Refrigerator Pickles

Fresh, crunchy pickles are my absolute favorite treat.  Make sure to use Persian, French or Kerby cukes -- their skin is soft and they are seedless -- as regular garden cukes have a tough skin and do not make a nice pickle.

15 Persian cucumbers, sliced in rounds (I get mine at Trader Joes)
2 quarts water
1 cup white vinegar
1/3-1/2 C sea salt

1 onion, sliced
1 bunch of fresh dill or 1 Tbsp dried dill
4-5 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed, but not chopped
sliced jalapenos - optional

In a saucepan over high heat, combine water, vinegar and salt.  Bring to boil and turn off heat.
While waiting for liquids to boil, take out quart sized canning jars OR heat safe containers.

Place garlic, dill and sliced onions in the bottom of each jar.  Place cucumber rounds on top of the onions.  Fill each container to the top with the pickling liquid.  Top the containers and place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating.  Pickles will last for 2 weeks.

Mama B's Caramelized Onion and Gorgonzola Bruschetta

1-2 French baguettes
5 Medium-large onions
2T Butter
4 Cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4C Soy sauce
1/4C Balsamic vinegar
2T Worchestershire sauce
1/4C Beef stock
1/2C White wine
1/2C Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Thinly slice the onions and mince the garlic. Melt butter in large saute pan and add onions and garlic to pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, worchestershire sauce, beef stock and white wine. Mix and add to onions.

3. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for at least 2 hours, until all the liquid has been absorbed and onions are a dark brown color. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Slice baguettes to about 1/2" thickness, on the diagonal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet in a single layer and bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes, until nicely crisped on outside.

5. To serve, place about 1-2T of onions on baguette slice and top with gorgonzola crumbles. Serve hot.

*As usual, measurements are approximate, as I do not measure when making my creations!

Antipasto Squares

From: The Cutting Edge of Oridinary

2 large packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/4 lb ham, thinly sliced
1/4 lb Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
1/4 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
1/4 pound, Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
1/4 pound pepperoni, thinly sliced
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
Dash pepper
Dijon Mustard, for dipping

Lightly spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Open one package of crescent rolls, unrolling in one piece and press it into the bottom of the pan. Make sure you push together all the little perforations. Layer meat and cheese in the order listed above. The 1/4 pound is an estimate. Just keep layering until it covers the pan. Do not overlap the pieces. One note - try to use baked ham instead of cooked ham. Cooked ham can sometimes be too watery. If you do use cooked ham, microwave it on paper towels for a few seconds to get some of the wetness out of the meat.In a medium bowl add eggs, cheese, pepper and Mrs. Dash. Pour most of the egg mixture on top of the meat and cheese, reserving a small amount. Top with second package of crescent rolls and brush and brush with remaining egg mixture. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until top is golden brown. Let cool a bit before cutting into squares so the cheese does not ooze out the sides. Serve warm or room temperature. Dip in Dijon Mustard or your favorite Italian dressing.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

From: Big Red Kitchen

2- 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 - 4 ounce can chopped green chili's (do not drain)
1 - 4 ounce can sliced jalapenos (do not drain) - double if you like heat
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a food processor add cream cheese, mayonnaise, Mexican cheese, green chili's, jalapenos and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Spread the dip into a greased (I used butter) 2-quart casserole dish. In a bowl mix bread crumbs and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour melted butter over the crumb mixture and mix well.Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over the dip and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. The top should be browned and the dip bubbling on the edges. Do not over heat or the mayonnaise will separate and a grease puddle will form in the middle of your dip. Serve with buttery crackers, French baguette or chips. Serves 8-10.

Dill Meatballs

From LV

Meatballs, 5 lbs. pre-made (I use 6 lb. club store bag)*

¾C chopped onion (one medium)

1/4C melted butter (use a little more)*

2C chicken broth

¼C flour

¼ tsp salt

1T dill weed (yes, this is a lot)*

16oz Top-the-Tator or sour cream

Heat meatballs in large roaster with a small amount of water on bottom. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. You do not have to pre-roast the meatballs, but you might have a lot of grease in the sauce if you don't.

While the meatballs are roasting, saute onion in butter until tender. Whisk a small amount of chicken broth and the flour together, then add that mixture and the rest of the chicken broth, salt, dill and Top-the-Tater to the pan with the onions and butter.

Drain excessive water/juice from heated meatballs and dump meatballs into very large crock pot (if serving as an appetizer). Pour warm sauce over heated meatballs and stir.
If making for dinner, serve over egg noodles.

Reuben Dip

From one of my fav cooking blogs: http://lizscookingblog.blogspot.com/

1/3 pound deli corned beef, sliced into very thin strips
1 can sauerkraut, drained
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
1/4 cup prepared horseradish, regular or creamy
cocktail rye bread, toasted

Mix all ingredients and pour into pie plate or shallow baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees until bubbly. Serve with toasted cocktail rye bread.

Substitute turkey for the corned beef to cut the fat and cals, and make it a Rachel Dip!

Guacamole

1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4T lime juice
10 avocados
4T Cilantro, minced
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1 jalapeno, roasted, cleaned and finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Combine onion, garlic and lime juice and let rest for 30 minutes. Clean avocados and mash with fork. Combine all ingredients and mash, season and serve with chips.

Crab Cakes with Tomatillo Salsa

Adapted from a Cooks of Crocus Hill class

1/2C + 1T mayo
1 egg
1T Dijon mustard
1T Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco
1 lb lump crab meat, drained well
20 saltines, crushed
peanut oil for frying

Whisk wet ingredients together. Place crab meat in separate bowl and spread crackers over crab meat. Pour wet mixture over crab meat and gently fold together. Chill mixture for 1 hour.
Form into 8 packed mounds for main dish, or 24 mini appetizer sized cakes. Saute in a few T peanut oil until browned and crisped on both sides and heated through. Drain on Paper towel, sprinkle with sea salt and serve with the salsa (recipe follows).

TOMATILLO SALSA

12 tomatillos, quartered
1 jalapeno, roasted and cleaned (available canned)
1 poblano chile, roasted, cleaned and chopped (available canned)
1 handful cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1/2 lime
3T mint leaves, chopped (optional)
1 white onion, finely minced
1 1/2 T sea salt

Place onions and salt in bowl. Puree all other ingredients in blender or food processor. Combine two mixtures.

Prosciutto, goat cheese and roasted beet rolls

1 pkg (8 slices) prosciutto
4 oz goat cheese
3T pesto (optional)
2 small sugar beets, quartered

Lay out prosciutto slices and brush with pesto, if desired. Lay 1/2 slice of goat cheese on, placing towards one end, in the middle. Lay one of the quarters of sugar beets on top of the goat cheese. Wrap prosciutto around cheese and beet and roll, forming a package. Spear with toothpick and place on baking sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until prosciutto is crispy.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

1 - 8oz package cream cheese
1 - 8 oz block Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1C chunky blue cheese dressing (in cold case)
1/2C Louisiana hot sauce
3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
Celery for serving
Frito's for serving

Combine all ingredients and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Transfer to crock pot to serve. Serve with celery and Frito's.