German Nougat Balls

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 1 cup ground hazelnuts

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula. Remove the bowl from the heat until chocolate is melted.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder. Mix in the vanilla, coffee, rum, and nuts. The mixture should be fairly thick. Add more rum if necessary.
3. Allow the mixture to cool then shape the mixture into 1/2 inch diameter balls. Dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Chill until firm.

Stuffed Celery Sticks

• Ingredients:

• 1 bunch celery
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 20 small green olives

Directions:

1. Separate and wash celery stalks. Cut stalks into 3 sections. Coarsely chop the olives. 
2. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, walnuts, and chopped olives. Spread filling onto the celery pieces. 

Chicken Stroganoff

• Ingredients:

• 4 skinless and boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
• 1 package fresh white button mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions:

1. Put chicken, mushrooms, butter, and dressing mix in a slow cooker. Combine well and cook on low for 5 hours.
2. Add cream cheese and soup then and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm. Serve over pasta or brown rice!

Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2/3 cup any flavor fruit jam
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 320º. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and egg yolk together. Add vanilla, flour, walnuts, and salt. Mix well.
3. Shape dough into balls. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes.
4. Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes.

Seafood Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 russet potatoes
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 4 celery sticks
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 pound pre-cooked shrimp
• 1/4 pound pre-cooked scallop
• Mayonnaise
• Salt & white pepper
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon 
• 1/3 teaspoon wasabi
• 1/2 lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes for 15 minutes. Peel the potatoes and then chop into large cubes. In a large pot of cold water, cook eggs on medium heat until water boils then let boil for another 5 minutes. Remove eggs from the pot and let cool in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Remove egg shells and slice 2 eggs in an egg slicer. Chop the remaining 3 eggs into cubes. 
2. Chop 3 tomatoes into cubes and 1 tomato into round slices. Chop celery into cubes. In a large pot of boiling water, cook shrimp and scallop for 1 minute then remove immediately. 
3. Combine all ingredients, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, sugar, chicken bouillon, wasabi, and lemon juice. Mix well. 

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• Olive oil or butter
• 2 pounds bottom round, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound sliced cremini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups brown ale or dark beer
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• Salt & ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the beef and brown on all sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker. Remove oil from pan and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and brown the remaining beef. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Return the skillet to medium heat, add mushrooms and onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Pour in ale and bring to a boil until thickened and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the slow cooker.
3. Add carrots, garlic, mustard, caraway seeds, salt, pepper and bay leaf to the slow cooker. Combine well. Cook on low for at least 8 hours. 

Fruit Tea

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, peeled and diced
• 1 pear, peeled and diced
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1 orange, peeled and sliced 
• 1 lemon, juiced 
• 2 bags Lipton tea

Directions:

1. Pour water into tea kettle until half full. Let cook on medium heat and put all prepared fruits into the kettle. When water boils, put 2 bags of tea into the kettle and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 10 minutes then serve with honey.

Avocado Caramel Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado, peeled and mashed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• French vanilla ice cream
• Caramel syrup 

Directions:

1. Combine mashed avocado and sugar.
2. In a dessert bowl, put 1 scoop of ice cream then put avocado mixture along the side of the ice cream. Drizzle caramel along the side on top of the avocado. Serve immediately!

Gourmet Chicken & Herbs Pizza

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup Alfredo sauce
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast meat
• 1 medium tomato, sliced
• 1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375º.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, olive oil, garlic, pesto, basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese and Alfredo sauce. Arrange the chicken and tomato on top of the pizza crust. Pour the Alfredo sauce mixture evenly over the chicken. 
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and toppings are toasted. 

Golden Biscuit Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon white sesame seeds or caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 (12 ounce) cans of buttermilk biscuits

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients. Dip biscuits in butter mixture then fold in half and place in rows in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Drizzle with remaining butter mixture. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until golden.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cup biscuit baking mix
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• Confectioner's sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the egg, sugar, lemon peel and milk. Stir in the biscuit mix until moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Pour into a greased round baking pan.
2. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Let cool then remove from pan. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar then cut into wedges.

Smoked Salmon Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound fettuccine pasta
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt & black pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook for about 8 minutes until al dente. Drain then set aside.
2. Saute onions in butter in a pan until onions are translucent. Add the salmon and saute at low heat for 2 more minutes. Add the cream gradually. Stir constantly until thickened. Sauce should be very thick once you have added all the cream. Top with tomato and parsley and season with salt & pepper. 
3. Combine alfredo sauce with pasta and serve.

Candied Almonds

Ingredients:

• 1 pound almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 sea salt
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Spread almonds over a baking sheet. Roast for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until almonds start to turn brown.
2. Stir sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, and milk together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla immediately.
3. Combine almonds with the syrup mixture. Stir and coat very well. Spoon nuts onto a sheet of waxed paper and separate nuts with a fork. Store in an airtight container after almonds are completely cool.

Baked Yams with Rose

This is one of the most demanded dessert during the holidays. You can use Japanese purple or yellow yams or a mixture of them. Make sure to use sugared red bean paste or add 1/2 cup of sugar if using unsweetened red bean paste. Rose petals and honey infuse the yams to make it extraordinarily delicious. Dry rose buds can be purchased from gourmet tea shops.


Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of purple yams or Japanese yellow yams
• 1/2 pound of sugared red bean paste
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 3 teaspoons of honey
• 10 dry rose buds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon hot water

Directions:

1. Wash and clean the yams. In a large pot of boiling water, cook yams for 30 minutes. Let cool and peel skin off. Slice yams vertically down the center only.
2. Preheat oven to 350º. Spread butter in a baking dish then spread red bean paste evenly inside the dish. Lay yams evenly inside the dish. If yams are too long to fit inside the baking dish, slice horizontally. Slice cold butter generously over the yams. Bake for 15 minutes. 
3. In a small pan, warm honey and add rose petals. Add hot water and remaining butter. Do not let boil, just warm and mix well. Remove yams from oven and drizzle sauce evenly on the top then bake yams for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Chicken Curry Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of skinless chicken breasts, cut into thick cubes
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of yellow curry powder
• 1 cube of dry curry sauce mix
• 2 tablespoons of water

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add salt on chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Make sure chicken is no longer pink inside. Set aside in a bowl.

2. Add yellow onion and cook until translucent then add 2 heaping tablespoons of yellow curry powder and curry sauce cube. Stir and add water. Add raisin and chicken then mix well.  Let cool.

3. When ready to serve the salad, add apple and celery. Mix well and enjoy.