1. In a medium saucepan combine candy coating and shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Gently stir in pretzel sticks. Remove coated pretzel sticks and arrange into star shapes on waxed paper (reserve remaining melted candy in saucepan). Sprinkle sticks with colored sugar or decorative candies. Chill about 1 hour or until firm. 2. Dip pretzel logs into remaining melted candy coating...

1. In a medium saucepan combine white baking pieces or candy coating and shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. 2. Gently stir in about 1 cup of the pretzel sticks. Arrange pretzel pieces into star shapes on waxed paper. Sprinkle with colored sugar...

1. For salad, combine smoked chicken or turkey, celery, and green onion in a small mixing bowl. Stir in mayonnaise or salad dressing, lemon peel, lemon juice, and pepper. Cover and chill up to 4 hours. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the tomato pulp, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Place tomato shells, cut sides down, on paper towels to drain. Let stand for 30 minutes. 2...

1. Thaw puff pastry according to package directions. Cut into sixteen 2-1/2-inch squares. Place each square in a 2-1/2-inch muffin cup. Place about 1 teaspoon of the tapenade on each square. Top with two cherry tomato quarters and some of the feta cheese. 2. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Remove from muffin cups. Garnish with fresh herb sprigs, if desired. Serve warm...

1. Cook leeks and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in sweet pepper, mustard, and herbes de Provence or basil. Cool slightly; stir in cheese. Set aside. 2. Unfold piecrust according to package directions. Roll one piecrust into a 12-inch circle atop a baking sheet. If desired, trim edge with a pastry wheel. Spoon half the leek mixture into the center of piecrust, leaving a 2-inch border...

1. For ratatouille, cook eggplant, zucchini, and onion in hot oil in a large skillet about 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in ham and pepper; cool. 2. Thaw pastry according to package directions. Unfold pastry on a lightly floured surface...

1. Bring water and lemongrass to boiling in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until cool, about 30 to 45 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid; discard lemongrass. (Add water, if necessary, to liquid to equal 1/2 cup.) Return liquid to saucepan. Sprinkle with gelatin; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Cook and stir over low heat just until gelatin dissolves; cool slightly. 2...

1. Remove stems from mushrooms and set aside for another use. Cook mushroom caps in a small amount of boiling water in a covered saucepan for 6 to 8 minutes or until softened. Drain and invert caps on paper towels. 2. Brush one phyllo sheet with melted butter. Top with second sheet; brush with melted butter. Layer with remaining phyllo and melted butter...

1. Place phyllo dough shells on an ungreased baking sheet; set aside. 2. For filling, cover snipped dried tomatoes with boiling water; let stand for 2 minutes. Drain well; set aside. Stir together eggs; half-and-half, cream, or milk; basil; salt; and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the drained tomatoes and the cheese. 3. Spoon 2 teaspoons of filling into each shell...

1. Combine rosemary and 1 clove garlic; rub evenly onto lamb chops. Place chops on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once halfway through.* Cut lamb chops into thin bite-size slices. 2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss together spinach, garbanzo beans, and cucumber. Divide spinach mixture among 4 plates. Arrange lamb slices atop spinach mixture. 3...

1. Trim fat from meat. Cut a pocket in the side of each lamb rib or loin chop; set aside. 2. Crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. (Or, place in a plastic bag; seal and crush peppercorns with the flat side of a meat mallet.) In a small bowl combine crushed peppercorns, mustard, rosemary, and garlic. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture in the pocket of each chop. Reserve remaining mustard mixture. 3...

In a large Dutch oven or kettle combine lamb shanks, water, chicken or vegetable broth, bay leaves, oregano, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat from soup; set aside to cool. Strain broth through a large sieve or colander lined with 2 layers of 100% cotton cheesecloth; discard herbs. Skim fat and return broth to Dutch oven...

1. Trim any separable fat from meat. Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-size pieces. In a 10-inch skillet heat oil; stir-fry meat for 2 to 3 minutes or until done. Remove meat from skillet. 2. Add onion and garlic to skillet; stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, tomato juice, water, vinegar, oregano, cumin, and cinnamon. Add zucchini; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until zucchini is tender...

