Cocktail munchies.... PARMESAN BLACK-PEPPER BISCOTTI These savory biscotti are ideal for a soiree. Their crisp texture is accented by the richness of parmesan and the bite of black pepper perfect for nibbling in between sips of wine. 1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns 4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 4 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups) 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 4 large eggs 1 cup whole milk appetizer biscottiPut oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart. Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes. Cooks' note: Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks. Makes 5 to 6 dozen biscotti. Blue cheese cocktail cookies....4/12 dozen 1 3/4 cups flour 3/4 cups chopped pecans 8 ox Maytag Blue cheese 1/2 cup butter 2 egg yolks beaten 2 tsps fresh ground black pepper Combine all and mix with hands until smooth. roll into 2 1 1/2 inch rolls, wrap in plastic and chill 4 hours or over night. Slice into 1/4 inch slices, and bake 425 on ungreases sheet for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Snackers 1 ring Dutch Balogna ( about a pound ) 2 medium yellow onions ( about the size of a baseball) Slice and layer in a crock or straihgt sided bowl In a sauce pan place 1 c. cider vinegar, 1 cup water and 3/4 c sugar and 1 tsp mustard seed ( whole). Bring to a boil and pour over meat and let stand un refigerated for 24 hours. Serve with cocktail rye. Robins blue blazers 1/2 cup butter or margarine 2 oz Maytag Blue Cheese 1 T cognac 2 T chili sauce 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 2 T minced green onion Cayenne pepper to taste ( more is better!) 4 English muffins split and lightly toasted Black olive halves to garnish Have butter and blue cheese at room temperature. Mix all but muffins and olives with a fork until well mixed. Spread on muffin halves, cut into quarters, top each piece with a black olive half, place on a cookie sheet and broil until lightly browned. Serve hot.

Here's one I recently (re)posted that garners great reviews every time I serve it. The ingredient list looks long but it only takes about 10 minutes to throw together. Sorta-Greekish Couscous salad 2 boxes Near East garlic-flavor couscous, prepared per box directions and set aside to cool (stir occasionally with a fork to keep from clumping) 1 European cucumber, peeled if the skin is thick/tough and diced 3 Roma/plum tomatoes, seeded and diced (peel if you like) 2 small red, yellow or orange bell peppers, diced (try to mix colors for a prettier dish) 1 large carrot, coarsely grated handful of thawed frozen petite peas big handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley 2-3 large cloves garlic, minced (confession time: I buy it in the jar) a dozen or so chives (or 2-3 green onions), minced 1 6-oz container feta cheese, crumbled; if you buy the stuff in brine, drain it before crumbling and pat dry after crumbling, but I am lazy and just buy the pre-crumbled kind Newman's Own Greek Vinaigrette salt and pepper to taste (once I tossed in about half a pound of cooked, peeled, deveined-if-necessary small shrimp - designated in the fish market as 51/60 or 61/70 - and it was delicious) (a friend of mine adds finely chopped pitted Greek black olives, but I think olives are one of the most revolting foods on the planet so I don't!) Mix couscous, veggies, and cheese being careful not to mush the couscous. Slosh on some of the vinaigrette until everything's nicely coated and it tastes yummy - we tend to use around 1/3 of a (small) bottle. Salt and pepper to taste. Holds in the fridge about 4 days, although the feta flavor can get a little rugged eventually. (If this stands for more than 48 hours you will need to add more vinaigrette as the couscous will absorb it and the salad will be a tad dry.) Best served cool rather than chilled, but don't leave it out of the fridge for more than an hour. At home I serve this as a main dish and it feeds about 6 people, for a party it serves 12 or so as a side depending on how much other stuff there is. Chicken Tortellini Soup 2 32-oz. containers good-tasting chicken broth* 1 16-oz. bag frozen cheese tortellini (regular or tricolor) 1/4 cup any hard Italian grating cheese like Parmesan, Pecorino or Asiago, grated (NOT the stuff in the can!) Bring broth to a boil. Dump in tortellini and cook per timing on the package until done. Ladle into bowls or mugs and top with Parmesan. Although it's wonderful in the colder months, of course, it's light enough to be good on the chilly, rainy summer days when you don't want something really heavy but you need to warm up some. You can stop there if you're really tired, or you can add any or all of the following: 1 cup chopped cooked chicken 1 cup frozen petite peas a few shredded basil leaves 1/2 a roasted red pepper, finely chopped (many supermarkets now have roasted peppers in the deli area, either in the deli case or in an "olive bar" setup) *Commercial broth has gotten a LOT better in recent years. Less salty and has actual flavor. Try a bunch and see which ones you like. I hate "celebrity products" but I have to admit the broths sold under the Wolfgang Puck and Rachael Ray names are pretty good. If you're vegetarian, Pacific's "No-Chicken" broth is pretty decent, and obviously you'd leave out the chicken. DH's Mother's "Drunk Chicken" (b@st@rdized crockpot version of Coq au Vin) Remove any big chunks of fat from about a dozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chuck them into the crockpot along with: 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (we cheat and use the Oscar Mayer precooked crumbles in the yellow bag from the salad dressing aisle) - that's 6-8 slices if you cook it yourself but make sure to drain it VERY well 1/2 bag or 1 box frozen peeled pearl onions 1 small bag baby carrots (I think they're 12 oz. bags?) 1 good handful garlic cloves - I buy containers of already-peeled ones in the produce department 2 celery stalks, sliced a few bay leaves 1 tsp black peppercorns 2 tsp salt 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme (fresh is really best here if you can swing it) 2 10-oz packages of brown mushrooms (aka crimini or "baby bella"), rinsed and trimmed if they need it. Get the smallest ones you can, halve or quarter large ones. Dump in 1/2 bottle of red wine (nothing fancy!), or 2 of the small bottles that come in the 4-packs, along with 1/2 can (about 3/4 cup) chicken broth. