It must be pumpkin recipe day! I made some pumpkin muffins from a recipe I got out of Parade Magazine a few weeks ago. I adapted it somewhat. Pumpkin Muffins.......makes 12 preheat oven to 400 F. 1.5 cups all purpose flour 0.5 cups whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (one stick) butter (I used the real stuff.) 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 large eggs 3/4 cup pumpkin puree....I used kabocha squash puree- 7 ounces.....or maybe it was 8. 2 teaspoons agave nectar 2 Tablespoons milk- I used non-fat) 1 tsp. real vanilla Streusel topping: 1/4 cup butter- I used Smart Balance 1/3 cup more or less brown sugar 1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 more or less oatmeal 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour 1/3 cup chopped pecans more or less Mix together well...using a fork or your fingers until well blended. 1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together well. Set aside. Grease muffin tins well or use lines. (I don't use liners.) Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. Beat the butter until creamy and then beat in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well. Add pumpkin puree and stir in....add the agave nectar and blend in and then mix in the milk. The batter will be thick. Add the dry ingredients and stir until blended but do not over mix. 3. Divide the batter into 12 portions. Add some of the batter to the muffin tin, add some struesel topping and then add some more batter. After all the batter is used add more struesel topping on top. Bake until done....toothpick comes out clean. My oven took about 23 minutes. Let cool a few minutes and then remove from tin and place on cooling rack. These freeze well.

STARBUCK'S FROZEN FRAPPUCCINO The Frappuccino is blended with strong coffee, sugar, a dairy base, and ice. Make double-strength coffee by measuring 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per cup (serving) in your coffee maker. The coffee will be even more authentic if you use Starbucks beans and grind them yourself just before brewing. Coffee 3/4 cup double-strength coffee, cold 1 cup low-fat milk 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 cups ice 1. Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker. That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Chill before using. 2. To make the drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with a straw. Makes 2 large drinks. Caramel For this, add 3 tablespoons of caramel topping to the original recipe above and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream and drizzle additional caramel over the whipped cream. Mocha For this version, add 3 tablespoons Hershey's chocolate syrup to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream if desired ------------------------------------ FROZEN MOCHA (makes 1 serving; about the amount of 1 coffee cup) Ingredients: -1 cup ice cubes *I use 5 and it works great -1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt, or ice cream -1/2 cup milk -1 envelope of any brand hot cocoa mix *I use Nestle -1/2 teaspoon Instant coffee granules *I use General Foods International French Vanilla -Fat Free whipped topping (optional) Directions: Place ice, frozen yogurt (or ice cream), milk, cocoa mix, and coffee granules in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Top with whipped topping. Serve Immediately.

This is not a tried and true recipe. It was in today's paper and when I read it I thought it sounded SO good. I clipped it out to try in the future. German Style Potato Bake 2 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled 4 slices bacon,chopped 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup chopped onion 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup beer 1 cup chicken broth 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard 1 teaspoon horseradish 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves Cook potatoes, covered, in a pot of boiling water. Depending on size of potatoes, they will probably need to cook for at least 20 minutes. When potatoes are tender, drain and allow to cool. At this point, potatoes can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Lightly butter a shallow 2 qt baking dish. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch thick rounds.Arrange slices in prepared baking pan. Set aside. Cook bacon til crispy in a large skillet. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towels. Reserve bacon fat in pan. You should have about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan. Add 3 tablespoons butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add chopped onion and saute til tender. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle in the flour, stirring til smooth. Return to heat and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually add beer and brother, stirring til mixture is smooth. Return to burner and cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in mustard,horseradish and pepper. Pour sauce over potato slices, Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until thorougly heated and bubbling around the edges of the dish. While potatoes are baking crumble bacon pieces into small bits. In a small bowl, mix the bacon bits with the chopped parsley. Just before serving, sprinkle bacon parsley mix over the potatoes. Yield:5 to 6 servings **If you prefer not to use beer in the potatoes, use chicken broth for the entire 2 cups of liquid.**

This is written on asianinfo.org. I modify it by using wine vinegar instead of wine & vinegar. You can make your own modifications to make it your own. Bulgogi Korean beef This is a mainstay in Korea. One pound of steak will serve 4 people when served with rice wrapped in lettuce. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luscious Bulgogi (Korean Beef Stir-fry) Recipe Here are some tips and a recipe for making delicious bulgogi at home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started: 1. Choosing Meat: It's better to buy steak, but since this can be costly, any cut of meat is okay. A pound of beef will serve about 4 people. 2. Other Ingredients Needed: Soy sauce (about 1/4 c): Although you can find soy sauce in an American grocery store, it's highly recommended to buy Japanese or Korean-style soy sauce at an Asian market near you. Sesame oil (about 2 to 3 T) Kiwi (1), Fuji Apple (1) or Asian Pear (1): Choose only one fruit. (We recommend kiwi.) Kiwi tenderizes the meat and adds a sweet flavor to the meat. Sugar Black pepper (3 dashes) Onion (1) Garlic (2 -3 cloves/pieces) Green onions (about 5 - both white and green parts) Cooking wine (about 2 T): Korean or Japanese cooking rice wine recommended Vinegar (about 1 T): This is optional and again, Asian vinegar is recommended. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Directions: It is very important to freeze the meat first, this aids you in cutting the meat into thin slices. After freezing, slightly defrost in the microwave - make sure the meat is still frozen, but workable. Cut the meat into thin slices, as thin as possible - but watch your fingers! Put the slices into the large mixing bowl and sprinkle sugar over it and mix with hands or chopsticks. Let it sit for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade. Place onion (1) and kiwi (1) into food processor or blender until liquid and pour into small bowl. Mix soy sauce (1/4 c), sugar (2 or 3 T), black pepper (2 or 3 dashes), sesame oil (2 to 3 T), cooking wine (about 2 T), (optional - vinegar). After mixing, taste it. You want to have a slightly salty, sweet taste. If it's too salty, add a bit more sugar. Chop garlic into small pieces (or use garlic press), cut green onion into 2 to 3 inch pieces and put into sugar/meat mixture. Pour both sauces into the garlic/onion meat mixture and mix well , using hands or chopsticks. It is important to mix thoroughly so the marinade is evenly distributed throughout the meat. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Cook in frying pan until the meat is cooked thoroughly and serve with sticky rice. Korean people eat this dish with red leaf lettuce filled with rice and meat. Other items to eat with bulgogi (Korean beef stir-fry) are Korean spicy pepper paste, Korean bean paste, sesame oil mixed with salt, sliced garlic and raw green onions. These are optional and are usually placed in the lettuce leaf along with the rice and beef.