Fig Preserves

Cooking fig preserves

Yield: about 10 cups preserves 8 cups chopped figs8 cups sugar½ cup water or fresh lemon juicehalf a lemon, thinly sliced *I like to cook my fig preserves until they are very thick, up to 6 hours. You might like yours thinner. Sometimes I pick the figs, cut them up, and start the cooking process –…

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Caramelized Pearl Onions from Trish Gomez

Caramelized Pearl Onions from Trish Gomez

Every year I seem to discover a “break-out” recipe. This is definitely a winner for this year. Thanks to my wonderful, lovely friend, Trish, for sharing this dish with me. It sparked lots of chatter on FB, and she is gracious to let me post it here. All my family went crazy over it at…

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Pull Apart Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Pull Apart Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Yield: 12 to 16 servings 3, 10-ounce cans flaky refrigerated biscuits (such as Hungry Jack)2 sticks butter1 ½ cups brown sugar1 tablespoon cinnamon1 cup chopped pecan1-Preheat oven to 300º. 2-Remove biscuits from cans and cut into quarters.* In a saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until butter is melted. Place half the biscuits in the…

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Beer Bread

Sliced bread on wooden board

Yield: 1 loafYour family can be enjoying a hot, crusty loaf of bread in no time with this easy recipe. Yes, beer contains natural yeast which develops from the natural fermenting process. But today, most commercial beers are pasteurized, which kills this yeast. So it is actually the beer’s carbonation that puffs up the dough and…

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Braided Bread

Braided Bread

Yield: 1 loaf 1 loaf frozen bread dough, unthawed Filling of your choice Egg glaze: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water Sweet Fillings: Cream cheese: 8 ounces cream cheese beaten with 1/3 cup sugarFruit: Solo brand fruit pastry filling (available with pie fillings at the grocery store) Savory Fillings:Sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and chopped basilPizza sauce, pepperoni and…

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Heavenly Yeast Rolls

Heavenly Yeast Rolls

Yield: 2 dozen large rolls, or more if smaller ½ cup warm water (Not over 110º)2 packages dry yeast1 teaspoon sugar1 cup warm milk½ cup melted butter¼ cup sugar3 eggs1 teaspoon salt4 ½ cups flour¼ cup soft butterAbout ¼ cup vegetable oil

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Judie’s Herb and Scallion Shrimp Appetizer

Shrimp salad with greens and vegetables.

Yield: serves 10-12 Large pot of water – about 2-3 quarts2 tablespoons salt2 tablespoons sugar2 pounds, large (31-35/pound) raw shrimp that is peeled and deveined. Tail-off is nice but you can also use tail-on.5-6 scallions, thinly sliced1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced2 teaspoons herb de Provence1/2 teaspoon paprika1 lemon, thinly sliced. I like to cut the lemon…

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Sparkling Party Punch

Pink cocktail with mint and orange slice.

Yield: 24 servings2, 12-ounce cans frozen pink lemonade concentrate*, undiluted1 quart bottled, refrigerated lemonade1 quart cranberry juice2 liters lemon-lime soda 1. Mix together frozen lemonade concentrate, lemonade and cranberry juice.2. Just before serving, add the lemon-lime soda.3. Serve over ice. *If you can’t find frozen pink lemonade concentrate, use regular frozen lemonade concentrate. If so, you…

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