Donna's Christmas Candy

I know Donna shudders whenever I ask (beg, rather... dare I say 'demand'?) for this delicious candy - what can I say? I'm a chocoholic and no 12-Step program can help.

Cream together:

2 boxes powdered sugar with ½ pound butter.

Add:

1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

5 tsp. Vanilla

Mix well.

Add:

½ lb. Angel Flake Coconut

½ lb. Chopped pecans

Mix well again.

Set in refrigerator to chill for one hour or more. Make into balls approximately the size of a walnut. Refrigerate over night.

The next day - or whenever you gird your loins and get ready to dip the balls - melt together 1 bar of paraffin wax - the kind you buy at your local purveyor of canning supplies - with a 12 oz. Package of chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler. Insert toothpick into balls one at a time and dip cold balls in warm paraffin chocolate. Set aside to harden. Keep in fridge... especially on a warm day.

Donna also makes this variation:

1 16oz jar of peanut butter

2 sticks oleo

1 box 4X powdered sugar

Mix together well, chill, form into balls, chill and dip in chocolate mixture made of only ½ bar paraffin melted with 12 oz bag of chocolate chips.

Jenny's Neighbor's Sugar Cookies

I don't know what LD and I would do without Lee's surprises... for Valentine's Day, 2002, she brought us a plate of these delicious sugar cookies, frosted and sprinkled with the cutest little red lips! She says they're easy... give 'em a try and let me know. I'm not a very patient cookie baker!

8 oz Butter or Margarine

1 ½ C Sugar

2 Eggs

4 tsp Almond Extract

1 tsp Baking Powder

4 ½ C Flour

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and almond flavoring then baking powder and flour. Roll out on floured board and cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 until lightly brown.

Icing:

Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Almond Extract

1 ½ tsp Corn Syrup

Add milk as needed to make thick icing

Jenny's Neighbor's Cashew Chicken

Another of Lee's specialties...

1 lb. Chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

Stir in 1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Brown in 1 Tbsp Canola or Corn oil

Add:

3 Green Onions, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger

Mix in bowl: 4 Tbsp Wine Vinegar, 4 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 4 tsp Sugar. Set aside. When the chicken is done, take it out of the pan.  Set it aside and put the onion, garlic, red pepper, ginger mixture into the pan and let it cook for about 5 minutes or so. Then put the chicken back in the pan, and add the soy sauce mixture. Let that cook for a couple of minutes. Then add cashews and cook for 2 minutes or so. Serve with hot rice.