Smoked Chicken Salad with Endive Spears

Ingredients:

2 ounces haricots verts or green beans

8 ounces smoked chicken or turkey,

diced into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 large shallot, minced

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or

1 teaspoon dried

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

3 Tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

4 heads Belgian endive, separated into spears

Directions:

Bring a small amount of water to a boil in a sauce pan. Add the green beans.Cook for 4 minutes or until tender; drain. Cover with cold water; drain. Cut the green beans crosswise into thin slices.Combine the green beans, chicken, red pepper, shallot and tarragon in a bowl and mix well. May be prepared to this point and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 day in advance.Combine the olive oil and wine vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, swirling the pan occasionally. Stir in the cheese. Pour over the green bean mixture, tossing to coat. Stir in the walnuts. Season with salt and pepper.Chill, covered, for 30 minutes to 8 hours.Shape 2 teaspoons of the green bean mixture into a ball; press into the stem end of an endive spear. Repeat the procedure with the remaining endive spears and green bean mixture.Arrange the endive spears in a spoke formation on a serving platter.

Note: Dice refers to cutting into cubes about 1/4 inch in size.

Yields: 30 appetizers

Oyster Dressing

Ingredients:

2 large chopped onions

6 bunches chopped green onions

1 bunch chopped parsley

6 cloves minced garlic

6 stalks chopped celery

1-1/2 loaves PoBoy bread, dried out

3/4 gallon oysters (reserve water)

2 large cooking spoonfuls bacon drippings

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Saute all chopped seasonings in bacon drippings until tender. Add oysters. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring. In another bowl, moisten bread with oyster water, then crumble bread and add to seasoning and oyster mixture. Cook 15 more minutes. Place in large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Note: If desired add chopped turkey liver to dressing before baking.

Servings: 15 - 20

Dainty Lemon Bars

Ingredients for Bars:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon rind

Ingredients for Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon water

To prepare Bars:

Combine flour, butter, powdered sugar; mix thoroughly. Spread in a 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon rind; spread over first layer in pan. Return to oven for 25 minutes. When cool, frost with Lemon Glaze. Cut into 1 inch x 1-1/2 inch bars.

To prepare Lemon Glaze:

Mix powdered sugar, lemon juice and water together and spread thinly over Dainty Lemon Bars.

Yields: 3 dozen bars

Speedy beef and Bean Burritos

Ingredients

8 7-inch flour tortillas

1 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 can 15 ouncex black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup spick thick and chunky salsa

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups 8 ounces shredded cojack or MontereyJack Cheese

Directions

Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil; place in oven. Turn temperature to 350 degrees; heat tortillas 15 minutes. While tortillas are warming, prepare burrito filling. Combine meat, onion and garlic in large skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Pour off drippings. Stir beans, salsa and cumin into meat mixture; reduce heat to medium. cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring once. Stir cilantro into filling. Spoon filling down centers of warm tortillas; top with cheese. Roll up and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Linguine With Pesto Cream Sauce

Serve this pasta dish with a tossed salad and crusty bread.

Ingredients

1 cup Basil, fresh, stems removed

1 teaspoon Garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Olive oil

1 Tablespoon Parmesan

1 tablespoon Pine nuts

2 cups Cream

1/4 cup Chicken broth

1 pound Linguine, dry

Directions

Add the basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, and pine nuts to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a paste forms. Set aside. Cook, drain and rinse the pasta. Set aside. Slowly bring the cream to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the broth. Whisk in the basil paste (pesto). Toss in the cooked pasta and re-heat. Serve warm, garnished with more Parmesan (optional).

Serves 4

Colorado Ranch Cookies

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup sliced almonds

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together. Beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add the flour mixture and beat until blended. Stir in the oats, cranberries, coconut, almonds, eggs and flavoring. The dough will be very stiff.

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. To enhance the flavor of the cookies, mix the eggs, almond extract and cranberries in a bowl and let stand for 1 hour before adding to the recipe.

Yields: 6 dozen cookies