Bit O’ the Irish in Nutritious Treats

Dear SOS: St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and my kids love making those wonderful candies that look like potatoes with rough skins. Can you supply the recipe I’ve misplaced since last year?

--JOYCE

Dear Joyce: Irish eyes kept smiling when our office leprechauns dug up these potatoes. Nutritious, no-cook peanut-butter candies shaped and sprinkled with cocoa and nuts to resemble potatoes certainly would be a safe and fun project for children of all ages.

PADDY’S POTATOES

5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 cup peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons chopped nuts

Mix butter and peanut butter until blended. Add salt and vanilla. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar until mixture can be molded into potato-like shapes.

In separate bowl, combine 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, cinnamon, cocoa and nuts. Roll balls in mixture. Store in cold place until candy hardens. Makes about 3 dozen.

Dear SOS: My husband particularly likes the chopped salad at Le Dome restaurant in West Hollywood. I would very much like to prepare it for him. Can you help?

--FRANCES

Dear Frances: Yes, as a matter of fact, we can. It’s an excellent main-dish luncheon salad to serve for club meetings, light suppers or when the TV soaps are on.

LE DOME’S CHOPPED SALAD

1/4 red cabbage

1/4 white cabbage

1/4 iceberg lettuce

5 slices dry salami

3 slices regular ham

12 pitted black olives

24 garbanzo beans

Dressing

Chop cabbages, lettuce as finely as possible. Dice salami, ham and olives. Combine with garbanzo beans in large bowl. Pour enough Dressing to moisten salad, about 1 cup, or to taste. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cups whipping cream

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Dash hot pepper sauce

Salt, pepper

To mayonnaise in bowl add vinegar and mustard. Mix with whip. Add whipping cream, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Dear SOS: Many years ago The Times published a recipe for an Oatmeal Ribbon Bread made with raisins and orange juice. When the bread is sliced the layer of raisins creates a ribbon through the bread. It is a moist and nutritious bread, but unfortunately I have lost my recipe. Can you replace it?

--BARBARA

Dear Barbara: Glad to, now that we uncovered the recipe hidding in our files. It certainly is a nutritious bread, ideal as an afternoon snack, for tea time, or with a luncheon salad.

OATMEAL RIBBON BREAD

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup oatmeal

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons melted shortening

Water

Juice of 1 orange

1 cup raisins

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir in oatmeal, egg and shortening. Add enough water to orange juice to make 1 cup and add to flour mixture, blending well. Turn half the batter into greased 8x4-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle raisins over batter, then cover with remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour. Cool. Makes 1 loaf.