Gingerbread Cookies

2/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Mix molasses, brown sugar, butter, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, eggs, and 1 1/2 cups flour. With mixer at low speed, beat ingredients until just mixed, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium, beat two minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. With wooden spoon, stir in about three cups of flour to make a stiff dough. Shape dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Use the dough immediately or refrigerate to use within two days. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/8th inch thick. Cut into desired shape. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are firm.

Dundee Cake

1/2 cup white raisins
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/4 cup candied peel
8 candied cherries, chopped finely
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
grated peel of one orange
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sherry


Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease an eight-inch cake pan at least three inches high and line it with greased wax paper. Mix together the raisins, peel, cherries, and ground almonds in a bowl. Set aside. Cream the butter and the sugar and add the orange peel. Beat the eggs separately and gradually add them to the mixture, beating well. Sift the flour and baking powder and fold them into the mixture. Add the sherry and the fruit. Pour into the cake pan. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Place on a wire rack and cool thoroughly before cutting.

Coquilles St. Jacques

1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
5 tbsp. butter
1 lb. scallops
3/4 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. flour
1 cup light cream
Buttered bread crumbs

Saute mushrooms rapidly in two tablespoons of the butter and set aside. Combine scallops, vermouth, water, bay leaf and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer five minutes. Drain scallops, reserving one cup of the broth. Discard bay leaf. Cut scallops into quarters. Make a white sauce of the remaining three tablespoons of butter, the flour, reserved broth and cream. Add mushrooms and scallops and spoon into six scallop shells. Top with bread crumbs and bake, uncovered, in a preheated 400 degree oven for ten minutes. Serves six.

Savory Wild Rice

1 8 ounce package wild rice
Chicken broth
1 lb. sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 bunches green onions, chopped (include some tops)
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery leaves
Oregano

Cook rice according to the package directions, substituting chicken broth for water. Meanwhile, partially cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Raise heat, add remaing ingredients and cook until vegetables are done. Drain off all but a third of the bacon fat. Combine bacon and vegetables with the hot cooked rice.

Frosted Mint Delight

1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin
2 cans (16 ounces each) crushed pineapple, drained and chilled (reserve syrup)
3/4 cup mint apple jelly
2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp. confectioners sugar

Dissolve gelatin in one cup of the reserved pineapple syrup. Melt jelly; stir in dissolved gelatin. Stir in chilled pineapple. Whip cream, adding sugar. Fold pineapple mixture into whipped cream. Chill in freezer until firm. Do not freeze solid. Serves 10-12.

Vichyssoise

2 1/4 cups chicken broth
3 leeks (white part only), sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup sour cream
Chopped chives

Combine broth, leeks, potatoes, onion and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook gently for 45 minutes. Mash the mixture and force through a sieve. Add half-and-half and sour cream, stirring until smooth. Add more salt, if necessary. Heat to just below boiling and remove from heat. Cool, then chill. Serve cold, garnished with chives.

Gazpacho

3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
Dash of salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 egg, well beaten
Garnishes

Combine all ingredients except egg in a blender. Mix until thoroughly blended. Mix in the egg and taste for seasoning. Chill. Serve with the following garnishes, each in its own bowl: croutons, diced cucumber, chopped green onions, chopped green peppers and chopped ripe tomato. Serves eight.

Iced Cucumber Soup

1 small onion, diced
2 cucumbers (unpeeled), chopped
Butter
1 cup light cream
1/8 tsp. thyme
Salt and pepper
4 cups homemade chicken broth
Chopped fresh tarragon
2 egg yolks
6 - 8 lemon slices
Toasted sliced almonds
Sour cream

Saute onion and cucumbers in a small amount of butter until tender. Stir in cream, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer five minutes. Put three cups of the chicken broth in a pot. Using the back of a spoon, force the cucumber mixture through a sieve into the broth. Add tarragon and heat. Beat egg yolks with the remaining cup of cool broth. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of the hot broth mixture into egg yolk mixture, beating briskly. Add another 1/2 cup, still beating. Stir egg yolk mixture into pot with other ingredients and allow to thicken over lowest heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Cool, then chill. Garnish each cup of soup with a lemon slice, almonds, and one teaspoon sour cream. Serves six to eight.

