Recipe of the Week

Apple Bavarian Torte (4 stars)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 apples - peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C).
2. Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour.
3. Press crust mixture into the flat bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Pour cheese mixture over crust.
5. Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon. Spread apple mixture over all.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400� F (200 C) and continue baking for 25 minutes.
7. Sprinkle almonds over top of torte. Continue baking until lightly browned. Cool before removing from pan.

Summer Entertainment Tips

With the summer fast approaching, it's time to start planning outdoor parties. Keep your guests cool and happy with these summertime tips.

• Keep plenty of ice on hand for cooling people, food, and drinks by filling plastic freezer bags with ice from your trays.
• For extra flavor, use frozen cubes of lemonade or juice to cool drinks instead of regular ice.
• Keep a bag packed with picnic gear for spur-of-the-moment excursions.
• Throw a summer harvest party to swap surplus fruits and vegetables with your gardener friends.
• Stock extras for guests including sunblock, bug repellant, hats, and towels.

Grilling Tips

Is there anything better on the grill than beef? To get the most out of steaks, apply the following tips:

• For direct grilling place beef 3 to 6 inches from the heat source and cook at medium heat.
• For thicker cuts, use indirect grilling with the beef placed farther than 6 inches from the heat source.
• Leave at least 1/8" of fat in your steaks to help seal in the juices while the meat is cooking. Slash the fat at 1" intervals around the steak perimeter so that the meat will not curl up during the grilling process.