Peppermint Jelly Candy

6 Servings

2 T Water
2 (3 oz) packages liquid fruit
-pectin
1/2 t Baking soda
1 c Sugar
1 c Light corn syrup
1/2 t Peppermint extract
3 Drops green food color
Sugar (or coarse sugar)

For best results, follow the directions carefully to avoid
undercooking the mixtures. No candy thermometer is necessary for
this old-fashioned candy shop candy.

Line 8 inch square pan with foil, butter foil. In small saucepan,
combine water and pectin. Stir in baking soda. In medium saucepan,
combine 1 cup sugar and corn syrup. Cook both mixtures over high
heat until foam starts to disappear on pectin mixture and sugar
mixture comes to full rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down),
about 3 to 5 minutes,stirring both constantly. Slowly pour pectin
mixture into sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to boil
for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in
peppermint extract and food color. Pour into foil-lined pan. Cool
until firm.

Remove candy from pan by lifting foil. With wet knife or
scissors,cut into small pieces or desired shapes. Roll in sugar.
Store loosely covered.

Peter’s Cream Of Pumpkin Soup

1 t Safflower oil
1 lb Pumpkin,fresh
-cut in chunks
-=OR=- Pumpkin,Canned
1 Yellow onion
– peeled and,Chopped
1 sm Garlic clove
– peeled and,Crushed
2 Celery stalks,chopped
1 Stalk fresh thyme,-=OR=-
1/2 t -Dried thyme
1/2 Bay leaf
5 c Chicken broth
1 1/2 T Low-fat white cheese
-Such as cottage cheese
– farmer’s cheese
– cream cheese (or ricotta)
1 T Non-fat powdered milk
1/2 c Parsley,chervil and chives- (minced)

IN A LARGE SAUCEPAN, heat the oil over a low fire. Add the vegetables
(including the fresh pumpkin, but not the canned), thyme and bay leaf.
Reduce the heat, cover, and let cook gently for 8 minutes. Stir
occasionally to keep the vegetables from browning. Add the broth and
the pumpkin, if using canned; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and
simmer, uncovered, for either 20 minutes (fresh pumpkin) or 10
minutes (canned pumpkin). Puree mixture in batches in a blender. Pour
pureed soup through a fine strainer back into saucepan and return to
boil. If it seems too thick, thin with a little hot broth or water.
(Can be made to this point up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated,
loosely covered.) Before serving, reheat soup to boiling. Pour back
into the blender and add the cottage cheese and powdered milk. Blend
20 seconds. Taste for seasoning. Ladle the soup into 4 heated soup
bowls; sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the minced fine herbs over each.
Serve immediately.

Petite Peas With Thyme And Garlic

6 Servings

1 T Olive oil
1 Garlic clove,large,minced
1 pk Peas,petite,frozen(16 oz)
1/2 t Thyme,dried
2 c Romaine lettuce,chopped
Seasoned salt
Pepper,freshly ground

1. Heat oil, garlic and peas in a skillet. Add thyme and lettuce.

2. Mix well, then cover and steam over low heat for 5 minutes. Peas
should be bright but tender and lettuce should be wilted. Add
seasoned salt and pepper to taste.

Pineapple Bavarian Cream

8 Servings

2 T Gelatin,unflavored
1/3 c ,Water, cold
2 Egg,separated
1/2 c Sugar
1 1/2 c Milk,hot
2 c Whipped cream
2 T Lemon juice
1 Grenadine pineapple rings
1 Creme de menthe pineapple
-rings
1 Cherry,maraschino

Servings: 8

Soak the gelatin in cold water. Beat the egg whites until stiff; set
aside. Beat the egg yolks slightly, add sugar and combine with hot
milk, cook in a double boiler until the mixture coats the spoon as
for custard. Dissolve the gelatin in the hot custard. Cool, then
fold in the whipped cream, the egg whites and the lemon juice. Line
a mold with three grenadine pineapple rings and two creme de menthe
pineapple rings and red cherries and fill with the Bavarian cream
mixture. Chill for several hours until firm, and turn out on a platter. For Christmas use holly as a garnish. To unmold a gelatin mixture, dip quickly into hot water and invert on a serving dish.

Pineapple Upside-Down Loaf

6 Servings

8 oz Pineapple rings,drained
4 Maraschino cherries,halved
2 pk Coffee cake mix (10.5 ozs.
-each)
2 Eggs
1 c Milk,divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom and
sides of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Cut pineapple rings in half.
Place 4 pineapple-ring halves decoratively on the bottom of the
prepared pan, and the remaining 4 halves standing along the long
side of the pan. Place cherry halves, cut-side-down, in the center indentations of the pineapple-halves. Sprinkle bottom and sides
of the pan with 1 1/2 packets of the crumb mixture from coffee-cake
mix. Discard remaining crumb mixture. Prepare bags of coffee-cake
mix with eggs as package directs, but use the milk instead of water
called for. Squeeze batter from both bags gently over streusel,
pineapple, and cherries. Let stand 10 minutes. Tap pan gently on
counter to release any air bubbles. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until
a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a
wire rack for 20 minutes. With a long, serrated knife, cut the top of
the bread level with the top of the pan. Invert bread onto a serving
plate while warm. To serve, cut with a sharp (not serrated) knife.

