Apple Brickle Dip

1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
vanilla, as desired
1/4 cup toffee pieces, or amount desired

Combine all ingredients. Mix until well combined. Best if made the day before.

This recipe comes from my sister Kim and is a BIT HITwhenever I make it.

Spiced Crackers

Very YUMMY...and easy...just in time for Super Bowl Sunday!!

3 Boxes of Bite-Sized Saltine Crackers or 3 sleeves of the regular sized Saltine Crackers
1/2 to 3/4 cup Canola Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbs Crushed Red Pepper
1 Pkg Ranch Dressing Powder or Feista Ranch Dressing Powder

Put crackers in a large bowl. Mix oil, garlic powder, crushed red pepper and ranch dressing powder together.

Pour over crackers and mix crackers gently until all are covered with sauce.

Sweet Baked Brie Recipe

This recipe is from Lynn in my SASSSC Stamp Swap Club. She cut this recipe in half for our club meeting. She also recommends trimming some of the casing of the brie (top and bottom) prior to ading to pastry.

1 - 11x17 sheet of frozen puff pastry (thawed)
1-pound wheel of Brie cheese
2 tablespoons of raspberry jam
1/4 cup sliced almonds toasted
1 egg, beaten with a spash of water
1 box water cracker ( got those at HEB in the wine area)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the puff pastry on the counter and roll it to 1/8inch thick. Trim a few inches of the dough off the ends to square it off (save the scraps).

Cut the Brie through the equater into two pieces and place one half on the puff pastry, cut side up. Spread the jam on the cheese and sprinkle the toasted almonds (see below). Replace the other half of the Brie on top.

Wrap the dough up an over the Brie to encase it.

Place on nonstick baking sheet (or use parchment paper), seam side down, Cut designs from the scrap of dough and put on top.

Brush entire thing with the egg wash.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

*****Instructions for toasting almonds*****
Toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes, stiring constantly until golden. Remove from pan immediately as they will continue to cook in a warm pan. Cool completely before adding to cheese.

Cilantro Mayonnaise

3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
3/4 cup loosely packet cilantro leaves
1 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 small garlic clove

Place the mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, soy sauce, and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Yield 3/4 cup

Nutrition at a glance
Per Tablespoon: 36 calories, 0g protein, 3g carbohydrates, 3g fat, 1g saturated fats, 104mg sodium, 4mg cholesterol, 0g fiber


From: "The South Beach Diet - The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss" by Arthur Agatston, M.D. ISBN:1-57954-646-3, page 179

Turkey or Ham Roll-Ups

4 slices turkey breast (or boiled ham)
4 medium Boston lettuce leaves
Cilantro mayonnaise (see below)
4 scallions
4 red bell pepper strips

Place 1 slice of turkey (or ham) on a lettuce leaf and spread with Cilantro mayonnaise. Add 1 scallion and 1 pepper strip. Fold into a tight, cigar like roll. The Cilantro mayonnaise can be used as a dip instead of a spread if desired.

CILANTRO MAYONNAISE RECIPE

Serves 2

Nutrition at a glance
Per serving (2 rolls): 54 calories, 10g protein, 2g carbohydrates, 1g fat, 0g saturated fats, 604mg sodium, 17mg cholesterol, 1g fiber


From: "The South Beach Diet - The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss" by Arthur Agatston, M.D. ISBN:1-57954-646-3, page 179

Original Chex Party Mix

Dreaming of Italy, Dipping Oil

1/4 cup olive oil
Dry minced onion
Black pepper
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder or garlic salt
Kosher Salt
Crushed red peppers
Cayenne Pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and dip french bread in it. Might not be good on a date, it makes your breath stink like garlic/onions. But it is Delicious.

I got this one from Vicki M. She was a weird chica...I worked with her at Speedmark. It will be a long time before I forget her! Long story! But she and I used to share this when we would hang out. :o)

Martha's Dip

16 oz Sour Cream
1 pkg Cream Cheese
1 pkg Shredded Cheese
2 big handfuls of cubed (1/4 inch) ham or other meat
(good with artificial crabmeat also)
Jalapeno's or other peppers to taste

Hollow out a 2 lb. sourdough loaf. Save the lid and make it kind of big. Keep the bread from the inside as dipping material.

