1/2 c Shortening

1/2 c Sugar

1/2 c Boiling water

3/4 c Molasses

2 1/4 c White flour

1 ts Ginger

1 ts Cinnamon

1 ts Baking powder

1 1/2 ts Baking soda

Beat shortening for 30 seconds. Add sugar & beat till well combined & light & fluffy. Dissolve molases in water & set aside. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients. Add to the beaten sugar & shortening. Mix in the molasses. Ensure that all is well mixed. Bake in a greased loaf tin for 35 to 40 minutes at 350F. Gail Duff, “A Book of Herbs and Spices”

6 Navel Oranges, Chilled

4 c Trimmed spinach 1 lg bunch

1 1/2 c Trimmed watercress 1 bunch

1 T Pine nuts

1/3 c Minced shallots 2-3 large

2 Garlic cloves, peel & minced

5 T White balsamic vinegar

2 t Sherry vinegar

Freshly ground pepper Peel the oranges and remove the white pith. Over a bowl positioned to catch the juice, separate the segments of each orange from the membrane with a sharp knife, discarding the seeds, and set them aside. Squeeze the residual juice from the membranes into the bowl and reserve. Combine the spinach and watercress in a mixing bowl. Put the pine nuts in a small saute pan and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts are golden brown.

Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl. Put the shallots, garlic, vinegars and reserved orange juice into the saute pan. Bring to a bowl over low heat. Stir in the black pepper (to taste), then pour the dressing over the spinach and watercress. Toss to coat. Arrange mixture on salad plates, spoon orange segments atop each and garnish with the pine nuts and, if you like, orange wheels. MAKING ORANGE WHEELS Slice an unpeeled orange into 1/4-inch rounds. Make a cute halfway across each round, from the peel to the core, and twist the sides of the cut in opposite directions so that the top half of the round will stand upright when placed on the salad.

1 c Shrimp, peeled & deveined

3 1/2 c Water

4 Kaffir lime leaves

2 Stalks lemongrass

– cut into 1″ pieces — and smashed. Use 2″ from — base only. Discard leaves 1/2 c Straw mushrooms

– (canned or fresh) 2 tb Lime juice

3 tb Fish sauce (Nam Pla)

1 ts Thai red curry paste

2 ts Sliced red & green chilis

– (or to taste) 1 tb Chopped cilantro leaves

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the curry paste, lime leaves and lemongrass. Bring to a boil again and add shrimps and mushrooms. Cook just until the shrimps are done but not overcooked. Stir in fish sauce and remove from heat. Spoon the soup into a serving bowl and add lime juice, stir to mix well. Sprinkle chilies and cilantro leaves before serving. Serve hot with cooked rice. Makes 2 servings. NOTE: Boneless chicken pieces may be used instead of shrimps. Omit the chilies if desired. Additional fish sauce may also be added to the soup at the table.

1/4 pound garlic

1 onion — chopped

8 ounces white mushrooms — sliced

4 shallots — chopped

2 quarts heavy cream

1 cup brandy

4 sprigs thyme

1 quart water

6 ounces butter

1 pound Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced thin — reserve stems

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions, shallots, garlic, Shiitake stems, white mushrooms, and saute for about one hour.

Add the brandy and let boil for 30 seconds then add 1/2 the water and bring to a simmer.

Add the heavy cream slowly, stirring it in. The total temperature should not be reduced much. Simmer for about 20 minutes, adjust consistency.

Strain, season, and add Shiitake mushrooms. Season again and serve.

1 c Chopped Dates

1/2 c Raisins

1/2 c Chopped prunes

1 c Water

1/2 c Margarine, cut into pats

2 Eggs, beaten

1 ts Vanilla, extract

1 c All-purpose flour

1 ts Baking soda

1/2 c Chopped nuts

In a saucepan, combine dates, raisins, prunes, and water. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Stir in margarine and salt. Set aside to cool. Add remaining ingredients to fruit; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into greased mini-muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (if desired, bake in a 11″ x 7″ x 2″ baking pan for 30 minutes). Yield: 32 muffins

Diabetic Exchanges: One mini-muffin equals, 1/2 fruit, 1 fat, 1/2 starch; also 94 calories, 52 mg sodium, 14 mg cholesterol, 12 gm carbohydrate, 2 gm protein, 4 gm fat. SOURCE: Fern Albertson, Spokane, WA Country Woman Magazine Sept/Oct 92