KILLER CUPCAKES (makes 20-22) Cupcakes: 4 squares (4 oz) semisweet chocolate 1 tsp vanilla 2 sticks butter 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup flour Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard muffin tins w/paper cupcake liners. In the top part of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate w/the vanilla & butter. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until thick & add the sugar. Beat in the flour. Fold in the butter-chocolate mixture. Spoon into the prepared tins, filling the cups 2/3 full. Filling: 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg, beaten Dash of salt 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips Mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg & salt until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop a rounded teaspoon of filling onto the top of each cupcake. Bake 30 minutes.~~ San Francisco Encore MARLEN'S RASPBERRY LOVE MUFFINS 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 heaping cup white chocolate chips 1 stick softened butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon finely grated orange zest 1/2 cup milk 2 cups fresh or unsweetened frozen raspberries Sift flour with baking powder and mix in the white chocolate chips; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat softened butter with sugar until light and fluffy, add vanilla and orange zest. Mix in dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with milk. Fold in raspberries. Do not overmix. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 375 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from tins.~~ These are REALLY popular: MARLEN'S CHUBBY HUBBY COOKIES 2 cups butter or margarine, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 2 large eggs 2 Tablespoon vanilla extract 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda Pinch of salt 1 12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 12 oz pkg peanut butter chips 1 cup salted peanuts 2 cups crushed pretzels* Preheat oven to 350* degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Blend into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips, peanuts and pretzels. Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. bake 10-13 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool one minute on cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire racks. Store tightly in covered container. Source: Bob Zotto, Bruker AXS Cookbook Note from Marlen: The pretzels should be about the size of the chocolate chips, not pulverized. You want to taste bits of pretzel as you munch. This is a crunchy cookie. I use a food processor and just pulse until the desired size is achieved.~~ TOFFEE BARS (3 dozen - freezes well) 2 cups flour 1 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 3 sticks butter (don't use margarine for this) 1 cup pecans, chopped One 6 oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the flour & 1 cup of the brown sugar; cut in 1 stick of the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press into the bottom of a 13x9" ungreased baking pan. Sprinkle w/the pecans. Bring to a boil the remaining 2 sticks butter & 3/4 cu of brown sugar. Boil exactly 1 minute (after the mixture comes to a boil), stirring constantly. Pour over the pressed mixture & bake exactly 20 minutes. Let sit 1 minute; then sprinkle w/chocolate chips. When completely softened, spread the chocolate with a spatula. Chill thoroughly; return to oom temperature before cutting.~~Georgia on my Menu

I laughed when I saw this thread! This past weekend, my husband and I went on an overnight road trip to see a show. We love the backroads, and generally try not to get on the freeway if we can help it (we like scenery). In a little town, there was a diner we stopped at to ask about our route, and on the menu they had a fried egg sandwich. I commented to my husband that I hadn't seen a fried egg sandwich listed on a menu for years...and I come home to find someone has started a thread about them! I often take my breakfast with me in the morning, because my tummy just doesn't like food unless I've been up and about for a good 3 hours. One of my favorites is a fried egg sandwich, on an English muffin or rye bread, with melted Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, crisp bacon, and ketchup. It tastes good hot or cold, so I can eat it when I'm ready. If I have a bit of leftover Hollandaise sauce, a ripe avocado or some sun dried tomato & olive tapenade, I substitute one of them for the ketchup.

