Terri Rochenski's new book and an Easy Appetizer!

When I first saw Ms. Jump’s blog I was thrilled. She posts about two of my passions – books and cooking. And then she offered to let me guest post … well. Beyond thrilled to say the least!

Rather than blather on about writing or my process I decided to share one thought and a little about my newest release.

As a stay-at-home mom I often get bogged down in the details of life – kids, cleaning, laundry, cooking (even thought I love it!). I’ve found it’s easy for a woman’s identity to fade, oftentimes disappear altogether into the new one of mommy, wife, and housekeeper.

Writing has always been a passion of mine – my hobby – it’s the one thing I cling to that is all mine. M.I.N.E. It’s my escape, and I nab a few minutes wherever and whenever my children allow.

Because let’s face it … they do come first.

And one of the things I enjoy doing for them, the most besides hugs and kisses of course is cooking yummy food. Seeing as how the holiday season is upon us, I decided to share my favorite go-to party recipe.

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Dried Beef Cheese Ball

3  4oz. packages of dried beef, broken up

3  8oz. softened cream cheese

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs. Accent Season Salt

Mix all ingredence in a bowl. Shape into a ball, cover and refrigerate. (I like making it the night before to let all the flavors mingle together.)

Easy peasy! Slap some on a cracker and yums with a capital Y.

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Now on to my newest release.

My short story, Beginning of Forever, is in Still MomentsPublishing’s Christmas Magic Anthology which released on December 4^th. It’s a collection of my historical romance and three other contemporary stories. For now it is only available as an ebook.

Here's an excerpt from Terri's new book!

Beginning of Forever by Terri Rochenski

When Wayne Edwards moves to town, Lillian Davis experiences stirrings she thought were long dead. Guilt ridden over betraying her deceased husband and the feelings Wayne inspires, Lillian reluctantly lets him in. Secrets of the past – an old promise emerges, but will it threaten their forever?

Excerpt:

I rubbed my fussing son’s back and stumbled down the hall to grab the phone. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Douglas?”
A glance at the clock and my stomach clenched. Ronnie was an hour late for our Christmas Eve dinner. “Y-yes?”
“There’s been an accident.”
Through Steven’s heightened cries and the ringing in my ears I heard my husband’s name and Anna Jacques hospital.
This isn’t real. I need to wake up.
“Mrs. Douglas?”
I swayed and slumped to my knees on the linoleum floor, struggling to keep Steven in my grasp.
The floor is cold. I’m not dreaming.

A big thanks to Shirley for inviting me. I hope you’ll try the drool-inducing cheese ball AND my book!

Terri

Here's her blog and website, for more about Terri!

Thanks for visiting, Terri!

Shirley

Easy Appetizer: Feta Tomato Crostini

Tonight, I was invited to something last minute, and had to figure out what I could bring based on the ingredients I had on hand. I nearly always have crescent rolls, because I know that good ol' Pillsbury website will give me something good :-).

Tonight's appetizer was no different--I did make far more topping than the recipe called for (basically doubled it but tasted as I went and ended up not doubling the olives) and I still had to steal some from this one and that one at the end to make enough for all 16. Very easy, very fast and very good:

Feta Tomato Crostini (click on title for original recipe...below is how I made it)

1 package crescent rolls

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup diced Kalamata olives (black olives; you can buy a small can of them already chopped up)

1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried (I used dried; rarely am I out of basil but I was today)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Open crescent rolls and DON'T unroll (I rolled the roll of them back and forth on a cutting board to tighten the roll before cutting). Cut in half, then cut each half in half, cut those halves in half, and so on, to get 16 slices. Spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray. Lay out the circles, and press them out into 2-inch diameter circles.

Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil and minced garlic in a small bowl. Brush over crescent circles. Put in oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix remaining ingredients. When crescents are cooked, remove from oven, let cool for one minute, then spoon on topping.

Shirley

Ultimate Crab Dip

This holiday weekend, we had friends over for dinner. It was a great collaboration--my friend made a grilled vegetable salad (very yummy; essentially you grill the veggies you'd put on the salad, layer them on the lettuce and add an easy vinaigrette) and a white chocolate trifle (very yummy too!).

I made Chipolte Cherry Barbecue Sauce to go over some chicken that I had rubbed with a dry rub, put on the grill, and um, forgot about. They were CRISPY chicken breasts, LOL. Still good, but quite charred on the outside. I'm going to try the sauce with something else soon, and if it works out, will post the recipes.

