Almond Caramel Bars

Surprise the brown baggers in your family by tucking in one of these cookies with the usual lunchtime fare. Chewy and easy to make, they are topped with a rich caramel-nut glaze.

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup chopped almonds
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon milk

In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, granulated sugar, ½ cup of the almonds and ½ cup of the brown sugar; beat until well blended. Spread batter evenly in a greased 9-inch-square baking pan. Bake in a 350 degrees oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (about 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup almonds, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and milk. Remove pan from heat.

Spread almond-sugar mixture evenly over hot baked cookies. Broil about 4 inches below eat until topping is bubbly all over and golden brown (about 2 minutes). Let cool in pan on a rack. To serve, cut into bars. Make about 24 cookies.

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Pasta and Bean Soup

Colorful and quick, this healthful soup is thick with pasta and vegetables. Use any home-cooked or canned white beans- Great Northerns, cannelloni and navy beans all work well.

1 large red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ½ quarts chicken broth
1 ½ cups dry small shell-shaped pasta
3 to 4 cups cooked or canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1 package (about 10 oz.) frozen tiny peas
Grated Parmesan cheese

Set aside 1/3 cup of the onion. In a 6-to 8-quart pan, combine remaining onion, oil, celery and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned (5 to 8 minutes). Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and beans; reduce heat, cover and simmer until pasta is tender to bite (5 to 7 minutes). Add carrots and peas; bring to a boil. Ladle soup into wide bowls and sprinkle with reserved 1/3 cup onion, offer cheese to add to taste. Make 6 to 8 servings.

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Baked Beef Stew with Carrots

This oven stew takes time to cook, but it doesn’t demand much attention.

2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium-size onions, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dry thyme
4 cups ¼ inch-thick carrot slices
Salt and pepper
About 6 cups hot mashed potatoes

In a shallow 3- to 3 1/2-quart casserole, mix beef and onions. Bake in a 450 degrees oven, stirring occasionally, until meat is well browned (40 to 45 minutes). Remove from oven. Sprinkle meat mixture with flour; stir gently to coat. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a 1 ½-quart pan, bring broth vinegar, thyme and the 1 teaspoon pepper to boil. Add to meat and onions, stirring to scrape browned bits free. Stir in carrots. Cover tightly and bake until meat is very tender when pierced (1 ½ to 2 more hours). If stew is soupy, uncover and continue to bake to reduce liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve with potatoes. Makes 6 servings.

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Blueberry-Lemon Muffins

Simple blueberry muffins get a bright flavor boost from grated lemon peel.

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
¼ cup salad oil
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg with oil until blended; then stir in milk and lemon peel. Add egg mixture to flour mixture an stir just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened (batter will be stiff). Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly among 12 greased or paper-lined 2 ½-inch muffin cups. Bake in a 375 degrees oven until muffins are golden (about 20 minutes). Turn out of pans onto racks; serve warm or at room temperature. If made ahead, let cool; then wrap airtight and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months. Make 12 muffins.

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Garden Gazpacho

Cold soups based on fresh vegetables became popular with Westerners in the 1950s. Of these, gazpacho - combining soup and salad in a single bowl- has long been a summertime favorite in California and the Southwest. The version below can take two forms. Made with chicken broth, its light and mild; if you use nippy tomato cocktail, it has more substance. Serve it well chilled, with juicy lime wedges to squeeze into each serving.

1 large cucumber (about 12 oz.)
2 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb. total), peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large red, green or yellow bell pepper (about 8 oz), seeded and chopped
1 can (about 2 1/4 oz.) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/4 cup lime juice
4 cups chicken broth or spicy tomato cocktail
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry thyme
Liquid hot pepper seasoning

Lime wedges

Peel cucumber and cut in half lengthwise; scrape out and discard seeds. Chop cucumber; place in a large bowl and add tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, lime juice, broth, garlic, onions and thyme. Stir well; season to taste with hot pepper seasoning.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until next day. Before serving, stir well. Ladle into bowls and serve with lime wedges. Makes 8 servings.

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Sweet Potato Soup

Thick, smooth sweet potato soup is a nice opener for a cool-weather dinner. Try it before an entree of pork tenderloin or roast chicken.

3 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced
About 6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)
salt and pepper
Cilantro leaves (optional)

In a 4- to 5-quart pan, combine sweet potatoes and 6 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat; then reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are enough to mash readily (about 20 minutes). With a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a food processor or blender; add curry powder and a little of the broth. Whirl until smoothly pureed.

Return puree to pan; add tomato paste, lemon juice and sherry (if used). Stir over medium heat until heated through; thin with more broth, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, if desired. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

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Water Chestnut Appetizers

Salty, smoky and sweet, these bacon-wrapped bites taste best when made ahead, the heated.

1/4 cup soy sauce
16 canned whole water chestnuts (from one 8 oz. can), drained
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup sugar

Pour soy sauce into a small bowl; add water chestnuts and let stand for 30 minutes. Cut each slice of bacon in half clockwise; then cut each piece in half again lengthwise.

Drain water chestnuts briefly. Roll each one in sugar, ten wrap in a piece of bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Arrange bacon-wrapped chestnuts on a wire rack in a shallow baking pan lined with foil. Bake in a 400 degrees even until bacon is browned and crisp (20 to 25 minutes). Drain on paper towels. Serve hop. If made ahead, let cool; then cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. To rehear, arrange in a shallow baking pan and heat in a 350 degrees oven for about 5 minutes. Make 16 appetizers.

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