The birds will soon be busy, preparing to fly south for the winter, or getting their nests ready to snuggle into when it’s cold.  They’re looking for great food sources, so give them a treat with this bird feeder!

You will need:
- several large pine cones
- birdseed
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 2½ cups uncooked oats
- 3 feet strong string

Blend the peanut butter and oats really well.  You can even add sunflower seeds, chopped nuts and dried fruits to make it really tasty for the birds.  Tie string onto the pine cones so you can hang them from a tree branch. Cover the pine cones with the peanut butter and oats mixture and roll it in the birdseed.  Hang it up and sit back to watch the birds flock to your feeder!

12 ounces German chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup light cream or half and half
1 tsp vanilla extract
skewers

Fruits of your choice:

• Banana slices
• Pineapple chunks
• Whole strawberries
• Apple slices
• Kiwi fruit
• Pear slices

Before melting the chocolate, prepare the fruit dippers.  Wash and cut the fruit and put them on skewers.  Cover the skewers and set aside.

To prepare fondue place the chocolate into a saucepan, add the cream and melt over low heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is smooth.  Add the vanilla extract and stir.

Transfer the chocolate sauce to a fondue pot.
Dip the fruit skewers into the fondue.

Tip:  the addition of cream prevents the chocolate sauce from turning lumpy.  The chef should stir the chocolate and cream together until smooth.

Snack Mix

1 cup salted, mixed nuts
1 ½ cups small pretzels
4 cups dry cereal (try a mix of your favourites – Shreddies works great)
¼ cup butter
¼ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp onion salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stir nuts, cereal and pretzels in the pan.
2. Melt butter in saucepan and stir in rest of ingredients.  Drizzle over cereal and nuts and stir to coat evenly.
3. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  Store in a sealed container for up to 1 month.
   

6 large washed apples
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp butter
vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Use apple corer to remove core of each apple, but leave about 1 inch of apple at the bottom so the filling doesn’t run out.  Save the tops.
3. Line baking pan with parchment paper or grease with butter.  Place apples in pan. 
4. Stir sugar and cinnamon together.  Divide sugar mixture between the 6 apples and fill each hole.
5. Add 1 tsp of butter to each hole and cover with apple top.
6. Bake for 45 minutes and serve with warm with vanilla ice cream.

Frozen Bananas

3 bananas
9 sticks
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sprinkles or chopped nuts

1. Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Peel bananas and cut each into 3 pieces.  Push a stick partway into each chunk and put on cookie sheet.  Place in freezer until frozen.
2. Heat 2 inches of water in a saucepan.  Remove from heat.  Place a metal mixing bowl onto the rim of the saucepan.  The bottom of the bowl should be over the water, but not sitting in it.  Pour chocolate chips into bowl and stir until melted.
3. Pour decorations onto shallow plate.  Dip each frozen banana into melted chocolate…use a knife to help coat each banana.
4. Roll each chocolate covered banana in decorations.  Place back on cookie sheet in freezer for two hours or overnight.