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OVEN FRIED BLUE CHEESE OLIVES
2-15 oz cans jumbo pitted black olives-drain well on paper towels
3 oz bleu cheese-crumbled
4 T cream cheese
1/4 t black pepper
2 eggs-beaten
1-1/2 c Italian bread crumbs
Cooking spray
Preheat oven 400*. Coat a 13x9 dish with cooking spray. Mix bleu cheese, cream cheese and pepper in a small bowl, blending with a fork. Fill a pastry bag with cheese mix. (I use a Ziploc bag, put filling in one corner and snip off a small hole in the end for all of my "filling"). Beat eggs in a bowl. Pour crumbs in a pie plate. Dip stuffed olives in egg, then roll in crumbs, coating well. Put in Pyrex and spray with cooking oil lightly. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden. Cool and serve.
CHRISTMAS CHEESE LOG
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 ounce jar pimentos, drained
2 tablespoons finely chopped olives
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Assorted crackers
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese then add remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm. Shape into a log. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight. Yields 1 1/4 cups. Serve with your favorite crackers.
CHUNKY CRANBERRY SPREAD
1 8-oz. package low-fat cream cheese
1-2 tablespoons low-fat milk
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped blanched almonds or other nut
1/2 teaspoon orange zest, preferably fresh
1. Place cream cheese in a medium bowl and allow to soften at room temperature. Mash and work with a fork until texture is light enough to combine easily with other ingredients.
2. Gradually add just enough milk so cheese becomes soft and easy to spread.
3. Mix in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days ahead. Flavors will blend and mellow if this recipe is made ahead of time and allowed to refrigerate at least a few hours before serving. Spread on slices of a whole-grain bread.
TIPS:
1. Other chopped, dried berries--such as blueberries--or combinations of berries may be substituted for the cranberries in this recipe.
2. Avoid letting cream cheese sit at room temperature over 2 hours TOTAL time. This includes during food preparation and while you're serving the food. To quickly soften 8 oz. of cream cheese, transfer it to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 10 to 15 seconds.
CRANBERRY CREAMY CREAM CHEESE SPREAD
1 cup softened cream cheese
1 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce+
1 teaspoon orange zest
Use smooth canned cranberry sauce for a creamier texture.
Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the cranberry sauce, and zest.
Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to develop the flavors.
CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE SPREAD~1
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup dried cranberries
onion, finely minced (to taste)
1/8 tsp. cayenne powder (or to taste)
Combine all ingredients together.
CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE SPREAD~2
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons concentrated orange juice, thawed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
1 orange, zest only
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (can use pecans)
Mix cream cheese, juice concentrate, cinnamon, and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the orange zest, pecans and cranberries. Refrigerate. Garnish with mint leaves, cranberry slices or orange zest.
CRAB & BACON DIP
2/3 cup sour cream
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into narrow strips
4 cloves garlic
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 pound fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over for shell fragments and cartilage
Assorted crackers and toasted pumpernickel rounds and baguette slices for serving
1/2 cup good-quality mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a large bowl and drain off half of the fat from the pan. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and saute over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Transfer to the bowl with the bacon and let cool to room temperature.
2. Add the crabmeat, mayonnaise, and sour cream to the cooled bacon mixture and mix gently with a rubber spatula to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
3. Serve the dip with the crackers and breads.
CRAB RANGOONS
1 can (6 oz.) white crabmeat, drained, flaked
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup Light Mayonnaise
12 won ton wrappers
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix crabmeat, Neufchatel cheese, onions and mayo.
SPRAY 12 medium muffin cups with cooking spray. Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each cup, allowing edges of wrappers to extend above sides of cups. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture.
BAKE 18 to 20 min. or until edges are golden brown and filling is heated through. Serve warm. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.
MINI CRAB RANGOONS
Use 24 won ton wrappers.
Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each of 24 miniature muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture and bake as directed. Makes 12 servings, two appetizers each.
