French Meringues

Ingredients:
 • 4 egg whites
 • 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
 1. Preheat the oven to 200º. Butter and flour a baking sheet.
 2. In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip.
Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the way. Bake for 3 hours or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

Danish Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
 • 1 cup all-purpose flour
 • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 • 1/4 teaspoon salt
 • 1 cup butter, softened
 • 1 cup sugar
 • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 • 1 cup oatmeal
 • 1 cup chopped pecans
 • 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar


Directions:
 1. Preheat an oven to 325º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
 2. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the flour mixture and gently stir in the oatmeal and pecans.
 3. With a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely then sprinkle cookies with confectioners' sugar.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Herbed Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup soft goat cheese
• 3 dates, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 4 large, thin slices of prosciutto

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Spread 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a baking sheet and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the shallots and cook until translucent which is about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Transfer the shallot mixture to a bowl. Mix in the goat cheese, dates, and basil. Stir and combine.
3. Cut a 1-inch long slit into the thick side of each chicken breast. Work your fingers into the slit and expand the slit to form a pocket in the breast meat. With a spoon, stuff each chicken breast with about 1/4 cup of the goat cheese mixture. Wrap each chicken breast in a slice of prosciutto so that the pocket opening is covered. Place the chicken breasts, seam sides down, onto the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken meat is no longer pink and the prosciutto is browned and crisp which is about 35 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over after 15 minutes.

Pecan Sandies

Ingredients:
 • 1 1/2 cups butter
 • 1/3 cup white sugar
 • 2 teaspoons water
 • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 • 2 cups all-purpose flour
 • 1 cup chopped pecans


Directions:
 1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the water and vanilla. Stir in the flour and pecans until well blended. Cover dough and chill for at least four hours.
 2. Preheat oven to 325º. Shape dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
 3. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

Russian Tea Cakes

Ingredients:

 • 1 cup butter

 • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 • 6 tablespoons sugar

 • 2 cups all-purpose flour

 • 1 cup chopped walnuts

 • 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 350º.

 2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the sugar and flour. Stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

 3. Bake for 12 minutes. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.