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Show The Beaver Press - November 25, 2010 - Page 4 Have A Holiday Dessert Party With A Peppermint Twist (NAPS)—An easy way lo entertain during the holidays is to have a dessert party. It's great for the host because the time needed to make and serve dessert and beverages is much less than when a whole meal is planned. And guests almost always have time to make one last stop for something sweet, no matter what else is happening on a particular evening. Here are a few hints to make your dessert party a little sweeter: * Think red, white and pink instead of the usual red and green when coming up with decorations and recipes to serve family and friends. Tuck candy canes of various sizes in centerpieces and vases for an unexpected bit of fun. * Save time and trouble for yourself by preparing the desserts ahead of time. That way, you too can enjoy the party and spend time with your guests. * Serve the perfect holiday pair—frosty peppermint just tastes like the holidays and creamy chocolate is always popular. Combining the two can be even more delightful when you put out a pair of decadent desserts such as these made with Dreyer's or Edy's Slow Churned Peppermint Light Jce Cream. With half the fat and one-third fewer calories than regular ice ere urn, no one has to leave feeling like a bowl full of jelly. Upside-Down Peppermint Ice Cream Cake 1 box chocolate cake mix % can chocolate frosting 1 container DreyerWKdy*s Slow Churned Peppermint Light Ice Cream Peppermint candies or candy canes Make t w o 9«inoh c a k e s according to the package directione; cool completely. Remove from pan and cut the Peppermint fee cream takes the cake In this delicious dessert, rounded top off one of the cakes to make one oven layer. Wrap and freeze the second cake for later use. Soften ice cream at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Wash pans and dry completely. Line therm with plastic wrap or parchment. Carefully spread the ice cream in the pan using the entire container. Freeze for one hour or until very firm. Remove from freezer and spread the frosting over the ice cream and put the trimmed cake over the frosting. Cover tightly and freeze overnight. To serve, let frozen cake sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Unwrap and invert cake onto serving dish. Remove plastic wrap or parchment from the ice cream. Sprinkle crumbled pieces of peppermint candies over top of cake. Serve slices with whipped cream and garnifih with candy canes, if desired. Peppermint Ice Cream Lollipops 1 container Dreyer's/EdyJs Slow Churned Peppermint Light Ice Cream Lollipop sticks 4 oz bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips The city of Pasadena, Calif., derives Its ntmo from an Indian word meaning "valley between the hills." John Loud, an American inventor, patented a bait point pen In 1888. Ico cream lollipops can please guests of any age. 4 oz white chocolate or white chocolate chips 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening Holiday sprinkles and candies Place a plate or other flat surface lined with parchment naper in the freezer for 15 minutes. Make round scoops of ice cream and place on parchment. Put a lollipop stick in each scoop of ice cream and freeze for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. When you are ready to dip the lollipops, melt chocolate and 1 tablespoon shortening in a bowl in the microwave. Use 20-second intervals until smooth. (Should take 40-60 seconds and no longer. Do not scorch the chocolate.) Let sit while repeating the process to melt the white chocolate and 1 tablespoon of shortening in the microwave until smooth. Place different sprinkles in separate sm all bowls. Dip each lollipop halfway into the chocolate and dip into sprinkles. Immediately put back into freezer to set. Repeat with remaining ice cream. Freeze completely before serving. For more holiday ice cream dessert ideas and recipes, visit www.icecream.com. In ancient Egypt, only pharaohs were allowed to eat mushrooms. To solve the human equation, we need to add love, subtract hate, multiply good and divide between truth and error. —Janet Coleman *•* Welcome to another episode of • "This Old Light Bulb." Compact fluorescents draw about one-quarter of the energy of a regular incandescent bulb. They also last seven to IO-times longer. You can save $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime, so they more than pay for themselves. Plus, you'll be doing something to reduce your carbon footprint. For more energy and money-saving answers, go to rockymountalnpower.net. ROCKY MOUNTAIN POWER Let's Urn the answers on. Ask a , Specialist: How Can I Make My Holiday Dollar Stretch? LOGAN, UT - Answer by: Joanne Roueche, Utah State University Cooperative Extension family and consumer sciences associate professor, Davis County With the holidays rapidly approaching, It Is more important than ever to find ways to make the most of resources and avoid post-holiday debt. Consider these ideas to help stretch your holiday dollar. Enjoy the benefits of using coupons and discounts when shopping. Get an early start to take advantage of sales, discount coupons and free shipping. • Watch for craft storecoupons. Most craft stores offer a multitude of gifts beyond those for the crafter on your list. Look for ideas such as candies for neighbors or an art set for the budding artist. Using a coupon can often reduce the price 40 to 50 percent. • Look for department store coupons in newspapers and online. Many stores will offer a one-Item discount coupon of up to 50 percent. • Don't overtook the sales on drug and grocery items. Items can often be obtained very inexpensively or even free with coupons. These can make a nice gift basket or stocking stuffer. • Watch holiday grocery ads. Stock up on baking items that often do not go on sale other times of the year. Combined with coupons, this can be a great time to stock the pantry shelves. Recycle and reuse. Remember that Mother Nature deserves a gift this year, too. • Recycle clothing into reusable items. Old woolen items can be felted into mittens and bags, old jeans can be made into quilts and scraps of fabric into bags for gift giving. Add an extra special touch by recycling fabrics that have a sentimental meaning to the recipient. • Recycle old CD's into Christmas ornaments. Decorate them with old Christmas cards, photos of family or recycled holiday wrap. Have the family gather to make the ornaments. •.Take advantage of the discount offered by home Improvement centers to trade your ofd lights for new light-emitting diode lights. LED string lights use only a fraction of the energy required by standard mini-lights. These new lights are more expensive but last up to 100,000 hours or 20 years. These lights produce very little heat and eliminate much of tine fire hazard of other holiday lighting. • Find a decorative bag