Last week found our family hitting the road for Wichita and McPherson, Kansas.
After a fun Saturday morning at the Cook’s Nook we returned to Wichita. That
night we attended a big fall barn party at the home of our cousins, Becky &
Donnie Cornejo. What wonderful hosts these two people are. It was so nice to sit
back and enjoy an event where I wasn’t cooking. They entertained us with music
and entertainers from wild shoot-outs to crazy dance hall girls. My favorite was
the Mariachi band and the delicious fruit cobblers cooked in Dutch ovens. Wait,
I’m wrong, my favorite was the hayrack ride and then the Mariachi band!! Phillip,
our son, looked at me just before we were about to head to our motel and said:
‘Mom don’t you want to go on a hayride?’ ‘Let’s do it!’ I told him and the entire
family had such a fun fun time.
While I was in McPherson I stopped in at the Cook’s Nook as many of you are
aware. I gathered ‘ammunition’ for an upcoming football dinner at our home.
Yes this Friday we’ve invited a great group of 8th
before the high school home game. I still don’t know what the menu is going to
be, but I’m sure we will have a fun time. Phillip hates to see his Jr. High football
season come to an end. His play time has increased and he truly enjoys the
entire ‘team’ atmosphere.
I’m presenting you with a new little appetizer or dessert to use at one of your
tailgate events or baseball playoffs! (Go Royals, Go Cardinals) I would encourage
you to pick up the apricot halves way in advance of when you need them. For
some reason there were very few in the Branson West grocery stores. Another
thing I noticed was the varying sizes. One label had large plump apricots and the
next label had smaller ones. Try to stay with the same label so they are consistent
on your presentation. I also found the one tablespoon scoop was a bit too big
for most ‘canned’ apricots. Therefore the Ziploc bag approach may be the best
approach. Have you ever wondered how many halves are in a can of apricots?
It’s somewhere around 14-17 depending upon the size.
I did a ‘big’ dinner party for 30 yesterday and I can definitely say I am ready for
the weekend. (Monday and Tuesday for me) I’m grabbing some friends from
Minnesota and my husband, Ervin, and heading down to Eureka Springs, Arkansas
for lunch and a bit of shopping on Monday. Tuesday brings the final football
game of the year for the 8th
and working the concession stand on Tuesday nights.
Our friends from up north also told me they have a bag of Macintosh apples for
us. I can hardly wait, as they are so tasty and sweet. Have an enjoyable week
my friends and grab hold of a big slice of life. Simply yours, The Covered Dish.
Thecovereddish.com. Come cruise with me March 15th
Stuffed Apricots
Fresh or canned apricot halves
1 (8 ounce) cream cheese
1/4 cup Glazed roasted pecans, finely ground
Glazed roasted pecans, left in halves or smaller for garnish
2 tablespoons cinnamon syrup, (used sugar free this week)*
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Soften cream cheese in microwave and whisk in syrup, sugar and any extracts, if
used. Lastly stir in the chopped pecans. Place inside a Ziploc bag or pastry filler.
If using a Ziploc trim off one corner for filling the apricots. Some may choose to
fill using a one tablespoon cookie scoop. Place the filling inside the apricots and
top with a small piece of glazed roasted pecan.
*Another alternative could be praline syrup or 1 teaspoon of maple flavoring. I
added the brown sugar because the sugar free seemed to need it. If you’re not
using sugar free syrup you may need to omit the brown sugar.
The Glazed Pecans are found with the regular nuts on the baking aisle at big
stores like Walmart, etc.
