• Sift flour,sugar,soda,salt,and cocoa together.Add buttermilk,Vegetable oil,vanilla,eggs and food coloring,in this order and mix thoroughly.Bake in pans that have been greased with oil or butter and floured.Use 2 or 3 pans depending on how thick you porefer each layer depending on how thick you want each layer.
• Cream Cheese Frosting:1 8 oz package room temperature cream cheese,1/2 cup room temperature butter,1 lb sifted confectioners sugar,1 tea vanilla extract….1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans…FYI…I DOUBLE THIS RECIPE
• In a large bowl ,mix cream cheese,butter,and vanilla until smooth.Add confectioners sugar until smooth and fluffy….
• frost each layer , and decorate top with Holiday sprinkles or crumbled cake.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Cook noodles according to package directions until al dente.In a medium sauce pan over medium heat,melt butter.Stir in flour and cook until flour is slightly brown.Pour in milk whisking constantly until sauce thickens.Add parmesan cheese and stir well.Add salt and wine,and stir well.In another bowl combine ricotta and mascarpone or ricotta cheese,1 cup mozzarella,egg,and parsley.Mix well.in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish spread a thin layer of white sauce.Add a noodle and spread 1/4 ricotta mixture.Add1/4 shrimp,1/4 crab meat,and 1/4 scallops.Add 1/4 of white sauce,sprinkle on 1/4 grated mozzarella.Repeat process 3 times,making 4 layers.Top final layer with white sauce and remaining grated mozzaella chese. Bake 45 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.Serve with a fresh salad of your choice and hot crusty bread..

• Red Finger Nails
• Place 30 to 35 blanched whole almonds in a plastic bag.Add 1 to 2 tablespoons or enough red food coloring to coat almonds, and shake bag coating almonds completely..Then pour onto paper towels and allow to air dry.
• Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Separate 1 egg.Set aside the white.In a small bowl,whisk together yolk,remaining egg, and vanilla.Set aside.
• In the bowl of mixer fitted with paddle,combine butter,confectioner's sugar,granulated sugar,and salt.Beat on medium speed until combined.Add egg mixture and beat until smooth.This is the point you add your green food coloring…add until you find the ghoulish color you desire .Add flour,and mix on low speed just until incorporated.Wrap in plastic,and chill for 20-30 minutes.Divide 1st half into 15 pieces.On a lightly floured surface,roll each piece back and forth with palms into finger shapes,3 to 4 inches long.Pinch dough into 2 places to form knuckles.Score each Knuckle lightly with the back of a small knife.Place fingers on baking sheet and repeat process with remaining dough.When all the fingers are done,brush lightly with egg white.I don't always do this step but I put a little egg white on tip of finger before attaching red almond.Push down on almond so it can settle into place.Bake until done ,around 12 minutes.Cool completely.
• Divide the dough in half working with one piece at a time.Keep other section in frig.

• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.Mix flour,soda and salt.In another bowl,using electric mixer,cream together butter and sugars until fluffy.Add egg,water and vanilla and beat until combined,Slowly add flour mixture to ceamed mixture.Mix until combined.Stir in chocolate and nuts.
• Using a ice cream scoop[2 1/4 oz] fill scoop onto greased pan or parchment.. put 9 cookies at a time..Spray a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper with non stick spray and lightly press down.This will make them thinner.Bake for 12 to 15 minutes….
• You can use any time of nut you like..walnuts and macademias are wonderful also..

• Make the roux by heating the oil and butter in a pot and then sprinkling the flour on top.Whisk together until fully absorbed and turns golden.Take off heat and set aside while combining other ingredients.
• Chop all vegetables and in a Dutch Oven or large pot, saute' the vegetables in 2 Tbls Olive Oil and 2 Tbls Butter until soft.Best to cook carrots and celery first and then add onions.Add all the other ingredients to the pot including the roux;stir well and bring to a boil.Turn down heat to low and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the soup thickens..If broth is too this cornstarch in a little water and then added to sauce will thicken a bit.Watch that it doesnt burn so stir every 4 to 5 minutes…Remove bay leaves before serving..It feezes well and would be really good on top odf a baked potato, or you could add some yellow cooked potatoes to the finished soup.

