Liver Sausage Loaf

3 Strips of bacon or 1/4 C drippings
3 T chopped onion
1 lb liver sausage
2 eggs, beaten
2 C soft fresh bread crumbs
2 T chopped parsley
3/4 t salt

Lightly fry the bacon and onion.s Cut the bacon fine and add it with the fat and the onions to the liver sausage that has been minced with a fork. Add the eggs, bread crumbs, parsley and salt. Mix into a loaf and press into a bread pan. Bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 35 minutes. Serve with bite-size pieces of creamed potatoes surrounding the loaf.

Simple Feather Cake

Beat three egg yolks, add a cup of sugar and beat again. Add six tablespoons of boiling water. Beat again. Then sift together a cup of flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, pinch of salt. Add to egg mixture. Last add beaten whites of three eggs and lemon extract. Back in oiled and floured tube pan in slow oven for 35 minutes. You can frost this cake with a thin coating icing made of powdered sugar, cream and extract. This cake is so yummy!

Soft Pretzels

1/2 to 3/4 C sugar (depending on taste)
1 T yeast (or one small package)
approximately 5 C flour
2 C warm water
kosher salt
oil or butter
3 T baking powder

Activate yeast by combining yeast, warm water and sugar, stir and let stand for approximately five minutes, or until yeast is activated (bubbly). Add in flour until you get a soft dough consistency. Kneed dough until soft and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and cover in a well oiled bowl for approximately 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.

Once dough has risen,  preheat your oven to 350f.  Softly flatten and divide the dough into desired proportions for the pretzels. You can make small or large pretzels. Roll each proportion into a long roll and make a pretzel shape. Dip the pretzel into a bowl of warm water mixed with baking powder and then place onto an floured cooking sheet. You can coat the pretzels with any topping, including butter, oil, kosher salt or cinnamon and sugar.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I like to coat the pretzels with butter when I remove them from the oven and use a bit more salt. Enjoy!

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Salad

4 C watermelon cubes (bite size), seeds removed
2 T fresh chopped basil
2 C good balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Toss ingredients in large salad bowl and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Covered Oregon Blueberries

Studies show that eating dark chocolate may contribute to improved cardiovascular health. Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same healthy category as green tea and blueberries. Blueberries have shown to shrink tumors, prevent cancer, improve memory, and balance - just to name a few. So this summer when you are picking up berries at the farmers market, swing by and pick up some dark chocolate to make this nutritious-delicious sweet.

1 cup dark chocolate (chips or broken up bar)
1 tablespoon shortening
2 cups fresh Oregon blueberries, rinsed and dried

Melt chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the shortening until melted.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Add blueberries to the chocolate, and stir gently to coat. Spoon small clumps of blueberries onto the waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Store in a cool place in an airtight container. These will last about 2 days.