Baked Cheese and Artichoke Dip

My sister made this dip for years at her holiday parties. I lost the original recipe, but I experimented and improvised to come up with my own version.

2 cups mayonnaise (I recommend Helmann’s)
2 cups parmesan cheese (grated)
2 cans artichoke hearts in water (drained, cut into small pieces)
1 clove of garlic, minced
smoky paprika (sprinkle)
lemon juice (dash)

optional: 1 small package of frozen, chopped spinach

– Mix together all ingredients except paprika
– Place in baking dish and spinkle paprika on the top
– Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the dip is brown and bubbly

Notes:
– This has a tendency to get a little watery, so when cutting up the artichokes you want to make sure that you squeeze out a lot of the liquid

– If you use frozen spinach, first defrost and remove all of the excess liquid

– My sister’s recipe used the marinated artichokes, which made the dip more greasy and overpowered some of the artichoke taste. I highly recommend using the artichokes packed in water.

– Best served with wheat crackers

– Another great addition is lump crabmeat

Open-Faced Berry Pie

I had a surplus of frozen pie crusts so I went searching for berry pies that did not require a top crust and found this on Epicurious and modified it a bit for the ingredients that I had on hand. It really came out good and went over well for a holiday get-together even though it is a spring recipe 🙂

Frozen Pie Crust for a 9-inch pie
1 tablespoon egg white, lightly beaten
4 cups berries, rinsed and dried (I used frozen organic mixed berries here)
1/2 cup and two tablespoons water, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups whipped cream (optional)

– Defrost and brown frozen pie crust in a 450 degree oven. Let this cool for a few minutes and then brush the top and sides with the egg whites. Set it aside.
– Measure out 1 cup of the berries (defrosted if they’re frozen), choosing he softest ones.
– Place them in a medium saucepan together with the 1/2 cup water.
– Cover and bring them to a boil.
– Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Set it aside.
– When the water and berries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken.
– Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
– Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent.
– Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of berries.
– Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.
– Just before serving, if desired, pipe or spread the whipped cream around the sides of the pie.

Linda’s Notes:
– The berries I used were very sweet, but if they’re too tart the recipe suggests adding more sugar
– I used just a little more constarch than directed because I have a history of fruit pies that never set up 🙂
– I also used much less lemon juice since the berries were not fresh that I had on hand.

Pineapple and Cheese Casserole

I got this recipe from a co-worker, but I am pretty sure it is an old recipe from Southern Living. This is a great Christmas or Easter side dish.

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drain and keep juice
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup crushed Ritz (or any buttery type) crackers

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
– In a 1 quart casserole dish combine, flour, sugar and 3 tablespoons of the pineapple juice.
– Add cheese and pineapple and stir. Mix cracker crumbs with melted butter.
– Cover casserole with crumbs.
– Bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Heat longer for larger amounts.

Wendy’s Sausage Balls

My friend Wendy makes these sausage balls every year and they’re so good! I couldn’t remember the exact measurements that she uses, so I tried Paula Deen‘s this year and they’re the same 🙂

1 lb. lean sausage (at room temperature)
1 cup grated sharp cheese (at room temperature)
2 1/2 cups bisquick

– Blend sausage and cheese in a large bowl (hands work best here).
– Add bisquick and mix thoroughly.
– Roll into small balls (1 inch) and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.
– Serve warm or at room temperature.

Easy, versatile BBQ

This is a modified version of a recipe from Rachael Ray for BBQ sammies. I use the basic sauce for all kinds of BBQ.

For the sauce base:
I remember the main ingredients by the 4, 3, 2, 1 (double for large amounts of meat):
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Texas Pete)
grill seasoning blend (to taste)

– Put in a large bowl and reserve, this will be combined with warm meat juice to make sauce

For chicken BBQ sammies:
1 cup chicken stock
1 bottle light beer
4 pieces, 6 ounces each boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

– Poach chicken in stock/beer mixture for about 10 minutes
– Sautee a little garlic and onion in the olive oil while the chicken is cooking
– Add about two ladles of cooking liquid to the bowl with the BBQ sauce base and mix. Add more liquid depending on how “saucy” you like your BBQ.
– Remove chicken, shred, and add to onions and garlic
– Add chicken mixture to the BBQ sauce

For pork BBQ:
(variation on a recipe by Dave Lieberman)

For the dry rub:
2 tablespoons salt
About 40 grinds black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder

12 ounces good dark beer
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 5-pound pork butt (shoulder of the animal)

– Rub pork butt with rub ingredients, wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight.
– Place unwrapped pork on a roasting pan and cook for 45 minutes at 500 degrees.
– Poor beer over the top and add the chopped garlic.
– Wrap with aluminum foil and poke about 10 breathing holes.
– Cook 2.5 more hours until tender.
– Place cooked meat on a plate and add the hot cooking juices to the bowl of BBQ sauce base ladle by ladle until it is saucy enough.
– Combine meat with sauce.

