Jalapeño Popper Dip

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese

1 c mayonnaise

1 4oz can chopped green chilies, drained

2 T pickled jalapeños, chopped

1 c Parmesan cheese

Mix cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in chilies and peppers. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375 for 30 min or microwave for 3 minutes.

Serve with crackers.

As easy as it is delicious.

Peanut Butter Balls

By Deirdre's request.

1 cup creamy peanut butter - I always use conventional, haven't tried it with natural yet
1 cup dried milk
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup sesame seeds, or wheat germ, or unsweetened coconut, or some mixture thereof
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together. Form into small balls, about 1/2" across. Refrigerate or freeze.

They're best out of the freezer, if you ask me. I often cut back on the chocolate chips quite a bit, because then they're health food. Don't cut back on the honey. It's not worth it.

Grape Salad

Someone brought this in to work today and I had to remind myself not to eat it all. 
The brown sugar and pecans taste just like the crumble on top of apple crisp.

Ingredients 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound seedless green grapes
1 pound seedless red grapes
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions
1.In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla;
stirring until smooth.  Toss gently with grapes to coat.
2.In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and pecans and pour over grapes.
Cover and chill.
This can be made the night before.

Makes 10 - 12 servings

Crab Meltaways

These are very tasty and keep for a long time in the freezer. They are great to pull out when people show up unexpectedly. It sort of blows their minds.

1/2 c butter
1 16 oz jar Old English cheese spread
1 1/2 t mayo
1 1/2 t garlic salt
1 can (7 oz) crab meat
12 English muffins

Blend first 5 ingredients and spread on English muffins. Freeze on cookie sheet until hard. Cut into 1/4s while frozen and place in freezer bag until ready to use. When ready to serve, brown muffin 1/4s under broiler for a few minutes.

Sting's Favorite Meal (when he's eating meat...

right now, though, he's macrobiotic) It deserves the full name. It's so good, it makes us wonder what his favorite meal is when he's macrobiotic. It has meat, and some of you don't believe in the pleasures of the flesh, so you'll just have to believe me that it's damn good.

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2 1/2 c prepared tomato sauce (a 20 oz jar)
1/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c frozen baby peas
salt
1 lb bucatini or perciatelli
1/2 c freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 T shredded basil

In a large saucepan, heat oil. Add sausage and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Partially cover pan and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir in cream & peas, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Drain. Mix sauce, pasta, & 1/4 c cheese. Toss over low heat until some sauce absorbed. Transfer to bowls, top with remaining cheese & basil.

I always recommend a Chianti Classico with this dish.

Ok, so it's ripped off of Food & Wine, my bougie pleasure. Here's our substitutions:
just a little onion instead of shallot if we don't have one
we usually try to use plain sauce, usually Five Brothers or Bertolli or whatever they're calling it now, but we haven't found one that doesn't work
1 cup or more of regular frozen peas. We really like peas.
spaghetti, because I can't find the other two without trying
1/2 c of non-freshly shredded, whatever kind of Parmesean cheese I can find. Sometimes even Kraft. It's true. Please don't tell or I'll have my subscription revoked. And we generally just throw it all in because we forget.
We always play Sting while we eat it. Tucker's request. I know I'm not supposed to like Sting when they economy isn't doing well, but I do.

It takes about 20 mintues of active time, 1 hour total, and serves 6.

Frozen Bar Cookies

My recipe card cites Cecelia McCarty as the creator of my favorite bar-shaped dessert.

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix 3 c. oatmeal, 1 c. brown sugar, 1 c. coconut, 1/2 c. white sugar, 1 c. butter. Spread on cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until brown.

Melt 6 oz. chocolate chips and 1 cup peanut butter. Spread over bars like frosting. Cut into bars then freeze. Serve cold.

Rich & Cheesy Macaroni

Super-fatty. Just as it should be.

from Kathy McCarty

2 and 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
6 T butter (divided)
1/4 c flour
1 t sugar
1 t salt
2 c milk
8 oz cubed velveeta
1 1/3 c small curd cottage cheese
2/3 c sour cream
2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 and 1/2 c soft bread crumbs

preheat oven to 350
cook and drain macaroni
place in greased 2 and 1/2 quart baking dish

In a saucepan melt 4 T butter
Stir in flour, salt and sugar until smooth
Gradually stir in milk
Bring to a boil
Cook and stir for 2 min or until thickened
Reduce heat
Stir in velveeta (until melted)
Stir in cottage cheese and sour cream (those curds never really fully melt)
Pour over macaroni
Sprinkle with cheddar cheese
Melt remaining butter* and toss with bread crumbs (*I just sprinkle the crumbs on top and it tastes lovely w/o the extra butter)
Sprinkle bread crumbs on top
Bake uncovered @ 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown

Deep Dish Potato Pie

I made this for dinner tonight and it was a big hit. Super-easy. I found a recipe online that I tweaked a bit. Serves four with seconds for all.

Ingredients:
2 pie crusts (I buy 'em pre-made)
3 large russet potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup or so vegetarian sausage crumbles
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
black pepper
1 cup heavy/whipping cream
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Lightly oil 10" deep-dish pie plate (turns out that I don't have a big pie plate, so I used a bread pan and baked it 10-15 minutes longer)
3. Place pie crust in pan
4. Arrange layers of potatoes and onions
5. Add sausage crumbles, cheese, parsley and pepper
6. Pour cream on top and dot with butter
7. Arrange other pie crust on top, sealing edges
8. Slice crust to vent steam
9. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temp to 350 and bake for 50 additional minutes (or until potatoes are tender)
10. Remove from oven, rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve

It's SOOO good. Next time I'll add spinach and mushrooms. I bet loyal meat-eaters would enjoy this hearty, flavorful comfort food just as much as my veg friends and I did.

