Valencian Christmas

• 1 1/2 oz. apricot brandy
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 2 dashes bitters

Shake well in a measured flamenco rhythm – or to the accompaniment of your friends’ hand claps – with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Optionally garnish with a twist of orange peel.  Now, run with the bulls!

Zanzibar

• 2 oz. vanilla-flavored vodka
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tbs. sugar
• a couple drops of fresh lemon juice

Mix gound gloves and sugar in a saucer.  Mosten the rim of a chilled cocktail glass with cut lemon and spin rim in sugar-spice mixture.  Shake remaining ingredients well with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Optionally garnish with a single frangipani flower or a small orchid.

Neapolitan Christmas

• 1 1/2 oz. brandy
• 1 oz. galliano

Shake well with cracked ice and strain into an old-fashioned glass.  Optionally garnish with a lime wedge.

Seafood Pasta Salad

• 2 cups (8 oz.) corkscrew noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 1/2 cups (8 oz.) crabmeat, chopped
• 1 cup broccoli flowerettes, partially cooked
• 1/2 cup miracle whip salad dressing
• 1/2 cup tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup zesty italian dressing
• 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Mix together parmesan cheese and dressings. 

Add remaining ingredients and mix lightly. 

Chill before serving.

Shrimp Salad

• 1 lb. pkg. petite shrimp
• 3 hard cooked eggs, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• lettuce

Directions:

Rinse shrimp. 

Combine all the ingredients and serve on lettuce. 

Optionally, you can use crab meat used instead of shrimp. 

Oriental Chicken

• 2 cups Swanson chunk white chicken
• 1 cup cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup pineapple chunks in pure pineapple juice, undrained
• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 1 cup green onions, sliced
• 1 cup green pepper, sliced
• 1 cup water chestnuts, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced radishes
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce

Directions:

In a skillet, combine soup, pineapple, soy sauce.

Add remaining ingredients. 

Simmer for 10 minutes while occassionaly stiring gently.

Mele Kalikimaka

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice

Stir with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Optionally garnish this Hawaiian cocktail with a pineapple chunk, and a little parasol.

Kentucky Christmas

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 tsp. superfine sugar
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. water

Shake sugar, lemon juice, and water well with cracked ice and strain into a highball glass almost filled with crushed ice.  Add the bourbon.  Stir well and optionally garnish with a maraschino cherry and a slice of lemon.

Cajun Christmas

• 1 1/2 oz. hot-pepper falvored vodka
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• dash hot sauce

Shake with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Optionally garnish with a jalapeno or habanero pepper.

No Fat Tropical Fruit Smoothie

• 3 cups frozen tropical fruit mix (mango, papya, pineapple)
• 1 bottle water
• 3 tbsp. splenda

Directions:

Add splenda and half bottle of water and blend for 5 seconds.

Add tropical fruit mix and the other half of the bottled water.

Blend on high until smooth and serve in large glasses.

Strawberry Angel Food Cake

• 1 angel food cake
• 1 pkg. cream cheese
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. almond abstract
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced
• 1 small container of cool whip

Directions:

Combine cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, and almond abstract and set aside. 

Slice top quarter of cake off and set aside. 

Remove a portion of the inside of the cake.

Take removed portion and break into small chunks. 

Mix the small chunks of cake, strawberries and cool whip into cream cheese mixture. 

Fill tunneled cake with mixture and replace lid on cake. 

You can use the extra mixture in center hole.

Rhubarb Torte

• 4 cups rhubarb
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry jello
• 1 yellow or white cake mix

Directions:

Cut rhubarb into small pieces and place in bottom of pan. 

Take sugar and evenly spread over the rhubarb. 

Next, spread strawberry jello over the top of the sugar. 

Melt 1/3 cup butter, drizzle over cake mix.

Pour 1 cup water over cake mix and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Golden Chicken Nuggets

• 4 whole chicken breasts, skinned & boned
• 1/2 cup unseasoned fine bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. thyme (or 1/4 tsp. powdered thyme)
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions:

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. 

Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, thyme, and basil. 

Melt butter and dip chicken into it.

Once dipped in butter, dip chicken into crumb mixture. 

Bake on foil-lined cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Curried Chicken Balls

• 2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp. orange marmalade
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 3 cups finely minced cooked chicken
• 3 tbsp. celery, minced
• 3 tbsp. green onion, minced
• 1 cup toasted almonds, finely chopped

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, marmalade, curry powder, salt, and pepper. 

Beat until smooth, then stir in chicken, celery, and onion. 

Shape mixture into 1″ balls; roll in almonds. 

Cover and refrigerate until firm, up to 2 days.

Chicken Bits

• 2 chicken breasts
• butter
• italian seasoning
• parmesan cheese

Directions:

Remove bones from two chicken breasts. 

Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. 

Dip in melted butter. 

Roll in seasoned bread crumbs (Italian seasoning with extra parmesan cheese added). 

Put on ungreased cookie sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dirty Martini

• 6 oz. vodka
• 1 dash dry vermouth
• 1 oz. brine from olive jar
• 4 stuffed green olives

Combine ingredients and shake with cracked ice.  Either strain into a chilled cocktail glass or drink on the rocks.

Strawberry Lemonade

• 1 can (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 package frozen strawberries (10 oz.), partially thawed

In a large pitcher, mix together lemonade concentrate and water.

Stir in strawberries.

Chocolate Martinis

• 4 oz. chocolate liquor
• 3 oz. vodka
• 1 (1 oz.) square semisweet chocolate, grated

Fill a cocktail mixer with ice and add vodka and chocolate liquor.

Shake vigorously and strain into 2 chilled cocktail glasses.

Optionally garnish with chocolate shavings.

Margaritas on the Rocks

• 2 cups sweet and sour mix
• 1 cup triple sec
• 1 1/2 cups gold tequila
• 1/3 cup grand marnier
• 2 limes, quartered

Pour salt onto a small plate, rub lime over the glasses rims, and press down into the salt.

Fill the glasses with ice.

Blend until smooth the sweet and sour mix, tequila, triple sec, and grand marnier.

Pour into glasses, squeeze a quarter lime into each glass, and serve.

Makes about 8 glasses.

Ave Maria

• 3/4 oz. benedictine
• 3 oz. fresh orange juice
• few drops of grenadine

Pour Benedictine into an ice old-fashioned glass.  Fill glass with orange juice and add a few drops of grenadine.  For a fizzy version, add club soda to Benedictine and orange juice and serve in an iced highball glass.  Optionally garnish with an orange peel.