Jam Filled Cookies

1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 c butter, softened
2/3 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c walnut pieces, finely chopped
3/4 c strawberry jam
1 tsp icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar with electric mixer until well blended.
Seperate one of the eggs. Reserve egg white for later use. Add yolk, 2nd whole egg, and vanilla to mixture; mix well.
Gradually add combined flour and baking powder until well blended.
Divide dough into 4 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a 12x1 inch log.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a depression down the length of each log, about 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep.
Beat reserved egg whit and brush over dough.
Sprinkle with walnuts.
Warm jam in microwave for 1 minute.
Fill depressions with jam.
Bake for 25-27 minute until edges are lightly browned.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and cut each log into 12 diagonal slices.

Molten-Middle Truffle Cookies

12 squares semi sweet chocolate
1/4 c butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts
24 caramels, cut in half
1/4 c sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
Microwave chocolate and butter on high for 2 minutes until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted.
Blend in milk and vanilla.
Add flour and walnuts; mix well. Dough will be stiff.
Shape 1 level tablespoonful of dough around each caramel half, enclosinjg caramel completly.
Roll in sugar. Bake for 6-8 minutes untill cookies are shiny and soft. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

S'More Sandwich Cookies

1 pkg brick cream cheese, softened
1 c icing sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp coloured sugar
1/3 c marshmallow cream
2 squares semi sweet chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 325.
Beat cream cheese, icing sugar, butter and vanilla with an electric mixture until well blended.
Add flour and baking soda.
Mix well, cover a refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll dough to 1/8 " thickness ona lightly floured surface.
Cut into 66 cookies using a 2 inch cookie cutter.
Sprinkle half of the cookies with coloured sugar.
Bake for 12 min on an ungreased cookie sheet, until lightly browned.
Cool completly.
Spread 1 tsp marshmallow cream onto the bottom side of each plain cookie. Cover with reaming cookies, bottom side down, to form a sandwich.
Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Tiramisu

36 ladyfingers
9 oz mascarpone cheese
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
4 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 c strong coffee
1/8 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix together milk, coffee and 4 tbsp of sugar.
Soak ladyfingers in the coffee mixture.
Layer 1/2 of the soaked ladyfingers in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan.
Beat together egg yolks 2 tbsp of sugar.
Add mascarpone cheese and mix well.
Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into mascarpone mixture.
Spread 1/2 of mixture over soaked ladyfingers.
Cover with the other 1/2 of soaked ladyfingers and cover evenly with remaining cheese mixture.
Sprinkle with cocoa powder and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Chicken Parmigiana

1 egg, beaten
2 oz dry bread crumbs
2 skinless, bonesless chicken breasts
3/4 of a jar of spaghetti sauce
2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

*** This amount serves 2. To serve 4, you can easily double all ingredients**

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Pour egg into a shallow bowl.
Place bread crumbs into a different shallow bowl.
Dip the chicken into the egg and then into the bradcrumbs.
PLace coated chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes untill chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Pour 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce into a small baking dish. PLace chicken over sauce and top with remaining sauce.
Sprinkle with cheeses and bake for another 20 minutes.

Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Bruschetta

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/4 c Italian salad dressing
4 c fresh spinach, torn
1/3 c crumbled feta cheese
8 sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil, chopped
1 loaf of focaccia bread cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1/4 c olive oil

Place the chicken and 1 c of salad dressing in a bowl. Cover and marinate for 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the grill for high heat.
Lighly oil the grill and the grill the chicken, 7 minutes per side or until juices run clear.
Cool and shred.
In a large bowl, mix chicken, spinach, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and remain dressing.
Brush the bread with olive oil, and cook 1 minute per side on the grill untill lightly toasted.
Place portions of the chicken mixture on the bread and serve.

Italian Wedding Soup

1 lb extra lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c bread crumbs
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp basil
3 tbsp minced onion
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
2 c spinach - packed, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 c small pasta
3/4 c diced carrots

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion.
Shape mixture into 3/4 inch balls and set aside.
In a large stock pot heat chicken broth to boiling; stir in spinach, pasta, carrots and meatballs.
Return to a boil; reduce heat to medium.
Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minues or until pasta is cooked and meatballs are no longer pink inside.
Serve hot with parmesan chesse sprinkled on top.