Spicy Thai Stir Fry

Last year I was sitting in a meeting not paying attention. My mind started to drift to what I was going to make for dinner. I wanted something spicy, but I didn't want to work too hard. I invented this recipe, and it has become a staple.

1 rounded spoonful of peanut butter
1 rounded spoonful of chili garlic paste (available in the Asian food aisle)
Soy sauce
Chopped peanuts

Any assortment of the following:
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
1 or 2 bell peppers, chopped
A few handfuls of sugar snap peas
sliced mushrooms
bean sprouts
bok choy
any sort of veggie you would like in stir fry. You may like broccoli, I find it disgusting, but I can see how you might like it in this dish.

Saute the veggies in non-stick spray or vegetable oil. Start with the ones that take the longest to cook. I usually cook the mushrooms for a minute or so, then add the peppers, throwing in the peas at the last minute, so they heat up but don't lose their crunch.

While cooking the vegetables, mix together the peanut butter, garlic chili paste, and soy sauce. Whisk the sauce together, adding soy sauce until it is the consistency you like to see in a sauce. I usually use twice the amount of soy sauce as anything else.

Add the sauce when the vegetables are ready to go. Serve on brown rice or barley. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Spinach Cheese Squares

I love it when my mom makes these!

4 oz. butter

1 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup flour

1 lb. grated *Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup milk

2 packages, 10 oz. each, frozen spinach (thawed and drained)

Melt butter in 9x13 pan. Beat eggs. Add flour, milk, salt & baking powder. Add *cheese and spinach – mix well. Spread into pan and bake at 350 for 35 min. Cool 30 minutes before serving. Cut into squares. Makes 40 squares. Freezes well.

*it's great with some pepper jack mixed in - I think Kathy does a 50-50 split.

Chocolate Pot de Creme

I double this to get 6 larger servings. Embarrassingly easy to make. Yum.

3/4 c milk
2 T sugar
1 tsp. instant coffee
1 6-oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Scald milk and add to all other ingredients in blender. Blend at low
one minute (or until blended). Pour into 6 glasses/custard cups and
chill. Top with whipped cream and toasted almonds or whatever.

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

16 oz uncooked ziti
3 cups spaghetti sauce
15 oz ricotta (or cottage) cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese (shredded
1T dried parsley
1 egg
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
3T grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cook pasta for 9 minutes
3. Stir together 1/2 sauce, pasta, ricotta, mozza, parsley, egg, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper
4. Put into 9x13 baking dish and top with rest of sauce. Sprinkle with parm and cover w/ foil.

Bake for 30 mins.

Lori's Butterscotch Goodies

Thanks to Lori for making 'em, and Sarah for getting the recipe!

3 c. Rice Krispies
1 pkg. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. peanut butter (Lori uses chunky)
M&M Baking bits

Melt chips in microwave. Stir in PB until creamy. Add rice krispies. Let
cool a little bit, stir in M&Ms and drop onto waxed paper.

Pineapple Salsa

This is a yummy alternative to regular tortilla chip dips.

1 pineapple, peeled and finely diced
1/4 c finely diced red pepper
1 T finely diced Jalepeno (more or less)
1/4 c chopped cliantro

Combine all and mix well. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Seasoned Pretzels

Another requested party snack.

6 oz Orville Redenbacher red label (butter flavor) oil
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 T lemon pepper
32 oz pretzels

Combine first three ingredients. Pour over pretzels and mix well.

Mexican Dip

This is one of my stand-by "bring something to share" dishes. It's usually gone, and I almost always get a request for the recipe.

1 pkg Italian dressing (plus ingredients to make it)
16 oz Monterey Jack, shredded
1 small can green chiles
1 small can chopped black olives
3 green onions, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

Mix dressing according to package. Combine all ingredients and marinate several hours or overnight. Serve with tortilla chips. (Or just a fork).

Curried Corn

This is one of my favorite cook and eat all week recipes. It's technically a side dish, but I find a bowl of this makes a nice dinner.

2 T vegetable oil
1 c diced shallots or red onion
2 or 3 t curry powder
3 c fresh or frozen corn kernels (a pound of frozen corn equals three cups)
1 14 oz can reduced-fat coconut milk
1 T fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Warm the oil in a saucepan on medium high heat. Add shallots and saute for 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir until the spices darken and shallots are nice and soft, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the corn, cover, and heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk, cover, and heat but do not boil. When the corn is tender and hot, remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Thai Corn Cakes

I think these are called Todman Khao Phot, but that's too difficult for me to pronounce. Fresh summer sweet corn (preferably from Iowa) makes them even better.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh corn (about 4 ears)
1 egg
1/4 cup sliced long green beans
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste*
2-3 tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
2 cups vegetable oil
3 tbsp wheat flour

Method:
Blend all ingredients (except vegetable oil and wheat flour) and knead to a uniform texture. Form the dough into 1 inch thick balls, flatten slightly, roll in the wheat flour, and fry in hot vegetable oil. Remove from oil when golden brown, let excess oil drip onto a paper towel, serve with a sweet chile sauce* for dipping and enjoy.

*I buy whatever catches my eye in the grocery store. Having tried a couple different brands and types, I have enjoyed them all.