Fruit dip

I love dips and sauces. I guess everything is more fun when it's gussied up. My friend Natalie introduced me to this yummy fruit dip. It tastes perfect on apples. Strawberries are a little too juicy and cover up the dip's flavor. Or you could just eat the dip with a spoon...

THE RECIPE:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 oz. yogurt, any flavor
7 oz. marshmallow cream
4 oz. Cool Whip

Beat cream cheese and yogurt with electric mixer. Add marshmallow cream, then Cool Whip. Store in refrigerator. Makes enough for a party.

*Note: I used reduced-fat ingredients.

Finger food

I bought jumbo olives on a great Thanksgiving sale and thought to myself, "I should stuff these with something!" How about cream cheese and spices? The stuffed olives turned out to be a really yummy and fun appetizer. The seasoning options are endless, so use whatever you want. We made a southwest kind and a ranch kind.

THE RECIPE:

3 cans jumbo black olives, well drained
4 ounces cream cheese, softened

Seasoning option #1

1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt

Seasoning option #2

1/2 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1/8 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. salt

Mix cream cheese with your choice of seasonings, then spoon into piping bag fitted with flower tip. Pipe mixture into olives, then refrigerate about an hour so seasonings can meld.

Southwest flair

These south-of-the-border turkey melts, from the Lion House recipes, are delicious, fun and easy. They would be great for dinner, appetizers, parties, whatever. We highly recommend them!

THE RECIPE:

French bread, cut into 3/4-inch slices
1/2 c. chopped olives
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. mayo or Miracle Whip
1/3 c. sour cream
1/3 c. chopped green onions
Sliced deli turkey
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese, any kind or combo (cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey jack)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine olives, chili powder, cumin and salt; set aside 2 tablespoons of this mixture. To the remaining mixture, add mayo, sour cream and green onions.

Spread a generous amount of mayo mixture on each slice of bread. Top with turkey, tomatoes, avocados and cheese. Sprinkle reserved olives on top for looks. Bake on cookie sheet for about 15 minutes.

Dip into delicious

We put our garden-fresh spinach to good use in this spinach dip. It makes a nice summer appetizer. It's a popular recipe by the company Knorr, and it's been around for years. My sister called me a minute ago, asking why I had not yet posted the recipe and demanding it. It's really good. So, here you go.

THE RECIPE:

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed*
16 oz. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 packet Knorr vegetable recipe mix**
8 oz. water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 green onions, chopped

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate at least 2 hours so flavors can mix. Serve as a dip or spread with crackers or french bread.

*I chopped a big salad's worth of fresh spinach from my garden.

**I found this at the store by the dry onion soup mix.

Superior sandwiches

These sandwiches are so delicious. They make us happy. I've seen them all over the Web, so I don't know who deserves the credit, but pouring sauce over a sandwich is a wonderful idea. The recipe is quite versatile. You can change the meat, the roll size, the mustard type. You can use it as a main dish (large rolls) or an appetizer (little slider rolls) -- whatever you want. Enjoy!

THE RECIPE:

24 small dinner rolls OR 12 large French rolls
Ham or turkey slices (I used deli meat)
Swiss cheese slices
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

Slice rolls in half and spread Miracle Whip on both sides. Place meat and cheese inside, then close rolls and place tightly together in baking dish. Pour or spoon sauce over all. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Uncover and bake a couple of minutes more. Serve warm. Sandwiches can be assembled ahead of time (including sauce) and refrigerated before baking.

Sauce:

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 Tbsp. yellow mustard or spicy brown
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Whisk together sauce ingredients, and then pour evenly over sandwiches.

Little red jewels

This is a fun new twist on an old favorite. Pomegranate guacamole is a concept my lovely cousin Kristy introduced to me. I make it differently every time, according to what I have on hand, and you can do the same. You can add tomatoes, but I kind of like to let the pomegranate go solo. I just always make sure to include the coriander, because its fruity undertones complement the pomegranate nicely.

THE RECIPE:

3 ripe avocados, mashed
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1-2 Tbsp. finely diced red onion
1 clove garlic, pressed (add another if you like spice)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro leaves
Seeds from half a pomegranate*

Whip together thoroughly first six ingredients, then stir in cilantro and pomegranate seeds. Refrigerate about an hour so flavors can mix.

*Click here to learn how to seed a pomegranate without a mess.

Sweet seeds

We carved two big pumpkins this year for Halloween. After that, we had a nice pile of sloppy, gooey seeds. You'll see in the picture above how they ended up. Much better, eh? These cinnamon-sugar pumpkin seeds were pretty tasty. Last year, we tried a savory kind. It's fun to experiment.

