Mix together and press lightly in a 7X11 pan. Sprinkle half a package of coconut over base; sprinkle 1 cup cut up dates; sprinkle one 16-oz package red and green candied cherries; sprinkle 1 cup pecans (not cut).

Cover with l/2 cup eagle brand milk. Bake until golden brown at 325° approximately 30 minutes. Watch closely after 20 minutes.

Cranberry Coleslaw

By Marilyn Meeks

1 cup chopped cranberries
¼ cup sugar
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
½ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. chopped celery
2 Tbsp. chopped green peppers
1 cup seeded, halved green grapes
¼ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

Mix cranberries with sugar. Moisten cabbage with orange juice, add sugared cranberries, celery, green peppers and grapes. Toss lightly with mayonnaise or dressing. Chill ½ hour before serving

Dulce de Leche Bars

by Jean Campbell

By request from the Bedford Open Mic, I took these squares called “Dulce de Leche” bars. Freezing is not recommended.

3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Filling:

1 can Eagle Brand milk or Low Fat Sweetened Condensed milk
1 bag Skor chipits toffee bits

Topping:

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 oz white chocolate for decoration (optional)

Preheat oven to 350oF.

Line a square baking pan with parchment paper so it hangs over the edge for easy removal. Beat together butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour and crumbs. Press in pan. Bake 20 minutes until golden.

For the filling, pour the milk into a glass 8-cup measure and microwave on medium for 4 minutes, stirring after two minutes. Stir in toffee bits on medium-low or “Defrost” for eight minutes, stirring every two minutes or until thick. Pour over baked crust after crust has cooled.

For the topping, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips and spread lightly over filling. Drizzle with white chocolate.

No Bake Christmas Fruit Cake

By Debbie Deline

I found this recipe for a Festive Refrigerator Fruit Cake 10 years ago. I’ve been making them ever since and everyone asks me for the recipe, so here it is.

3 cups miniature marshmallows
2/3 cup evaporated milk
½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
¼ cup chopped dates
¾ cup raisins
1 cup broken walnuts
1 cup candied mixed fruits
¼ cup candied red cherries
4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves

Slowly heat the marshmallows, evaporated milk and orange juice, stirring until marshmallows melt. Remove from heat and combine with the dates, raisins, walnuts, mixed fruits, cherries, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, mixing well. Press firmly into a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan lined with waxed paper. Cover tightly and chill 2 days. Frost top of cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting. Garnish with maraschino cherries

Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting

2 oz. cream cheese
1 teaspoon milk
1 ¼ cups icing sugar
few drops of vanilla

Combine the cream cheese and milk, blending until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla. Mix well

Scones

Courtesy of Jennifer Whitehead from her limited edition cookbook titled “From my Heart to Your Stomach: 20 Simple Recipes to help you get through Life”, 2006.

*A note on pronunciation. Some people pronounce scone to rhyme with cone, or alone. This is not acceptable. If you are now or have ever been a Presbyterian, you should know better. Scone rhymes with dawn as in “The spawn of Satan ate a scone upon the lawn and thought deep thoughts in the cold grey dawn.”

The preparation of scones requires a light hand; the use of force, like the use of reason in theology, is best kept to an absolute minimum.

2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
½ cup butter
½ cup raisins and/or currants, dried apricots, walnuts, dried cranberries, blueberries, or nothing at all then (enjoy with) strawberries, raspberries, jam, whipped cream or clotted cream
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
sugar and maybe a little grated nutmeg if you choose the apricot or blueberry option

Measure the flour, sugar, and the baking powder into a bowl. Cut the butter in quickly until the mixture has the texture of breadcrumbs. It is important to move fast while making scones. The dough must be gently encouraged, not abused. Too much force will make your scones tough and difficult to deal with. Crack the eggs into a measuring cup, beat them, check how much liquid egg there is, and cleverly use math to add the right amount of milk. Chuck this into the flour/sugar/butter mixture along with whatever else you’re adding and gently pat the mixture into a large ball. Separate the ball into two or three evenly sized lumps, flatten slightly and place them on a buttered cookie sheet. Divide each lump into six or eight wedges. Sprinkle sugar on top or brush with beaten egg if the non-violence of scone preparation is too much for you. Bake at 350 F for fifteen minutes or longer if the scones refuse to cooperate. These are good hot but are perfectly acceptable cold the next day for breakfast. I never had scones long enough to see if they were still edible after twenty-four hours.