I posted this long time recipe of mine on the Rubs and Marinades posting a week or so ago. Cuban Pork Tenderloin 1 Pork Tenderloin 2 Tbsp Cuban Spice Rub (see below) 1 Tbsp oil Preheat oven to 425 deg F Trim fat and silver membrane from tenderloin, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub spice mixture evenly all over the tenderloin. Preheat oil in large pan over high heat. Lightly sear tenderloin on all sides. Remove tenderloin from pan, place in baking pan, place in oven for 15 minutes. When tenderloin reaches 140 deg F remove it from oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes, during which time the temperature should rise to 145 to 150 deg F. Slice 1/4" - 3/8" thick and serve with Madeira-Apricot sauce on the side (see below) Cuban Spice Rub: 1 paprika 2 ground red pepper 2 cumin 3 onion powder 3 garlic powder 2 black pepper 1 oregano (dried) 1 basil (dried) 2 parsley (dried) Madeira-Apricot sauce Ingredients: 1 jar Polaner All-Fruit Apricot preserves 4 oz apple sauce 1/2 cup medium-dry Madeira 1 medium onion (chopped) 2 tbsp butter Cook onions in butter until they are translucent, then add the Madiera, the apricot preserves, and the apple sauce and heat it until it is thoroughly bubbling. Pour into bowl and allow to cool to room temp. Note: For the apple sauce I often buy a package of single serving apple sauce cups (look for the ones with no added sugar) and use one of the cups to make the sauce. This avoids the problem I usually have where an opened jar of applesauce gets moldy before I use it all.

Glenda this is tried and true by me, who doesn't like to fool around much with desserts so if I can do it, anybody can! Sol's recipes are all great - as are Marilyns! Molten Lava Cakes -Sol ½ pound bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped ½ pound butter 6 whole eggs, room temperature 1 ½ cups sugar ½ cup flour Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter the bottom and sides of 8 6-ounce ramekins and sprinkle with baking cocoa, tap to remove excess cocoa. Set aside. In the top of a double boiler or in a microwave, gently, melt the chocolate and butter. Whisk until completely melted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until just blended. Gradually whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until combined. Evenly divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are firm and beginning to crack and the edges are set. Remove from oven and serve immediately, with ice cream, your favorite chocolate sauce, a few chocolate-covered coffee beans and giddyap baby!. I can almost feel my zippy-self coming back to life, just thinking 'bout it ;-à Note: I didn't use ramekins. Instead I used mini wonder-molds for these cakes 'cause I liked their shape. These molds are quite a bit larger than the ramekins, so for me, this recipe only yielded 5 servings. Chocolate Sauce 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1/3 cup light corn syrup 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or liqueur Heat the cream, sugar, salt and corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Allow to stand a few minutes until the chocolate has melted, then whisk gently until smooth. Whisk in vanilla or liqueur. Note ~ I know you love Valrhona, so do I. But for this, I used Lindt because it's another favorite, and it's what I always have around. As long as the chocolate tastes good and the texture is silky to begin, then it'll be a good candidate for this sauce. If you end up using another type of chocolate and you notice tiny lumps in your finished product, don't panic. Just strain the chocolate mixture through a fine sieve, it'll be fine.

