ARIES (March 21-April 19) “There’s always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in,” wrote novelist Graham Greene. I’ll add to that: There are at least three moments in adulthood when a new door opens and invites the rest of the future in.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) In 1967, John McCain was a U.S. Navy pilot fighting in Vietnam. Shot down during a bombing mission, he was captured and jailed in the notorious Hanoi Hilton prison camp, where he was tortured. After being freed in 1973, he returned to the United States and eventually launched a political career.

Tiramisu Cheesecake

1 package (12 ounces) vanilla wafers (about 88), divided 

5 teaspoons instant coffee, divided 

3 tablespoons hot water, divided 

4 package (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 

1 cup sugar 

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs 

1 cup thawed whipped topping

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Line a 13-by-9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spread half the wafers onto bottom of prepared pan. Add 2 teaspoons coffee granules to 2 tablespoons hot water; stir until dissolved. Brush half onto wafers in pan; reserve remaining dissolved coffee for later use. 

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Remove 3½ cups batter; place in medium bowl. Stir remaining coffee granules into removed batter; spread over wafers in pan. Top with remaining wafers; brush with remaining dissolved coffee. Cover with remaining plain batter. 

Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate three hours. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan. Spread with whipped topping just before serving; sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Easy as Bing Cherry Pie

This recipe is from the California Cherry Advisory Board.

Bottom crust:

1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust

Pie filling:

5 cups fresh cherries, pitted

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon tapioca flour

Crumb topping:

½ cup regular rolled oats

¼ cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter, melted

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Vanilla ice cream (optional) 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Have crust ready. Pit cherries. Combine the pitted cherries in a bowl with sugar and tapioca flour. Mix well and spoon into the prepared pie crust. Combine the remaining ingredients (except for the ice cream) into a small bowl and mix until evenly distributed and crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the filling. Place in the oven and bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly and browned on top. Allow to cool to room temperature. Top each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Makes 8 servings.

Warm Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

This third-place winner comes from Nadine VandeWalker of Cicero. 

Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad

This recipe from Ellie Krieger is from www.foodnetwork.com.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 heart romaine lettuce, torn or cut into bite-size pieces (3 cups lightly packed)

One 8-ounce container of strawberries, hulled and sliced

3 ounces of part-skim mozzarella cheese, diced (about 3/4 cups)

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and toss with half the dressing. Place the lettuce onto 4 salad plates. Toss the strawberries with the remaining dressing and place 1/4 of the berries on top of each mound of lettuce. Top each with cheese and sprinkle with the basil. 

Tempeh can be found at local grocery stores as well as the Syracuse Real Food Co-op, 618 Kensington Road (472-1385).

¼ cup olive oil

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup canned or bottled artichoke hearts, sliced lengthwise

¼ cup sliced kalamata olives

1 tablespoon capers

1 teaspoon sea salt 

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup white wine

6 tempeh patties, each 2½-3 ounces, sliced thinly and sautéed

4 slices fresh lemon

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the tomatoes and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the artichokes, olives, capers, salt and pepper and sauté another minute. Add the white wine and simmer about 3 minutes. Spoon on top of sliced tempeh. Garnish each serving with a lemon slice and parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Here is a recipe from www.foodnetwork.com that uses stewed tomatoes.

1 cup uncooked rotini 

3 cans vegetable broth 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces) 

1 (30-ounce) jar of extra chunky spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and diced onions 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1/2 teaspoon garlic puree 

1/3 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3 teaspoons red wine (optional) 

1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, cut up in juice

1 medium zucchini sliced 

Cook rotini according to package directions, substituting 1 can vegetable broth for part of the water. Cook until done (about 10 minutes). Drain and set aside. Cut chicken breasts into a 1-inch dice. In a large pan, combine spaghetti sauce, 2 cans of vegetable broth, onions, garlic puree, chicken, Italian seasoning, red wine, tomatoes and zucchini. Cook until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through (20 to 30 minutes). Add cooked rotini, and cook until heated through. Serves 4.

 

Peppermint Cookies

These are a cool and refreshing cookie and a fabulous addition to your post-Christmas desserts.

1¼ cups crushed peppermint candy

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, divided

¾ cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

2½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Grind or crush the peppermint candies in 1/3  cup of the sugar until powdery (a few tiny pieces are OK). Mix flour and salt together in a small bowl and set aside. Mix the butter, eggs and remaining sugar together in a large bowl. Add in vanilla and peppermint extracts. Add the flour mixture 1/3 at a time to the butter mixture. Form the dough into small balls, about an inch wide. Roll the balls of dough in the crushed candy mixture and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for one minute, remove and roll them in the candy sugar again. Cool on wax paper. 

Hazelnut butter is mighty pricey, so if you’d rather substitute almond butter, that’s fine. But the authors warn the hazelnut flavor will be less intense.

1/3 cup canola oil

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup hazelnut butter

1/3 cup non-dairy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup hazelnuts, finely chopped

about 1/3 cup raspberry jam

In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix the oil, sugar and hazelnut butter. Mix in the non-dairy milk and vanilla. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder and mix well until a stiff dough forms. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a small bowl of water handy. Spread the chopped nuts onto a dinner plate. Roll the dough into a walnut-size ball. Dip very briefly in water and firmly roll in the hazelnuts until coated. Place on a baking sheet and use either the non-spoon side of a wooden spoon or your thumb to make a deep indent in the cookie. Use your free hand to hold the cookie in place and make sure it keeps its shape. You should be able to fit all 20 cookies onto the baking sheet; they don’t spread. Spoon about a teaspoon of jam into each cookie. Bake for about 18 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool in the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a tightly sealed container.