SLOW-COOKED BABY BACK RIBS

2 racks (5 lb.) baby back ribs
3 c. water
½ c. ketchup
¼ c. apricot or peach jam
2 T. honey
1 ½ T. soy sauce
1 T. rice vinegar

Arrange cut up ribs in crock pot. Pour in water; cover, cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Transfer to platter. Heat grill or broiler. Combine remaining ingredients. Grill ribs with sauce after ribs are charred.

Raspberry Wings

1 1/2 cups Red Raspberry Preserves
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 package (5 pounds) frozen chicken wings, thawed

Directions:
1 Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.

2 In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients, except the wings, over medium heat, stirring until smooth.

3 In a large bowl, toss the wings with half of the jam mixture.

4 Place on the baking sheets and bake for 50 minutes.

5 Turn the wings and brush with the remaining jam mixture.

6 Bake for 8-10 more minutes or until no pink remains in the chicken and the sauce glazes the wings. Serve immediately.

Note: If you substitute boneless, skinless chicken tenders for the wings, just reduce the baking time to about 15 minutes. And for a change, you might even want to try this with Peach Jam instead of Raspberry.

Peach-Ham Appetizers

8 thin slices whole wheat bread
1 10oz jar Peach Jam
1/4 lb. Smoked Ham, very thinly sliced
Dijon Mustard to taste


1 Lay bread slices out on the cutting board. Spread half the bread slices with a thin layer of peach jam.

2 Arrange sliced ham on top. Spread the other bread slices with a thin layer of Dijon mustard and set on top of the ham.

3 With a serrated knife, trim the crust.

4 To serve, cut into squares, triangles, or fingers.

Jam Cushions

8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup butter
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
1 cup strawberry jam


Blend cheese, butter and flour to make a dough. Chill 3 hours.

Combine nuts and jam.

Divide dough into 4 pieces and work with one piece at a time. Roll out thin and cut into 2-inch circles. Top center of circles with 1 tsp. nut/jam. Cover with another circle and seal edges by pressing with a fork.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Strawberry-Filled Hazelnut Cookies

1 cup hazelnuts (or filberts)
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup pastry flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cardamom or coriander
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup corn oil
1/3 cup strawberry jam or preserves

Chop hazelnuts and place in blender or food processor.
Buzz to a coarse flour, pour into a mixing bowl. Buzz
oatmeal in the blender to make a flour, add to the ground
nuts. Add salt, spices, and pastry flour.

Combine maple syrup and oil.

Pour over dry ingredients and mix to coat evenly. Form
walnut-size balls and place on an oiled cookie sheet.
Press cookies with thumb, making a small print to fill
with jam. Fill each thumbprint with a half-teaspoon of
jam. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes until
golden brown. Allow to cool before removing from tray and
sampling.

*Vary the ingredients to suit your taste. I usually use
walnuts or pecans instead of hazelnuts or filberts. Any
flavor jam or preserves can be used and many companies now
make them without sugar, using only fruit juice as the
sweetener. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.