• Heat oven to 350 degrees…When I make this dish,I usually double the recipe,because it is so good it is wolfed!..Mix 1/2 cup sugar,flour,and salt in the top of a double boiler.Blend in 3 egg yolks and milk.Cook uncovered constantly over boiling water 10 to 12 minuted until thickened.At this time remove from the heat and add vanilla.
• Spread a small amount of pudding in the bottom of baking dish.Next cover pudding with vanilla wafers and then bananas.Repeat this 3 step process until pudding is gone.
• Beat egg whites on high speed of mixer until soft peaks are formed.gradually add 1/2 cup sugar until stiff peaks are formed.Spread over the custard.Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned.Cool before putting in frig ,covered with foil or saran wrap.Chill before serving or if you cant wait,just dig in!

• Turn oven on to 350 degrees ..Grease a 9×9 inch pan ,and add parchment paper so it can be lifted out and easily cut when cool.Melt 2 sticks unsalted butter and 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips together in sauce pan on low heat until chips are completely melted.Put in frig to speed up the cooling process..In a bowl,put in 4 eggs,1 1/4 cup sugar,1Tbl instant coffee,3 Tbls oil,and 1 Tbls vanilla., and whisk…..Now add your cooled chocolate into egg mixture.In a 2nd bowl whisk 2/3 cup all purpose flour,1/2 cup cocoa,1 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder,and 1/2 teaspoon salt…Add your dry ingredients to chocolate mixture and stir until combined but do not over mix…At this point toasted pecans or walnuts may be added for brownie and nut lovers! Sprinkle 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top of brownie batter.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes depending on your oven.You want the brownies to stick a little to a toothpick…Let stand until almost cooled before cutting,if you can!Frost if you like or just add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce…This tastes like More!

• Trim and wash celery and add with chopped onion in a large pot.Fill pot to cover chicken..At this point add 2 teaspoons salt.More can be added lated to taste along with black pepper,according to your taste.Bring to a slow boil or simmer for around 45 minutes to an hour until chicken is tender and falls off the bone…Remove chicken from pot and cool..Put broth in frig so the fat can easily be skimmed off the top.This could take several hours or the next day to make dumplings to add to the pot…Remove fat from chicken and chop into bite size pieces.Skim solid fat from pot and set aside.Some of this will go into flour and buttermilk mixture for the dumplings…Bring broth to a rolling boil befor adding cut dumplings

Dumplings

• Put flour into a large mixing bowl,and add chicken fat ,crisco and buttermilk…use hands or stir until dough forms….add enough dough so that is is not sticky..place on floured board or countertop and rollout thin rolling from inside out.Make sure dough does not stick to counter or rolling pin.Now cut out with knife or much better with pizza cutter..Cut dumplings to 3 to 4 inch thin strips and add to boiling broth….Roll out more dough and continue adding to broth…The broth will thicken the more dumplings you add to the broth…You can always make more dumplings to the pot if needed and add chicken broth if it becomes to thick…Cook until dumplings are done…Test one or two…20 minutes should be enough for all dumplings to cook..Stir mixture as you add dumplings careful not to break those already in pot.Also stir so not to have ones of the bottom stick or burn…At this point add chopped chicken and taste. Salt and pepper can now be added according to your taste..I usually add a teaspoon of,Better Than Bouillon, to the pot for added chicken flavor..This is when you can add extra chicken broth to pot if it becomes to thick…Enjoy for a few days and then go on a diet..

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Spray or butter a large casserole dish.Place ingredients in a food processor until almost smooth.[Process half at a time ]2 batches..Place into prepared dish and bake until golden brown and center is just set 45 minutes to 1 hour