Creamy Red Potato Salad

Serves about 10

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoons mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 pounds new red potatoes, unpeeled
4 hardboiled eggs
1/2 cup chopped green onions

In a small bowl combine all ingredients except potatoes, eggs and green onions. Set dressing aside.

Boil potatoes until tender. Cut potatoes and eggs into chunks, and combine in a large bowl. While potatoes are still warm, toss with dressing, and top with green onions. Chill and serve, or serve warm.

Oatmeal Scotchies

I have made these many times, and they are always great. These were made with unbleached flour and white sugar because they were for an outreach meeting. Usually I make them with whole wheat flour and Florida crystals or honey.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 (11 ounce) package butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat sugars into butter until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle baking soda over the dough and gradually beat in the flour. Add oats and mix well. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets. You'll save yourself some scrubbing if you line your baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 12 for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for at least 2 minutes before removing to cooling racks. Cool completely before storing. For best taste, eat immediately before moving to cooling racks.

Old-Fashioned Brownies

We found that these are pretty crumbly if you overcook them... However, they tasted great, and if you top them with ice cream, they're perfect.

Serves: 2 dozen bars

2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup Florida crystals
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (we used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter, Florida crystals and honey together. Add all the other ingredients except the flour and nuts, and mix well. Add flour and beat until smooth. Stir in nuts.

Spread into a greased 9 by 13" pan. I doubled the recipe so I could use my favorite Pampered Chef bar pan.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

If you are using these for ice cream sundaes, try warming the brownies before serving. Enjoy!

Fruit Filled Thumbprints

These delicate little cookies are so pretty! We tried three different jellies: blackberry, strawberry and orange. We also used three different "nuts": pecans, walnuts and sesame seeds. The cookies are best if you actually follow the recipe. If you use whole eggs in the batter instead of merely the yolks, they are not as delicate, and require more flour to make the dough workable. These would be perfect to serve at formal events.

Makes about 6 dozen

2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups finely chopped nuts (pecans will make a nice dark contrast to the cookie, walnuts will be lighter and taste more delicate)
fruit preserves, at least 1 1/2 cups

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add egg yolks, salt, vanilla and flour. Beat until well mixed, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Beat egg whites with a fork until foamy. Form cookie dough into 3/4" balls. Dip into egg whites, roll in chopped nuts, and place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets, or, as I prefer on sil-pat covered baking sheets. Make a depression with a thumb or teaspoon in the center of each cookie. The deeper/wider the indentation, the more jelly will fit in, and the sweeter the cookies will be.

Bake for 8 minutes; remove from the oven, and fill centers with preserves. Return to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until lightly browned.