Toss all the ingredients together and stir well. Fill loaf with dip. Wrap with 1, and only 1 complete layer of foil. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for one hour, on the middle rack.

The dip is even better after reheating the next day.

Source: Richard K.

COMMENT: Maybe I should start calling this Richard's Dip. He brought it to one of our Thanksgiving Feasts when I worked at Litton Loan. I've used it several times and it is VERY good! I always get lots of complements on it.

Tex-Mex 7 Layer Dip

16 oz Bean Dip (or Refried Beans)
1 container (6 oz) Guacamole
8 oz Sour cream
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 pkg Taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup Green onions, chopped
4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 can (3 oz) Chopped Olives
2 cups Mexican Mix Shredded Cheese

Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning in a separate bowl.

To assemble: Using a 9 x 9-inch casserole, layer the dip as follows. Spread the bean dip evenly on the bottom of the pan. Top with the guacamole. Then top with the sour cream mixture, green onions, tomatoes and olives. Put cheese on right before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: www.chefjamie.com

Texas Caviar

2 cans (15.5 oz) Black-Eyed Peas w/ Jalapeño
1 can (10 oz) Rotel
2 Avocados
1 Green pepper
1/2 Purple Onion
3/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 tsp salt

Rinse and drain the black-eyed peas. Stir all ingredients and chill. Serve with Tortilla chips.

Yield: 6 cups

Source: Sherie K
Recipe Author: Unknown

***NOTE: I've never had such a requested recipe! EVERYONE LOVES THIS RECIPE! When I first saw it at my Mom's house, I said, "Raw Green Peppers? Raw Purple Onions? No way, I ain't eatin' that stuff" My Mom told me to just try a bite and I was in love after that. This seems like an odd combination of ingredients, but it is DELICIOUS! This is one that I make for every New Year's party I go to. It's supposed to be good luck to eat black-eyed-peas on New Years...this is so much better than eating a warm soupy bowl of them... :)

Mom's Famous Salsa Recipe

28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
10 oz can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1 to 2 pickled peppers pieces, to taste
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp (or more) garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 Tbs dried onion flakes
1 tsp (+ or -) sugar
Finely chopped cilantro (to taste)

Put all ingredients into the blender. Blend until desired consistency. To thicken, add a little tomato paste and then re-season to taste. Tastes best when cold. Will keep in the fridge for at least a week.

When buying the pickled peppers, buy a very small can then store the extra in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for several months.

***NOTE: To make this recipe even faster, pre-measure the dry ingredients and store them in separate baggies in an air tight container. This is how Amy (my twin sister) does it. She gets a lot of requests for this becuase she lives up North...and as we all know...there are no REAL Mexican Restaurants up there...only imitators!

Source: Amy T (my Twin Sister)
Author: Sherie K (my Mom)

Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
3 avocados
4-5 serrano chilies, roasted, peeled and seeded
4 garlic cloves, roasted and minced
2 tbs cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot two-thirds full of boiling water, add tomatillos, return to a boil and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain and cool to touch, 20 minutes. In a food processor, combine tomatillos, avocados, chilies, garlic and cilantro; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 cups

***COMMENT: I love the Williams-Sonoma catalog...all my favorite things are in there and they have awesome recipes to showcase their tools and spices. This one happened to not require a spice kit or a mix. It's a killer green salsa. It's become a favorite with me and my extended famly. My Mom really likes it!

Source: Williams-Sonoma Catalog

Crabbies

1/2 stick Butter, softened
1 jar (5 oz) Kraft Old English Cheese Spread
1 1/2 tsp Mayonnaise
1/4 tsp Garlic
1/4 tspSeasoned salt (or Serendipity)
1 can or bag (7 oz) Crab Meat
6 thick English muffins

Cream the first 5 ingredients together. Add crabmeat last. Spread on English muffin halves. You can freeze them at this point if you want. To serve, broil until golden brown. Cut into quarters.

Recipe Source
Source: Michelle S (my Sister-in-law)