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It's National Cherry and Snack Food Month. Which one shall it be today? Well, how about recipes from both. I'll start with cherries, which always in February reminds me of George Washington and the "chopping down the cherry tree" thing. I just shouldn't think of that because he didn't chop down a cherry tree, anyway. Someone lied to us.

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Anyway . . . if you like chocolate covered cherries, try this recipe.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY DESSERT

26 chocolate wafer cookies (not the sandwich type, just the wafer with no creamy stuff in the middle)

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

1 c. sour cream

1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix

3/4 c. milk

1-21 oz can cherry pie filling

In a mixing bow, combine wafer crumbs with butter. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Put it in the freezer for 10 minutes.

In another mixing bowl, combine sour cream, pudding and milk; beat on low with mixer for 1-1/2 minutes. Spread over crust. Spoon pie filling on top. Cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours.

Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or whipped topping if you wish. Makes 9 servings.

NOTE: If you wish, you can use vanilla wafers in place of the chocolate wafers.

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And a salad . . .

CHERRY SALAD SUPREME

Salad

1 c. boiling water

1-21 oz. can cherry pie filling

In a medium bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in pie filling. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Chill until almost set, so its a little wiggly.

Topping

1-3 oz. pkg. lemon flavored gelatin

1 c. boiling water

1-3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 c. salad dressing

1 c. crushed pineapple, drained (from an 8 oz. can)

leaf lettuce

In a medium bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Chill slightly, until almost the consistency of egg whites. Fold in cream cheese thoroughly. Fold in salad dressing and pineapple. Chill until set (about 1-1/2 hours).

Cut into squares and serve on lettuce-lined salad plates. Makes 12 servings.

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I like cereal type snacks to have on hand for munching, especially when grandkids are looking for something to eat, about an hour after they've eaten a meal. This is a good "after school" snack for all ages. Easy to put together and nutritious.

BEARY GOOD SNACK MIX

4 c. honey nut type cereal

4 c. teddy bear shaped graham crackers

2 c. honey roasted or lightly salted dry roasted peanuts

1-1/2 c. raisins

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Store in tightly covered container or large plastic bag. Makes about 12 cups.

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Bud's the shopper around here for the extras that I usually pass by in the grocery store. He came home with a package of little teddy bear shaped snacks and they had teeny-tiny chocolate chips on the bears, like a chocolate chip cookie. So, I substituted them for the graham ones -- good!

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This snack has to be baked in the oven for a little while.

PEANUT BUTTERY SNACK MIX

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1/3 c. creamy peanut butter

2 T. firmly packed brown sugar

3 c. crispy wheat squares

2 c. crispy corn or rice squares

2 c. thin pretzel sticks, broken in half

2 c. chocolate covered peanut candies

In a medium pan, over medium heat, melt together butter, peanut butter and brown sugar; heat but do not boil. Remove from heat.

Combine cereals in a large bowl, pour peanut butter mixture over cereals, mixing until thoroughly coated.

Spread in a 15x10 jelly roll pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Turn into large bowl and add pretzels and candies. Makes about 8 cups.

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Thought for the day: Promises can be like snowflakes -- easy to make but hard to keep.

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