During the recent ice storm and our subsequent three-day power outage, we ate a lot of peanut butter. So I, like many of you, was surprised to find the numbers 2111 on the top of my almost empty jar of Peter Pan. Fortunately, I’m sure there wasn’t a thing wrong with it because I made a big dent in it and never had any symptoms. It was quite scary, though.

It had been far too long since I had been to the Stone’s Throw Theatre for dinner and a play so last Friday, my daughter, my mother and I enjoyed a delicious dinner and “Opal’s Husband.” I knew any play with Betty Bell playing one of the parts would be worth seeing, and I wasn’t disappointed. We were warned it would be funny. It wasn’t funny, it was hilarious. With only five cast members, they each were perfect for their roles, and I can’t wait to return for another evening of fabulous food and entertainment.

What wasn’t so funny was when we left, my daughter and I had a minor disagreement over my ability to back out of the parking space and the fact that I pulled up and back several times. It wouldn’t have been so bad if her cell phone hadn’t fallen under the car. Those phones are not made to withstand the weight of a vehicle carrying three women who just had a spaghetti dinner.

Sometimes we wait until November to serve up one of my favorite pies — pumpkin. “The Dinner Doctor Cookbook” has some tips for taking a frozen pumpkin pie and dressing it up a bit for anytime. For a streusel topping, combine 2 tablespoons each of flour, light brown sugar, room temperature butter and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle this evenly over the top of the pie about 10 minutes before it’s done. You can also add 1 teaspoon of grated orange zest to the streusel mixture or substitute chopped walnuts for the pecans and add 1/2 teaspoon of maple flavoring. Or 20 minutes before the pie is done, spread 1/2 cup apple pie filling around the edges and top that with 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans. Also, 20 minutes before the pie is done, combine 3 ounces of softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Dollop it on top of the pie and, using a fork, gently swirl it through the pie. Return the pie to the oven and finish baking for each of these additions. It’s something a little different from the usual whipped topping. One might just be your new favorite.

I have had three different people in the past two weeks ask me for the green-bean bundles recipe so it’s the perfect time to run it again. Once you try it, it will be a family favorite. This recipe was one of the first ones I ran when I first started this column over seven years ago. It was provided by Lisa Tubaugh and though her husband, Ray, says the success of this dish lies in his ability to roll the bundles just right, I feel confident you too will have great results. The winter blackberry cobbler is also from “The Dinner Doctor” and is so good, you don’t have to wait until summer for this dessert.

The Greek ribs recipe is from “The Best of the Best and More.” Just a few ingredients really pack a wallop. There’s no specific measurements for this recipe because you can season any number of ribs as much or as little as you want. Enjoy! Have a great week and think spring.



Green-bean bundles

1 (12-ounce) package bacon

2 (16-ounce) cans green beans, drained

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup light brown sugar

Garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap each slice around four to five beans. Place bundles in 9x13-inch baking dish. Mix butter and brown sugar in bowl; pour over beans. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until bacon is cooked through.



Winter blackberry cobbler

2 cups plus 2 tablespoon biscuit mix, such as Bisquick

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 (16-ounce) packages frozen blackberries, thawed

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease bottom and sides of 9-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish with butter. Place 2 cups of biscuit mix, 1/2 cup sugar, the egg, milk, butter, vanilla and cinnamon in large mixing bowl and stir with a fork until well blended, 20 to 30 seconds. Set aside. Place blackberries with their juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of biscuit mix and all but a heaping tablespoon of remaining sugar in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Spoon the berry mixture into the baking dish and smooth the top. Spoon the cobbler topping over the berries in nine large dollops. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until filling is bubbling and topping is browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream.



Greek ribs

Spareribs

Fresh lemon juice

Seasoning salt

Garlic salt

Dried tarragon or oregano

Cover ribs with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain ribs and place on broiler pan. Squeeze lemon juice liberally over ribs and then sprinkle the seasonings to your heart’s content. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with rice.



Address correspondence to Cheryle Finley, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.