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken is done but not falling apart. Exact time will vary depending on your crockpot. If you wish, remove the chicken and stick the liquid in the fridge so the fat will solidify. Scrape off the fat, return the chicken to the sauce and rewarm. Serve with rice, little boiled potatoes (my preference), crusty bread or egg noodles. Shrimp and White Bean Salad - this started out as a fairly typical "Tuscan-style" tuna and white bean salad, but I'm not a huge fan of tuna and we get amazing shrimp from Maine. Grilled fresh tuna, chunked up after cooking, is the best way IMO to do the tuna version though. Again, looks daunting but it goes together fast. 2 cans cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans), drained and rinsed 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes 1 cup chopped roasted bell peppers (see note above - if you make them, yellow peppers are particularly pretty here) 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup thawed frozen peas 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 shallot, minced (can substitute 1/4 cup minced sweet onion but the shallot is so much better) 1 tsp. minced garlic 1/4 cup finely shredded basil or baby spinach (stack several leaves, roll them up tight like a cigar, slice across the roll to make fine shreds - the fancy types call this "chiffonade") 12 oz. small cooked shrimp, tails removed vinaigrette dressing, homemade or bottled (we love Newman's Own dressings) Combine ingredients, adding dressing to taste, and marinate 3-12 hours before serving. I like this with a garlicky focaccia bread. It looks very fancy in butter-lettuce cups or whole leaves from a romaine heart which make a "canoe" shape. Frittata is a really "loose" dish in that you can toss many different things into it, and serve it hot, room temperature or chilled, as an appetizer, a main dish or a late-night snack. Alton Brown of "Good Eats" calls it "refrigerator velcro" because it's a great way to use up little dribs and drabs of leftovers. It's quichelike but much easier to make and less fattening because there's no crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a 10-12" nonstick skillet with curved sides over medium heat with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil of your choice. Saute 2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed, and 1 small onion, diced, until the onion is translucent. While this is cooking, assemble your other ingredients: 1 cup cooked meat or poultry, chopped, or 1/4 cup crumbled, crisp-cooked bacon 2-3 cups cooked veggies, whatever you have around that looks good, chopped to about 1/2" pieces if necessary - potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms whatever Toss them in the pan to warm while you make the custard. You should have a nice even layer on the bottom of the pan but not packed tight. Whisk together until completely combined: 8 eggs or the equivalent (I like to use 3 whole eggs and the egg whites from the other 9 in the dozen to cut back on the cholesterol and fat but a little yolk is necessary for flavor. If you use something like Egg Beaters, unless you're on a severely restricted diet add one whole egg for better taste) 1/4 cup milk several turns of the pepper grinder 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Pour over the meat-veggie mixture in the pan, stirring around a bit to get the egg stuff onto the bottom of the pan and everything evenly distributed. If you would like more cheese, feel free to top with any kind of cheese you like, about 1/2 cup. If your frying pan's handle is not ovenproof, wrap it in aluminum foil. Cook on the stovetop over medium heat until the underside is just starting to brown, then pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes until set and starting to brown. A knife inserted about 1 inch from the center will come out damp but not slimy or drippy. Remove from the oven and slide the frittata out of the pan onto a plate. Even if serving hot it should stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Obviously if you are a vegetarian ditch the meat and add more veggies. This makes a great supper with a piece of good country bread, salad or simple soup. This does not reheat well because it turns rubbery and watery, but try tucking a chunk of cold frittata into a pita or tortilla with some dijon mustard or salsa (depending on what you put in the frittata). Yum! I love Welsh rabbit, but not the gloppy, runny kind. I prefer the version from Arthur Schwartz' "What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing In The House To Eat" (an all-around great book IMO) that is light and puffy and sticks to the toast well enough that you can even pick it up to eat with your fingers. This is for 2 servings but it is very expandable. Not for everyday fare but oh so good. Preheat broiler. Slice a good country-style bread (not that normal American baled-fog sandwich crap) about 3/4" thick. I have also used French bread sliced on the bias to make long oval slices, which looks pretty. Toast it lightly - it should only color a very little. Mix well: 1 1/2 cups good sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (Cabot in the bag!) 