Appetizer Recipes

1 cup canned artichoke hearts - drained and chopped
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach - thawed and drained
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Heat spinach and artichoke hearts in microwave until hot. Drain. Heat cream cheese in small bowl in microwave set on high for 1 minute. Add spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese and stir well. Add remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine. Serve hot with nacho chips, crackers, and/or bagel chips.

8 thin slices baked ham
8 slices low-fat cheese (Mozzarella)
16 asparagus spears, thawed if frozen

Roll each slice of ham around 2 asparagus spears and pin with toothpicks. Place one slice of cheese on top of each roll and run under the broiler until the cheese melts. Serve immediately

Avocado Ranch Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup smashed, fresh avocado (about half of an avocado)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
dash dried dill weed
dash garlic powder
dash pepper

Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped tomato
1 tablespoon chopped onion

Combine all ingredients except garnish items, and chill before serving.

Baked Brie is fabulous. If you want to get fancy with the brie, saute some mushrooms with tarragon, garlic and a bit of wine until the mixture is almost dry (the mushrooms should be sliced or chopped, by the by), take a wheel of brie, slice it in half, put the mushroom mix in the middle, and wrap it in phyllo or puff pastry (the frozen puff pastry works fine). Put in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm everything up.

At this point, it can be moved to the fridge and kept until needed. Bake it in a moderate oven until the puff pastry browns. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

You can also use puff pasty scraps to cut out little leaves and stuff to put on top of the whole thing for decoration. This is best with the small wheels, about 5 inches in diameter

1 cup beer
1/4 lb. butter
1 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 (17 oz) can crabmeat

Bring beer and butter to boil. When butter melts, add flour and salt all at once. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture leaves sides of pan. Remove from heat; beat in 1 egg at a time until dough is shiny. Drop by teaspoonfuls 1 inch apart on buttered baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees; bake 10 minutes longer until browned and free of moisture. Cool, split and fill with crabmeat or other desired filling.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
2 medium tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1 tsp black pepper
1 baguette, fresh, about 2 1/2" round and 27" long
1/3 cup butter, softened

Mix the first 8 ingredients (this can be done the day ahead and refrigerated). Cut the baguette into 1" slices. Butter one side. Arrange on a cookie sheet, buttered side up. Divide the mixture among the slices and spread. Bake in 350F oven for about 15 minutes and the cheese has melted.

6 tbsp Wheat Flour
2 cup Cottage Cheese
1 dash Black Pepper
1 dash Cayenne pepper
3 tbsp Wheat Germ
2 ea Eggs or egg substitute
1 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
10 oz Spinach thawed - drained

Directions 1. In a large bowl, beat eggs (or egg substitute) with flour until smooth.
2. Squeeze spinach to dry then add to egg mixture along with cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Mix well.
3. Pour into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with wheat germ and bake in preheated 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes.
4. Let stand 10 minutes then cut into 1-1/2 inch squares.
Yield: 48 squares.

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons sour cream

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter and cheese with pastry blender; stir in sour cream. Shape into a ball and chill 2 hours. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8-inch thick. Cut into strips 1/4-inch wide and 3 inches long. Bake at 425° for 8 minutes.

1 (6 ounce) can crab meat, drained
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
24 large mushrooms, stem removed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Check crab and remove any cartilage or bits of shell. In a medium bowl, combine crab, bread crumbs, tomato, dill weed. garlic powder, salt and cayenne.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Fill each mushroom cap with about 1 tablespoon of crab meat mixture. Place filled caps in a lightly greased baking dish. (Pam is good) Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon Parmesan cheese over each. Bake until hot and lightly browned on top. 12-15 minutes. Serve warm.

1 cup Dry herbed bread crumbs
1 pound Ground beef
1/2 cup whole Cranberry sauce
1 Egg
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Basil
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
2 tablespoons Oil

Sauce: 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon flour

Combine bread crumbs, ground beef, 1/2 cup of cranberry sauce, egg, salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. Cook in hot oil until browned, about 10 minutes.

Sauce: In medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup cranberry sauce and beef broth. Heat until gently boiling. In a bowl, combine orange juice and flour, mixing well to remove all lumps. Add to cranberry mixture, stirring until sauce is thickened. Reduce heat, add meatballs to sauce and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve in chafing dish or crockpot over low heat.