Pineapple-Apricot Jam

20 oz Pineapple,Crushed, 1 Cn
6 oz Maraschino Cherries,1 Jar,*
8 oz Dried Apricots,Cut Into 1/4
1/4 c Water
3 1/2 c Sugar
2 T Lemon Juice
3 oz Fruit Pectin,Liquid,1 pouch

* Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the syrup, the cherries and cut up
in small pieces.

Heat the pineapple, with the syrup, the reserved cherry syrup, the
apricots and the water to boiling in a Dutch oven, stirring
occasionally then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer, stirring
occasionally, until the apricots are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir
in the sugar, lemon juice, and cherries. Heat to a full rolling boil
over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and stir in the pectin. Pour into hot sterilized
jars or glasses or freezer containers. Cover and cool to room
temperature and store in the refrigerator or freezer no more than 3
months.

Pinto Bean Fudge

8 Servings

2/3 c milk (or light cream),Canned
1 1/2 c Mini marshmallows
1 1/2 c Strained pinto beans
1 t Vanilla
1 2/3 c Sugar
1/2 c Nuts
1 1/2 c Chocolate chips

Combine sugar and milk in kettle. Boil 5 minutes, stirring
constantly. Add remaining ingredients and stir until marshmallows
melt. Pour into buttered pan; cool and cut into squares.

Pistachio Swirl Fudge

50 Servings

1 pk (3-oz.) cream cheese
1 cn (14-oz.) sweetened condensed
-milk,divided
1/2 t Vanilla
3 pk (6-oz. each) semisweet
-chocolate pieces
1 T Sweet butter (or margarine)
1/2 c Coarsely pistachio,Chopped
-nuts

Place cream cheese in small glass bowl of electric mixer or in a
1-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100%) 15 to 25
seconds or until cream cheese has softened. Add 2 tablespoons of the
sweetened condensed milk and the vanilla. Beat on low speed just
until mixture is smooth; set aside.

Place remaining sweetened condensed milk, semisweet chocolate and
butter in a 2 1/2-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium
(50%) 2 to 3 1/2 minutes or until mixture can be stirred smooth and
is glossy, stirring twice. Stir in pistachio nuts.

Spread chocolate mixture evenly into prepared pan. Drop cream cheese
mixture, by spoonfuls, over chocolate; swirl lightly over chocolate.
Let stand until firm or place in refrigerator. Cut into 25 even
squares by making 4 lengthwise and 4 crosswise cuts equidistant from
each other, then cut each square diagonally in half. Store in
airtight container with waxed paper between layers. Keeps best if
refrigerated. Makes 50.

Popcorn Ring

8 qt popcorn,Popped
2 c Margarine
2 2/3 c Sugar
1 c Light Karo corn syrup
1 t Vanilla
2 c Whole pecans
6 c Miniature marshmallows
2 c Small spiced gumdrops

Put popped popcorn, marshmallows, gumdrops, and pecans (optional) in
large bowl. Melt butter, add sugar and Karo, bring to a boil,
stirring and simmering 3 minutes, add vanilla, pour over popcorn. Mix
well, let stand 2 minutes to cool. Press into buttered ring-mold.
Unmold onto wax paper. Decorate with cut gumdrops. Or make balls with
slightly dampened hands.

Popcorn Snowmen

4 T butter,Unsalted
4 c Mini marshmallows
9 c popcorn,Popped
1/2 c Confectioners’ sugar
1 T Milk
Gumdrops,cinnamon candies
-fruit leather,jelly beans,
-licorice,pretzels,
-for garnish.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the
marshmallows and cook, stirring often, until melted and syrupy, about
5 minutes. Place the popped popcorn in a large lightly greased
shallow pan. Pour the syrup over the popcorn, tossing to coat evenly.
While still warm, form 6 balls about 5″ in diameter from the coated
popcorn for the bottom sections, giving the balls flat bases so the
snowmen will stand. Form 6 balls about 3-1/2″ in diameter for the
middle sections. Then form 6 balls about 2″ in diameter for the top
sections. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar and milk together until
smooth. Use the icing to stack three popcorn balls of decreasing
sizes into a snowman, then attach candies to decorate. (Gumdrops for
hats, fruit leather for scarves, etc.)