Snack Foods

You cannot believe how good a strong black tea is when coupled with chocolate notes and a sweep of orange! This is dessert in a cup. An extravagant, outrageously, decadent cuppa tea. You could vary this by using white chocolate instead of the milk chocolate. This is a great tea to bring in a cannister or pretty cello bag and a colored tie as a gift or for serving to guests with spice cake, butter cookies, or a delicate pastry.

These taste like a fresh, golden quiche in a moist and tender (moist and flaky both) muffin package (and shape). These are huge  - like mall muffins and they are packed with good things in a delightful,  savory package. If you want to up their health quota, substitute 2 egg whites for one of the eggs, use white whole wheat flour, and low-fat cheese and throw in ¼ cup flax seeds, ground up. Use both sharp and medium cheddars, or you can use up whatever leftover cheese hunks you have languishing in your fridge.  If you want these more moist, reduce the flour a tad. If you are up for a big, bold, lunch-in-a-muffin, just make ‘em as is.

A nice French tang in a classic vinaigrette. I crush the garlic with a mortar and pestle and use the mortar (bowl) as the vinaigrette bowl. Another neat way to make quick and fresh vinaigrette is to shake it all in a small Mason jar. What's leftover, refrigerate for more salad days ahead. Use this to marinate lamb chops but it's main purpose is to toss with green salads of any description.

These cornsticks are best-eaten-when hot and dripping with melted butter. You can also make these as small muffins or in a cast iron skillet from The Lodge, who makes the nifty cast iron cornstick pans. Did you know that anything made in cast iron dramatically increases your iron intake?

These are cheesecake minis. Cheesecake ‘rounds’ or truffles are cut out of a pan of vanilla cheesecake and rolled in chocolate crumbs. This is a symphony of ice cream, cream cool cheesecake and hot fudge. You can also make these in muffin cups but simply cutting them out with a cookie cutter after the cake is chilled make a more elegant look.  If you want them for a party, then bake in muffin cups and freeze them up to two weeks ahead.

Make 'em at home

Take a cornbread base, add El Paso style taco filling, top with Monterey Jack and serve with a side of salsa, avocado slices, and sour cream and diced chilies. Whoa Nellie. This is best served in small hunks of chili and cornbread base - on a gorgeous Santa Fe style ceramic plate or Fiesta ware, alongside a mixed green salad and ice-cold iced tea and lime wedges.

Latin sweet with a maple beat. This is ‘bless me/hate me’ recipe for it is the most unctuous, smooth, heavenly concoction you will ever have. Curses, it’s also easy so you are warned – decadence without sweat.  Instead of caramelized sugar, boiled maple syrup makes the bottom layer.  This makes one large flan or 8-10 ramekins or individual ones. What I liked about this recipe is that it takes the guess work out of caramelizing sugar. However, if you want to go that route, slow cook 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon water over the lowest possible heat until it caramelizes and then pour that into the prepared mold. This recipe also is the most definitive, using condensed milk, real milk, and cream in a triumpherate of custardly smoothness. Serve chilled with fresh raspberries and homemade, small shortbread cookies.

Spicy, zesty, and hearty flavor. When Harry Met Sally what-is-she-having? sort of mustard.