Category Archives: ~Dessert

Fall Pear Salad

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Fall Pear Salad

6   slices (about 14 Ib.) bacon
3   large firm-ripe red pears (about mib. total)
3   tablespoons lemon juice
1   package (10 oz.) washed fresh spinach (or I’/z Ib. spinach, stems and wilted leaves discarded), rinsed and crisped
1/2   pound mushrooms, rinsed and thinly sliced

Ginger dressing (recipe follows) In a  10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high   heat,   cook  bacon   until brown and crisp, turning often. Drain on towels. When cool, crumble.

Core pears and cut each into 16 wedges; mix fruit with lemon juice.

On a platter or 8 salad plates, ar­range spinach and mushrooms; top with pear slices and juice. Moisten with dressing; top with bacon. Serves 8.

Ginger dressing. Mix !/2 cup minced crystallized ginger, !4 cup each extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, and !/2 teaspoon pepper.

Per serving: 201 cal. (43 percent from fat); 3.2gprotein; 9.5 g fat (1.7 g sat); 29 g carbo.; 103 mg sodium; 3.4 mg chol.

Cream Cheese Mincemeat Cookies

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Cream Cheese Mincemeat Cookies

1   cup  butter or margarine
1   large package (8 oz.) cream cheese
2   cups powdered sugar
About 3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4   cup prepared mincemeat
1  teaspoon grated lemon peel

In a food processor or with a mixer, whirl or beat butter, cream cheese, and ‘/2 cup sugar until smoothly blended. Thoroughly mix in 3 cups flour. Cover and chill dough until firm enough to handle, about 1 hour.

On a floured board, roll half the dough (keep remainder cold) Vs inch thick. Cut into 21/2-inch rounds with a floured cutter; place rounds slightly
apart on 2 ungreased 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. Reroll scraps and cut.

Combine mincemeat and peel; drop Vi teaspoon of mixture in center of each round. Fold each round over filling and press edges to seal.

Bake in a 375° oven until golden, 18 to 20 minutes; if using 1 oven, switch pan positions after 10 minutes.

Transfer a few hot cookies at a time to a paper or plastic bag with remaining sugar; shake to coat well. Cool on racks. Repeat to use remaining dough and filling. Serve, or store airtight up to 2 days or freeze. Makes about 5 dozen.

Per cookie: 87 cal. (47 percent from fat); 1 g protein; 4.5 g fat (2.8 g sat); 11 g carbo.; 53 mg sodium; 12 rag chol.

Canning Suggestions

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JUST THE RIGHT SIZE
Get ready to preserve a bit of summer when the abundance of fresh produce flits farmers markets and roadside stands. Large canning jars are great for the big jobs, but you need tiny jars, such as those made by Bali, for saving goodies from backyard gardens. Their wide-mouth, one-piece, screw-on lids make it easy to save small batches, and the size is right for gifts from your kitchen. Pick up a carton of them as soon as they appear in stores—they get away quickly. That way, when the spirit hits to can a little something you’ll be set.

Frozen Tid-Bits

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Frozen Sweets
If you’re an ice-cream fanatic like I am, you’ll love preparing a luscious batch your­self. But when you want it fast, there’s al­ways something tempting in the grocer’s freezer. Let these reminders help you grab the one you need. •Ice cream is a rich mix­ture of cream, milk, at least 10% milk fat, along with sugar or other sweeteners. •Ice milk contains less milk fat and milk solids than ice cream does, making it lighter and lower in calories than its heavier cousin.
• Frozen yogurt can be made from whole milk or low-fat and nonfat milk sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. These products can be lower in fat but not neces­sarily lower in calories.
• Sherbet is usually made from sweetened fruit juice, milk, and water.
• Sorbet contains no milk, a good choice for those who need to stay away from dairy products.
• Granita is water and sugar combined with fruit juice, wine, or coffee. This one is a firm slush of icy crystals.

Blueberry Tid-Bits

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Here are a few nuggets of information to help you make the most of this glorious fruit.
• Blueberries belong to the same family as the wild huckleberry or azalea.
• The powdery gray-blue bloom on the sur­face of the skin helps the small berry retain its moisture after harvest.
• Blueberries do not ripen further after they’re picked.
•Blueberries aren’t as perishable as other berries and will keep about a week if handled properly. Place them in a plastic container and refrigerate as soon as possi­ble. Don’t wash berries until you’re ready to use them. (Added moisture will hasten growth of mold.)
•Washing blueberries before freezing results in toughening of their skin.
• A pint of blueberries serves four people generously.