One hit was Tyler Florence's Ultimate Crab Dip. I'd seen him make it on Tyler's Ultimate that morning, but didn't really pay attention to how. Just thought it looked good. But when I went to check the recipe on the Food Network, it had no directions, and according to the comments, the ingredients ratio was a bit off. So I fiddled with it myself, and here's what I did. The roasted tomatoes are a must--they add that last little bit of flavor that really pumps up the appetizer from just another crab dip and into something special. The garlic parsley crackers take an extra step too (and I recommend making double the amount) but people liked those so much, they ate just the crackers, LOL.

Ultimate Crab Dip (Shirley's Version)

For the Dip:

1/2 cup cream cheese (I used light)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

12 ounces lump crab meat (Note: I live in Indiana so I can't buy it fresh...sigh...so I used the Bumblebee Canned Lump Crab Meat and it worked out just as well)

2 tablespoons chopped chives

For the Crackers:

2 sleeves saltines (this is a doubled recipe)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick butter, melted

1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped fine

For the Tomatoes:

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (I used grape)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay the saltines on a cookie sheet, then in a small saucepan, melt the butter, add the garlic and parsley. Brush the butter mixture onto the saltines, then bake for about 6 minutes, until golden and crispy. When done, remove them to a platter. Toss the tomatoes with the vinegar and olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, then lay them on the baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes just begin to burst.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, cream the cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice. Fold in the crab meat and diced chives. Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to use.

To eat, spread crab dip on a cracker, and top with a tomato.

Great recipe on all counts, IMO. I had a few leftover (like enough for five crackers, LOL) and it was just as great the next day for lunch ;-)

Shirley

Asian Night: Fried Wontons, Fried Rice and Lettuce Wraps

This is probably the fastest photo I've ever taken of a dinner, LOL. We had Asian food again last night, and enjoyed this one immensely.

I made PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps again, though this time they were pretty fiery because my daughter made the stir fry sauce and she apparently had some trouble telling TABLESPOON from TEASPOON. I miss the days of mandatory home ec classes :-)

Still, the chicken was fantastic. Very spicy, but oh so good. We ate a bunch of them even with the tripled heat.

I did NOT make my normal (and easier) Fried Rice recipe. Tonight, because I had the ingredients on hand, I decided to try Juan Carlos Cruz's recipe for Pork Fried Rice.

All I can say is WOW. It had a TON of great flavor.

I did things a tad different than he said, though. For one, because I was making the wontons and they called for a half-pound of ground pork (they called for raw, and I have this thing about using raw food in something that's only going to cook for like three minutes, so I wanted to cook it first), I bought a whole pound of ground pork, and browned it all. I used half in the wontons and saved the other half for the rice. [The good thing about using ground pork instead of cut-up pork? In fried rice, it all blends in with the rice after the sauces are added and your kids can't tell the pork is in there. I know, I'm a tricky mom].

Secondly, I added 4 cups of cooked rice instead of two. Third, I cooked the rice while I was making the wontons (they were pretty time-consuming, probably an hour all together) and then chilled it in the sunroom (it was 30 degrees out, so that was basically like putting it in the freezer). I find that if you do that, the rice dries out a bit and cooks much better.

Fourth, I used a single bag of frozen peas and carrots. I wasn't going to chop both carrots and then add frozen peas ;-). I did grate the ginger (I keep a ginger root in my freezer all the time) and did chop up the garlic, etc. (and I used fresh...I'm on this fresh ingredients kick lately and boy, it has made a HUGE difference in taste).

Now, for the wontons. I got the recipe from Gourmet magazine, and had been waiting a while to try them. These were time-consuming but easy.

I also couldn't get round wonton wrappers here (I live in the land of sporadic shallot availability, remember) so I used square ones. I folded them diagonally, then folded the corners down, then folded the triangle edge up, using water to seal each edge.

I did NOT boil them (but I think that's because I couldn't get them to come out the way they were supposed to so they wouldn't stay together that way...frustration because the wrappers were small and thin). I fried them instead in a little peanut oil (not deep fry, just pan fry, about 2 minutes per side). They are SO GOOD served hot. DD and I ate half of them, I think, before they even made it to the table.

BTW, if you go to the link for the recipe and click on Video, it shows you everything, including how to make the dumpling (if you want them to be boiled and be dumplings instead) dough and to make them into that neat little crescent shape instead. In my spare time, LOL, I think I might try to make them homemade. Or just get myself to the Asian market here in town and buy the round ones ;-)

The Lantern Dumpling Sauce you serve with it is AWESOME. We used it with the lettuce wraps too (we had the PF Chang sauce as well) and enjoyed it with that as well. The sauce couldn't be easier to make.