Makes about 3 dozen small meatballs.

3 cups (12 oz) finely chopped fresh mushrooms
or 8 oz can, drained and chopped
2 tbsp margarine or butter
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8 oz can refriferated crescent dinner rolls
3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350. Brown mushrooms in margarine. Stir in salt, onion, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce; cook until liquid evaporates. Separate crescent dough into 2 rectangles. Place in ungreased 13x9 inch pan; press over bottom and 1/4 inch up sides to form crust. Spread cream cheese over dough. Top with mushroom mixture, then Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; cut into desired shapes. Serve warm. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Makes 2 dozen snacks

Easy Shrimp Dip

1 large container Sour Cream
1 pkg Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 can broken Shrimp (small - usually the tuna fish can size)

Mix all ingredients together - put in refrigerator for 4-5 hours - Serve with chips.

3 lbs. russet (baking) potatoes (6 to 8 medium)
1 small head garlic (2 inches in diameter)
3/4 stick (6 tbs.) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Prick each potato once or twice with a fork. Cut off and discard top fourth of garlic head, then wrap garlic tightly in foil. Bake garlic and potatoes on same rack in lower third of oven until potatoes are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove potatoes from oven and cool on a metal rack 15 minutes. Continue to bake garlic until tender, about 15 minutes more, then cool in foil on rack. While garlic cools, halve potatoes lengthwise, then quarter each half (to form short wedges). Scoop out potato flesh (reserving it for another use), leaving 1/4-inch-thick potato skins. Increase oven temperature to 425F. Squeeze garlic into a small bowl, discarding garlic skins, and mash to a paste with butter, salt, and pepper using a fork. Divide garlic paste among potato skins (about 1/2 teaspoon each), spreading evenly, then roast skins in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

24 medium mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 Tbsp. margarine, divided
2 tsp. flour
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram, crushed dash pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked ham
1 Tbsp. snipped parsley

Remove stems from mushrooms; reserve caps. Chop stems. Cook the chopped stems and onion in 1 Tbsp. margarine just till tender. Blend in flour, marjoram and pepper; add wine. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir in ham and parsley.

Stuff mushroom caps with ham mixture. Place mushrooms on a 20" x 12" piece of foil; dot with remaining margarine. Fold foil to seal edges; grill on gas grill set at medium for 15 to 20 minutes.

Mexican Bean Dip

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (1 1/4 oz.) pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 sm. onion, chopped
3 drops hot sauce

Place all ingredients in a medium Mixrowave-safe bowl. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on High 6 minutes. Stir at 3 minutes. Serve with corn chips.

Mini Quiches

4 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup diced cooked ham
2 green onions chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls
Miniature muffin pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flatten out crescent rolls into one large rectangle and cut into small 2-inch squares. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray and gently push squares into muffin holes. Beat eggs, add other ingredients and blend well. Fill muffin pastries with egg mixture and bake for about 12 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Best when served warm.

1 can (11 oz) Pillsbury soft breadsticks
24 Thin pepperoni slices -- 1 1/2" diameter
2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 cup Pizza sauce, heated

Separate and unroll breadsticks. Place 3 pepperoni slices in single layer over one half of each breadstick. Fold remaining half of breadstick over top; seal end and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Combine cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Sprinkle evenly over each breadstick.

Bake in preheated 350° F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pizza sauce. Makes 8 pizza sticks.

Tortilla Chip Dip

1 8oz. package cream cheese
1 15oz. can of chili (with or without beans)
shredded cheddar cheese

Spread cream cheese out evenly in the bottom of a glass pie plate. Spread chili on top of that. Then, sprinkle lots of cheddar cheese. Microwave until cheese is melted and ingredients are nice and hot. Very good and very easy.

1 can (16oz) refried beans
1 cup sour cream
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1/2 cup green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread refried beans over bottom of baking pan. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Press garlic into bowl and mix well. Spread mixture over beans. Sprinkle on shredded cheese. Bake 15-18 minutes or until. Hot. Sprinkle olives, cilantro, tomato, and onions over dip. Garnish with sour cream. Serve with chips