Plum Jam- No Pectin Way

6 cups Plums
3 cups Sugar
1 TBLS vanilla
1 TBLS Lemon Juice.

Water Bath 10 minutes

Sarah Bernhardt Cookies

• 6 ounce(s) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (for filling)
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar, (for filling)
• 1/2 cup(s) water
• 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (for filling)
• 1/4 pound(s) almond paste
• 1/4 cup(s) sugar, (for cookie)
• 1 large egg white, (for cookie)
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) pure almond extract
• pinch(s) salt
• 12 ounce(s) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (for coating)
• 2 tablespoon(s) pure vegetable shortening

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Directions

1. Make the filling: In a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, and simmer until clear, about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Place egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer stand fitted with the whisk attachment; with machine on medium, beat in hot sugar syrup. Increase speed to high, and continue beating until cool and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to medium, and gradually drizzle in cooled chocolate, beating until fully combined; if necessary, stop to scrape down sides of bowl. Refrigerate until firm and cold, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper; set aside
4. Make the cookies: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine almond paste and sugar; beat until smooth. Add egg white, almond extract, and a pinch of salt; beat to combine. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip (Ateco #11). Pipe 1-inch cookies onto a prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie.
5. Bake until firm and golden around edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies may be stored at this stage in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
6. Place cookies dome-side down on a cooling rack. Place filling in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch tip (Ateco #11), and pipe a peaked mound onto the flat side of each cookie. Transfer to freezer until very firm, about 1 hour.
7. Make the coating: In a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Stir in shortening. Cool to barely warm.
8. Remove cookies from freezer. Working quickly so that the filling doesn't melt, use a chocolate fork to hold cookie above bowl of chocolate, and spoon melted chocolate over cookie. Place filling-side up on cooling rack placed over a baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Snickerdoodles

• 2 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon(s) cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 8 tablespoon(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup(s) pure vegetable shortening
• 1 3/4 cup(s) sugar, plus more if needed
• 2 tablespoon(s) ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
• 2 large eggs

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
2. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
3. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Peppermint Meringues with Chocolate Filling

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup(s) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) pure peppermint extract
• Red gel-paste food coloring
• 1 cup(s) heavy cream
• 6 ounce(s) good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; secure corners with masking tape. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Ateco #22). Set aside.
2. Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.
4. Using a new small paintbrush, paint 2 or 3 stripes of red food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch-high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time.
5. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
6. Meanwhile, make ganache: Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let ganache cool at room temperature, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until thick enough to hold its shape, about 45 minutes. (If ganache sets before using, reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; repeat the cooling process.)
7. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5) with ganache. Pipe a small amount onto bottom of 1 meringue. Sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining ganache and meringues. Transfer to wire racks; let set 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Slow Cooker Pizza

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (8 ounce) package rigatoni pasta
• 1 (16 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of tomato soup
• 2 (14 ounce) jars pizza sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced pepperoni sausage

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off grease.
2. In slow cooker, alternate layers of ground beef, noodles, cheese, soup, sauce and pepperoni.
3. Cook on Low setting for 4 hours.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Cranberry Eggnog Cornbread Scones

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, chilled
• 3/4 cup craisins (sweetened, dried cranberries)
• 2/3 cup eggnog

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Stir the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl until blended. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives until coarse crumbs form. Mix in the craisins. Use a fork to stir in the eggnog and make a sticky dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; dip hands in flour and knead the dough about 10 times. Pat the dough out into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Dip a 2 inch diameter biscuit cutter into some flour, and cut out 8 to 10 rounds. Place rounds about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Use up remaining dough by patting it into a smaller disk and cutting again.
4. Bake in preheated oven until risen and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.