Chopped 1 lg Clove Garlic; Minced

32 oz Beef Broth; 2 16-oz Cans

28 oz Tomatoes; Chopped, Undrained

8 oz Tomato Sauce; 1 can

1/2 c Dry Red Wine

1 lb Medium Shrimp; Deveined And

-Shelled 1 1/2 c Zucchini; Sliced

1 c Carrots; Sliced

3/4 c Celery; Diagonally Sliced

2 md Lobster Tails; Cooked,

-Shelled, And Sliced Into -1/2-Inch Pieces 1 1/2 c Fusilli Pasta; Cooked And

-Drained 1/4 c Fresh Parsley; Chopped

1/2 ts Dried Basil; Crushed

12 oz Jarlsberg Cheese; Shredded

In a large saucepan, brown the sausage in the oil. Add the onion, Green Pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is transparent. Add the beef froth, tomatoes with the juice, tomato sauce, wine, shrimp, zucchini, carrots and celery. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the shrimp is cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the lobster, pasta, parsley, basil, cooking until heated through. TO SERVE: Spoon the soup into 8 individual ovenproof crocks. Evenly top each with the cheese. Broil, 4 to 5-inches from the heat source, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

-JUDI M. PHELPS (G.PHELPS1) 2 1/2 c ;water

3/4 c Superfine sugar

1 3-1/2 inch cinnamon stick

4 c Sour cherries; pitted or

2 cn Water-packed sour cherries;

-drained* 1 tb Cornstarch

2 tb ;water

1/3 c Dry red wine

1/3 c Heavy cream

1/3 c Cherry Heering; chilled **

Mint sprigs Sour cream (optional) *Fresh cherries are a lot of work but really do taste better than the canned variety. **Other cherry flavored liqueur can be used such as Cherry Brandy but Cherry Heering works the best. Bring water, sugar, cinnamon stick and cherries to a boil. Simmmer 30 minutes if using fresh cherries, 10 if using canned. Mix together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, stir into cherries and cook and stir until clear and slightly thickened. Remove about 1 cup of cherries and some juice; puree in blender and return to rest of soup. Cool, add wine and cream, blend well and chill thoroughly. Just before serving add Cherry Heering or other type of cherry liqueur. Serve in chilled bowls garnished with mint and dollops of sour cream. SOURCE: The Whole World Cookbook.

2 t Pure chocolate extract

1/2 t Pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 c Vodka

1/2 c Sugar syrup (see recipe)

1/2 t Fresh mint (optional)

dr Peppermint extract(optional) Mix all ingredients and let mature 2 weeks. The chocolate tends to settle on the bottom and may need to be stirred before serving. Finished version will tend to be thin, but is still quite tasty and excellent for mixing in coffee or pouring over desserts. Add glycerine to thicken if desired. For chocolate mint, add 1/2 teaspoon fresh mint and a few drops of peppermint extract. Let mature 2 additional weeks. Yield: 1 pint Container: Quart jar

1 Cinnamon stick

2 Cloves

1 ts Ground coriander seed

1 c Vodka

1/2 c Brandy

1/2 c Sugar syrup (see recipe)

Steep all herbs in alcohol for 2 weeks. Strain and filter until clear and add sugar syrup to taste. Let stand 1 week and its ready to serve. Makes a nice hot drink when added to boiling water. Yield: 1 pint plus Container: Quart jar