Roasted Garlic and Cheese

Our favorite appetizer!!

one head garlic		Drizzle garlic with olive oil and put in baking dish in 350 oven until the cloves are soft.
one baguette of bread Cambazola cheese sweet hot mustard		Spread roasted garlic on bread slices. Top with a spread of the cambazola cheese and a little of the hot, sweet mustard. Serve on cutting board.

Jan Gross

Outrageous Artichoke Dip

Thanks to my sister Mary Jo Merickel for this recipe.

		Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2 cans artichoke hearts 2 c parmesan cheese 1 c mayonnaise 1 c sour cream 1 tsp Tabasco sauce		Drain 2 cans ( 6-10 oz each) artichoke hearts, chop fine and place in large bowl. Add 2 cups grated parmesan cheese, the mayonnaise, sour cream and Tabasco. Mix ingredients well. Pour into a casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Serve warm with chips, bagel chips, crackers, or strips of fresh veggies like cucumbers, zucchini, or carrots.

Missy Merickel

Two Cheese Chili Squares

		Preheat oven to 425.
4 eggs 1/4 c. flour 2 c. shredded cheese 1 carton (8 oz) cottage cheese 2 cans diced chilies (drained) 1/4 tsp. black pepper		Beat 4 eggs. Add all other ingredients. Pour into greased 8x8x2 inch pan. Bake for 30 min at 425. Cool and cut into squares.

Peg Urstad

Deviled Eggs

This was passed to me by my mother Frances Murtaugh.
Adding the salt to the water is from Oprah - her aunts taught her that trick.

It helps to have a deviled egg serving dish to keep them from sliding to the floor as you carry them to a pot luck.

1 dozen eggs salt		Put eggs in covered pan with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let eggs sit in covered pan for 15 minutes. (The salt is important, it somehow helps the shells come off more easily.) Uncover the pan and let cold water run over the eggs in pan. Peel under cold running water. Put eggs in a dish until you have peeled them all. Now cut all the eggs in half the long way ( I've had them tip over after cutting them the other way! ) and scoop out the cooked yoke into another dish..
Best Foods     Real Mayonnaise Grey Poupon     Dijon Mustard paprika		Mash the yokes finely and start adding teaspoons of mayonnaise and mustard until you get the taste you want. I find the mustard added to just the touch of tartness is good. (Do not use country style mustard - it is too hot) With teaspoon starting adding mixture to the egg.. Top with paprika. Cover with plastic wrap (to keep the eggs from drying out) and chill. Enjoy!

Pat Bronson

Baba Ghanoush

preheat		Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill**. Also, preheat oven to 375.
1 large eggplant		Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire. Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin. Mash the eggplant to a paste (using a fork in a bowl, or a food processor).
1/4 c tahini 2 garlic cloves 1/4 c lemon juice salt		Add the tahini, 2 minced garlic cloves, the lemon juice and mix well. Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini or lemon juice, as needed.
1/4 cup plain yogurt		Transfer mixture to serving bowl. Add yogurt and mix well.
extra virgin olive oil flat-leaf parsley		Use the back the back of a spoon to form a shallow well. Drizzle one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkle with 1 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Serve at room temperature.

** You may bake in an oven as an alternative to using the grill. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the flesh is very soft.

Adapted from this Williams-Sonoma web site recipe

Monem Mahmoud Abdel

Mo's Mother's Salsa

This came to me from my sister Ann, from her friend Mo.

1 pickled jalapeno 3 scallions 3 cloves garlic 1 Tbl oregano 2 Tbl cilantro 1 tsp cumin salt,pepper		Combine these until blended in food processor.
1 can tomatoes		Drain tomatoes, add to food processor and pulse until desired texture.

Connie Clark

Hummus

Nice as an appetizer served with chips, or with sliced jicama and zucchini and radishes. Also very good on sandwiches.

2 cans chickpeas		Drain 2 (15-16 oz) cans of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), reserving some liquid; Rinse the chickpeas well to remove any extra salt. Add to food processor.
1/2 c olive oil 1/2 c tahini 1/2 c lemon juice 6 large cloves garlic 1 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp ground cumin black pepper		Add olive oil, tahini, and lemon juice into food processor**. Add 6 large minced garlic cloves, then spices, and freshly ground black pepper. Process until desired consistency. Stop periodically and use a spatula to move any ingredients from the sides of the processor back into the middle. If the consistency is too thick, add some reserved liquid, a little at a time. FYI: I use extra virgin olive oil I use the tahini that comes in a can - it's easier to get the last bit out. It helps to let the tahini warm up a bit, so you can mix the liquid and solid parts. I use bottled lemon juice most of the time, though fresh is very nice. If you don't have smoked paprika, regular is fine.

** I have also made this by hand, using a potato masher, but it is a LOT chunkier.

*** This is actually a double recipe - as it's the same work to clean the food processor. It keeps very well - a few weeks at least - I usually put it into two containers.

Connie Clark