Serves 4

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 50 g butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 potato, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 500 g beetroots, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 850 ml chicken stock
• 4 tbsp soured cream
• a few sprigs of dill

Heat the oil and butter in a pan over a low heat. Add the onion, carrot, potato and garlic, and cook until soft (about 15 mins).

Add the beetroot and sugar, and cook for a further 4 mins.

Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil, and simmer for one hour.

Blitz with a hand-held blender or in a food processor, then push through a sieve.

Serve with a dollop of soured cream and dill scattered on top.

• 1 medium ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and diced
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 pack (145 g) Watercress, Spinach and Rocket Salad
• 260 g fresh crab meat

Mix the mango, avocado and mint together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime zest and juice, olive oil and chilli, and season to taste.

Arrange the salad leaves on 6 plates and spoon the mango and avocado mixture over the top. Divide the crab meat between the plates, drizzle with the dressing and serve.

• 250 g pack fresh spinach and ricotta tortellini
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250 g pack cherry tomatoes
• 2x 20 g packs fresh flatleaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

• 3 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta for 2 minutes until just cooked. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and sizzle the tomatoes until they start to blister.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it quickly, reserving some cooking water. Put the tomatoes back on a high heat.

Tip in the pasta, parsley, a splash of cooking water and most of the parmesan. Bubble everything together and season with salt and pepper, if liked. Serve with the remaining parmesan.

Takes 5 – 10 minutes • Serves 2

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put Romano cheese in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Turn motor on and drop garlic through feed tube to mince. Stop machine and add spinach, artichokes, cream cheese and eggs. Process until thoroughly blended; turn into a medium bowl. Fold in Monterey jack cheese. Transfer to a 2- to 3-cup baking dish; bake until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve hot with tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.

Makes 16 servings.

Place a layer of oysters in bottom of greased, shallow, 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 each of the parsley, onions, lemon juice, butter, crumbs, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and Tabasco over oysters, Make another layer of same. Sprinkle with paprika. Just before baking, make evenly spaced holes in oyster mixture. Pour milk mixed with cream into holes, being careful not to moisten crumb topping all over. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until firm.

Yields 10 to 15 servings.

Drain peaches, reserving 3/4 cup of the syrup. Place peaches in well-greased 9-inch square baking dish and sprinkle with nuts.

Combine measured peach syrup with 1/2 cup syrup and the tapioca. Pour over peaches; set aside.

Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar.  Add egg, vanilla extract and spices, beating until well blended.  Add pancake mix alternately with milk, beating after each addition until smooth. Carefully spread over peach mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 55 minutes or until cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Serve warm with additional pancake and waffle syrup, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, ketchup, egg, pepper, and oregano in a large bowl. Form into about 18 to 24 eyeball-size balls. Press an olive into each eyeball, pimento side out. Place the eyeballs in a baking dish, cover, and bake for 45 minutes.

About 15 minutes before the eyeballs are done, fill a large pot with 3 quarts of water. Add salt. Follow package directions to cook the spaghetti. Drain noodles and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with butter or margarine. When eyeballs are done, carefully spoon onto the spaghetti, irises up.

Spoon the sauce from the pan around them. Serve with thinly sliced black olives (eyelashes).

Serves 6.

3 onions, sliced thin and separated into rings
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 pound bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried savory leaves
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley leaves

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate.

Cook onions in butter in 10-inch skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened. Arrange half of the onions evenly in pie plate; sprinkle with half of the bacon. Top with remaining onions and bacon.

Place milk, Worcestershire sauce, eggs and baking mix in blender container. Cover and blend on high 15 seconds. Pour into plate.

Mix herbs in small bowl; crush slightly. Sprinkle evenly over milk mixture. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

FOR 2 SERVINGS: Grease 2 (10 ounce) custard cups. Decrease onions to 1, butter to 2 tablespoons, bacon to 4 slices, milk to 1/2 cup, Worcestershire sauce to 1/2 teaspoon, eggs to 1, Bisquick to to 1/4 cup and herbs to a pinch of each. Bake 10 minutes.

HIGH ALTITUDE: Grease 10-inch pie plate. Cook onions until softened, 6-7 minutes. Bake 30-35 minutes. For 2 servings, bake 20-25 minutes.

Source: Uptown Cafe – Louisville, Kentucky

NOTE: This recipe calls for raw egg yolks, which the U.S. government has named as a potentially hazardous food. Raw eggs should not be eaten by young children, pregnant women, the elderly or those with a compromised immune system.

Pasteurized egg whites are available at some stores. A common brand name is Eggology.

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
18 ounces (3 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1/3 cup powdered sugar
4 egg yolks
12 ounces toasted, ground almonds, about 2 cup
4 pasteurized egg whites
Dash cream of tartar
12 shortbread cookies (such as Lorna Doone), or
    as needed to complete 2 layers
Whipped cream and more almonds for garnish

Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with clear plastic wrap; set aside.

Gently melt 1/2 cup butter (saving remaining 2 sticks) in a heavy saucepan set over low heat (do not allow to hiss or brown). Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Stir in amaretto. Cool to room temperature.

Beat remaining 1 cup (2 sticks) butter with an electric mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar, scraping inside of bowl as you do. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, scraping bowl and beating well after each addition.

Beat in cooled chocolate mixture until completely combined. Stir in ground almonds.

In a medium bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar. Begin on low speed, and gradually increase speed until soft, billowing peaks form. Gently fold a spoonful of egg whites into chocolate mixture, to lighten. Fold in remaining egg whites, until mixture is light, foamy and evenly combined.

(To fold, hold large rubber spatula like a knife. "Cut" through the center of mixture, reaching down to the bottom of bowl. Scrape up from bottom of bowl, and pull over the top of the mixture. Give bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. When finished, mixture will be a thick, creamy mousse – not soupy.)

Spread a layer of chocolate mousse in bottom of loaf pan; top with a layer of cookies. Repeat, ending last layer with chocolate batter. Refrigerate overnight. Invert onto plate. Slice to serve. Garnish each slice with whipped cream and additional roasted almonds.

Serves 12, approximately.

To roast almonds: Spread almonds on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree F oven until thoroughly browned, about 12 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to brown evenly. Grind almonds in a food processor or, in batches, in a coffee grinder.

Submitted to Recipe Goldmine by ltlgranny (Linda)

1 box chewy fudge brownie mix
1 container prepared cream cheese frosting
Green food coloring
1 cup (6 ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
Andes mints

Prepare fudge brownie mix as directed on package. Let cool completely.

Cut brownies. Mix about 5 drops of green food coloring into frosting; frost individual brownies. Melt chocolate chips and butter together. Drizzle over frosted brownies; put an Andes candy on top of each brownie. Refrigerate until cool.