All in all, a really enjoyable dinner. Lots of dishes involved, but if I had planned ahead a little better, I wouldn't have had so many. I just kind of last minute decided to do this, at like 6:15, and that pushed dinner to like 7:30, so I wasn't all set up like I like to be when I make Asian food. (See my tips here).

Tonight is the easiest night of all...ordering pizza night ;-)

Shirley

A Perfect Lunch With Friends

[side note: for the writers out there, I'm starting a new workshop on my Just Write It list about conflict and emotion. Join if you write fiction and are interested!]

I had four friends over to the new house yesterday for lunch and it was wonderful. The company was fabulous (can't wait to have you all back, Julie, Cathy, Marci and Kayleen!) and the food turned out great, despite lots of stress on my part, LOL.

In case you're wondering, here's what I made:

Appetizer: Olive Medley Pinwheels (they were an award-winning Better Homes and Gardens recipe...the only problem I had was finding an olive bar at my local grocery store, so I ended up having to use canned olives. Sigh. Don't get me started again on my local grocery stores)

Beverage: Pomegranate Fizz: I saw this on Barefoot Contessa the other day and thought it looked good. I read the recipe on Food Network, then read all the comments and took people's advice. I added a full bottle of Pom Pomegranate Juice, to 3 1/2 cups of Sparkling Water (a one-third to two-third ration...the FN recipe has the wrong quantities; I saw that episode too and she did say and make 1/3 to 2/3s), then only squeezed in one half of a lime. I also added about a tablespoon or so of granulated Splenda (since I had that on hand and didn't see the need to buy Superfine sugar just for this). I didn't bother with the lime slices because I served it in champagne flutes.

Meal: Insalata Rustica (I totally love this salad. This time, I skipped the dried cherries, as people have said in the comments at Bon Appetit. I also didn't add mozzarella chunks because DH ate all the mozzarella, LOL. And...this time, I accidentally baked the grapes for like 40 minutes, and they were SO much sweeter. They were halfway to raisins and they were just SO yummy. Next time, I'll do them that long again. I had just enough salad left over for lunch the next day too and it was just as good the next day ;-).

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with Spinach: this one was a recipe I kind of invented, after reading a "healthy" tomato tortellini and deciding it was too healthy, LOL.

French Bread with Parmesan Garlic Spread (I bought the bread and spread...had good intentions to bake from scratch but I ran out of time).

Dessert: Carrot-Cake Cupcakes...of course ;-)

A few tips for hosting something like this -- I did it up fancy, because...I wanted to. When my husband and I bought our dining room table, my daughter said it would be such a waste because no one ever uses their dining room except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am SO not one of those people. I love eating in the dining room. Not just for parties, but with the family, too. We've eaten in there as a family a few times already, and after I get an easier-to-wash tablecloth, LOL, we'll be there more often.

I set the table the night before, got out the fancy silverware and the nice napkins. The wine glasses for ice water and the champagne flutes for the pomegranate drink. Really, how much more work is that? My dishwasher has wine stem holder thingies, so it's just as easy to wash those in there as it is regular glasses. And everyone gets a chance to feel special for an afternoon.

My friends asked me for the soup recipe (everyone had seconds and thirds). I haven't taken a picture of it even though I've made it twice, once for me to test the recipe I invented (I made it when I was sick and forgot) and then yesterday. I was going to photograph the last bowl, but then DH ate it, LOL.

This makes a big Dutch oven's worth of soup, so you have plenty of soup to eat. It's VERY good, IMO.

Don't skimp and use non-fresh ingredients in the places where it calls for fresh. The fresh makes a HUGE difference in the taste, believe me.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup with Spinach

1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, Italian style
2 large basil leaves (fresh) or 4 small, chopped
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 small can tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
8 ounces fresh Spinach leaves
8 ounces frozen Tortellini stuffed with cheese
1/2 cup heavy (or whipping) cream

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven (or similar pot). Add onion and garlic, cook and stir until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, basil, tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a boil and add Parmesan cheese. Add spinach leaves.

Using a hand blender (or a regular blender if you're not a clumsy person and can pour, blend, pour back), puree the soup in the pan. I know that sounds intimidating, but the trick to doing that is starting on low, with the base of the hand blender on the bottom of the pan. As you get more pureed and get more confident, you can turn up the speed. Puree until all the chunks of tomato are smooth, the spinach is minced, and the soup is well blended. Add tortellini and cook about 6 minutes, until tortellini is cooked through. Stir in heavy cream (add more if you want the soup to be creamier) and cook until heated through. Serve.

