This is this week's T and T recipe from our newspaper. It's a whole chicken cooked in the slow-cooker, enhanced with lemon and herbs.

Whole Slow-Cooked Chicken

1 4-5 lb chicken (make sure it fits in your slow-cooker)
4-6 cups mixed winter vegetables, such as onion, turnip, squash, parsnip, carrots; cut into bite-size pieces
salt and pepper
dried thyme and rosemary
sprigs of fresh tarragon or parsley (optional)
1 lemon, well scrubbed
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
cold water

Rinse and dry the chicken.

Cut the winter vegetables into bite-size chunks. Lay them on the bottom of the bowl in a single sayer, with a little space around each piece. Place the chicken on top, breast side up.

Rub a sprinkle of salt pepper, dried thyme and rosemary into the skin of the chicken. Zest the lemon and press the zest onto the chicken. Lay the fresh tarragon or parsley on top.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon. Pour it and the wine down the side of the slow-cooker so that the liquid is at the bottom without disturbing the top of the chicken.

Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or on High for 8 hours.

Carefully remove the chicken to a platter. Strain the liquid and remove the fat on top. You should have about 1 cup of liquid. Boil the juices and add the cornstarch which has been stirred into 1/4 cup water. Boil and season to taste.

To serve, slice the chicken, removing the skin if you wish. Serve the sauce over the chicken. You can use the vegetables from the slow-cooker or prepare fresh.

Very Cherry Pound Cake

* Time 55 minutes
* Serves 16

Ingredients

* 2-3/4 cups granulated sugar
* 1-1/4 cups butter, softened
* 5 eggs
* 1 tsp. pure almond extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1 cup evaporated milk (I prefer Carnation evaporated milk)
* 2 cups quartered maraschino cherries, well drained
* Sifted icing sugar

How to make it

* Grease and flour 12-cup (3L) bundt or tube pan.
* Set aside.
* In large bowl, beat together sugar, butter, eggs and almond extract at low speed until blended.
* Beat at high speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
* Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with evaporated milk, making three additions of dry mixture and two of evaporated milk.
* Fold in cherries.
* Turn batter into prepared pan. Bake in 350F (180C) oven for 55 minutes.
* Cover loosely with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
* Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes (if you can wait that long) Remove from pan, let cool completely.
* Dust with icing sugar.
* Makes 16 slices.
* Note: It can be baked in two(2) 9 x 5 loaf pans.

Sue (another recipe I want to try)

This recipe was in the food section of today's paper. It was sent in by a woman who had owned a catering business in NC. This would be a good and easy dessert.

Peanut Butter Pie (St. Pete Times)

1 (9") graham cracker crust (or chocolate crust)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
Cool Whip and chocolate syrup for garnish

With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and peanut butter until well blended. Add confectioners' sugar and mix to combine. On low speed, mix in Cool Whip until well combined.

Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and smooth with a spatula. Freeze at least 3 hours or overnight. Before serving, remove pie from freezer and let stand about 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish each pie slice with a dollop ov Cool Whip and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Store leftover pie in freezer.

peanut butter dip
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup whipped topping
Assorted fresh fruit

Directions
In a bowl, combine the yogurt, peanut butter and cinnamon; mix well. Fold in the whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with fruit.

patti, I just came back and had to look at the PB pie. I'm drooling. Gonna have to make it.

Real Simple magazine has the 50 best holiday cookies on their site with recipes and pictures.
50 Best Holiday Cookie Recipes

this is the one for chocolate dipped coconut macaroons

Makes 32 macaroons: Hands-On Time: 30m : Total Time: 2hr 05m
Ingredients

* 1 14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut (about 5 cups)
* 4 large egg whites
* 2/3 cups sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325� F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut, egg whites, sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla.
3. Drop packed tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
4. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5. When cool, dip the bottom of each macaroon in the chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Store the macaroons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.

We usually make coconut macaroons every year for Christmas, this is the recipe I have used for years.

Coconut Macaroons:
1 1/2cup sweetened condensed milk
6 cup shredded coconut(1pk)
2tsp.vanilla
Blend together all. Drop by teaspoons about 1 inch apart on well greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8to10 minutes or until delicately browned. Remove at once. (candied cherry may be placed in the center of each cookie before baking)

I have a T&T old fashion peanut butter pie on Our Recipes, its WONDERFUL. I try not to duplicate recipes unless they are very different. The list is growing so fast, I may need another page of recipes. Is there too many??? Should I stop?

Look waht I just found, it looks wonderful.

Caramel Cream Cake

Prep: 20 min., Bake: 25 min.

Yield: Makes 12 servings

1 cup finely chopped sweetened flaked coconut
1 recipe Pecan Pie Cake Batter
1 recipe Pecan Pie Filling
1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
Garnishes: raspberries, fresh mint sprig

1. Stir 1 cup finely chopped coconut into Pecan Pie Cake Batter; spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.

2. Bake at 350ð for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

3. Spread Pecan Pie Filling between layers. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides with toasted pecans and toasted coconut. Garnish, if desired.

Southern Living, DECEMBER 2006

I've made this Honey-Whole Wheat Bread twice now and we love it!
I'll post the complete recipe. My bread-maker doesn't hold 6 cups of flour, so I cut the whole recipe in half. I use it to knead the dough, then put in a loaf pan and bake.

Honey Whole-Wheat Bread (2 Loaves)

3 1/2 cups white flour
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 pkg yeast
2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp oil
1 egg

In large bowl, combine 2 cups white flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, the yeast and salt and mix well.

In saucepan heat milk, water, honey and oil until a thermometer reads 120-130 degrees. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Beat this batter for 3 minutes.

Gradually stir in the rest of the whole what flour and enough remaining white flour to form a firm dough.

Sprinkle work surface with flour and knead dough, adding more flour if necessary, 5-8 minutes, until smooth and satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning the dough to coat the top. Cover and let rise until double, 1 hour.

Punch down dough and divide into 2pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll or press each piece of dough into a 14"x7" rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll with each turn. Pinch edges and ends to seal and place dough, seam-side down, into greased 9x5 bread pans, making sure short ends of bread are snuggly fitted against the sides of the pan.

Cover and let rise in warm place until the dough fills the corners of the pans, and is double in bulk; 30-40 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 35-40 minutes until bread is golden brown. Bread may brown too quickly because of the honey, so cover with foil if needed. Also try baking the bread on a lower rack.

Remove from pans and cool on wire rack. I like to brush the bread with butter when it's still hot for a softer crust.