Lori, I made these over Christmas and they were a huge hit. I didn't have coconut so I rolled the balls of dough in colored sugar then used my homemade raspberry and apricot jam to fill them. Ashley works at a very upscale local "Inn", and she took some to work over Christmas. They have a Chef who went to some culinary institute or another, and he asked Ashley for the recipe. She told him that he could have the recipe, but it would never be as good as mine unless he made his own jam. LOL Roselin, my boss tells me that shortbread is just butter, held together by sugar. :-) Annie

My potatoes au gratin (or potatoes ugh rotten, as one of my kids said when they were little)were fine. I think a sharper cheese might have been better. I forgot that I was going to add some parmesan, which might have helped. Still they were very good and I will have some more tonight with ham bits mixed in. Last night I ate so much I had a stomachache during the night. Took two Tums and all was well. I usually have a cast iron stomach.

Here's the Habanero Gold Jelly, invented by Bob Rouleau of Ottawa, Canada. It's in the Bernardin book and now in the new "Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving." Habanero Gold Jelly 1/3 cup finely sliced dried apricots 3/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 up finely diced red onion 1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper 1/4 cup finely diced habanero peppers, including seeds OR 1/4 cup diced, combined jalapeno and Scotch Bonnet peppers 3 cups granulated sugar 1 pouch Bernardin liquid pectin (For USA other brands of liquid pectin are fine) Cut apricots into 1/8 inch slices. Measure into a large deep stainless steel saucepan with vinegar; let stand 4 hours. Individually, cut onion and seeded peppers into 1/8 inch slices; cut slices into 1/4 inch dice. Measure each ingredient; add to apricots. Stir in sugar. Over high heat, bring to a full roiling boil. Stirring constantly, boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in pectin, mixing well. Pour jelly into hot jar, dividing solids equally among jars and filling each jar to within 1/4 inch of top rim. Wipe rims. Apply lids. Process 10 minutes in BWB. Cool upright, until lids pop down, about 30 minutes. When lids are concave but the jelly is still hot, carefully grasp jar without disturbing lid and invert, twist, or rotate each jar to distribute solids throughout jelly. The jar can be inverted temporarily but do not allow it to stand upside-down for prolonged periods. Repeat as necessary during the cooling/setting time, until solids are nicely suspended. Here's the Peach Preserves for Winter Mornings, created by Doris, a CF member. Peach Preserves for Cold Mornings (Doris, Ruddmd) 3 pounds ripe peaches, peeled and quartered l/2 medium-size orange, quartered and seeded 2 Red Savina habaneros, (seeds and all) 4 cups sugar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 Cup honey (the lightest, mildest you can find) Combine peaches, sugar, and honey in a Dutch oven; stir well. Cover and let stand 45 minutes. Place knife blade attachment in food processor bowl; add orange quarters and habanero chiles. Process until finely chopped, stopping once to scrape down sides. Place orange, habanero chiles, and an equal amount of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until orange rind is tender. Bring peach mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook, uncovered, 15 minutes, stirring often. Add orange mixture. Bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes or until candy thermometer registers 221, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in almond extract. Skim off foam with a metal spoon. Quickly pour hot mixture into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands. Process jars in boiling-water bath 10 minutes. Yield: 6 half-pints. I see earlier in this thread the question was asked about what to do with a jam that's too stiff. The best thing to do (to avoid further cooking) is just to stir in a tablespoon or so of hot water when you open the jar. Whatever is needed to achieve the looseness you want. Carol

Here's mine. You can't tell there's sweet potato in it, but it gives a nice colour. There is no thickener necessary. I usually used evaporated skim milk instead of cream to save on fat calories. Broccoli-Cheddar Soup Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine Ingredients 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups half-and-half 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 1 bay leaf Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 2 cups chopped broccoli florets 1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups) Croutons, for topping (optional) Directions Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add 3 tablespoons water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain. When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and transfer the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth, leaving the filler cap slightly open to let steam escape (or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender). Return the soup to the pot and thin with water, if necessary. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired. I used 1 cup of half and half and one cup of skim and 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar and used more like 4 cups of broccoli. Didn�t bother with the croutons. Made 6 generous servings although the following is based on 4 servings: Per serving: Calories 589; Fat 34 g (Saturated 18 g); Cholesterol 97 mg; Sodium 931 mg; Carbohydrate 50 g; Fiber 8 g; Protein 22 g