The Other Woman Cooks

It started a few weeks ago. I made a batch of cashew brittle for a friend with a bad back, remember ? Just last week a second buddy had surgery and in two weeks yet another pal o' mine is scheduled for a procedure. Homemade candy makes a thoughtful and yummy get well present. And this particular recipe is as easy as it gets. When my children were young 'uns, I liked to make this candy for them. Not that candy is ever really good for you but ... using honey and nuts and good quality chocolate makes these bite sized confections a step better than fillers and waxy chocolate found in commercial brands. Not to mention, the husband (AKA Farmer Paul) doesn't complain about the bits and pieces (they call them seconds in the candy trade) that aren't pretty enough to make the nifty gifty boxes. CHOCOLATE DIPPED NUANT 1/2 cup honey 1 teaspoon lemon or orange juice 1-3/4 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate 4 ounces white chocolate 2 wooden spoons 12 x 12 c...

No special utensils are needed to make these scrump-dilly-umptious cocoa almond rum balls. Have your mini-food processor handy to fine chop the almond slivers and grind the vanilla wafers. A grater to get enough white chocolate shavings to roll the candies in for the finishing touch and you're good to go. You'll have approximately three and a half dozen yummy truffle-like sweets to give away ... or not! COCOA ALMOND RUMMIES 1 cup almond slivers, finely chopped 1 cup finely ground vanilla wafers 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder 3 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup rum 1/2 cup grated white chocolate bar for rollimg Combine almonds, cookie crumbs, confectioners' sugar and cocoa in a large bowl. Mix well. Add honey and rum and stir, making sure to moisten all of the mixture evenly. Form the mixture into one inch balls with your hands and roll them in grated white chocolate. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. If desired use individual can...

It's been a bad week for my healthy eating resolve anyway. The Wedding of the Year was yesterday -- the bride and groom glowed. As for that toast -- I remembered my lines and didn't knock over any furniture. The mic was a little faulty and I think some of what I said was lost. Still, I got my point across-- this was a joyous occasion. If good wishes carry with them fate, the new Mr. & Mrs. Vito are destined for a lifetime of happiness. The caterer delivered a superb dinner with three stations ... French, Mediterranean and New England cuisine. All yummy. And we danced and sang and danced some more. It was a big friend week around here. For another of our favorite people, the surgery was reportedly a success and there's nothing like a homemade sugary treat to sweeten recovery time. Capping off all the candy and toast making, I'm back on the Flat Belly Diet! I've lost just nine pounds not the fifteen I was hoping for but I'm so far down this road there's ...