• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tbl. Honey
• 1 cup milk
• Few drops of vanilla extract

Put cocoa, honey, and tablespoon of milk in a cup and stir until smooth and shiny. Gradually pour in remaining milk. Heat in microwave oven for 2 minutes or until hot, but not boiling. Add vanilla, stir, and enjoy. Be sure to stir constantly while heating milk. Serve with a cookie or graham cracker before bed or naptime!

• 2 cups frozen strawberries or raspberries
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tbl. lemon juice

Partially thaw frozen berries to just until slightly icy. Do not drain. Put berries, water, honey, and lemon juice into a blender container. Cover and blend on high speed for 1 min. or until mixture is smooth. Pour into loaf pan. Cover pan with foil. Place pan in freezer for 6 hours or until mixture is firm. Remove pan from freezer for about 15 minutes before serving. Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to scoop or scrap ice into serving bowls.

• 3 or 4 large marshmallows
• Food coloring
• 1/4 cup of fresh fruit
• Lemon juice
• Halved apple (optional)
• Carmel dip (optional)

Push a skewer through pieces of fruit and marshmallows. To hold the totem pole upright, carefully sick the wooden skewer into an apple half. Use food coloring and clean paintbrushes to paint faces on the marshmallows. Let the food coloring dry. If using apples or nectarines, brush the cut surfaces of fruit with lemon juice to keep from turning brown

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 2 cups beef broth
• salt and pepper for taste
• 2 cups cooked potatoes
• 1 tbl. butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 slices cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Brown ground beef and drain fat. Add chopped onion, diced carrot, broth, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 min or until meat is tender. Thicken with 2 tbl. corn starch dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Stir until smooth and bubbling. Pour into a deep baking dish. Mash potatoes with butter and milk. Spread slices of cheese over meat mixture then pile potatoes on top, or until peaks of potatoes are golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

• 4 cups fresh fruit
• 1 cup whipped topping
• 2 small boxes instant pudding
• Garnish with raisins, coconut, and nuts

Make pudding according to box directions. Prepare fruit, wash and cut into small pieces. Put garnishes in readily available piles. Begin layering pudding, fruit, and garnishes in any way you would like. Be creative! Top with whipped topping. Yields 6-8 servings.

• 5 medium apples
• 1 pound caramels
• 2 tablespoons water

Wash, dry and cut up the apples into bite size pieces. Divide and place in 6 individual bowls. In a small saucepan or in microwave oven, heat the caramels and water stirring constantly. When melted and smooth, pour over apples. Wait until cool before serving. Yields 6 servings.

• 1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. each nutmeg and cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat together the eggs, oil, pumpkin, and sugars. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Stir in water and mix gently. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake 1 hr. or until toothpick comes out clean. Wait 10min. before cooling on rake. Yield 1 loaf (24 small servings)

• Cucumber slices
• Cream cheese
• Celery sticks
• Green food coloring

Tint the cream cheese with food coloring. Place a dollop of cream cheese in the center of the plate. Wedge four cucumber slices into the cream cheese to resemble a four-leaf clover. Insert a celery stick at the bottom for a stem.

• 1/2 cup real butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Heat oven to 350°F. Put the butter and honey in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Add all of the other ingredients except the confectioner's sugar. Mix well with a mixing spoon. Using your hands shape small 1-inch balls with the dough and place them 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Set timer and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. When done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Put confectioner's sugar in a small bowl or on a plate, and roll the cookies in the sugar until they are coated. You may prefer to put the confectioner's sugar in a plastic bag and shake the cookies gently to coat them. (Makes 2 dozen.)

For Christmas color, roll a few cookies in red and green granulated sugar after they have been rolled in confectioner's sugar.