Dessert Cheeseball

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
2-8oz packages of cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat these ingredients until fluffy.

Then add:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar

Beat until combined.

Stir in 1 1/2 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate for two hours.  Remove dough, shape into a big ball and refrigerate for another hour.  Roll ball in two cups chopped pecans just before serving.  Serve with graham cracker sticks.

Chili Lime Shrimp Sandwich

Serves four

Ingredients
1 pound cooked jumbo shrimp, cleaned and cut into large pieces
½ cup plain yogurt or mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 jalapeno, diced small (optional)
2 scallions or green onions, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
2 pita breads, each cut in half or baguette slices for smaller bites
2 cups shredded romaine

Step 1 – Season shrimp with salt and pepper.
Step 2 – Mix mayonnaise/yogurt with lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, jalapeno (if wanted) and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Step 3 – Add the shrimp and toss with dressing.
Step 4 – Stuff each piece of pita with ¼ of the shrimp and romaine. Or serve on baguette slices.

Salad - blue cheese, pear and walnut

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, shredded

Walnuts coarsely chopped

Canned pears, coarsely chopped

Blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Blue cheese dressing

Carrots shreds deep fried

Frying carrot shreds - Add a small amount of carrot shreds to hot oil. The oil will bubble up and overflow the pan if too many are added at one time. Once the oil starts to reduce, you can add more handfuls. Carrots will reduce by two-thirds while frying. Cook till they are a medium brown so they are crispy when they cool. Drain on paper towel.

Layer salad as follows:

* lettuce

* pear pieces

* walnut pieces

* blue cheese crumbles (optional)

* blue cheese dressing

* crispy fried carrot shreds on the very top

Eggs Benedict Crepes

4 eggs

4 slices of ham

1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese

4 crepes already made

Hollandaise sauce (Knorr mix)

salt and pepper to taste

Make your Hollandaise sauce. Keep it warm by putting the lid on it.

Poach eggs by pouring each one into a skillet filled with simmering water (brought to a boil and then reduced to a simmer). Do this slowly by first breaking each egg into a small, tempered bowl and slowly pouring the egg into the simmering water. Swirl the egg white with a fork over the yolk so that it doesn't float away. Once all of the eggs are placed in the water, let simmer for 5 minutes, or until yolks are cooked to your preference.

Assemble crepes: Lay each crepe flat. Sprinkle half of the crepe with cheese and follow with a slice of ham. Fold over the other half. Place in a greased skillet over medium heat until cheese starts to melt. Flip over and warm the other side. It will get a slightly crisp crust. Transfer to serving plate and fold again, into quarters.

Place the poached egg on top of the folded crepe. Spoon Hollandaise sauce over the top and serve.

Variation: If you don't want to make crepes, you can serve the eggs over toasted English muffins.

Crepes

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup flour

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup warm water

3 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

1 pinch salt

Place sugar, flour, salt, eggs and milk in a large bowl. Mix together using a whisk. Whisk in warm water. Add melted butter and whisk again. Strain batter through a sieve.

Lightly coat frying pan with Pam. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, pour in ¼ cup of batter. Tilt pan and rotate, causing batter to cover bottom of pan. (Do this quickly as the batter cooks quickly). Cook 1 minute or less, till crepe is browning on edges. Flip and cook another 30 seconds. Lift off and stack crepes on a plate.

Clam Chowder

51 oz chopped can of clams and juice (from Costco)

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 large onion

8-10 raw potatoes (cubed bite size)

1 cup flour

2 cups cream

1/4 cup bacon bits

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and dice onion and potatoes, keeping them separate.

Melt the butter in a stockpot. Add the diced onions and saute until translucent.

Add 1 cup of water, then raw, diced potatoes. Add up to 1 more cup of water if necessary.

Bring potatoes to a gentle boil and cook until almost done, still a little firm.

While potatoes are cooking, drain the clams over a bowl and save the juice. Whisk the flour into the juice until their are no lumps. You can add some salt and pepper also.

When the potatoes are cooked, add the clam juice and flour mixture to the pot. Stir well and let cook 5 minutes or so, until thickened and there is no flour taste. Turn the heat to low and add the cream, clams and bacon. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Simmer on low heat, stirring a lot to prevent scorching. Take off the heat and serve. Also great to let the soup cool, refrigerate and serve the next day to allow the flavors to meld.

When reheating, if the soup is too thick, add a little water or milk to it.

Melt in Your Mouth Shortbread

3 1/4 cups flour

1/2 Cup corn starch

1 cup powdered sugar

1 pound butter

1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring

 

Beat together powdered sugar and butter until creamy and light. Mix in flavoring. Sift flour and cornstarch together. Slowly add flour mixture to creamed sugar and butter.  Drop onto a cookie sheet. These are also excellent for a cookie press.  Bake at 325 Degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are just starting to get pale brown at the edge. Let cookies rest for another two minutes after removing from the oven then place on racks to cool completely.

 

to fancy up these cookies you can put sprinkles or finely chopped nuts on them before they are baked. You can drizzle or dip in melted chocolate after they are baked. You can also add food coloring to batter if you want colored cookies.

 

note: because this dough is whipped and contains lots of butter, handle with utensils, not hands, or the dough gets thick and gluey.