Try These Yummy Recipes for Some Delicious Sweets for Your Family and Friends

Who doesn't love sweets? I believe I was born with a sweet tooth somewhere in my gums and I know there are many of you out there who are just like me! This column is for you. If you want to soothe your sweet tooth, try these recipes for Delicious Chocolate Cinnamon Dip, Canadian Popcorn Nut Crunch, or Drop Doughnut Puffs.

DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON DIP
8-oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp light-colored corn syrup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Milk, if needed to reach dipping consistency
Favorite plain cookies for dipping

In a medium saucepan melt chopped chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and the corn syrup until combined well. Stir in the vanilla extract and the cinnamon. Serve sauce warm, stirring in the additional milk if needed. Serve with the cookies. Or serve over ice cream for a sundae, if desired.

Yield: 2 cups

CANADIAN POPCORN NUT CRUNCH
2 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted
1 cup pecan halves, toasted
1 cup cashews, toasted
1 cup Brazil nuts, toasted
1 cup almonds, toasted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Lightly spray a 5-quart Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Add the popcorn and all the nuts; bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.

While nuts and popcorn bake, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 290 degrees (reaches the soft-crack stage). Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and cinnamon.

Pour the syrup mixture over the nuts/popcorn mixture very slowly while stirring constantly until all the mixture is well coated. Immediately spread onto baking sheets that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cool and break into pieces.

When completely cooled, store in airtight containers.

Yield: Approximately 4 quarts.

DROP DOUGHNUT PUFFS
1 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Oil for deep-frying
powdered sugar for dusting, if desired

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and coffee granules; blend well. Add the egg, milk, and the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil; mix together thoroughly. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer until hot or at the temperature your appliance suggests. Drop the batter into the hot oil one teaspoonful at a time. Fry until puffy and browned. Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's dessert recipes visit her blog at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com/.

For her diabetic dessert recipes visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/.

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Enjoy Old Fashion Salads With These Delicious Recipes From the Past

The recipes in this article will bring you back to Grandma's table. Cranberry Fluff, as the name implies is a fluffy salad with whipped topping (cream). Obviously, the Olive Spinach is a green salad. The Patio Salad is a combination macaroni/green salad. Or perhaps you have your own ideal salad combination but would like a homemade salad dressing. Try this Homemade Celery Seed Dressing. Each of these recipes are from my 1950s Hoosier childhood.

CRANBERRY FLUFF
1 lb fresh cranberries
3 cups sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 container (12-oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Grind cranberries. Add the sugar to the cranberries; stir together well. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 24 hours. Before serving, fold in the nuts and whipped topping.

OLIVE SPINACH SALAD
4 cups torn fresh spinach
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1/2 cup sliced pimento-stuffed olives
1 avocado, peeled and thin sliced
1 egg yolk, raw
1 clove garlic, halved
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Combine the spinach, tomatoes, boiled egg, olives and avocado; toss lightly. Chill.
Combine the remaining ingredients; beat thoroughly. Add to the spinach mixture and toss lightly but thoroughly.

Note: This salad contains a raw egg yolk. Handle with care.

PERFECT PATIO SALAD
Have had this recipe for years but have no idea why it is called a patio salad. Possibly because it was served outside once patios became popular. This is an old recipe my late mother had for years and I've had for years since.

2 cups (8-oz) elbow macaroni, uncooked
3/4 cup clear French dressing
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes

Prepare macaroni according to the directions on the package. Blend the French dressing with sour cream in a large bowl. Add the drained macaroni, broccoli, onion, and pepper to taste; mix and chill.

Line a salad bowl with the lettuce leaves and heap the macaroni salad in the center. Garnish with tomatoes and lemon wedges, if desired.

HOMEMADE CELERY SEED DRESSING
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
1 medium onion, grated
2/3 cup vinegar
1 pint vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp celery seed

In a medium mixing bowl combine the sugar, mustard, salt, onion, and half of the vinegar and beat. Gradually add the oil, celery seed, and the rest of the vinegar. Store in a sealed quart jar.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's old-fashion recipe collection visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com/
For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

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Hosting a Themed Party: Food, Fun and More

Themed parties are wonderfully festive ways to celebrate any and every occasion, and they are on the rise. People are spending more time and money to make sure that they can replicate every detail of their chosen theme as accurately as possible. But while you spend every waking moment doing the planning, buying, decorating, and inviting, who is worrying about the cooking? Hopefully you aren't.

These days caterers have become far more adept at trying to fill the gap between huge catered events and smaller parties. These smaller, more durable catering outfits are ready to cater anything to an 800 person wedding to an 8 person dinner party, and they can do it for much less money than you think.

The reality is, catering can fit into whatever theme that has been devised seamlessly. If you take the time to communicate with your catering professional about what your plans are, as well as your expectations, you can let them take the reins of cooking and serving without having to do all the logistical grunt work yourself.

Make sure you've communicated your theme thoroughly to the caterer and that they understand the atmosphere and nuance you're trying to convey. If you have a vision for what recipes and cooking styles you want to see utilized, then be sure to let the caterer know exactly what you're thinking. Most caterers pride themselves on being able to adapt their technique and cuisine to fit the style and budgets of their clientele.

But caterers aren't mind-readers. A big mistake to make in this scenario is to glibly communicate your wants to the caterer and hope they can guess from the theme what kinds of foods and preparations you were thinking of. Letting your caterer know what your expectations of a menu are is the best protection you have against being delivered an experience that's not what you wanted.

As with all themed events, always remember that the devil is in the details. The food and drinks might seem easy compared to the décor and other items you'll place to give the feeling of having been transported to another place and time. If you like, you can consult with your caterer and find out what kinds of similar work they've done, and if they've any helpful tips on accentuating your theme.

Themed parties bring the festivity and exotic feeling of different eras and places, and you can bring these lovely parties to your friends without having to bend over backwards (unless that's the theme, course).

Interested in hosting a themed party? Every party needs food and getting it catered is a simple and cost effective option. Dukes Catering of Joliet IL has a menu to fit any catering event. Our extensive catering menu can meet any taste and budget.

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