Chilled Steak Stroganoff Appetizer

Chilled Steak Stroganoff Spread   has never failed to draw attention - and speculation.Some sort of tasty magic occurs as the simple steak and sour cream  morph into something extraordinary   Because it looks  much like herring in sour cream, which is not  appealing to  quite a few  people, be sure to  put a little  label on the dish to indicate that  what's lurking in the sour cream is steak, not  pickled fish. 

Cut 1  1/2 c. cooked & cooled  or leftover steak into thin strips about 1 1/2" x  1", against the grain.  Mix 2 TB lemon juice, 3/4 c. sour cream, 1/2 tsp. hot sauce, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp garlic salt and 2 coarsely chopped green onions,  green tops included.  Add the steak strips and  stir lightly. Cover and chill  6 hours or longer,  stirring once or twice.  At serving time, top with paprika and  more chopped green onion tops.   Accompany this with strips or triangles of toasted bread,  Carr's white  water crackers, or cocktail size slices of pumpernickel or rye bread.   Makes about 3 unusually tasty cups.

Kaleidoscope Candy

There are sweet/salty/sour flavors in each pretty bite of this festive treat.  Thanks to  my friend Mary Frances, party-giver extraordinaire, for a  recipe that's as visually appealing as it is tasty.

Combine 1/2 c. chopped macadamias, 1/2 c lightly toasted chopped pistachios, 1 cup dried tart cherries or cranberries, 1 c.  pastel mini marshmallows, and  1 c. jellied sour candies  -- such as Jelly Bellies --   cut  or halved.  Cut them even if they are  much smaller than regular jelly beans--otherwise when you cut the candy  whole pieces will fall out.    Mix with 16 oz.  melted white chocolate and spread evenly in a parchment-lined  9x9 pan. I've used both  white chocolate chips and white candy bark.   Cover and chill. Refrigeration is not necessary once set.   It will  need to come to  room temperature later to slice  neatly. 

Sugarplum Cake

   "Visions of sugarplums"!  Here's a   5-ingredient  treat  with a crunchy, crusty, sugary top,  to be  enjoyed  any time of the year as  a pretty and delicious dessert, coffeecake  or snack cake.  I bake  several at a time and cut  the extras into serving pieces  before freezing, for  quick retrieval  in a sugar-fix emergency.   It's wonderful  eaten frozen 'solid ' too.      

Cranberries accumulate in our  freezer  every fall so we can enjoy them out of season as well.  I've used them as long as  three years later. Just toss the bags into a sealed freezer bag or containerand when its time to use them, don't thaw them, use frozen.

Adapted  from a recipe that was circulating online last year, I use  a smaller pan than called for, and add loose granulated sugar -- lots of sugar -- just  before baking to add the crunchy, sugared top.

 Preheat the oven to 350  for at least 15 minutes.   Using a mixer, beat 3 eggs with 2 cups granulated sugar  for 5-7 minutes.  Don't be tempted to be  impatient  and cut  this step short;  because  there is no leavening ( baking powder or soda)  in this recipe.... the eggs serve that purpose, so it's really essential to  beat  that long.  The volume will almost double and it should be slightly thickened and distinctly lighter in color.

Add 3/4 c softened butter or margarine, beating well, with 1 tsp. vanilla , then mix two more  minutes. Stir in 2 cups of all purpose flour  just until  incorporated. By hand, stir in a  12-oz bag of fresh or frozen cranberries that you've inspected for withered or spoiled  berries. (about 2+ cups). Don't  thaw them. Frozen berries won't stain the batter like some defrosted ones may.

Spread  the  really stiff  batter in a well buttered  11 x 7 pan.  Sprinkle the top  heavily with about 1/3 cup granulated  or coarse white sanding  sugar.    Bake until  the center tests done with a toothpick (coming out cleanly)   about 45-55 minutes.    Cool completely before cutting. 

Sugarplum cake is moist and rich just as it is -- adding  icing  or even powdered sugar is just too much.    If you'd like,  try topping  each serving  with a scoop of  orange-cranberry  ice cream...... just stir  a bit of  orange-cranberry relish into softened vanilla ice cream and refreeze.   If you're concerned about sodium, use unsalted butter.  There are   loads  of  carbs in this  cake but very little sodium.