You can change this one up by using, minced ham or canned crab, or salmon. I often make three different types so everyone has a choice. Stuffed Baguettes 1 Baguette or French stick 2 cups spinach leaves choped and packed 4 oz cream cheese room temp 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped 1 TBSP milk 4 cups minced ham 1/3 cup toasted pistachions chopped (optional) 1 TBSP dijon mustard 1/3 cup mayonnaise Slice the baguette lengthwise. Hollow out the bread leaving the shell about 1/2 inch thick. Rinse spinach and shake off excess moisture cook in just a bit of water until the leaves are wilted. Drain and squeeze dry and chopp in the food processor ( I just use frozen and ensure it is well drained). Combine cream cheese , dill , milk, and spinach until spreadable. Combine ham, nuts, mustard and enough mayo to make a moist filling. Spread cream cheese all over the inside of the shells. Spoon the ham mixture into the bottom shell, mounding slightly. Place top of loaf back over the filling. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and as long as 8. Serve cut in slices. Here is another Muffuletta recipe. Excellent and can be made the day before. SOunds harder than it is. Real N'awlins Muffuletta (Weed) 1 Cup pimento-stuffed green olives crushed 1/2 Cup drained kalamata olives crushed 2 Clove garlic minced 1/4 Cup roughly chopped pickled cauliflower 2 Tbl drained capers 1 Tbl chopped celery 1 Tbl chopped carrot 1/2 Cup pepperoncini drained 1/4 Cup marinated cocktail onions 1/2 Tsp celery seed 1 Tsp dried oregano 1 Tsp dried basil 3/4 Tsp ground black pepper 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar 1/2 Cup olive oil 1/4 Cup canola oil 2 (1 pound) loaves Italian bread 8 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami 8 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham 8 ounces sliced mortadella orcappicola 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese 8 ounces sliced provolone cheese Directions 1. To Make Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the~ green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, Jcelery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. Mix together and transfer mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Cover jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight. 2. To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half~ horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts olive salad, including oil. Layer 'bottom half' of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella and Provolone. Replace 'top half' on each loaf and cut sandwich into quarters. 3 Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours; this will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.

Because the last few falls in Kentucky have had unseasonably cold days, you might want to consider something hot. The balancing act is to prepare it ahead of time, and hold it so it stays warm but doesn't get overcooked. So that can limit your choices. Crockpots and electric skillets are invaluable for keeping things warm while you do something else, though. You might think about something like: Meatballs in Almond Sauce 2 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed 3 tbls water 2 lb ground pork 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tbls flatleaf parsley, chopped. 1 egg, beaten Freshly grated nutmeg Salt & pepper All purose flour, for coating 3+ tbls olive oil Squeeze of lemon juice Almond sauce: 2 tbls olive oil 1 slice whole wheat bread Generous 3/4 cup blanched almonds 2 garlic cloves, minced 2/3 cup dry white wine Salt & Pepper 1 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock For the meatballs: Put the bread in a bowl and add water. Let soak 5 minutes. Squeeze out the water and return bread to the dried bowl. Add the pork, onion, garlic, parsley and egg, then season generously with nutmeg and a little salt & pepper. Knead the ingredients well together to form a smooth mixture. Spread some flour on a plate. With floured hands, shape the meat mixture into small balls (I use a 1 1/2-tbls sized scoop), then roll each meatball in flour until well coated. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet. Add the meatballs, in batches, so they do not overcrowd the skillet, and cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned on all sides. Use a slotted soon to remove meatballs and set aside while you cook the rest, adding more oil if needed. Make the sauce: Het olive oil in same skillet in which the meatballs were fried. Break the bread into pieces, then add to the skillet with the almonds and cook gently, stirring frequently, until the bread and almonds are golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, then pour in wine and boil 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper and let cool slightly. Transfer almond mixture to a food processor.* Pour in the vegetable stock and blend the mixture until smooth. Return the almond sauce to the skillet. Carefully add the meatballs to the almond sauce and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the meatballs are tender. Taste the sauce and season with salt & pepper if necessary. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice (or put a lemon wedge on each plate) and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. *You may have to do this in batches, or it's likely to overflow the processor container. Or use a blender instead. I'm thinking you could prepare these to the final simmering stage, put them in a crockpot, and turn it on while the tour is in progress. By the time you're done, so will they be. If the tour runs long, nothing will be hurt. I would serve them on a bed of broad egg noodles, with a salad on the side. An apple/Ceasar salad complements this dish nicely.