Almond Fruit Bars (Martha)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup fruit jam

Preheat oven to 350*. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolk. reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in almonds.

In a small bowl, whisk jam to loosen. Gently press half of dough into bottom of prepared dish. With the back of a spoon, gently spread jam over dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border. Sprinkle remaining dough over the top all the way to the edges; press gently to form top layer.

Bake until top is golden, 25 to 30 minutes; cool completely in dish. Cut into bars with a serrated knife.

**These are really good. I always use salted butter, and I used seedless blackberry jam. TRY to resist eating them when they come out of the oven, the jam has to cool to hold the bars together-Enjoy!!!

Williams Sonoma french Onion Soup

Nothing tastes better on a cold winter day than a bowl of hot onion soup with its cap of melted cheese concealing a floating baguette slice. All you need for a complete meal is a green salad, a glass of red wine, and more bread to sop up the stock.

Make sure that the bowls you use for serving the soup are flameproof. In France, onion soup is served in individual glazed earthenware crocks.

1½-2 lb (750 g-1 kg) yellow onions
¼ cup (2 oz/60 g) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose (plain) flour
5 cups (40 fl oz/1.25 l) chicken stock, heated
1 tablespoon molasses
2 fresh parsley sprigs
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2-3 tablespoons dry sherry
8-12 slices French baguette
1 cup (4 oz/125 g) shredded Gruyere cheese

Peel and cut the onions in half length-wise. Lay each half on a cutting surface, cut side down, and cut crosswise into slices ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

In a large, wide saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are evenly golden, 20-30 minutes

Sprinkle the flour over the onions; stir and cook until evenly distributed, 1-2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and gradually add the chicken stock, stirring occasionally. Continue to stir until the mixture comes to a boil and is smooth and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add the molasses and stir until blended.

Gather the parsley and thyme sprigs and bay leaf together into a bunch, fold over the stems and tie securely with kitchen string to form a bouquet garni. Add to the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer gently until the onions are very tender, 30-40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and with the cayenne.

At serving time, preheat a broiler (griller). Warm 4 deep flameproof soup bowls.

Remove the bouquet garni from the soup and discard. Stir in sherry to taste. Place the soup bowls on a heavy-duty baking sheet or a broiler pan and ladle the soup into bowls. Float 2 or 3 baguette slices on top of each bowl. Generously sprinkle the cheese on the bread slices. Place under the broiler, with the cheese topping about 4 inches (10 cm) from the heat source, and broil (grill) until the cheese melts and starts to turn golden, 4-5 minutes. Serve at once.

We hope you enjoy this as much as we did!!!!

**I always use salted butter, I like College Inn chicken broth for some reason, and I use 3 Tbsp. of Sherry!

Cod Croquettes

1 1/2 lbs. cod fish (approx.) - delicious with orange roughy, tilapia, etc. as well!
2 celery ribs and their greens, finely chopped
1 small yellow or white onion
7 or 8 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
1 small bundle fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg
1 lemon
2 cups Italian or plain bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
salt and pepper
Old Bay Seasoning (optional)

1. In a large non-stick skillet, bring 1/2 inch of water to a simmer.
2. Season fish with lemon, salt and pepper. Add to boiling water. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes.
3. Place fish in a bowl and flake with a fork. Dump the water from the pan and wipe pan with paper towel.
4. Return pan to heat with vegetable/canola oil.
5. Add celery, onion, thyme, parsley, more lemon, more salt and pepper to bowl with fish. Add the egg and 1 cup of the bread crumbs. Combine everything.
6. Form 6 to 8 patties and coat with remaining bread crumbs.
7. Fry patties on both sides for 4-5 minutes until golden.

*And if you're really creative, try making a sauce to go on top. I would try a basic white sauce with TONS of parsley!

Pumpkin Bread

1 c. vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 16-oz. can of pumpkin
3 c. sugar
3 1/2 c. flour (I use whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. walnuts (chop if you like)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Grease and flour two bread pans.

In bowl, mix sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, blend eggs, oil and pumpkin. (A hand mixer on low speed works well, but I've just used a fork before.)

Add in the dry mixture slowly. Finally, mix in walnuts.

Bake for approx. 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Lauren's Bare Bones Chili

INGREDIENTS:

butter or olive oil
1 green pepper, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 lb. or so of ground sirloin
1 lb. 13 oz. can of Goya brand red kidney beans (or similar product)
14 oz. can of Del Monte diced tomatoes with zesty jalepenos
three 8 oz. cans of Goya brand tomato sauce
1 clove garlic
1 packet McCormick mild chili seasoning mix
salt and pepper
sour cream and cheese for topping (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Saute green pepper and onion in frying pan with butter or olive oil. Add garlic.
2. Toss vegetables into large pot. Then brown the sirloin in the pan where the veggies were cooked.
3. Once meat is cooked, add to pot. Combine all ingredients in the large pot. Refridgerate overnight.
4. Heat and simmer. Serve with mucho gusto. What?

Of course, you don't have to let it sit overnight. It's really good either way.

And by the way, this recipe made me LOVE chili for some reason. It's simple but DELICIOUS!

Mi Madre's Meatloaf

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
2 slices of wheat bread, torn into small bits
2 additiona slices of bread, whole
1 egg
1 tbsp. milk
2 lbs. ground beef (approx.)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. thyme
oatmeal (optional, to thicken)
ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sautee green pepper and onion in olive oil until tender.

In a bowl, mix bread, egg and milk. Add beef, green pepper and onions, garlic and thyme. Form into loaf. If mixture is seems too wet, add a bit of oatmeal to thicken it up. Place two whole pieces of bread on the bottom of a bread pan and place meatloaf on top. The bread will soak up any extra grease. I usually use the butts of the bread.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and squirt ketchup on top of loaf.

Return to over for 20 minutes. Enjoy!