Peg Herring, Mystery Author

The book launch for Maggie Pill's newest, ONCE UPON A TRAILER PARK, was a great deal of fun. People asked for the recipes for several items served, so here they are. Chicken Spread 1 pint canned chicken 1 8-oz. package cream cheese 1/2 c. chopped onion Drain chicken and save juice. Blend chicken, cream cheese, and onion. Add some of the juice if mixture is too dry. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve with crackers. Cinnamon Toasted Pecans 1 pound pecans, whole or halves 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, beat egg white and water to a froth. In a large zip-bag, combine sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Coat pecans with the egg/water mixture then drop them into the bag and shake, coating well. Spread on greased cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool on waxed paper. (These freeze well, but seldom last long!) Chocolate Peanut-Butter Clusters In a l

Just what they sound like--great for parties Crust: 1/2 c. oleo 1/2 c. shortening 1 c. brown sugar 2 c. flour Mix well and press into 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes Topping: Mix 5 eggs 1 c. syrup (I use light but recipe says you can use light or dark) 3/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. pecans, broken Pour mixture over crust and bake at 275 degrees for about 50 min. Cut into bars.

Also called Macaroon Pie, this one's easy but really good! In a blender: 2 eggs 1 c. milk 3/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. flour 2 tbsp. melted butter/oleo 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. salt Blend well. Pour into greased pie plate and sprinkle with 1 c. flaked coconut. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

The easiest and best hot fudge sauce for ice cream, desserts (or even to eat with a spoon, as someone I know well tends to do). 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 square baking chocolate 1 scoop peanut butter (more or less to your taste) Melt the baking chocolate in a saucepan. Pour in milk and mix well over low heat. Add peanut butter for a creamy consistency and rich taste. Stores well in the fridge, I hear, but it never lasts long at my house so I can't speak to that! Put it in a pretty jar and it makes a great gift, too.

Any sugar cookie recipe will do for these cookies, but here's one that's good. It's the decorations that make them fun. 1/2 c. margarine/butter, softened 4 oz. cream cheese 1 1/4 c. powdered sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. baking powder 3 c. flour Oven 350 degrees  Combine butter, cream cheese, and p. sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, salt, and baking powder. With mixer on low, add flour until dough holds together. Make it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour. On lightly floured surface, roll dough 1/4 inch thick and cut into triangle shapes. Bake 15 minutes until edges brown lightly. Cool completely. Frost cookies with chocolate icing. Break pretzel loops off and set them along top edge for antlers. Add candies or dots of colored frosting for for eyes and noses.

This recipe can get a little fussy, but that's what it's all about in Christmas baking, right? 1 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. oleo/butter 1/4 c. shortening 1/2 c. milk 3 eggs 1 1/2 c. flour Flavorings (see below) Combine the first six ingredients and blend for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add flavorings you want from this list or make up your own. I like to divide up the batter and make three or four differently flavored cakes, which takes smaller pans. If you make it all the same flavor, use a 9x13 pan.   For egg nog: 1 tsp. nutmeg, 2 tsp. rum extract, 1/2 c. chopped nuts   For cherry: 1 tsp. almond extract, 8 oz. jar of chopped maraschino cherries   For lemon: 2 tsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. grated lemon peel   For orange: 2 tsp. orange juice, 2 tsp grated orange peel   For nut: 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. almond extract, 1/2 c. chopped nuts   For coconut: 1/2 tsp. coconut extract, 1/4 tsp. almond extract, 1/3 c. flaked coconut Bake 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool, cut int

1/2 c. butter or margarine (softened) 1/2 c. shortening 1 c. powdered sugar 1 egg 1/1/2 tsp. almond extract 1 tsp. vanilla 2/ 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. red food coloring Oven: 375 Mix butter, shortening, p. sugar well, add egg and flavorings. Blend in flour & salt Divide dough in half; color one half red. Shape 1 tsp. of dough from each half into ropes by rolling on lightly floured board. Place ropes side by side, pinch ends together, and twist to form candy cane shape. Bend one end to make the crook. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake about 9 minutes, until set and very light brown. If desired, frost/sprinkle. Makes about 4 dozen

I signed at Horizon in TC on Saturday, and a staff member told me about an earlier event with a famous (I guess) chef. She said they sold boxes and boxes of his books, with people calling and begging them to save one until they could get there. Which brought to my mind a question: What's the thing with cookbooks? When you're starting out in life, you need a good cookbook, and it might take you two or three purchases before you find one that fits your lifestyle and abilities. After that, you might want to purchase a couple of specialty cookbooks: Chinese food or low-fat or whatever. But once you've got six or eight, what's the attraction for buying more? I haven't bought a cookbook in twenty years except for some they sold at church, and that was more the cause than the desire for new recipes. I'm in the minority, I know. Cookbook sales are huge, and if some chef who's been on TV puts one out, sales are guaranteed to go through the roof. Why? I don't

Many authors have success with mysteries that include great dinner recipes. You won't see that from me, since I've never been fond of cooking. (Now, baking is another story!) Anyway, today we're checking your knowledge of soups/stews: What's the main ingredient? 1. Bouillabaisse 2. Gaspacho 3. Borscht 4.Avgolemono 5. Menudo Answers 1. Fish 2. Tomato base w/vegetables 3. Beets 4. Egg/lemon 5. Beef stomach