THE RECIPE:

1 c. pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. oil or melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Rinse and drain pumpkin seeds. Just do your best to get the goop off. Lay out on cloth and pat dry. You can leave them to dry, but if you let them dry all the way, they will stick to the cloth a little. Heat oven to 300 degrees. On a cookie sheet, toss pumpkin seeds with oil until well coated. Mix sugar, salt and cinnamon, then toss with seeds. Spread seeds evenly on cookie sheet. Bake for one hour, tossing once halfway through.

Grease, be gone!

If you're like me, you love onion rings, but you feel guilty eating them because they have been soaked in fat. Well, my lovely friend Carolyn has come to our rescue. I think someone else came to her rescue, but we'll just give Carolyn the credit. Good friends are like that. :) The onion rings you see above are baked. No guilt required!

My husband doesn't usually like onion rings because of their greasiness, so he said these were probably the best he's ever tasted. Being the sicko that I am, I don't mind the grease, so I did notice the slight lack of richness in the baked version. But hey, they were still way good. They are definitely worth making again and again. Dip them in fry sauce, if you know what's good for you.

THE RECIPE:

1 1/2 c. cornflakes
1/2 c. plain dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk*
1/4 c. flour
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2-inch slices and separated into rings
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cornflakes and breadcrumbs until fine crumbs form, then transfer to a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, and cayenne, then season with salt and pepper.

Dip onion rings in egg mixture and dredge in cornflake mixture; place on a large plate. Pour oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and heat 2 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and tilt to coat evenly with oil. Arrange onion rings on sheet. Bake, turning once, until onion rings are golden brown, about 16 minutes. Season with salt.

*To make your own buttermilk, mix 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice with enough milk to make 1/2 cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Fry sauce:

Here is the quick version. Or try the copycat Winger's Creamy Amazing Sauce recipe for something special.

Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Ketchup
Barbecue sauce

Add ketchup to mayonnaise, until you reach your desired taste. Add just a dot of barbecue sauce.

Restaurant-style appetizer

This baked artichoke-spinach dip is a classic in the appetizer category. I've been making it for years, and everyone loves it. This time around, I used fresh spinach from our garden. I added more than the recipe called for, and I loved it. Feel free to make little tweaks like that.

THE RECIPE:

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 c. chopped spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and spread into 9x13 baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or French bread.

*Note: I often halve the recipe and bake it in an 8x8 pan. Keep the baking time the same.

Amazing

I am in love with this fry sauce. It is a copy cat of the Creamy Amazing Sauce at Winger's. I want to drench everything in it. You could make potato wedges, like I did, but be careful not to overseason them. You don't want their flavor to detract from the sauce's flavor. It would be a tragedy. You could buy frozen french fries at the grocery store and dip them in the sauce. Or you could slather a hamburger in the sauce. Just find something to slather. Anything. You will love it. The sauce has a kick to it, but I'm a wimp, so I'm sure it won't bother any of you.

THE RECIPE:

1/2 packet ranch dip mix
1 c. sour cream
3 Tbsp. Frank's Red Hot sauce*
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water

Mix ranch powder and sour cream, then cover and refrigerate for an hour. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, mix hot sauce, sugar and water. Simmer over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Combine hot sauce mixture with sour cream mixture, and that's it! Keep refrigerated.

*You'll find this in the grocery aisle with barbecue sauces and chili sauces.

Polly want a cracker?

Have you ever thought of making homemade crackers? I hadn't, until I ran across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen. These Parmesan cream crackers are a nice little treat. They are thicker than a store-bought cracker and extremely easy to make. After rolling out the dough, I cut it with one of my kids' playdough accessories to make the crackers look more like the real thing. Feel free to get creative. You could spread something on them or serve them with soup.

THE RECIPE:

1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter*
1/4 c. cream or half-and-half

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly dust with flour. Put flour, salt, cheese and butter in bowl of food processor. Pulse until combined. (You could do it by hand with a pastry blender.) Add cream and mix until dough forms. (You'll probably have to finish combining it by hand.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface until it's a fourth-inch thick or less. From into individual crackers -- mine were about an inch and a half long. Place on baking sheet and poke with fork. Bake until moderately browned, about 12 minutes. I think mine took longer. Cool completely on rack before eating so they will be dry and crisp. Makes about 30 crackers.

*If you are using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by half.

Highly appetizing appetizer

These stuffed mushrooms are so wonderful. I just love them. Sometimes I crave them. I've been making them for years, and I have heard only compliments -- even from people who say they usually don't like mushrooms. Everyone thinks they are SO good and asks how to make them. They are incredibly easy. I got the recipe from my cousins, so the credit goes to them!