I only do the whole she-bang once a year, because it takes all day to do all the dishes, but here's my chinese blowout menu: Egg Foo Yong and Fried Rice I usually just throw together - I tried to put them into “recipe” form... Egg Foo Yong 1 cup of chopped vegies (celery, bean sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, green onions) 1 cup of chopped meat (cooked chicken, pork, beef or shrimp) five or six eggs 1/2 to 1 tbls soy sauce (to taste) Mix vegies & meat together in a bowl. Beat eggs together and add to vegie & meat mixture. (It should look like you don’t have enough eggs - you want more vegies & meat and the eggs to basically hold it all together). Stir in soy sauce. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Use a ladle to spoon the mixture (I make 4 patties at a time in my electric frying pan) into hot oil and cook on medium high until “set” (like an omelette), turn over once and cook another minute or so until cooked through. Fried Rice 1 cup cold cooked rice 3 slices of bacon 1/2 cup of chopped vegies (celery, carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms, green onions) 1/2 cup of chopped meat (cooked chicken, pork, beef or shrimp) 3 scrambled eggs Couple of splashes of soy sauce (to taste) Slice bacon into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces and fry until crisp over medium-high heat. Add cold cooked rice (don’t add it in one big lump - shake it up in a tupperware bowl or zip lock baggie so it’s separated nicely) and quickly and gently keep it moving around the pan - the goal here is to brown (actually, tan) the rice in the bacon grease without letting a big glob of rice absorb all the grease, in which case you have one gross mess - when the rice is a nice even color, add the raw vegies and cooked meat and keep it moving (stirring gently) around the pan until everything is nice and hot. Add the scrambled eggs (already cooked) and a couple of splashes of soy sauce (taste as you go, it’s easier to add more...) and keep it moving (stirring gently) for about another minute or so until the eggs are hot. Shrimp & Vegetable Egg Rolls 2 Tbls vegetable oil 8 cups finely shredded green cabbage 2 cups coarsely grated carrots 2 & 1/2 Tbls soy sauce 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced 1 Tbls ginger, finely minced 6 green onions (or scallions), cut into very thin slices 3/4 lb salad shrimp (can substitute chopped, cooked, chicken) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup finely slivered fresh basil Salt - to taste, if needed 12 egg roll wrappers (10 oz) 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 & 1/2 cups vegetable oil 1. In a large, heavy pot, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the cabbage and carrots; cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until cabbage is wilted and bright green. Stir in soy sauce. 2. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in green onions, shrimp, cilantro, basil and (if desired) salt. 3. When working with egg roll wrappers, cover them with a damp kitchen towel so they don’t dry out. Stuff wrappers one at a time: Place one tip facing you like a diamond shape on a flat work surface. Place 1/3 a cup of filling 1 inch from the bottom point and across the wrapper to within 1 inch of each side. Fold bottom tip up over filling and roll away from you halfway up. Brush egg over exposed edges with a pastry brush. Fold in 1 inch side tips and finish rolling TIGHTLY (very important - or egg rolls will absorb more oil and taste ‘greasy’). Place on a plate seam-side down. Repeat procedure with the rest of the wrappers. Keep finished egg rolls covered with a damp towel. 4. Heat 1 & 1/2 cups of oil in a 10 inch skillet until it begins to bubble a bit on top. (To test for temperature, drop a cube of bread into oil; it should brown within one minute). [I use my deep fryer - @ 370 degrees - drop in 3 or 4 egg rolls - cook 1 minute and turn and cook for another minute, or until golden brown.] 5. Add 3 or 4 egg rolls at a time to the oil and fry for 2 to 21/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve immediately. I like mine with ketchup and hot Chinese mustard. Hubby likes his with sweet & sour sauce. (S&S Recipe follows) Makes 12 egg rolls Sweet & Sour Sauce 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon corn starch 1 can (13&1/4 oz) pineapple chunks 1/3 cup vinegar 1 Tbls soy sauce 1 small green pepper, coarsely chopped Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in skillet. Stir in pineapple (with syrup), vinegar and soy sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat. Cover; simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens to your desired thickness. Stir in green pepper. Cover and simmer for about two more minutes. This is the ‘perfect’ (according to family & friends) S&S Sauce and can be used for egg rolls, meatballs, chicken, shrimp, fried won-tons, egg foo yong - whatever... Batter for deep fried chicken or finger steaks 2 egg whites 4 tablespoons cornstarch 4 tablespoons soy sauce Mix well and add chicken strips (boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" strips) or beef strips (cube steak cut into 1" strips). Set aside. 1 cup of bisquick 2/3 cup of water 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (if using for almond chicken or sweet&sour chicken) Mix well and add to chic or beef mixture. Mix together well (coating all meat) and deep fry until golden.

I agree with Chloebud on the freezing. Freeze the filling, and if on the day you want to make it and don't have the peppers on hand, you can put it in seeded zucchini or other squash halves, or small acorn squash, or just about any non-sweet fruit like that. Or just ramekins with a couple spoons of stock or water to make up for moisture from the peppers or other fruit. I haven't made them for a long time, so I don't have measurements, but a stuffed pepper I really like has chicken and feta cheese. Hollow the peppers, steam, poach or lightly roast the chicken pieces (or for heaven's sake use leftovers!), shred and add spices/seasonings to taste. Thyme or tarragon is great, plus some black pepper and sumac, but go with what you like. A plump kind of rice is nicer than basmati or other more toothsome kinds. White works well, but a sweet brown like Carolina gold is nice too. Cook the rice to well hydrated and tender. Crumble the feta or cut into small dice, about 2/3 to equal volume as the shredded chicken. Sauté white onion, about half the volume of the shredded chicken when raw and chopped, to just starting to get tender if you want them apparent, or to transparent if you like them less forward. Add same sized chop of the bits of the peppers tops removed from the stems, and and veg you like from same sized carrots to a handful of baby spinach. Sauté until tender or wilted or whatever. You only need a little of the added veg if you want a good portion of rice, but you can substitute veg for a lot of the rice if you prefer.. Mix all the ingredients warm so they'll start to meld and squeeze on a lot of fresh lemon juice. Add some more of the herbs and spices/seasonings you used on the chicken, to taste. You can add an egg or two as glue, but I don't bother. Stuff the peppers. Top with oiled breadcrumbs, cheese, or use some of the plain rice with an extra squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake. 360° F or so, until the tops are browning, the peppers are starting to color, and just starting to look wrinkly. If they're looking a little saggy take them out even if they're not browned or wrinkly yet. Use a thermometer to make sure they're cooked through as well as nice and hot. Thanks for bringing this up. I'm going to make them next week. It's been too long! :)