Spaghetti Pie

I saw this recipe in an old copy of Good Housekeeping that I read in the doctor’s office. Poor Good Housekeeping and Redbook… they only get my attention in waiting rooms and in line at the grocery store. These recipe is really useful if you have a lot of leftover pasta 🙂

3 ounces spaghetti (cookied al dente)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2/3 cup ricotta cheese, part skim milk
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Jar Tomato Sauce
4 ounces mozzarella cheese

– Pat mixture of first 4 ingredients into a 9″ deep dish pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
– Spread with ricotta cheese.
– Spoon sauce over ricotta cheese.
– Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
– Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Linda’s Notes:
– If you don’t make your own tomato sauce, try to use a good-quality brand of sauce in a jar (Ragu = yuck)
– For a meat-eater’s version you can add browned ground beef to the tomato sauce, but I prefer just a little sauteed onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
– If you have leftover pasta that isn’t spaghetti, that can be used as well.

Easy Breakfast Casserole

I got this recipe from The Domestic Diva.

8 white bread slices, cut into cubes
1 pound bulk pork sausage, crumbled and cooked
1-1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
10 large eggs
2 cups milk (do not use lowfat or nonfat)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper

Grease baking dish.
Place bread in prepared dish.
Top with sausage and cheese.
Beat together eggs and next three ingredients.
Season with pepper.
Pour over sausage mixture.
Chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake casserole until puffed and center is set, about 50 minutes.
Cut into squares.

Linda’s Notes:
– It’s important to chill this for at least a few hours so that the bread is fully soaked when you start to cook.
– I baked this covered for all but 10 minutes so the top would be fully set.
– I used regular pork sausage, but you could substitute a lot of different things here like veggies, turkey sausage, spicy sausage, ham, etc…

Flaky Deli Slices

This is a great idea for appetizers, or an easy meal. I got the original recipe from one of those free Pillsbury coupon books that they sometimes handout in the grocery store. This was the 39th “Bake Off” winner 🙂

1 Pkg. Refridgerated Pie Crusts
Anything you would normally put in a hot sandwich!
(original recipe recommends grated parmesan cheese, shredded chedder, ham, and pepperoni)

– Heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove pie crusts and press out any fold lines.
– Layer with meats and cheeses within 1 inch of edges
– Loosely roll up each crust. Place rolls seam side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Fold ends under.
– Bake for 12-17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut each roll into slices. Serve warm.

Feta-Topped Chicken

This is what is for dinner tonight! I am going to try a side of green beans stir-fried in the same dressing, or a side salad.

From Betty Crocker

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/4 lb)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 large roma (plum) tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (1 oz)

– Set oven control to broil. Brush both sides of chicken breasts with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and seasoned pepper. Place on rack in broiler pan.
– Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F). Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned.

Linda’s Notes:
– I don’t usually have Italian seasoning around the kitchen, so I substitute grill seasoning for chicken and maybe some basil/parsley.
– A variation might be to cut up the chicken and put it in a salad with the tomatoes, feta, dressing, and some fresh spinach.

“Terrible” Steeler Eggs

This is a simple deviled eggs recipe that I use when I bring eggs to any holiday party. Last year I put them on a Steelers’ logo plate for the Super Bowl, and every time someone ate one, the Steelers scored a touchdown 🙂 I like the more basic recipes like this one for eggs because the more stuff you add, the more likely that someone isn’t going to like them (like relish for instance).

1 dozen eggs
1/2 c. mayo (this is a starting point for people who don’t love mayo, by the end I may use up to a cup depending on the consistency)
1 teaspoon mustard (I use the mustard pretty sparingly)

1/4 of a red onion (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon teaspoons of garlic powder (you can use minced garlic here)

Salt and Pepper
Smoky Paprika (The smoke make all the difference)

Dill Weed

– Place eggs in pan with water to cover plus one inch. I usually start with lukewarm water in the pan.
– Once the water comes to a boil, cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the eggs for 15-30 minutes.
– Run cold water over the eggs and peel them. Shake them in the pan while the water is running to start cracking the shells.
– Cut eggs lengthwise and put yolks in a bowl with the mustard and mayo.
– Mix well and add more mayo as necessary to make the mixture really creamy.

– Add onion and garlic, salt and pepper, and a couple dashes of dill.
– Return filling to the eggs and garnish with paprika and more pepper
Linda’s Notes:
– I use a LOT of mayonnaise in these eggs. It’s probably even more than a cup. It looks a little scary when you’re dumping it all in, but it makes them creamy and have that vinegary taste without using more mustard.
– To make them appear to be more like Steeler’s Eggs, I use a lot of freshly-ground pepper on top with the paprika
– Hard-cooking the eggs in the oven is a great alternative to boiling