Speaking of the cookie exchange....

For my annual cookie exchange I usually serve other foods, depending on when I have it. This year, it being on a Sunday afternoon, I served a luncheon. I made lasagna, sweet & sour chicken, heavenly potatoes, and served that along with some fresh rolls from a local bakery and bakery pizza (it's a Rhode Island thing - pizza you eat cold & cheeseless, it's good, just trust me!). I also made a couple of dips for enjoyment - buffalo chicken dip and a new dip recipe I tried out - White Pizza Dip.

You'll never guess where I found this one - the back of a Lipton dried soup mix box! Hey, I don't care WHERE I find them, as long as they are good that is all that matters to me. This was one was full of flavor and I would definitely make it again!

White Pizza Dip

(from Lipton)

1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix

1 container (16 oz.) sour cream

1 cup (8 oz.) ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz.)

1/4 cup (1 oz.) chopped pepperoni (optional)

1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced

Preheat oven to 350°. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread.

A couple quick apps

Well our little get together went well last night. I can't believe Christmas is 2 days away! I got everything done ahead of time so it really helped keep my stress level low while we were getting ready for guests to arrive. Here are 2 other appetizers I served that actually have some sort of recipe, (besides the bacon appetizers I wrote about below). The first is a recipe my friend Cathy gave me awhile back and it's just so easy (and yummy). The second is a find from myrecipes.com. For the latter, I added brown sugar to the onions per the suggestions of those who tried it before me. It came out quite tasty. We served it with Pita Chips (thanks for bringing those, Amy!).


Quick Kielbasa Bites

1 Package(s) kielbasa
1/2 Cup(s) honey
1/2 Cup(s) brown sugar

Slice kielbasa into 1/2 inch thick slices. Toss slices with brown sugar to coat. Place onto cookie sheet lightly greased with cooking spray and drizzle with honey. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, broil 5 minutes or until you reach desired crispiness. Put a toothpick in each slice to serve.




Caramelized Onion Dip

Cooking spray
3 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons low-fat sour cream, divided
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) block-style 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I actually added soy sauce since I had no W.S. in the house)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add brown sugar; cover and cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool.

Combine 1 tablespoon sour cream and cream cheese, stirring well. Add remaining sour cream, mayonnaise, and remaining ingredients, and stir well to combine. Stir in onion. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with pita chips.



Well, lots to do the next couple of days. We are hosting a small Christmas Eve celebration with family and in my family that means: Tourtiere, aka French Meat Pies. This year my mom is making one and I'm making one. It could end up being a Meat Pie show down! Don't expect to see the recipe here though. While I've written it down for friends who have inquired in the past, I don't know if what I've written down could ever truly do it justice. I never used a recipe myself. Everyone makes them their own way too. I learned by watching my mother, but I do some things differently from her. I think that is the great thing about it - everyone's is unique.

Anywho, I've rambled enough. Merry Christmas to all!!!

Cookie Exchange Luncheon

As I mentioned in a previous post, I held a cookie exchange with friends today. I'll post the cookie recipes next, first though, I figured I'd post some of the recipes from the lunch I made!!

First up, White Bean Hummus (no picture, sorry). I know a lot of people are not down with Hummus, but I am, so I made it anyway and served it with crackers. At least I thought it was good, and my friend Lisa did too :-)

White Bean Hummus
(from myrecipes.com)

1 can (15 oz.) small white beans, drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (shhhhh...I used dried thyme!)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper

In a food processor, combine beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, fresh thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Whirl until smooth. Spoon into a bowl and set on a platter. Serve with crackers, pita chips, or fresh veggies :-)

Then I also made a lasagna. While I definitely just "wing it" when it comes to lasagna, I used homemade marinara in it. I got this out of my Cooking Light magazine a couple of months ago. It's great, healthy, and unthaws well from the freezer.

Basic Marinara

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onion (about 3 medium)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 (28-ounce) cans no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and next 7 ingredients (through fennel seeds); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

To store in the freezer: Ladle room-temperature or chilled sauce into plastic containers or zip-top plastic bags. Seal and freeze for up to four months. Consider freezing the sauce in one-cup increments (two servings' worth). That way, you can pull out exactly as much as you want for future meals.

To boost taste: Long stints in the freezer can dull the taste of tomatoes. To perk up thawed sauce, add one-half teaspoon finely grated lemon rind or one teaspoon balsamic vinegar while reheating.

Yield
About 12 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)


Lastly, as far as "food" goes (recipe worthy ones - ham & cheese sandwiches don't exactly qualify), I made this Paula Deen creation (with a couple of tweaks on my part).

You have to love Paula Deen....in this world of "fat free" and uber healthiness, Paula still embraces that artery-clogging kind of cooking you know you all love deep down. This was a big hit, I'll definitely be making it again!! (p.s. I did not put the celery in this - as so many do not like it - and I left out the almonds....because I don't like them...haha!)

Hot Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken breast meat, cubed
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2/3 cup crushed potato chips
1 teaspoon dried thyme (my addition)
1 teaspoon celery salt (my addition)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, celery, almonds, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and cheese. Place the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spread the crushed potato chips on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

World Champs, Halloween, Dip recipe

Wow, what a weekend it was!! The RED SOX are WORLD CHAMPS and my boy, Mike Lowell, MVP!!

Let's take a second to admire him........................

Ok, who am I kidding? Admire him for just a second? I think not. I could admire him all day....I admired him all season. He's hot, a great ballplayer, and an even better guy...

Anywho, this blog is about cooking, not the adoration of Mike Lowell....(although that's not a bad idea!)

he night before the victory my husband and I hosted our 2nd annual Halloween party this past and it was a blast! My husband and I dressed as Batman & "Robin" - get it? Oh we are so clever! We also had one couple who came cross-dressed, "3 men-in-a-tub," and a disco guy among others. I think everyone outdid themselves from last year!

All this being said, the weekend could not have been any better. At our party I used a recipe my best friend Michelle had shared with me awhile back and made a few modifications to make it a bit healthier, since I've been on a diet for almost 2 months now (yup, I'm selfish, what can I say?)....and it was very popular with our crowd (and I doubt anyone figure out it was low fat). I will definitely be making it again!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 oz. pkg. neufatchel cheese (aka 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
1/2 cup light bleu cheese dressing (I prefer Marie's brand personally - but that's just me!)
1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (I like Ken's brand)
1/2 cup 2% milk shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups canned chicken, drained

Heat oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep dish 9-inch pie plate. Microwave 1 minute to soften.

Whisk in salad dressing, Buffalo Wing Sauce and cheese until smooth. Stir in chicken (make sure it is broken up into smaller chunks).

Bake 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through; stir. Serve with crackers (I used Reduced fat Triscuits, and wheat crackers)

And on that note....HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!