That's it! Start to finish, this soup takes...maybe 30 minutes, if that. It's really easy. And REALLY good. Not to mention good for you (except the heavy cream, but hey, life needs a little fat here and there ;-)

Shirley

An Appetizer with a Little Work...

Sometimes reading Bon Appetit gets me into trouble ;-) It makes me all ambitious.

I got invited to play cards (euchre for those who live in the Midwest and know what that is. For those who don't live in the Midwest, it's kind of like bridge) at a friend's house. It's a potluck event; the host makes the main meal, everyone else brings a side dish or a dessert. So I'm reading this month's Bon Appetit and I come across these Individual Zucchini, Lemon and Ricotta Galettes.

I had great success with an apple and plum galette (did I post that recipe already? I can't remember). So I think how hard can this one be?

Well...this wasn't hard. Just...involved. At least for me, someone who likes a recipe that has like three steps. Mix, bake, serve ;-).

The picture here, BTW, doesn't do them justice. The lighting wasn't all that good and the countertop they were on was the same color as the crusts, so it's hard to see them against the glass serving platter. But trust me, these were yummy.

Bon Appetit tells you to make your own crust. I can make ANYTHING except pie crust. I know, I know. But for me, that's just my one thing I can't do. So I buy ready-made ones. The recipe says it makes six but it made more like six hundred, so I cut it down here and made it more regular cook friendly:

Easier Zucchini Lemon and Ricotta Galettes

2 ready made pie crusts
1/2 pound zucchini, shredded (just shred it on a coarse cheese grater)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (I buy the stuff in a jar a lot)
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
kosher salt


(One thing about ingredients...I'm not anal about anything unless I'm baking. I kind of have a Rachael Ray approach to cooking. I taste as I go, and if it looks good, and tastes good, that's what goes in. So this is approximately what I used).

Place shredded zucchini in a colander over a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let it drain for 30 minutes. Then press it between paper towels or a kitchen towel until as much liquid as possible is removed. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter, add oil, and then saute onion until clear and translucent. Add garlic, saute 30 seconds. Then add zucchini and lemon juice. Cook until zucchini is tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pie crusts and cut into 3-inch circles with a glass (unless you're one of those people who has a cookie cutter for every occasion). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpats and put the pie crust circles on the sheets. Melt remaining butter in a separate pan. [see, I told you. Lots of steps!]

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 2/3's of the Parmesan, the egg and lemon rind. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the zucchini mixture. Spoon in the center of the crust, leaving a 1-inch to 1 1/2-inch border all the way around (enough to fold it in). Pleat the edges and fold them. Brush the crusts with the melted butter (Bon Appetite said to drizzle the remaining butter over the centers, too, but I had a butter incident when the dog got under my feet in the kitchen, so there was no remaining butter for me to do that with. Ah well, I didn't need the calories anyway. And they were yummy without it). Sprinkle crusts with kosher salt (FYI, Bon Appetit called for fleur de sel, a specialty sea salt. Yeah, right. We have already heard my frustration with trying to buy SHALLOTS, folks. I'm not going to try to buy that. Kosher salt works just fine). Then sprinkle galettes with reserved Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then Bon Appetit recommended reducing the temp to 375 for another 25 minutes. I ended up baking them at 425 for 25 minutes total because I was late for cards ;-). They say you can serve these warm or at room temp. Personal experience -- way better warm. They were a huge hit, and in the end, worth the effort. Will I make them again? Definitely. :-)

Shirley

Back to the Recipes: Easy Chicken Wings

I'm back :-) I had one VERY busy September and that kept me so insanely busy, I couldn't see straight, never mind keep up here, too. A book to write, a month-long, intensive online class to teach, soccer for BOTH kids, which meant running here there and everywhere all the time :-) and then some regular catching-up of life. Add in one kid's birthday (which I blogged about here, plus some other nice things about that particular kid ;-) and it was INSANE.



I had lots of great recipes this month...but no time to blog about them. And now I'm going to try to get caught up!



These chicken wings I made for a Labor Day party. They were insanely easy, and not the regular hot and spicy kind that people expect. I got them from Bon Appetit magazine, which is quickly becoming my new favorite. I know, it sounds like the hard kind of cooking magazine, but surprisingly, a good third to half of the recipes in there are pretty easy, and they have a whole section of easy ones in each issue.





