Because we were having refreshments for two events, we made a large pan of brownies and a batch of thin, crisp sugar cookies to cover both events. You may need to make refreshments for school or club entertaining. This brownie recipe is made with cocoa. It is not as chewy as the one made with chocolate; it is tender and cake-like. This is more like the Mississippi mud bars you may have made.

Lois’ Brownies 1 cup shortening, Crisco, butter or margarine 2 cups sugar 6 eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 cup chopped or broken nuts

Grease a jelly roll pan. Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl frequently. Mix and sift flour with the salt, baking powder and cocoa and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the vanilla and prepared nut meats. Spoon into the baking pan and smooth out to fill the pan, pushing the batter to corners and sides of pan. Bake in a moderate oven, 350 F, for 35 to 40 minutes. Testing with a wooden pick will show if the cake is done. Cool.

This chicken a la queen may be made in a wok or in your favorite saucepan. Chicken breasts or legs, skin removed, may be used. Now that chicken parts of your choice are available at the market, this might be made with the breast meat or part breast and part thigh, cooked. Serve this chicken over cooked rice, noodles or baked potatoes.

Jim’s Chicken a la Queen 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 cups strong chicken broth 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced 1 cup (or more) mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup sliced pimentos 1/3 cup cashew nut halves 1 extra-large egg, beaten

1/2 cup frozen English peas, cooked Rice, noodles or baked potatoes

In a saucepan (or wok), cream butter and flour; do not allow it to brown; add chicken broth and half-and-half slowly, stirring all the while. When thickened, add chicken, mushrooms, pimento and cashew halves. Reduce heat to simmer. Beat one extra-large egg with a tablespoon of half-and-half. Remove a cup of the simmering sauce, mix with the egg mixture, then return to the simmering sauce, stirring slowly to make a smooth sauce. While this is simmering, prepare 1/2 cup of the peas and when cooked, add to the chicken mixture. Taste for further seasoning such as salt, pepper or your favorite spice mixture. Serve hot.

Make a chocolate sauce to serve hot or cold over ice cream. This is a simple dessert but popular. This sauce is sweet but when poured over vanilla ice cream, it does not appear too sweet. We found that when we cooked the sauce, we had to pay strict attention as the sauce was quite “lively” and wanted to boil over the edge of the pan. It was a smooth delicious sauce. Serve warm over ice cream.

Chocolate Sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 square unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over very low heat. Gradually add boiling water; bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Add the sugar gradually and boil for 5 minutes. Cool. Add vanilla. One person adds chopped or broken pecan meats with the vanilla. This appears to be a thin sauce but thickens when it is cold. We doubled this recipe for nine people. You may like to add a half teaspoon, or to taste, peppermint extract for a change in place of, or with, the vanilla.

This casserole makes a good supper dish — it has the vegetable and the meat so only mashed potatoes and a salad will be needed, not forgetting fresh or canned fruit for dessert.

Ham-Broccoli Casserole 1 package (10-ounce) frozen broccoli 6 slices Swiss cheese 6 slices boiled ham, from the deli 1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 can fried onion rings

Cook broccoli slightly, enough to heat through, and cool. Place slice of cheese on the ham slice; spread broccoli on the cheese. Roll cheese inside of ham and fasten each roll with a wooden pick. Place rolls in a baking dish. Combine soup, hot water, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder; mix and spread over the ham rolls. Cover with a layer of onion rings. Bake, covered, in a moderate oven for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Makes 6 servings.

Whole-wheat scones go with any menu. If for breakfast, the main ingredients could be mixed the night before and the mixing and baking done just before serving in the morning.

Whole-Wheat Scones 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole-wheat flour 3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup light cream or half-and-half

In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until a soft dough is formed. Knead on lightly floured surface about 3 minutes. Roll dough into a 9-inch square. Cut into 3-inch squares and cut each square diagonally in half to form 18 triangles. Bake on lightly greased baking sheet until golden brown, about 15 minutes in a 425 F oven.

Give this coleslaw a few days or keep it for 2 1/2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator to go with any meal. Good with baked beans and hotdogs too.

Coleslaw 1 small head of cabbage, shredded 1 green pepper, chopped 1 medium onion, sliced or chopped 1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup vinegar 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon celery seed 1 teaspoon mustard seed 1/3 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine cabbage, green pepper, onion and celery. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar and seasonings and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 or 4 minutes and pour over the mixed vegetables; mix. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate.

Brownie Schrumpf of Orono has been the NEWS recipe columnist for 38 years.