Pour the cooled pickling liquid into the jar. It should just cover the contents. If there’s not enough pickling liquid, top off the jar with a little more white vinegar right out of the bottle.

If the jar has a cover, put it on. If it doesn’t, put a double layer of plastic wrap on the top and secure it with a sturdy rubber band.

Refrigerate the herring for 3 days before serving.

Yield: Makes about 4 cups and is perfect to take to a potluck dinner. An average serving is 1/3 cup, so it will serve at least 12 people (maybe half that if they’re Scandinavian.)

Mrs. Knudson says to tell you that she found a pretty straight-sided glass jar at a yard sale for a dime, and it’s perfect for her herring. She also says to tell you that when she brings herring to a potluck, she makes a triple batch.

MISDEMEANOR MUSHROOMS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

This recipe is from Bill Jessup, Charlie Jessup’s cousin, who’s a detective in L.A. Charlie says Bill calls these “Misdemeanor Mushroom,” because they’re so good they ought to be illegal.

2 pounds pork sausage

2 tablespoons ground sage

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

8-ounce package cream cheese

1 tablespoon parsley

1 ounce Marsala wine (optional_

1 pound medium to large mushrooms

Parmesan cheese (to sprinkle)

In a large, nonstick skillet, combine sausage, sage, and garlic. Sauté until sausage is browned and garlic is translucent. Drain fat from skillet and add softened, cubed cream cheese, and parsley. Simmer for 10 minutes, stir in the wine (if you want to use it), remove from heat, and cover.

Wash mushrooms. Remove stems and set caps aside. Chop the stems very fine and stir into the sausage/cheese mixture. Brush caps with melted butter and arrange cap-down on a nonstick baking sheet. (Bill says if you shave just a bit from the bottom of the caps to make them flat, they’ll sit on the pan a lot better.) Fill each cap with a heaping mound of warm sausage mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 325 degree F. oven for 15 minutes.

Yield: Serves 15 to 20 people as an appetizer (unless Charlie is there and makes a whole meal out of them.)

SEAFOOD BREAD DIP

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

This is a recipe from Carrie Rhodes. She loves to amen appetizers.

32 ounces cream cheese

½ pound chopped crab meat and/or chopped shrimp

4 green onions (with stems), cleaned, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup dried chopped onions

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Round load of bread, unsliced, 10 to 12 inches in diameter (I used squaw bread)

1 egg, beaten

Unwrap cream cheese, put it in a large microwave-safe bowl, and heat it for 40 seconds on HIGH in the microwave. Turn the bowl and keep heating it in 20-second increments until it’s soft and you can stir it.