or box that can be used as part of the gift. Recycle old "holiday gift wrap by making holiday shred or gift tags. Use hair bows in place of gift bows, then the bow becomes part of the gift instead of part of the landfill. • Give from the heart. This year, look at ways to spend less and give more. Create gifts that have lasting memories and will be cherished long after the holidays are over. • Make a CD of a special event or family pictures. Make a photo book to share the memories of a wedding, new baby or vacation. Create a family cookbook of cherished recipes. • Help family .members accomplish their goals. Young families often need help providing swim lessons, soccer equipment or art lessons. • Give gifts that provide family time together. A family pass to a museum, zoo or the swimming pool is an opportunity for quality family time. • Start financial education early for children. Open a 529 college account, a savings account or buy a special stock certificate to get them started. • Remember to give to charity. The greatest holiday lesson a child can learn is the importance of giving to those in need. November and December are great times to donate to charity. A receipt for tax deductions can help you while helping someone else. When You're Ready For Some Football Buffalo wings and blue cheese can give your game-watching party: some extra zest (NAPS)—When the football season is in full swing, there's hardly a better opportunity to entertain in style than to invite friends over for a good game, good food and good times. There may be no better place to find the "good food" than in the coo! aisles of your grocery store, where you will find delicious', easy^to-make-and-serve game day delights. In the refrigerated dairy aisle, you can check out the many cheeses, dips, breads, yogurts, juices, eggs and more—all available to create great recipes or to serve with accompanying crackers and chips. In the frozen aisle, you can check out the many selections of pizzas, chicken tenders, prepared appetizers and dips, mozzarella sticks, egg rolls, Mexican ynacks and more. You'll also find a great selection of buffalo chicken wings—always a crowd pleaser. You can try this popular recipe to have everyone talking: Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip 1 large bag/box frozen buffalo chicken wings (NAPS)—It may be the hottest thing in baking, and chances arc you don't even know about it. With the USDA issuing new "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" that focus on battling obesity and related health problems, limiting saturated fats is on everyone's mind. But what can replace butter and shortening in baked goods without sacrificing one iota of their sinfully good taste? Thg.answer: qlivt- qil. "Olive oil is a smart choice for increasing your intake of monounsaturated fat," says Lisa A. Sheldon, MS, author of the "Olive Oil Baking" cookbook. "It also has 70 percent loss saturated fat than butter." Understand: We're not talking thi? kind of olive oil you pour on salads. Sheldon's recipe below is made with Pornpeian Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil, and the result is one very tasty, moist and lightly textured pound cake. Another plus, in general, of olive oil over butt-er in baking? Less is more: A recipe calling for 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of butter, say, requires only 2>'i teaspoons of Pompeian. 1 package (8,oz.) cream cheese, softened 1 cup sour cream 1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled blue cheese 2 green onions, finely chopped 1 TW-j. dried parsley l A tap. garlic powder Salt, and pepper, to taste ' y chicken wings according to package directions. For dip, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill in refrigerator until serving. Great with celery and carrot sticks, too. Serves 6-8. You can also find scrumptious desserts in the cool aisles of the store. The many tasty cakes, pies and ice cream selections can mean. that whether a favorite team wins; or loses, your guests will go home happy. The National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association has many more recipes and ideas for all meal occasions as well as important safety tips and interesting information on frozen and refrigerated foods. Just visit www.EasyHome Meals.com. To become a Facebook fan, dee www.Facebook.com/Easy HomeMeals. Cranberry Walnut Pound Coke A ' cup finely chopped walnuts: 1 cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Generously coat a Buadt pau. with oil. ii\ a smaU bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, belting soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a handheld mixer until light and slightly increased in volume. Add the sugar slowly while continuing to beat. The mixture will become light at>d fluffy. Add the olive oil and vanilla extract and beat another 2 minutes. Cranberry Walnut Pound Cake Alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour Serves 12-16 cream to the batter, beating between additions. Gently Ingredients: fold in the chopped nuts and 1 cup all-purpose flour cranberries. 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (OR) 2 cups all-purTransfer the batter to the pose flour prepared pan. Bake at 350° F for 60-65 Vi tsp. baking powder X minutes or until a toothpick A tsp. baking soda inserted into the center comes 1 tsp. salt out clean. V* tsp. cinnamon Cool in the pan on a wire 4 large eggs rack for 10 minutes. Then VA cups granulated sugar Vi cup Pompeian Extra Light invert the pan onto rack to remove and cool completely. Tasting Olive Oil 1 tsp. vanilla extract For more recipes, visit % cup low-fat sour cream www.pompcian.com. - For the family member who has everything, donate to a favorite charity, adopt an angel in their name or contribute to preserve an endangered species. Or, consider buying a farm animal, seeds or water for people in developing nations. • Donate old towels and blankets .to an animal shelter or humane society for a furry friend. Many shelters will also take home-baked dog or cat treats. Be sure to use a recipe designed for animal consumptions. AKC often has recipes on their website. • Don't forget yourself. The greatest gift you can give yourself is to stay within budget. Remove the stress that comes from overspending and remember the true meaning of the season. *•• Life happens at the level of events, nql words. —Alfred Adler Joy is importantly different from mere pleasure. Joy has in it the real recognition of the contrasts and depths and problems of life. Joy is an act of courage because it can carry you through anxieties and sorrow. —Lady Bird Johnson *** *#* The pat on the back, the arm around the shoulder, the praise for what was done right and the sympathetic nod for what wasnt are as much a part of golf as life itself. —Gerald R, Ford Some'minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles. :• —Washington Irving |