Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Oreo Truffles

  1. Using a food processor, grind cookies to a fine powder.
  2. With a mixer, blend cookie powder, cream cheese and vanilla extract until thoroughly mixed (there should be no white traces of cream cheese).
  3. Roll into small balls and place on wax-lined cookie sheet.
  4. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
  5. Line two cookie sheets with wax paper.
  6. In double-boiler, melt milk chocolate.
  7. Dip balls and coat thoroughly.
  8. With slotted spoon, lift balls out of chocolate and let excess chocolate drip off.
  9. Place on wax-paper-lined cookie sheet.
  10. In separate double boiler, melt white chocolate.
  11. Using a fork, drizzle white chocolate over balls.
  12. Let cool.
  13. Store in airtight container, in refrigerator.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Parmesan Puff Pastry from the Food Network

1 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

On a lightly floured surface, unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 13 strips, about 3/4 by 10-inches apiece.

In a shallow dish, combine cheese, basil, and garlic. Brush pastry sticks with melted butter. Roll pastry in cheese mixture, lightly coating each side. Gently twist pastry sticks, and place on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Cheese in Pastry Cups Appetizer

  • 1 pakage puff pastry cups (in freezer section)
  • 1 wheel of brie or goat cheese or other soff cheese
  • 1 jar raspberry perserves (you could prob use any sweet kind)

Cut brie into little chunks and place in cups. Bake on 400 until cheese is well melted (about 10 minutes). Take out and put a dollup of preserves in each cup on top of cheese. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Rotel Dip

1 lb hamburger or sausage, cooked and drained

2 cans rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 large block velveeta cheese

-Combine all in a crock pot and heat through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cheesy Mexican Dip

1 lb of hamburger

1 lb of saugsage

1 lb of velveeta

1 package (8 oz) of cream cheese

1 can of chopped green chilis

1 can of cream of celery (or mushroom etc) condensed soup

Cook sausage and hamburger and drain.

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot.

Cook on high for 1-2 hours

Eat with chips!

Parmesan Spinach Balls

Parmesan Spinach Balls
Ingredients:
6 Eggs
2 (10 oz) Pkgs Frozen Chopped Spinach (Thawed)
2 Cups Herb Stuffing Mix
1 Large Onion Finely Chopped
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Butter
Salt/Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add remaining ingerdients and blend well. Roll mixture into walnut sized balls and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Can be frozen and microwaved later.
Love the idea of keeping a blog for this!

Pizza Dip

  • 1 package cream cheese, softened (8oz)
  • 1 jar (14oz) pizza sauce
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 can (6oz) sliced black olives
  • 2 ounces sliced pepperoni
  • corn chips

Press cream cheese in bottom of 9-inch glass pie plate. Spread pizza sauce over cream cheese and layer remaining ingredients in the order listed. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Serve with corn chips or your favorite crackers.
Serves 8 to 10.

Lemony Roasted Potatoes

2.5 lbs Russet potatoes

1/3 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup vegetable broth

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon tomato paste

fresh ground black pepper

chopped fresh parsley or dried oregano (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Peel potatoes, slice in half lengthwise, and slice each half into wedges no more than 3/4-inch thick.

In a large, deep baking pan or casserole dish (at least 10x17 or bigger), combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, veg. broth, oregano, salt, and tomato paste. Add the peeled, sliced potatoes. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and toss the potatoes to cover with the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil (or use lid of casserole dish), place in the oven, bake for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are almost done. Several times during the baking process, remove the pan from the oven, uncover, stir the potatoes, place the cover back, and return the pan to the oven.

Uncover the pan one last time, stir the potatoes again, and bake, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes, until most of the sauce has evaporated and some of the potatoes have just started to brown on their edges. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or oregano before serving if you like.

Recipe from Veganomicon cookbook.

Guacamole Dip aka Taco Dip

1 can refried beans

1 container prepared guacamole dip

8oz sour cream

Taco Seasoning

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Lettuce, tomato, black olives, whatever else you want to top it with.

Layer Refried beans, gaucamole dip, sourcream in that order in a 9X13 or jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and then top as desired with taco fixings.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as Franks® Red Hot®
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
tortilla chips

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and tortilla chips.

I use my crock pot

Italian Sausage Soup:

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
  • 2 small zucchini, cubed
  • 2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
  2. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
  3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

Easy spinach dip

1 block cream cheese

1 package ranch dressing mix(the dry kind)

1 8 oz package of frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup white cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 can artichoke hearts (optional) finely diced.

mix all together and microwave on high until bubbly and warm in the middle.

Sherried Tomato Soup

6 tablespoons melted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 to 3 tablespoons chicken base
3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
Black Pepper
1 cup cooking sherry
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil

Saute diced onions in butter until transluscent. Add canned tomatoes. Add tomato juice, sugar, pinch of salt, and black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste, adjust other seasoning, and serve with yummy, crusty bread on a cold, blustery, dreary, depressing, rainy, snowy day. Then close your eyes. And give thanks for soups like this.

Courtesy of the Pioneer Woman

Easy Crab Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 stick real butter

1 pkg of crab - chopped (real or imitation...imitation works fine for me)

Combine all ingredients into sauce pan or small crock pot. Heat slowly until all cr.cheese and butter are melted and all is warmed through. Serve w/crackers, pita chips or whatever you like! YUMMMM!

*This recipe can easily be doubled! If you like crab, then trust me, you'll want too!!!!! Enjoy!