Ingredients

1  stick Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Sticks, softened

1  cup Domino® granulated sugar

1  cup Domino® firmly packed light brown sugar

2  large eggs

1  tsp McCormick ®pure Vanilla extract

2 1/2  cups Pillsbury® all-purpose  flour

1  tsp Arm & Hammer® baking soda

1/8  tsp salt

1 12-oz pkg M&M’S® Dark Chocolate Candies

            Directions
In a large bowl, mix granulated and brown sugars, eggs, Crisco butter flavor stick, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture.  Blend together well.  Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.  Drop dough by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Slightly push a few M&M's on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.  Bake at 350 degrees F  for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

http://www.mms.com

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       Sweet, creamy avocado shakes are a favorite dessert or mid-afternoon snack of the Vietnamese.  Avocados, referred to as "butter fruit" around the region, are used as a dessert ingredient throughout Vietnam and southeast Asia.

Ingredients:
1 large, ripe avocado
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup sweetened, condensed milk
1 cup ice cubes
lemon slices (optional)

Directions:
Slice avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop small pieces of the avocado, flesh and fruit, into blender. Next add vanilla, yogurt, ice cubes, and sweetened, condensed milk to blender.  Blend on medium-high speed until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
Pour Smoothie into glasses, garnish with a lemon slice (optional), and enjoy .....recipe makes 2 servings.

Global variations on the Avocado Smoothie:
     Called "Es Apokat" in Indonesia, strong coffee is substituted for the milk. Another Indonesian variation to the shake above, calls for dripping about 1/4 cup chocolate syrup around the edges of a tall glass before pouring in the shake. Very pretty and very delicious!

     Brazil's version is called "Creme de Abacate" and calls for adding a squeeze of lime juice to the above Avocado smoothie recipe.  Again, another delectable treat.

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What a great way to enjoy your favorite garden grown tomatoes this summer.  From the vine to the table in under 20 minutes.

          Broiled Tomatoes

2 Tbls breadcrumbs

1 Tbls Kraft grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp McCormick Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp McCormick Seasoned Salt

4 large ripe red tomatoes

4 tsp Crisco Olive Oil

          Preparation

Core and cut in half crosswise all 4 tomatoes.  Mix cheese, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, and seasoned salt thoroughly in small bowl.  Sprinkle sliced side of each tomato with mixture.  Next drizzle each tomato half with approximately 1/2 tsp of olive oil.  Place each half of tomato, coated side up on foil-lined broiler pan.  Place pan in preheated broiler for around 4 minutes or until tomato tops are brown and bubbly, and tomato is hot.

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    Ingredients 

1/4 c. Crisco vegetable oil

1/2 c. whole milk

1 egg

1/2  tsp. salt

2  tsp. Clabber Girl baking powder

1/2  c. granulated sugar

1 3/4 c. Pillsbury Whole Wheat flour
1 c. chopped fresh strawberries

1 c.  finely chopped pecans

           Preparation

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan if liners are not used. 

2.  In a small bowl, combine oil, milk and egg. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, pecans, and sugar. Blend in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.

3.  Put paper liners in pan and pour mixture in muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the tops bounce back from the touch.  Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

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Ingredients:
1 can (12 ounces) Spam
8 slices of whole grain white bread
Softened butter
4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
4 oz monterey jack cheese, thinly sliced
16 oz jar of ORTEGA medium Salsa Verde

OPTIONS:  Try Hickory Smoked or Bacon SPAM in place of regular SPAM.

Preparation:Lightly butter both sides of each piece of bread and brown in skillet until lightly toasted.  Set aside when done. Slice the spam into 8 pieces about 1/4-inch thick. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high. Grill the spam until nicely browned and slightly crisp on both sides.  Put 2 slices side by side on one piece of grilled bread. Top with a slice of each cheese, and then spread a tablespoon of salsa verde on top of cheese slices.  Place another slice of bread on top and grill in skillet until cheeses melt.  Repeat until all four sandwiches are grilled, then serve immediately.  Enjoy!
 

SPAM recipes and products

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Someone, somewhere declared January 6th, Bean Day.  Why I don't know, but it makes for a chance to share a nice hearty soup.  A good, hearty meal for the coldest of days.  Goes well with a thick chunk of Pumpernickel, or a wedge of cornbread.

Ingredients
1 pkg Hurst Beef 15 Bean Soup®
(contains these varieties of beans:  Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Blackeye, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split, Kidney, Cranberry, Small White, Pink, Small Red, Yellow Split, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, Black Bean.)
4 cups water
1/2 pound cooked and drained ground beef
2 14.5 oz cans Hunt's Diced Tomatoes w/Balsamic Vinegar, Basil, and oil®
1 cup chopped celery
1 med yellow onion, diced
1 med green bell pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 14.5 oz can of corn

Directions
     Rinse beans and place in med/large stock pot, add enough water to cover beans plus and additional 2-3 inches.  Soak for approximately 4 hours. Once beans have swollen and softened, rinse pot and beans completely. 
     Next place beans back in pot, add 4 cups water, canned tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, onion, and celery.  Cover and bring heat to medium.  Meanwhile, heat skillet with light amount of oil.  Using ground beef, pinch off grape size pieces of ground beef, form small balls and place in skillet to brown. Stir soup occassionally throughout cooking process. 
     When beef is thoroughly cooked and browned add to stock pot.  Simmer soup mixture for 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer and add corn to soup mixture 30 minutes prior to serving.

NK Hurst Bean Co
Hunts tomato products

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December 24

Egg Nog Recipe

Ingredients

12 eggs
3 pints heavy cream

1 cup granulated sugar
nutmeg
1 cup Bacardi Rum
1 cup Courvoisier Cognac
1/2 tsp salt

DirectionsSeparate egg yolks and whites.  Beat yolks until light in color.  Slowly add bourbon, and cognac, while beating at slow speed.  Chill for 3 hrs.  In second bowl add egg whites, then salt and beat till whites form peaks.  In third bowl whip cream until stiff.  Next fold whipped cream into chilled yolk mixture, then fold in the beaten egg whites.  Chill for one hour.  Serve in a punch bowl or large pitcher.  Sprinkle nutmeg on top of each glass served.

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