I have Rachael Ray's recipe for vodka sauce. She calls it "You Won't Be Single Long" sauce. LOL! I haven't tried it because Publix makes a delicious one. It's a little early for the holidays but, then again, I expect the stores will start playing Christmas carols any day now :-) CHRISTMAS CRACK 1 12.8-ounce box Rice Chex cereal 1 12-ponce box Golden Grahams cereal 1 7-ounce bag shredded coconut 1 4-ounce bag slivered almonds 1 1/2 cups butter (3...yes 3...sticks of butter) 2 cups sugar 2 cups corn syrup Combine Rice Chex and Golden Grahams, coconut and almonds in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. In a large sauce pan, cook butter, sugar and corn syrup to the "soft ball" stage...about 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. Pour over cereal mixture and stir until all is well coated. Pour mixture out onto 2 large cookie sheets to cool. Stir it around occasionally to prevent clumping. Store in an airtight container.

Artichoke Bread Artichoke Bread With the big game day approaching I have been thinking about snacks more. Last weekend I got the chance to try making an artichoke bread that has been on my mind for a while. The artichoke bread is essentially an artichoke dip that is baked on bread until the crust of the bread perfectly light and crispy, the dip is nice and warm, the cheesy topping is melted and golden brown. For the artichoke topping I decided to start with my favorite hot spinach and artichoke dip and I removed the spinach and tweaked it a bit. (You could of course leave the spinach in for a slightly healthier version.) For the bread I used a loaf of Italian style bread that I cut it in half lengthwise and then scooped out a bit of the center to provide room for more filling. The next challenge was baking the bread for long enough to heat up the artichoke dip so that all of the cheese in it melted without the crust of the bread burning. I decided that the best way to go about it was to cover the bread in foil while it warmed up and then to remove the foil near the end to let the cheese on top melt and turn golden brown. The artichoke bread turned out amazingly well! I used a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread so while the crust was light and crispy the inside was nice and soft and moist. The warm artichoke dip with the melted cheesy topping was so good and the fact the it was in the perfectly cooked bread made it even better! Artichoke Bread An artichoke dip baked in a loaf of bread until ooey gooey and cheesy and good! Servings: makes 4-8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Printable Recipe Ingredients 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 2 green onions, sliced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise Directions Mix the artichoke hearts, green onions, garlic, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano reserving some of the cheese. Hollow 1/2 an inch out of the center of both halves of the bread. Spread the mixture into the hole in the bread slices and top with the reserved cheese. Bake in a preheated 350F oven covered in foil for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Lucky that chicken recipe looks good! Now that peaches are in season, a grilled peach salad sounds about right! Grilled Peach and Mozzarella Salad Reduced balsamic vinegar adds a tangy kick to peaches that are grilled to bring out their inherent sweetness. Be sure to choose nice, firm fruit; if the peaches are soft, they'll collapse on the grill. If you want the nice grilled flavour all over the peaches, quarter, instead of halving them. Serves four. 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 sprigs fresh thyme Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 firm-ripe peaches (12 oz. total), halved and pitted 4-1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 4 cups lightly packed baby arugula (about 2-1/4 oz.) 1 ball fresh mozzarella (5 to 7 oz.), cut into 3/4-inch chunks (about 1 cup) Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. Combine the vinegar and thyme in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the mixture is thick, syrupy, and reduced to 1/4 cup, 6 to 9 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme sprigs, and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Rub the peaches all over with 2 tsp. of the oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down until lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Slice each half into thirds. In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with the remaining 2-1/2 tsp. oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter. Top with the mozzarella and peaches and drizzle with about 2 Tbs. of the reduced balsamic, adding more to taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Best cake I have ever made is this one..... APPLE CIDER POUND CAKE 3 cups sugar 1-1/2 cups butter, softened 6 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup apple cider 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ICING: 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon baking soda Directions In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together all dry ingredients; set aside. Combine cider and vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with cider mixture to batter. Mix until well blended. Spoon into a greased 10-in. angel food cake pan or fluted tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Meanwhile, combine icing ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While cake is warm, drizzle half of icing over cake. Serve remaining icing over individual cake servings if desired.