Balsamic Soy Chicken Wings



3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar (use a good quality one; if you go for the cheap brand, it tends to be VERY vinegary and burn your eyes when it boils. Not good eats, as Alton Brown would say)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons butter
3 pounds chicken wings, cut apart (meaning, you have the drumstick and the wing part separated. Easy-peasy, folks. Just take a butcher knife and hit hard)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil



Pour the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar into a sturdy sauce pan. Turn on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil until it reduces to a syrup. This could take from 15 minutes to a half hour, all depending IMO, on the quality of your vinegar and your stove. And what your version of medium-high is ;-). Syrup means it coats the back of your spoon and stays there -- just like regular syrup on pancakes. You want it nice and thick, so it'll stick to the wings. [A side note: I came across this very similar recipe on Epicurious that also added sugar to the mix, which sounds yummy, too, so you can try that as well. It will probably cut a bit of that vinegar taste, especially if you don't buy a super-high quality balsamic. When I do these again, I'm going to do the sugar thing. Plus it'll make it more syrup-y, which I think would be nice, too].



Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Toss the wings in a baggie with oil, and salt and pepper (I used about a teaspoon of salt, a half a teaspoon of pepper. I'm not exactly a measurer in that kind of thing). Spread foil on cookie sheets, then spread out the wings. Roast in the oven, turning once, for 30 minutes.




When you can handle them, toss them in the sauce. Let them stand for five minutes, and toss them again in remaining sauce (you won't use it all because it won't all stick the first time). Serve! These were a big hit at the Labor Day party I went to.

Tomorrow, I have a guest author visiting :-) And then I have a bunch of other yummy recipes coming!

Shirley

Easy Pizza Calzones

These could not have been easier or faster. Okay, if they were made by someone else, maybe, LOL.

Today, I went to the open air farmer's market downtown. It was so awesome. A.) because the weather was GORGEOUS (high 70s, which is my favorite temperature) and B.) because I found some AWESOME fruits and veggies at great prices and C.) because it was just fun to be out and about with my daughter (who is the most amazing daughter EVA, (which is what she told me to write because she is looking over my shoulder as I type), shopping.

Anyway, kids loved these, I loved these and ate so many slices, I had to walk the dogs an extra half mile tonight ;-)

Easy Pizza Calzones

3 Ready Made Pizza Crusts (use the Pillsbury ones, unless you are some glutton for punishment who makes your own from scratch)

1 small jar pizza sauce

8 ounces shredded pizza blend cheese (or Italian blend)

Parmesan cheese

Pizza toppings of your choice (FYI, I used already cooked sausage patties; the Bob Evans kind, so I didn't even have to cook those)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll pizza crust. Spread about 4 tablespoons of pizza sauce on each crust, within 1/2 inch of pizza dough edge. Top with cheese (I used about 1/2 cup or so of cheese on each pizza...whatever looked good). Add toppings. For one pizza, I did pepperoni. For the next, I did just sausage. For the third, I did mushrooms, frozen chopped onions and sausage.

Roll up pizza, jelly-roll style. Pinch seams together. Pinch ends together, to seal. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for five minutes on a wire rack before slicing.

They were SO yummy and cheesy. And way softer than regular pizza. One note -- I have some of those Air Bake cookies sheets--the pizza calzones I did on those came out less crispy on the bottom than the ones I did on regular cookie sheets, and I liked the Air Bake version better. So if you have those, you might want to try them. I do have a pizza stone from Pampered Chef, but I didn't think to try it.

And in the ongoing quest for shallots--I asked for them all over the farmer's market today. No go. The vendor that normally carries them said part of his field had flooded this summer, so the shallots were late getting harvested. Hopefully, he'd have them next week. But at least he knew what they were, LOL. The farmer's market did have all kinds of WAY cool veggies that I'll be trying in the coming weeks.

Shirley

Buffalo Chicken Dip: A Super Bowl Touchdown!

My teenage daughter had a Super Bowl party, with a few friends over, which meant I had to find something for them to snack on, beyond Pizza Rolls (which I did have, but just in case nothing else worked out). I made chili for DH and I, knowing the kids probably wouldn't eat it, and then made this dip -- and scored a total touchdown.