Salade Nicoise

1 large head of lettuce, leaves washed and dried
1 pound green beans, cooked and refreshed
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2/3 cup viniagrette
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 boiling potatoes, peeled, sliced, and cooked
6 ounces (oil-packed) chunk tuna
6 hard-boiled eggs, halved
1 can flat anchovy fillets
1/3 cup small black olives
3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Arrange the lettuce on a large platter or in a shallow bowl. Toss the beans with the shallots, spoonfuls of viniagrette, and salt and pepper. Baste the tomatoes with viniagrette. Place the potatoes at the center of the platter and arrange a mound of beans at either end, with tomatoes and small mounds of tuna at intervals. Ring the platter with halved hard-boiled eggs topped with anchovies. Spoon more viniagrette over all, scatter on olives, capers, parsley and serve.

Waldorf Salad

1/2 cup chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes
1 sweet apple, cored and chopped
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt
pepper
lettuce

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and the lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. Mix in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.

Cold Pasta Salad with Salmon

10 ounces rotini pasta
1 can salmon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/8 cup chopped green onions
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
tomato wedges
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Drain. Drain salmon, reserving 1 teaspoon of liquid. Combine reserved salmon liquid with oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Whisk or shake to blend well. Pour over the warm pasta. Cool pasta and dressing mixture. Add salmon, chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, and parsley. Cover and chill thoroughly. Garnish with tomato wedges and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Sparkling Punch

1 bottle burgundy
4 ounces brandy
1 quart sparkling water
2 bottles Champagne
1 cup sugar cubes

Dissolve sugar in a cup of sparkling water and pour into a punch bowl. Add burgundy and brandy, stirring well. Place block of ice in bowl and add Champagne and the balance of the sparkling water. Garnish the top of the ice block with strawberries or raspberries or other fruit in season and float thin slices of orange on top of the punch.

Brandy Punch

Juice of two oranges
Juice of two lemons
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 pint Curacao
1 quart brandy
1 spoonful Grenadine

Pour into punch bowl over a large block of ice. Add one bottle of soda water.

Boston Fish House Punch

Into a large punch bowl put:

1 tumbler melted sugar or plain syrup
1 tumbler lime juice

Mix thoroughly, making sure that all sugar is dissolved.

Then add:

1 1/2 bottles Jamaica rum
1 bottle brandy
1 tumbler peach brandy
3 quarts Champagne
Hunks of ice

Tea Party Punch

Juice of six lemons, reserving rinds
Juice of six oranges, reserving rinds
1 cup sugar
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
3 cups water
3 cups Kentucky bourbon
Fresh mint sprigs

Combine lemon and orange juices; set aside. Combine sugar, mint leaves, and water in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, stirring in to dissolve sugar. Add reserved rinds and boil fifteen minutes. Discard rinds and mint, reserving liquid; add water. Add juices, stir well. Add bourbon. Pour into a large pan, cover and freeze about four hours, stirring occasionally, to make a slushy mixture. Serve in punch cups or tall glasses. Garnish wish fresh mint sprigs. Yield: about four quarts.

Teaberry Sangria

2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
4 tea bags
3 cups red wine
1 ten ounce package frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and pureed
2 cups lemon lime carbonated beverage

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add fruit slices; boil one minute. Remove from heat; add tea bags. Cover and let stand five minutes. Remove tea bags; cool. Combine tea mixture, wine, and strawberries in a pitcher. Chill. Add lemon-lime beverage and gently stir. Serve immediately. Yield: two quarts.

Red Roosters

1 32 ounce bottle cranberry juice cocktail
1 12 ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
4 1/2 cups water
3 cups vodka

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Freeze.

To serve, remove from freezer; let stand 15 minutes. Spoon about four cups mixture into an electric blender and process until mixture reaches desired consistency. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Yield: Three quarts.