Apricot Lamb Chops

½ cup apricot preserves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon bottle minced garlic
1 teaspoon lower-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 (4-oz) lamb loin chops, trimmed
Cooking spray

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Combine salt, cinnamon, and pepper, and sprinkle over both sides of lamb. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add lamb to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove skillet from heat; add apricot mixture, turning lamb to coat. Place 2 chops on each of 4 plates; spoon remaining apricot mixture evenly over chops.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 lamb chops and about 2 tablespoons sauce).

This recipe is perfect for a small, elegant buffet.

Sauté until limp:
3 large onions, thinly sliced

in
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter

Then add
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 ½ oz.) can chopped ripe olives
½ cup chopped cooked country ham
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt to taste, if necessary

Cook until all of mixture is very well blended. Stir in:
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cook a few minutes and stir until blended. Cut into 8 to 10 thick slices── not quite all the way through to bottom─1 whole tenderloin of beef. Spoon the stuffing between the slice at the thin tail end, fold over the tail with some stuffing. Then skewer the stuffing and fillet with a skewer running from one end through to the other end. Freeze or refrigerate. When ready to serve, return to room temperature and roast at 400 degrees for 50 minutes on rack. Brush once with oil. Let the tenderloin rest ten minutes, slice all the way through and serve.

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetend cocoa
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (10.5-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting

Whisk together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in flour and chopped pecans. Pour batter into a greased and floured 15-x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; top warm cake evenly with marshmallows. Return to over, and bake 5 minutes. Drizzle Chocolate Frosting over warm cake. Cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting:
Makes 2 cups
Prep: 10 minutes

1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar sifted
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Beat all ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup boiling water
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs

Melt butter in boiling water. Add flour and salt all at once; stir vigorously. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball that doesn't separate. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add eggs one at a time, beating vigorously after each until smooth. Drop scant teaspoon onto pan and bake 2 inches apart in 400 degrees oven for 25 minutes.

Stuff shells with tuna or chicken salad.

3/4 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup honey

Mix oil, honey, sugar, flour and spices and soda using mixer. Add 1 egg (well beaten) and 1 cup pecans. Press mixture into greased 8 x 12 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Spread with frosting.

Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix well and spread over cookies. Cut into bars.