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce 1 egg yolk (necessary for texture, no substitutions) 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 2 tbsp. milk or beer a few drops of Tabasco Divide the mixture between the bread slices. Grind on plenty of fresh pepper. Put the bread on a foil-lined cookie sheet and broil carefully until the cheese mixture is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately as it can get leathery when it's cold. Since I can't drink beer or wine (a sharpish white is best) I LOVE this with apple or pear cider. Green salad with a vinegary dressing or perfectly-ripe fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper make a refreshing accompaniment but I prefer a mixture of marinated cooked veggies since raw veg does not agree with me, and a dessert of not-too-sweet baked (okay, microwaved) apples with walnuts and honey. For the last few weeks DH and I have been spending an hour or so on a weekend afternoon prepping ingredients for meals that we can throw together in a matter of minutes during the week. I've been pretty busy lately and the weather is doing me no favors so we were finding we were eating too many frozen pizzas and too much takeaway. Many veggies can hold 5 days in scrupulously clean, airtight containers in the coldest part of the fridge (usually bottom shelf in the back). I purchased a whole bunch of small 1, 2, and 4 cup containers and we prep our ingedients right into those. For instance I have a potato and veggie salad set up in the fridge awaiting its dressing, the aforementioned shrimp salad just waiting for shrimp and dressing. A couple of days ago we had fish and veggies baked in foil and it literally took 5 minutes to assemble because all the veggies were already chopped up and ready to go. We watch the grocery store circulars for loss-leader meat sales, particularly for things that grill well. We buy a lot, fire up the grill, and grill it all so that we have it on hand for throw-together meals - for example today we grilled 4 pounds of boneless, well-trimmed pork loin chops seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic. It will find its way into several different meals over the next few days. We do the same thing with certain vegetables - for instance when asparagus gets to $1/lb. about 5 lbs. of it hits the grill, waiting to be marinated for a salad or chopped into a frittata. I don't really like leftovers very much but this is better for me because it is just a handy ingredient that can be used in so many ways instead of just eating the same dish again.

I love rhubarb, I even have a rhubarb section in my recipe file. I hope daisyduckworth sees this, she has some great recipes. Here's a few of mine: CRUNCHY SUGAR RHUBARB MUFFINS 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup milk 1 cup rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 cup large-grained sugar like Demerara (optional) Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin pans or line with muffin papers. Sift together dry ingredients. Add oil, egg and milk. Stir until just mixed. Gently fold in the rhubarb, then fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Top with the Demerara sugar and bake for 20 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when lightly pressed in the center. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans. Makes 10 to 12 muffins Rhubarb Crisp with Ice Cream 24 ounces fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 cups) 2/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Streusel 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts 1/4 cup all purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Buttermilk Ice Cream For rhubarb: Preheat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients in large bowl to combine. Divide mixture among six 1-cup rameki Place ramekins on large baking sheet and bake rhubarb 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare streusel: Mix golden brown sugar, chopped walnuts, flour, and butter in medium bowl. Crumble streusel over rhubarb, dividing equally. Bake until rhubarb mixture is bubbling and streusel is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve crisps warm with a scoop of Buttermilk Ice Cream. RHUBARB-CRANBERRY COBBLER For an elegant touch, serve the cobbler in oversize goblets and top with ice cream. 2 cups sugar 31/2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 8 cups frozen rhubarb (about 2 pounds), unthawed 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 1/4 cup frozen concentrated cranberry juice cocktail, thawed 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup whole milk 1 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Vanilla ice cream Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk 1 cup sugar and next 3 ingredients in lar bowl to blend. Mix in rhubarb and cranberries, then concentrate. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake until heated through and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, beat butter and remaining 1 cup sugar in medium bowl until blended. Beat in egg and vanilla, then milk. Sift flour, baking powder and salt over; beat batter to blend. Drop batter by scant tablespoonfuls over hot fruit mixture. Bake cobbler until topping is golden and filling is bubbling thickly, about 45 minutes. Transfer cobbler to bowls or goblets and top with ice cream. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Happy eating.

Jude, that is the weird and wonderful thing about that coleslaw "secret." I just buy the bagged colseslaw ( buy 1/2 purple and 1/2 white if you want to be adventurous, lol!) and pour on the dressing. I brought it to a potluck picnic at work once when I was working at a biological research station (small group) and it was just my "desperation" offering, and it was a big hit. I don't know the name of the brand of poppyseed dressing I used, but it came from the fridge/produce section of the grocery, and it was probably a somewhat higher end product. After that point, you can throw in whatever else you like in your coleslaw. One interesting addition I like sometimes are peas, which you can toss in the frozen ones out of a bag real simple. But that's not part of my poppyseed coleslaw secret recipe. Another easy peasy dressing, which I think would work good with coleslaw although I eat it on salads a lot, is mayo with a healthy glob of dijon mustard and dill weed. A friend turned me on to that quick and dirty secret dressing. I call it "California Dan's Secret Dressing." Don't tell anyone! You could add honey if you like coleslaw sweeter and thin it with milk or yogurt of whatever. Another quick and dirty coleslaw secret is to add celery seed if you don't have celery to put in it or like celery from a texture standpoint. That's something else I learned from my mom, she put celery seed in a lot of things because dad had "celery issues." :)