Prepare one 0.6 oz package of sugar free strawberry Jello as directed…

Stir in 2 cups blueberries (one bag frozen)

1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks or tidbits (equals one can…include the juice)

3/4 cups pecan or walnut pieces

Chill and serve with whipped cream.

You can get creative and make a mold out of it.   Easy, fun and fairly healthy dessert!

Mix…

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 good dashes of nutmeg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter melted

Pour batter into a 9-inch square baking pan.

Spoon…

2 cups of fresh fruit on top of the mixture. (blueberries, strawberries and/or peaches are great…pineapple is really good, too).  Bake for an hour or until the crust is light brown.  The crust comes to the top during baking.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.  You can double this recipe for a crowd.

It’s a winner.

MAW MAW’S BREAD RECIPE

5 lbs All Purpose Flour

5 tbsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup olive oil

4 to 5 cups  warm water…not hot, just slightly warm to the touch

1 pack of dry yeast (3 perforated)

Mix salt, sugar, olive oil, 4 cups of water and yeast…mix till dissolved.  Mix the flower with the wet ingredients, then add the remaining water (if needed).  Put the dough in a warm place to rise.  Let rise for an hour or so.

Work the dough.  Let it rise for another hour and work again.  Cut a large handful and place on bar with flour, fold over several times, then roal into a ball and put into a pan.  Set aside to rise.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Now, the easier one…

BEER BREAD

3 c. self-rising flour

2 tblsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 can beer  (room temperature)

mix all ingredients.   Pour into greased bread pan.  Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes.

Also, for the next few weeks (through May 2010), go to www.CajunBrands.com and enter the promo code HAZELMAIL2010 for 15% off your entire order.

In a food processor, combine

3 cups of Garbanzo beans …(”Garbanzo” is capitalized here because it is such a good word) Soak and cook dried Garbanzo beans until they are soft…drain most of the water, saving about 1/3 cup.  Or use 2 cans of organic Garbanzo beans saving the water.

2 big tablespoons of tahini

2 big tablespoons of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of chopped garlic…2-3 cloves chopped

1/4 cup of the saved liquid

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

a dash of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Blend in the food processor until smooth…if it’s too thick, add a little of the saved liquid.  Makes plenty, so share with a neighbor.   Eat with pita, crackers, tortilla chips or celery.

Optional:

Blend in a can of black olives and a bunch of cilantro (minimize the stems)

Mix together at room temperature…

2 cups sugar

8 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan.

Bake in a Mary’s Bath (…put the pan in a layer of water sitting in a larger pan to ensure cooking at an even temperature) at 300 degrees for 1 hour…or until firm in the center.

Refrigerate and let sit for 24 hours before removing from the form and serving.

In the remaining bacon grease, saute until clear and soft…

1 large onion chopped

1 bunch cilantro chopped

1/4 cup chopped garlic.

Now, add

1 cup of pitted black olives

1 bag or dried black beans

6 bay leaves

all of the cooked bacon, crumbled

Salt and Pepper

1  3/4 oz. bag of Cumin

Add water until all ingredients are covered by about 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer slowly stirring occasionally until the beans are soft.  This will take a couple of hours, and your house will be very fragrant.

Serve over rice.

Collect these ingredients:

6 cups all purpose flour

6 tsp baking powder

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup red wine

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp allspice

6 tablespoons cocoa

1 stick + 6 tablespoons softened butter

2 cups pecan pieces

Sift and mix all the dry ingredients except for the sugar and pecans.

Beat eggs, sugar and butter…add to dry flour mixture.  Add wine and mix.  Now, dd the nuts.

Roll into tight 1-inch balls and bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool, then ice.

Icing

1 box powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Stir in drops of heavy cream or pet milk until you reach a pancake batter consistency.  Drizzle over cookies.

1 Quart real mayonaisse

1 cup beef consomme

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp lime juice

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tablespoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

Mix, chill, and you’ll thank me later!

1/3 lb bacon

Drain some of the grease.  In a few tablespoons of the remaining bacon grease sauté

1 sliced onion…until clear

Add…

1 head of purple cabbage chopped or roughly shredded

Salt & Pepper…(heavy on the pepper)

¾ cup dark brown sugar

One cup of white wine.

Saute for about  25 minutes at medium heat until the cabbage is tender.

Don’t tell anyone how easy it is to make.

First you make a roux.  This is the easiest roux ever, but it takes a little time…so make plenty…it does keep a long  loooooooong time.

The roux…

2 cups flour

Pour the two cups (or more) of flour into a  cookie sheet or 9 x 12 baking pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 1 to 1 ¼ hours until the flour is a nutty brown color.  Set aside and cool.  Store in an airtight container.

The gumbo…

Saute together until tender in a little oil…

1 ½ cups chopped celery + the leaves

1 large onion chopped

1 large bell pepper chopped

Stir in 1 cup of the roux.  Mixture will be brown and a little pasty.  Stir constantly and let everything blend for a few minutes.

Add…

3 bay leaves

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

½ tsp Thyme

2 cups of chopped tomatoes (canned stewed tomatoes work well)

2 cups of sliced okra (if you buy frozen, use the whole bag)

3 cups of water

Simmer and covered for an hour stirring on occasion.  This can cook for a couple of hours on low heat if you have the time and patience.  Stir often to keep from sticking.  Add more water if you like a thinner gumbo.  The vegetables will melt away…it’s really nice.

Add…

3 cups of coarsely cut cooked chicken

1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced and browned (Polish kielbasa works great too)

1 or 2 lbs of raw peeled shrimp

Simmer another ten minutes minimum.

Serve in bowls over hot rice.  Feeds six to eight people.