Apple Cheese Ball

1/2 pkg (250 gm) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp VE Red Pepper Jelly (or 1 Tbsp Port Wine)
2 tsp VE Sun-dried Tomato and Herb Dip Mix
Paprika
1 small piece of VE Cinnamon Stick
1 bay leaf

1. Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Red pepper jelly and Dip Mix.
2. Form into a ball.
3. Wrap in plastic food wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
4. Remove from plastic and sprinkle, or roll in, paprika to coat.
5. Add piece of VE Cinnamon Stick and bay leaf at the top of ball to make it look like an apple.
6. Serve with crackers.

Mulling Spice

8 VE Cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
2 whole nutmegs, crushed
1/3 cup VE Whole cloves
1/3 cup minced dried orange peel (OR 1/4 cup ground orange peel)
1/4 cup whole allspice berries
Garnish with VE Cinnamon Sticks, or slice of orange, or lemon peel (optional)

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Place 1 Tbsp of spice mixture in double thickness cheese cloth and tie off to make a little bag. Store in an airtight container.

To use:
Simmer 1 quart cider, tea or wine with 1 bag of spices for at least 20 minutes. Pour into mugs and add garnish, if desired, before serving.

Vietnamese Aromatic And Spicy Beef Stew

by Diane Pepin
2 Tbsp VE 3 Onion dip
6 Tbsp Yellow bean sauce
Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 Tsp Chipotle Chilli
12 Shallots, peeled
4 VE Star Anise – whole
1 Stick lemon grass, OR 3 X 1" strip lemon rind
1 stick VE cinnamon
1/2 tsp VE Whole Pink peppercorns
7 Tbsp Vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Sugar
3 lb Stewing beef, cut in 1" cubes

1. Peel and finely mince garlic.
2. Peel shallots and leave whole.
3. Cut lemon grass into 2" sections, after discarding the strawlike top. Crush each section.
4. Put 3 tablespoons of oil into a non-stick frying pan and set on a medium- high heat. When hot, add 3 onion dip, garlic and whole shallots and fry for 2 mins.
5. Add lemon grass, but not the lemon rind if you are using it as a substitute. Continue to fry until onion is lightly browned.
6. Turn off heat and remove the shallots from pan and set aside.
7. Put the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil in a large, preferably non-stick pan and set over a high heat. When hot, add enough beef cubes to form a single layer in the pan. Brown the cubes and remove, replacing with more beef until they are all brown. Return all browned beef to pan and add 1.75 pints water as well as the onion, garlic and lemon grass mixture.
8. Add yellow bean sauce, chipotle chilli powder, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns and sugar. Bring to the boil then cover, lower heat and simmer gently for 1.25 hours.
9. Add the reserved shallots and the lemon rind (if you are using it), cover again and simmer for 15 mins.
10. Remove the lid, raise the heat to medium and cook for a further 15-20 mins or until the sauce has thickened a little and the meat is tender.
11. Spoon the fat off the top before serving with either rice or crusty french bread.