Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for “Fine Cooking Italian.” The winner is Jill C. Luden. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Jill C. Luden, you are eligible to enter the drawing for “Fine Cooking Comfort Food: 200 Delicious Recipes for Soul-Warming Meals.” It’s another keeper from the people at Fine Cooking magazine.
Word to the wise: The book is for cooks who like a challenge.
To enter, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com , including your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, and TITLE OF THE BOOK you want. I’ll pick a name next Wednesday.

I do want to use this space to let you know I left an ingredient out of my recipe for Raspberry-Chocolate Bars in this morning’s paper. It’s a 14-ounce can fat-free sweetened condensed milk. The link above will send you to the corrected version

For those of you just here for the food, here’s the simplest recipe I could find in “Comfort Food.” (Most of them are at least twice as long, and I’m too lazy to type them in.)

SHELLS WITH GORGONZOLA
Kosher salt
8 ounces (1/2 pound) medium pasta shells
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dry sherry, optional
6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
1 slice stale bread, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until just tender following the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, combine the cream, sherry (if using) and 5 ounces of Gorgonzola in a medium saucepan and stir constantly over low heat until the cheese is almost melted, about 5 minutes.
Drain the pasta when done, return it to its pot, and add the cheese sauce.
3. Stir over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish. Combine the breadcrumbs and nuts and sprinkle the topping over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 1 ounce Gorgonzola.
4. If you like, brown the casserole under a broiler very close to the flame until crunchy and browned, 2 minutes.
– “Fine Cooking Comfort Food”

Thanks to all who entered the drawing for “The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook,” by Lindsay Landis. The winner is Lisa Nelson. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Lisa Nelson, you’re eligible to enter the drawing for “Simple Shortcut Recipes,” from Gooseberry Patch. Attentive readers will notice I gave this away a few weeks ago, but now I have another copy.

To enter, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com including your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK by Tuesday at midnight.

For those of you just here for the food, here’s an incredible recipe that crossed my desk last week from co-worker Jeff Hileman.

JALAPENO POPPER DIP
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
8 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped up
6 jalapeños, minced (if you can’t get fresh, substitute a 4-ounce can diced jalapeño peppers, drained)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Topping
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, bacon, jalapenos, garlic, cumin and cheddar cheese in a mixing bowl. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish or 9×13 baking dish.
3. Combine the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and melted butter in a small bowl, tossing with a fork until the mixture is evenly moistened. Sprinkle evenly over the cream cheese mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the dip is bubbling. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, crackers, vegetables, etc.
Note: Six jalapeno peppers might seem excessive while you’re mincing, but they get milder in the cooking, so don’t be timid.
– browneyedbaker.com