Strawberry & Romaine Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce, washed, dried and torn into pieces
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds

Toss romaine, onions, and dressing together. Top with strawberries and almonds.

Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup half-n-half
2 TBS. poppy seeds
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
3 TBS. raspberry jam

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix well. Keeps in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 TBS. corn syrup
1 loaf Texas toast bread
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth. Pour mixture onto large, greased jelly roll pan. Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, half and half, salt and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve.

If not serving immediately, turn each slice over to prevent bread from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Delicious Strawberries

1 quart strawberries
1 cup sour cream
1 cup brown sugar

Clean and dry strawberries. Dip in sour cream and then in brown sugar. Can also mix sour cream and brown together to create a dip for the strawberries. So good!!

Hash Brown Quiche

8 shredded frozen hash brown patties
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup cubed precooked ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
8 eggs
2 cups milk or cream
1/2 tsp. salt

Place hash browns in greased 9X13 in pan. Pour melted butter evenly over the surface. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle potatoes with ham and cheeses. In a large bowl beat eggs. Add milk or cream and salt. Stir. Pour mixture over cheeses and ham. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes more.

Butterscotch Bundt Rolls

18 frozen dinner rolls
1 (3oz) pkg. butterscotch pudding (not instant)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Cut rolls in half and arrange half in a greased bundt pan. Sprinkle half of the pudding and sugar over rolls. Drizzle with half the butter. Repeat with remaining rolls. Cover with a dishtowel, or plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature overnight, or about 12 hours. Remove dishtowel. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes before inverting on a serving platter.

* NOTE: I usually put a baking sheet under bundt pan while cooking, just in case it overflows.

Macaroon Nest

Cookie Ingredients:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

5 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1/4 teaspoon salt

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation:
In a large bowl, stir together flour, coconut, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Combine both mixtures and blend well. Using a rounded scoop drop dough onto a well greased cookie sheet. Take the back of a moist spoon and round out the center of each cookie forming a deep nest shape.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Cool completely before removing from cookie sheet. Dip each cookie in Chocolate Ganache allow to start setting up. Then, Drizzle the cookie with melted white chocolate (using a circular pattern). Place jelly beans in center of nest before chocolate sets completely and allow to dry.

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:
Place chocolate chips in a large bowl. Pour cream into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. As soon as the cream boils up to the top of the pan, quickly remove from heat and pour it over the chips. Let stand for a minute. Stir with a whisk to mix until smooth. Stir in vanilla and blend. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface, and allow to cool to 85 degrees.

**Ganache is used in many bakeshops. Melt and pour over cakes as a glaze, or chill and whip until light for a filling. Ganache is a very versatile icing. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or about 3 days at room temperature.