THE RECIPE:

4 8-oz. packages whole mushrooms
1 16-oz. roll uncooked pork sausage*
8 oz. plain reduced-fat cream cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix softened cream cheese with uncooked sausage. Scrub your hands well, and then dive in! Rinse mushrooms and twist out stems. Spoon filling into mushrooms, then arrange in rimmed, ungreased pan lined with foil for easier cleanup. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Sausage will get cooked through and be nicely browned on top.

*I used Farmland original pork sausage, because I got a good deal. My cousins use Jimmy Dean hot sausage.

Halloween snack

No sense in throwing away perfectly edible pumpkin seeds after carving a pumpkin, right? These are flavorful and crunchy and savory -- a snack my whole family loves.

THE RECIPE:

2 c. pumpkin seeds, rinsed and patted dry
1 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter OR olive oil
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika

Toss pumpkin seeds thoroughly with other ingredients. Spread out on cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour, stirring about every 15 minutes. They will seem done before the hour is up, but the longer they cook, the crunchier they will be, rather than chewy.

A spoonful of pesto

Ah, pesto. It's beautiful, isn't it? We make it fresh, using basil from our garden. Its smell is beyond wonderful, and its taste is even better. We can't get enough of it.

THE RECIPE:

2 1/2 c. packed basil leaves

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. pine nuts (or a couple of tablespoons)

3/4 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients in food processor. Store in air-tight container in refrigerator or put in freezer bags and freeze.

To make bruschetta, spread pesto on a slice of French bread, top with tomato slices and cheese, then toast under the broiler. It's divine!

We used a bunch of our freshly made pesto to make creamy pesto pasta. It was so delicious, I wanted to eat it until I exploded.

THE RECIPE:

8 oz. pasta, cooked and drained*
2 chicken breasts, seasoned with lemon pepper, cooked and chopped
1 c. prepared pesto
3/4 c. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
1/3 c. pine nuts, toasted under broiler (watch them closely)

Toss ingredients in a large bowl while chicken and noodles are still hot. Enjoy!

*I used elbow pasta, but I think something like bowtie would look nicer -- not that it matters for taste.

PESTO ROCKS!

Crazy cranberry craving

This cranberry salsa is addictive, festive and every other wonderful -ive. The red from the cranberries is deliciously complemented by green flecks of cilantro and spread over a combo of cream cheese and sour cream. Serve it with tortilla chips. I'm telling you, this dish gets nothing but praise.

THE RECIPE:

8 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced-fat)
1/2 c. sour cream (I use reduced-fat)
12 oz. bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
Half a medium onion or 3-4 green onions
Half a cilantro bunch
1 jalapeno or Anaheim pepper, seeds removed
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
Juice of 2 limes

Mix cream cheese and sour cream and spread on platter for bottom layer. Blend everything else in food processor to form top layer. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrain from overindulgence.

Texas caviar

This salsa-of-sorts is delicious. It gets rave reviews from everyone who tries it. I've decided it's acceptable to eat this for dinner.

THE RECIPE:

1 can each black, pinto and white beans
7 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (discard stems)
1 bag frozen white corn
Half a red onion, finely diced
1 Anaheim pepper, seeds removed, finely diced
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing (and ingredients to make it)
Juice of 2 limes

Rinse and drain beans. Rinse corn to thaw and mix with beans in large bowl. Add cilantro, tomatoes, onion and pepper. I use a mini-chopper for the onion and pepper. Make dressing according to package directions and add to other ingredients. I use a mini-chopper for the dressing, too, so it's creamy-looking and frothy. Refrigerate salsa so flavors mix. Add lime juice before serving.

By the way, Anaheim peppers are supposedly less spicy than jalapenos, but I've substituted a jalapeno in this recipe and haven't noticed a difference.

Somebody stop me

Our recipe for bacon-wrapped smokies absolutely rocks. These babies are so addicting. I simply cannot stop eating them, no matter how full I am. A lot of people make them with barbecue sauce, but that just won't do for us. A simple mixture of ketchup and brown sugar gives the smokies just the right zip. We have never had a bad review. In fact, we have never had a less-than-glorious review. Try them.


THE RECIPE:

1 16-ounce pkg. cocktail smokies
1 16-ounce pkg. bacon (sliced into thirds)
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. ketchup
Toothpicks

Wrap each sausage in bacon and secure with toothpick. Place on foiled cookie sheet (be sure your cookie sheet has edges to catch the grease). Cook at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix brown sugar and ketchup. Remove smokies from oven and coat with sauce. Bake at 400 degrees until bacon is cooked and crispy on edges. Divine. Absolutely divine.