1. In a large mixing bowl combine hot roll mix and potato flakes. In a saucepan heat yogurt and water until warm (120 degree F to 130 degree F). Mixture may appear curdled. Stir yogurt mixture and egg into flour mixture. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a ball. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook ground lamb or beef until brown...

1. In a medium mixing bowl combine egg, milk, bread crumbs, parsley, onion, 3 teaspoons of the sesame seeds, the garlic, mint, and salt. Add ground beef or lamb; mix well. Shape mixture into 24 meatballs. 2. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray coating. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. Cover skillet and cook meatballs over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until done (160 degrees F). 3...

Trim excess fat off chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly smash garlic cloves just to flatten slightly, leaving peel attached and cloves as whole as possible. Heat 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add chicken and cook until brown on all sides, about 12 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to plate. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and garlic to pot...

Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat oil in heavy medium oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add shallots and fennel. Sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and clam juice. Simmer until fennel is tender and liquid reduces slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in olives. Arrange halibut atop tomato mixture...

Using on/off turns, mince garlic and ginger in processor. Add beans, reserved bean liquid, cashew butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, and ground star anise. Process mixture to coarse puree. Add cilantro and green onion; process to combine. Transfer to bowl; garnish with whole star anise, if desired.*Available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets...

Place in large bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat:1 5- to 6-ounce bag mesclun1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drainedTop with:1 small red onion, thinly sliced ...

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450??F. Core tomatoes, then halve crosswise. Stud the cut side of each half with garlic slivers, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total). Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in a lightly oiled shallow baking pan, then drizzle evenly with 1 tablespoon oil. Roast until just soft and wilted, 15 to 20 minutes...

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and shallot in a bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified...

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large wide pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cover and cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add paprika, salt, turmeric, coriander, fennel, pepper, cumin, and ginger; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes, 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice; bring to boil. Arrange all chicken in single layer in pot; spoon some sauce over. Bring to boil...

Cut the meat into strips about 2 cm x 3 cm (3/4-inch x 1 1/4-inches). Roast the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan to bring out the flavour. Crush lightly with a pestle and mortar and mix with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little into a glass dish, top with a layer of meat strips, and season once more. Continue this way until meat and seasoning are used up. Refrigerate for a day, mixing every couple of hours so that the meat flavours evenly...

Whisk together vinegar, shallot, salt, mustard, and pepper until salt is dissolved. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.Cooks' note:Dressing keeps, covered and chilled, 1 month...

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush bread slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil; arrange bread on baking sheet. Bake until beginning to color, about 6 minutes. Rub toasts with halved garlic. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and dried red pepper and stir 30 seconds. Add kale and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes...

Make broth:Roast onions and ginger directly on rack of a gas burner over high heat, turning with tongs, until blistered and blackened, 10 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, broil onions and ginger on foil-lined rack of a broiler pan about 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, until charred, 20 to 25 minutes for onions; 25 to 30 minutes for ginger.) Transfer to a bowl and cool...

For souvlaki, mix first 5 ingredients to make a marinade and set aside. Distribute lamb, bell peppers, onion and tomatoes among 8 skewers. Place in a large shallow pan with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, rotating skewers once. Heat a gas grill to medium, or use a charcoal grill and allow the coals to turn a light-ash color. Coat grill with cooking spray. Grill until lamb is medium rare and lightly charred, 5 to 8 minutes...

Bring a 6-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add frozen broccoli, haricots verts, and edamame and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, then drain in a colander...

Scoop avocado flesh into mini processor. Add lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, and olive oil and process until smooth. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.Mix turkey, jicama, red onion, bell pepper, and 1/2 cup cilantro in large bowl. Add avocado dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide lettuce leaves among plates. Spoon salad into center and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cilantro...

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pot. Add crème fraîche and butter; mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Potatoes can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over low heat, stirring frequently...