8oz cream cheese
3/4 C mayonnaise
2 T minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 350. Remove peppers from jar and blot excess water with paper towels. You want to make sure they are dry so they don’t add moisture to the dip. Then dice ‘em up.In a bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave so it will be easier to stir. Add in mayo, onion, garlic, and dijon. Stir to combine and then add in grated cheese and the diced peppers. Place in an 8×8-ish dish (pie plate works). Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes. Baking time depends on the dish. It will start to bubble and brown on the outside edge, and you want it to be bubbly all the way through to the center. It will be nice and golden brown on top, especially around the edges. Serve immediately. You can serve it with anything that sounds good- tortilla chips, pita chips, crackers, veggies, or warm baguette slices.
Chestnut and Bacon Wraps
(Courtney Zaugg)
Ingredients:
1 can water chestnuts
1 package turkey bacon
Toothpicks
1 c. ketchup
½ c. sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak 32 toothpicks in a bowl of water to prevent burning. Open bacon package and cut the strips down the middle so that they are half as long. Place a water chestnut in the middle of the bacon and wrap the bacon around, tucking the ends under. Spear with a toothpick and place in a 13x9. Repeat until you have used all the water chestnuts. Bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine ketchup and sugar. Spoon over the chestnut-and-bacon wraps and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve hot! Makes 32 wraps.
Soft Bread Sticks
(Lion House Lite Recipe)
(Laura Duvalois)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F.)
3 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 T. vegetable or canola oil
3 cups flour
Cornmeal
1 egg white
1 T. Water
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, salt and oil. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Spray bowl with nonstick cooking spray; place dough in bowl, turning to coat all surfaces with spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 10 inches long. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place bread sticks one inch apart on prepared sheet. Let rise, uncovered, until double in size, about 45 minutes. Beat egg white with 1 tablespoon of water; brush over bread sticks. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a large shallow pan filled with boiling water on lowest rack of oven, and put baking sheet with bread sticks on the middle rack. Bake bread sticks for 10 minutes, brush again with egg white and bake 5 minutes more or until golden brown. Makes 12 bread sticks. (Note: I buttered and added cinnamon and sugar.)
- 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)
- Preheat the oven to 420˚ F.
- In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend.
- Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you. Keep the other wrappers covered with a wet paper towel so they don't dry out.
- Place ¼ cup of the filling in the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free.
- Dip a finger in water and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
- Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down.
- Spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa (I like to serve them with avocado ranch, recipe follows).
Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 c. milk
- 1/2 c. mayonnaise
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (the dry stuff)
- several splashes of hot sauce (optional)
- Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Let sit in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to set up.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce or any other favorite hot sauce
1 pound ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
1 large egg
1/2 celery stalk, minced
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the vegetable oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.
Combine the butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
Combine the hot sauce mixture, ground chicken, egg, celery, bread crumbs, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
Roll the mixture into round, 3/4 -inch balls, making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.
Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.
Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving.
1 large artichoke
For Creamy Salsa Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. fat-free plain Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0% is the best)
1 1/2 tbsp. salsa
For Lemon Butter Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. chopped garlic
Directions:
Cut stem off artichoke and remove small, tough leaves at the base. Slice an inch off the top of the artichoke and, if you like, trim the tips of the leaves with kitchen shears.
Place artichoke in a large microwave-safe bowl, base down, and add about 1/2 inch of water to the bowl. Cover and microwave for 6 - 8 minutes. Let stand for 1 - 2 minutes before uncovering. Leaves should detach easily from artichoke. Drain water and allow to cool slightly.
To make the creamy salsa, combine yogurt with salsa in a small bowl and mix well.
To make the lemon butter sauce, combine all ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, or until melted, and mix well.
Serve your steamed 'choke with dipping sauce(s). Here's the 1-2-3 on how to eat it:
1. Pull off a leaf and dip the base in sauce.
2. Place the base in your mouth, dip side up, and gently close your teeth around it.
3. Scrape it along your top teeth to consume the soft, delicious part (YUM!), and then discard the leaf.
Now repeat! And when all the leaves are gone, scoop out and discard the thistle-like choke, and enjoy the artichoke bottom (the BEST part)