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website, and then tinkered with it. I wasn't really happy with the way it was (of course) so I adapted it to fit a.) what I had in my fridge and b.) what I thought went with buffalo chicken better:

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 package cream cheese (I used that lower fat version, just fine), well softened
1 10-ounce can chunk chicken (or 10 ounces cooked and shredded chicken)
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (you can buy this in a bottle where they sell the hot sauce, I used medium heat)
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (I used fat free)
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1 8-ounce bag shredded colby-jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 1-quart casserole, layer the cream cheese, chicken, sauce, dressing, blue cheese and most of the colby-jack. Stir to combine. Then sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top. (The original recipe had all of this layered and then the cheese on top, which creates a cool crusty cheese layer, but makes it really hard to dip, because the cheese is too gooey, IMHO). Bake 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serve with tortilla chips, celery sticks, carrot sticks, etc.

It was VERY yummy. VERY easy. I wish I'd doubled it :-) But of course it's not exactly figure friendly, even with the low-fat dressing and cream cheese. Maybe if I find low-fat colby-jack I can kind of say it's figure friendly, but...not really ;-)

Shirley

Hot Crab Bites: The Result of Experimenting

Last night, I was the fill-in at cards, which meant I had to come up with a tasty snack to bring along, one that hopefully no one else would have (I had heard the horror stories about the nights virtually everyone showed up with cookies) and that if no one liked I wouldn't mind having as a leftover :-)

In the mail, I had received my Kraft Food and Family recipe magazine (if you don't already get this; it's free. You can sign up on the website. There's coupons in some of the issues, not all, and a lot of fast and easy recipes in every issue. This holiday one had at least six recipes I bookmarked for trying). Anyway, they had a cold crab bite recipe. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm a hot food kind of gal unless it's 90+ degrees out. Call me a food wimp, but I like my meals to make my belly warm :-). So I started fiddling with the recipe, trying out different ways of making it to get one that would be hot, easy to eat, and easy to make.

And it was a hit. So, I'm posting it here. For one, because my blog has become my virtual recipe book. I no longer go looking for recipes in my cabinet if I know I've posted them here. I just search the blog, LOL. For another, the ladies raved, and all asked for the recipe. I figured posting it here was the easiest way to spread the crab bite love.


Hot Crab Bites


2 8-ounce packages imitation crab meat (unless you have a big budget and want to use real crab meat. I'm in the Midwest. Real crab meat costs the equivalent of a Mercedes here ;-)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon hot sauce (Frank's is good; use as much or as little as you want to spice it up a bit)
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon dried dill (depends, IMO, on how fresh your spices are if you need more)
1 package wonton wrappers (I had 60 in my package)


lukewarm water
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop crabmeat into small pieces. Mix crabmeat, mayo, cheese, hot sauce and dill. Dip one finger in the water and spread water around the edges of wonton (this will help it seal). Put one teaspoon of crab mixture into center of wonton. Bring edges up, twist together. They make like a little pouch (and you may ask why there is no picture...well, we ate them all pretty fast here :-).


Put the crab bites onto greased cookie sheets. Mix the butter and oil together and brush that over the outside of the wontons (this will keep them from burning, and will make them a bit crispy, as well as golden). Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes (check them by checking the bottoms at about 10 minutes. My stove is old, so it doesn't always like me at certain temperatures.


They were really quick and easy to make and I can already think of a dozen other fillings for the wontons.


Oh, for dinner, I made a Taste of Home recipe. I had leftover mini hotdogs from the Monster Toes the other day, so I mixed those with a large can of Bush's baked beans, some brown sugar , some mustard and some Worcestshire sauce. Then I topped it with some Jiffy corn bread mix (mixed according to the directions) that had 1 cup of cheddar cheese added into the mix. Baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. I'm not a huge bean fan (I was eating at the hostess's house, so this was the DH's dinner) but I thought this was really good. I just realized Taste of Home has a website and the recipe is there! So you can go there and download it if you want.


Shirley

Recipe: Seafood Dip

This is one of my OMG, company is coming and I have nothing to serve them dishes. I tend to keep these ingredients on hand, just so I can whip this together and look impressive ;-) I admit, I have to hide a box of "good" crackers (the Club crackers) in the back of the cabinet or the kids will eat them, so that there's always some available for guests.

Seafood Dip

1 8-ounce package imitation crab meat (unless you want to use fresh :-)
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 onion, minced
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
a few drops Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
Paprika & chopped Parsley for garnish


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix all but the paprika and parsley together and spread in a pie plate. Bake for 20 minutes (enough time to clean the house, light a few candles and pretend you were ready for company ;-). Then garnish with paprika and parsley if you feel like getting fancy. Serve with the good crackers. :-)

That's it! Easy and quick!

Shirley