• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups pecan halves

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Heat butter in saute pan. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add remaining ingredients except for pecans and cook for additional 2 minutes.

Place pecans in a bowl pour in seasoned butter and toss with pecans until coated.

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Cool before eating.

Directions
In a small mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shape into a ball and roll in walnuts. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Serve with toasted French bread slices, crackers and/or vegetables.

Makes 1 cheese ball.

Directions
Spread cream cheese evenly over the tortillas. Top the cream cheese with lettuce leaves. Arrange the turkey slices in even layers on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle the carrots and tomato over the turkey slices. Roll the tortillas into wraps. Cut the wraps diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Secure with toothpicks.

Makes 60 servings
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 15 Minutes

Olive oil, for frying
1 lb ball fresh mozzarella
(buy a piece wrapped, not packed in water)
1 lb fresh smoked mozzarella
(found in the specialty cheese case)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk, eyeball it
2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
2 Tbsps chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 stems or large sprigs each fresh parsley, sage, thyme
Fine salt

Dipping Sauce:
2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, moderate to hot heat level, eyeball the amount
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Coarse salt
Bamboo skewers, 6-inch, or party picks, for dipping

Directions
Heat 2 inches olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Cut each pound of mozzarella and smoked mozzarella into 16 cubes. Set up a breading station: flour, 2 eggs beaten with 1/3 cup milk, Italian bread crumbs mixed with a couple of handfuls of grated cheese. Reserve the chopped parsley. Roll fresh plain mozzarella in flour, dip in egg, then coat in bread crumbs. Bread all the plain mozzarella, then add chopped parsley to the bread crumbs. Coat the cubed smoked mozzarella in flour, egg, then Italian bread crumbs mixed with parsley. The chopped parsley will allow you to distinguish between the fresh and fresh smoked cheese once fried. Place herbs into hot oil and fry 30 to 45 seconds. Be careful not to stand over pan, the oil will spatter a little because of the water content in herbs. Remove herbs with a slotted kitchen tool and transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Season immediately with fine salt. Fry the mozzarella bites in batches in a single layer.

Cook until evenly deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and cool mozzarella bites on a paper towel-lined surface. Let stand and cool a few minutes so that the cheese will not be too runny when bitten into.

For dipping sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and crushed pepper flakes. Saute garlic and hot pepper 2 or 3 minutes, and add tomatoes. Season with salt.
To assemble your serving plate, pile mozzarella bites, alternating them with fried herbs. Set the dipping sauce in a bowl along side the balls and pile bamboo skewers or party picks on the edge of the plate to spear and dip the bites.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

If using raw wheat germ, spread it on a baking sheet and toast for a few minutes until fragrant.

Spread the sunflower seeds and the peanuts in an even later on separate baking sheets and toast in the oven – the sunflower seeds will take about 6 minutes and the peanuts will take 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool; salt the peanuts lightly.

Mix the wheat germ, sunflower seeds, peanuts, raisins, oats, and puffed rice in a large bowl. In a separate bowl that fits your microwave, mix the peanut butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup; microwave on high for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and stir until well blended. Pour over the dry ingredients and fold in until everything is evenly coated.

Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan and transfer the mixture from the bowl. Cover the surface with waxed paper and press it down firmly.

Refrigerate until completely cool. Cut into eight 2×4-inch bars.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup pretzels
1 cup garlic flavored bagel chips
(bite size or broken up)
3 cups corn chex cereal
3 cups rice chex cereal
3 cups wheat chex cereal
6 Tbsp margarine or butter do not use tub/spread
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
seasoned salt 1-1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions
Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Malt margarine or butter in large roasting pan in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Microwave
Microwave directions: Melt margarine or butter in large microwavable bowl uncovered on High. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Stir in airtight container.
Important: Because microwaves cook differently, time is approximate.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

2 ea avocados (preferably california)
1 small onion minced
1 clove garlic minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 fresh or pickled jalapeo chili if desired seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
3 Tbsp coriander (cilantro)

Directions
Halve and pit the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash the avocados coarse with a fork and stir in the onion, the garlic paste, the lime juice, the cumin, the chili, and the coriander. The guacamole may be made 2 hours in advance, its surface covered with plastic wrap, and chilled.

Makes 8 servings