PRETZEL MIX

  • 1 bag of tiny pretzels

  • 1 envelope of Original Ranch dressing powder

  • 1 cup corn oil

  • 1 ½ t. each of dill weed and garlic salt

Mix powder, oil and herbs.  Pour over pretzels on large cookie sheet.  Bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees turning every 15 minutes.

PESTO SPREAD (Kathy Lalley)

  • 2  8 oz packages cream cheese

  • 1 # unsalted butter

  • ¼ cup pine nuts

  • 2 cloves garlic crushed

  • 1 cup fresh spinach leaves tightly packed

  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves tightly packed

  • ½ cup fresh parsley

  • ½ t. salt

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • ¾ cup parmesan cheese

  • 3 T. butter

Mix cheese and butter.  Set aside.  In processor mix all
remaining ingredients except olive oil. Let live oil drizzle through chute slowly.  Line small mixing bowl with cheese cloth.  Pat in 1/3 of cheese mixture.  Spread ½ pesto mix.  Pat in another 1/3 cheese mixture.  Spread remaining half of pesto.  Top with last 1/3 cheese mixture.  Refrigerate.
Turn out on plate and serve with Carr’s water crackers.

ONION AND OLIVE TART

Press a pie crust (I use Pillsbury found in the dairy case) into 9” tart pan with removable bottom.  Line it with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights.  Bake at 425 degrees until slightly set, 10-15 minutes.  Remove and cool.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Tapenade

  • ½ cup pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives

  • 1 T. capers

  • 2 t. chopped anchovy fillet

  • 1 t. minced garlic

  • 1 t. grated lemon zest

  • ½ t. ground pepper

  • 2-3 T. olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to form a coarse puree, adding more oil if needed for spread ability

Filling

  • 3 T. unsalted butter

  • 1 T. olive oil

  • 3 large yellow onions cut into thin slices

  • 2 T. flour

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 2 t. chopped fresh thyme

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 2 eggs

  • ½ cup shredded Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter with oil.  Add onions and sauté, stirring occasionally until very soft, about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring for 2 minutes.  Add thyme, stir briefly, then let cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together cream and eggs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread tapenade into pastry shell.  Tope with onions.  Slowly pour in cream mixture and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake until custard is set, about 25 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes then remove pan sides and carefully slide tart onto a serving platter.  Serve warm.

 

 

Beef-Olive Spread

  • 1 t instant minced onion

  • 1 T dry sherry

  • 1 8 oz package cream cheese

  • 2 T mayo

  • 3 oz. chipped beef shredded

  • ¼ cup chopped green olives

Soften the minced onion in the sherry.  Blend the cream cheese with the mayo until smooth.  Then add the onion-sherry mixture, the beef and olives.  Serve with Triscuits.

OLIVE CHEESE PUFFS

40 Spanish olives with pimento

  • 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

  • ¼ cup soft butter

  • ½ cup sifted flour

  • 1/8 t. salt

  • ½ t. paprika

  • 1/8 t. Worcestershire sauce

Mix cheese and butter.  Add flour then rest of ingredients.  Wrap 1 t. of dough around each olive.  Bake on a greased sheet at 415 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

NUTS AND BOLTS

  • 6 T. butter

  • 4 t. Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 t. Lawrey’s season salt

  • 6 cups wheat chex, corn chex, rice chex

  • ¾ cup salted nuts

  • 1 cups pretzel sticks broken up

Melt butter in large broiler pan.  Add Worcestershire and season salt.  Add
remaining ingredients and toss.  Bake for 45 minutes at 250 degrees

MUSHROOMS ON TOAST POINTS

  • 2 T. butter melted

  • 2 T. flour

  • ½ cup milk (try cream or half & half)

  • ¾ t. curry

  • 1 egg slightly beaten

  • 1 to 1 ½ t. Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms

  • ½ t. salt

  • 1/8 t. pepper

Mix flour and curry with melted butter over stove.  Gradually add milk and remove
from heat.  Add remainder of ingredients.  Spread over toast triangles and broil. 

MUSHROOM TURNOVERS

Dough

  • 1 cup butter

  • 1 package of cream cheese (8 oz)

  • ½ t. salt

  • 2 cups flour

Mix butter, cheese and salt.  Add flour.  Form dough into an 8 x 6 rectangle on a piece of wax paper.  Wrap and chill overnight.  Remove 8-10 minutes before rolling.  Divide into half and roll each half into a 9”x 6” rectangle.  Fold over in
thirds.  Roll fold again.  Roll to 1/8” thickness and cut into 2 ½” rounds.  Fill and brush with wash of 1egg yolk and 2 T. cream.

Filling

  • 2 cans mushrooms (4 oz cans) chopped very finely

  • ½ cup onion chopped finely

  • 2 T. butter

  • ½ t. salt

  • 1/8 t. white pepper

  • 1 t. lemon juice

  • 2 T. flour

  • ½ cup light cream

  • 1 T. sherry or dry vermouth

Sauté onions and butter.  Add remainder of ingredients and stir well.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE APPETIZER

  • 3-4 pounds of Italian sausage

  • Olive oil

  • 1 large can tomato puree (28 oz.)

  • 1  6 ounce can tomato paste

  • 2 T. chopped basil

  • 1 T. garlic powder

Cut up sausage into bite-sized pieces.  Sauté in olive oil.  Add tomato products and seasonings.  Simmer for 2-3 hours.

HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH SAUSAGE STARS

  • 2 cups (1#) of crumbled cooked sausage

  • 1 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese

  • 1  ½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

  • 1 cup of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

  • 1 can black olives slices

  • ½ cup chopped red pepper

  • 1 package of wontons

Mix all ingredients except wontons.  Place wontons in miniature muffin cups and bake 350 degrees till brown.  Cool.  Fill cooled cups with sausage mixture and heat for 5 minutes.