Creamy Sourdough Snack

This EASY dip was a hit at a party I went to the other night. Enjoy! And, THANKS TASTE OF HOME! I love that website. I didn't use parsley, and I also used ALL of a 16 oz sour cream and all of an 8 oz. cream cheese. I added green onion to taste and guessed on the ham. It tasted lovely.

Creamy Sourdough Snack

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream
• 2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 1 round loaf (1 pound) sourdough bread
• Chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions

• In a saucepan, combine sour cream, cream cheese, onions and Worcestershire sauce; cook and stir over low heat until blended. Add cheese and ham; cook and stir until cheese is melted and ham is heated through. Cut off top of loaf; carefully hollow out top and bottom, leaving a 1/2-in. shell. Cut bread into cubes. Pour dip into shell; sprinkle with parsley if desired. Serve with bread cubes. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

Pecan Crunch And Cranberry Dip

If any of you like Peanut Brittle. This is even better because it is made with pecans and so easy.

In a heavy saucepan stir with a wooden spoon, cook the following over high heat:
1 cup + 2 Tablespoon sugar
scant cup butter ( just under a cup)
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon vinegar
pinch of salt

Cook until the color of a brown paper bag
Turn off heat and add:
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 3/4 cup frozen pecans

Work fast. Spread on cookie sheet, use 2 forks to spread. Don't need to grease pan.


Also another dip that is very good.

Cranberry Dip

1 bag fresh cranberries (12 0z)
1 cup sugar
1 cup apricot preserves ( smooth kind with no chunks in it)
1 cup chopped pecans

Put cranberries in baking pan with 1 cup sugar. Stir to coat.
Bake at 350 covered until cooked down into a liquid ( 25-30 minutes)
Remove from oven.
Stir in 1 cup of chopped pecans and 1 cup apricot preserves.
Refrigerate overnight.
To serve, pour over half mixture a brick of cream cheese. (80z)
Serve with Ritz crackers or small pretzels for dipping.

Crock Pot Salsa

I just made this recipe over the weekend and it was so yummy and such a different way to make salsa.

10 roma tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1 small-medium onion
2 jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp Salt (I actually used alittle more)
2 TBSP white vinegar

Core tomatoes and stick three garlic cloves in three of the tomatoes, peel and cut onion (chunky) and cut off stems of jalapeno and remove seeds (unless you want it SPICY) Place tomatoes, onion and jalapenos in crock pot and cook on high for 2 1/2-3 hours.

Let cool

Then place all the crock pot mixture and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and mix. I let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours before we ate it and it was really yummy. Serve with tortilla chips.

Bruschetta

My father-in-law made this for us on Saturday! It was delicious! I love when he visits, because he always makes better food than me and tries to teach me to cook!!!! (That is quite a project)

4 large chopped tomatoes

1 sweet onion, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 loaf of Italian Bread, cut into 1 inch slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

(garlic to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients except cheese and bread. Place bread on a baking sheet and top with mixture. Then sprinkle on parmesan cheese.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

4. Enjoy! It is delicious!

(Sorry there is no photo, I was too busy eating it to photograph it!)

guacamame

This is another Family Fun recipe that I tried this week. My kids loved it which is great because it's pretty good for you. It's called "guacamame" because it's kind of similar to a simple guacamole but you use edamame instead of avacado. We had it with FoodShouldTasteGood Multi-grain tortilla chips that I got at Costco-yum!




RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1 pound shelled edamame (these soybeans are available in the frozen-foods section at grocery stores-I actually buy them with the shells at Costco and shell them myself to save money. It takes 2 of the small boxes that come in the Costco container)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper (optional)
1. Puree all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until the mixture is smooth. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Sweet chips and salsa

We are having this healthier treat for FHE tonight. It's so yummy and perfect for this time of year. I got it from Family Fun Magazine a couple of years ago (I really like that magazine).

For the Salsa:
1 1/3 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons apricot preserves (I like my neighbor's delicious apricot freezer-jam, but regular store-bought works too!:))
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (the original recipe said 1/8 tsp, but I love cinnamon and it's really good for you so I use more)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then cover and refrigerate the mixture until chilled.

For the chips:
5 (6-inch) or 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas (white or wheat will work)
2 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbs sugar

Brush the tortillas with butter, then cut into wedges. Arrange the wedges on a greased baking sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake at 350 until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let them cool before serving. Serves 4-6

two fresh Avocado Salsas

Morgans Salsa:

2-3 avocados (diced)
6 Roma tomatoes (diced)
1 small can of corn (or fresh off the cob but you will have to cook it first)
1 can black beans
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
garlic salt (to taste)
Italian dressing (to taste)

*My sister in law made this at our last family dinner and it was delicious with some corn chips.

My usual avocado salsa:

2-3 avocados (diced)
6 Roma tomatoes (diced)
a handful of cilanto (chopped)
3 green onions (thinly sliced)
2-3 limes (squeeze juice, to taste)
finely chopped garlic (to taste)
1 small can corn
1 jalapeno (finely chopped and seeded)
salt (to taste)

*I use this recipe for lots of things...chips, salads, enchiladas, tacos, whatever sounds good! Also, the picture above is the last batch of salsa I made with some of our tomatoes from our garden (not Romas) and some from the Herfels garden. It turned out really good and I didn't use corn, avocados or green onions ( I used a Vidalia onion instead) so it's a versatile recipe.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

Bacon Wrapped Smokies - Yummy appetizer!!

1 lb of bacon
1 package of little Smokies
Brown Sugar to taste

Cut the bacon into 3rd's. Take a cookie sheet and line with foil. Preheat oven to 350. Take one smokie and wrap in 1 piece of cut bacon. Secure with toothpick. Once you have finished wrapping all, place on cookie sheet and cover with brown sugar (don't be shy). Bake for 40 minutes.