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Weather teases us with just a hint of spring, then more snow, then gray rainy days. Heat from the oven ready casseroles and warm fresh baked cookies are perfect for chasing away the late winter chill.

Oriental Chicken Medley, a rice-based casserole, may be made ahead to bake for the evening meal or baked right away after preparing. The recipe easily accommodates a family's preference in ingredients. The original recipe was on a Durkee French Fried onion can around 1992, but I have made many changes and additions.

Oriental Chicken Medley

3 cups cooked, unsalted, long grain rice, drained, still hot

2 cups, cubed, cooked chicken or turkey

1 medium green pepper, diced small

1 can (10 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup water

1 can (8 ounces sliced mushrooms, drained

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 small jar pimento, drained

1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, chopped and drained

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 cup French fried onions

1 1/2 cups Chinese noodles

To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease, or coat with cooking spray, a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

To the hot rice in saucepan add chicken, green pepper, soup, water, mushrooms, pimento, water chestnuts, ginger and half of the French-fried onions and Chinese noodles. Stir well and pour into prepared baking dish. Bake right away in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until heated through.

Meanwhile combine the remaining French-fried onions and Chinese noodles when casserole is heated through, Top with the mixture and bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are golden brown.

If you prefer to bake later, cover and refrigerate. When ready to bake, preheat oven, remove casserole cover and place in oven. Bake 50 minutes or until heated through, then top and bake as above. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Note: 1 cup dry long grain rice yields 3 cups cooked. 1 cup thawed, frozen green peas are a good substitute for the mushrooms or the water chestnuts.

Peppermint Puffs are a cookie I often make this time of year as it calls for crushed peppermint candy canes. This year I have some lemon-lime flavored candy canes left from Christmas I will be experimenting with this week to see how other flavors work in this cookie recipe.

Peppermint Puffs

2/3 cup butter flavored shortening

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease, or line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in egg.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Blend flour mixture into the creamed mixture along with half of the crushed candy canes.

Shape dough into small balls (about 1 inch). Dip tops in remaining crushed candy canes and place candy side up on prepared baking sheets. Press down, very, very lightly and bake in preheated oven, 11 to 12 minutes or until just browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 3 dozen cookies.

Note: to crush candy canes, place in a zip closure bag, seal and roll with a rolling pin, or gently tap with your kitchen hammer. Every kitchen needs a hammer.

Canned pumpkin purchased for holiday baking tends to hide in the back of the pantry after pie season. Because most other pumpkin based recipes call for just part of the can we are often at a loss for what to do with the rest of the pumpkin. Case in point, Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies, call for only 1/2 cup pumpkin. In fact, many recipes call for just 1/2 cup, sometimes one cup.

My solution is to immediately measure the canned pumpkin in 1/2 cup increments onto a small, waxed paper lined baking sheet, pressing into the thickness and shape of a hamburger patty and freezing until firm. Then place the frozen pumpkin in a freezer container with waxed paper separating. When you need 1/2 or one cup, thaw just what you need and the patty is thin enough if you only need 1/4 cup, you can carefully cut in half with a sharp knife

Pumpkin Pecan

Chocolate Chip

Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Beat in pumpkin and egg until well blended. Stir in flour mixture until well blended, then stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonsful onto prepared baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let stand 1 minute, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Soup season is here. Do you have a family favorite soup recipe, or an easy to prepare savory quick bread recipe to accompany soup, winter casserole recipes or ever in season, cookies? Share them with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Record-Times, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Gardening season is coming. Move bags of starting mix and potting soil to a warm area, and the seeds, rhizomes and bulbs you want to be starting to begin in March will germinate or sprout faster.