CANDY COATED PEANUTS
Make a sugar syrup on the stovetop with granulated sugar and water. Be sure to add salt; these are snack peanuts after all. And it takes a lot of candy to coat those nuts. Use 1/2 cup sugar for each one cup of nuts.
Since you’ll be cooking the peanuts, use raw Spanish peanuts not roasted peanuts. Add the peanuts before you start cooking. We tried to add the peanuts after cooking. It doesn’t work. The peanuts lower the temperature too quickly and the candy doesn’t adhere well to the nuts.
Cook the sugar syrup with the nuts until the liquid is almost gone. You don’t need to use a thermometer but if you do, cook the sugar to 220 to 225 degrees. Stir the mixture often.
As soon as the sugar is cooked, the liquid is almost gone, and the peanuts coated, use a spatula to spread the candied peanuts on a large, well greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper or foil.
Bake the peanuts for about 20 to 25 minutes at 300 degrees. Do not stir. The sugar coating should be a light brownish red. Don’t cook it so long that it turns dark brown.
Let the peanuts cool completely on the pan. They will become crisp only after they have cooled. Lift the paper or foil off the pan. Break apart any large clusters. Store in a covered container.
CANDY COATED PEANUTS~2
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 cups raw Spanish peanuts
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Mix the sugar, salt, and water together in a saucepan on the stovetop. Stir to dissolve. Add the nuts.
Cook the sugar mixture, stirring often, until the liquid is almost gone or until the syrup is 220 to 225 degrees.
As soon as the sugar is cooked, the liquid is almost gone, use a spatula to spread the candied peanuts on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
Bake the peanuts for about 20 to 25 minutes at 300 degrees. Do not stir. The sugar coating should be a light brownish red. Don’t cook it so long that it turns dark brown.
Let the peanuts cool completely on the pan. They will become crisp only after they have cooled. Lift the paper or foil off the pan. Break apart any large clusters. Store in a covered container.
VARIATIONS
For vanilla candy coated peanuts, add 1 teaspoon vanilla at the end of the cooking.
For spiced candy coated peanuts, add 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and one teaspoon good quality cinnamon.
Baker's note:
Check on your nuts a couple times while baking. Do not let the sugar turn dark brown.
BLUE CHEESE APPLES
3 tblespoons butter, melted
6 medium red or green apples, like Pippin, Gala, or Jonathan
1/4 cup apple juice or water
1 cup port, red wine, or more apple juice
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese (about 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or large gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cut the apples in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and core, creating a little “cup” in each half. Put them in the prepared pan or dish, cut sides down so that the skins face up. Drizzle with the remaining butter and pour the apple juice over all. Bake until they just begin to get tender, 15-20 minutes. (You can make the apples to this point up to a day in advance; just cover and refrigerate. Bring them to room temperature before proceeding.)
Carefully turn the apples over and pour the port over all. Use a spoon to baste them again with some of the juices in the pan. Fill the cup in each apple half with crumbled cheese. Sprinkle with sage, salt and pepper. Return the apples to the oven and bake until the cheese is hot and bubbly and the apples are tender, about 20 minutes more. Serve the apples hot or at room temperature and pass the pan juices at the table. (If you have the energy, boil some the liquid out of the pan juices first, to make them syrupy and more saucelike.)
Mascarpone Apples with Almonds
Creamier and milder, with crunch from the nuts: Use 1 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese instead of the blue cheese and thyme instead of the sage. When the apples come out of the oven, sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped almonds.
Cheddar Apples with Hazelnuts
The sharper the cheese, the better: Use grated cheddar instead of the sage. When the apples comes out of the oven, sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts.
HOT CRANBERRY FRANKS
2 pounds cocktail franks
1 can whole cranberry sauce (15 1/2 oz.)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
Combine cranberry and soy sauce, ginger and mustard
in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil; turn heat down to
medium. Add franks and let simmer 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve with toothpicks. This can also be transferred to a
slow cooker after the boiling step. This can be made with
smoked kielbasa that is cut into round slices about 1/2
inch thick.
