Hot Sausage & Mushroom Dip

1 Lb. hot pork sausage
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms (3 cups)
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped sweet red pepper
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ tsp. Worcestershire
In a 12 inch skillet, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain well. Remove drippings from skillet. In the same skillet, heat oil. Add mushrooms, onion and sweet red pepper and cook until tender. Stir in cream cheese, Worcestershire  and cooked sausage. Heat and stir until cheese is melted. Transfer to chafing/warming dish. Serve with crackers or corn chips.

Thanks to Lisa Williamson

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CHUCK'S CORNBREAD

3 cups cornbread mix as in Jiffy. Two boxes of Jiffy Cornbread Mix works just fine

1¼ cups milk

½ cup oil

3 eggs, beaten

1 large onion, chopped

3 tbl. spoons sugar

jalapeno peppers chopped, to taste. I usually add some of the juice and about 2-3 tabl. spoons of the peppers. For my mouth, the more the better.

1 can corn, drained

1½ cups shredded cheese

 Mix all ingredients thoroughly and put in greased 9x13 inch pan

Bake at 400 degrees F, 25-30 minutes (use the toothpick test to check for doneness).               Enjoy.

Thanks to my old friend Chuck, Paul Anderson

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Soda Cracker Chocolate Candy

35 soda crackers                                             1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter 1.5 cups coarsely chopped walnuts 
1 cup packed brown sugar

Line a 15 in x 10 in x 1 in baking pan with foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.  Place crackers in rows on foil.  In a saucepan, melt butter, add brown sugar and bring to boil.  Boil 3 minutes.  Pour over crackers and spread until completely covered. Bake 350 degrees F for 5 minutes (crackers will float). Turn oven off.  Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over crackers.  Return to oven until chocolate is melted, about 3-5 minutes.  With a greased spatula, press down walnuts into chocolate.  Cut into 1 in squares whilst warm.  Remove candy from foil when completely cool.

Thanks to Lisa Williamson  

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Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls

1.75 cups powdered sugar
.5 large package coconut flakes
.5 cup chopped pecans
.25 cup Eagle Brand milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and roll into 1 inch balls.  Chill in freezer for about 15 minutes.  Dip in melted chocolate, i.e Dove Dark. Place dipped balls on waxed paper until chocolate set up.  Lite version: dip only 1/2 of each ball in chocolate.

Thanks to Pam Anderson

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Marinated Cheese

.5 cup olive oil                               .5 cup white wine vinegar            3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
3 green onions, finely chopped   2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped        1 minced garlic clove
1 small jar pimentoes                   8 oz. cream cheese, thin cubes      
8 oz sharp cheddar, thin cubes

Combine first 6 ingredients.  Arrange cheese slices, overlapping in shallow dish, alternating white and yellow.  Pour mixture over cheeses.  Drain pimentoes and sprinkle over top.  Make 8 hours ahead and drain prior to serving.


Lisa Williamson thanks friend and chef, Rayner Christopher for this goodie.  Rayner passed in 2009. 

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Lemon Cake

 

1 pkg lemon Jell-o

(Dissolve in one-cup hot water. Cool but do not let set.)

Zest of 1 or 2 lemons (I use two)

¾ cup vegetable oil

4 whole eggs

1 box white cake mix

Add oil to mix, beat well. Add eggs and beat well. Add cold Jell-o with lemon zest mixed in. Beat well.

Bake in a lightly oiled 13 x 9 x 2” pan at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

As soon as cake is done, pierce all over through cake with a fork. Spoon on glaze while cake is hot.

Glaze: Juice of 2 lemons, mixed with 2 cups sifted powdered sugar. I use a small whisk to mix up the glaze and I don’t sift the powdered sugar. The whisk gets out nearly all the lumps.

Thanks to Carol Castelini

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Cream Cheese Danish

16 oz cream cheese softened
1.5 cups sugar - split into 1 cup and .5 cup
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 can crescent rolls
1 stick butter - melted
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam or grease.

Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg and vanilla.
Line bottom of pan with i can of crescent rolls.  Pinch seams together and press dough up side of pan a little.  Spread layer of cream mixture (all of it).  Do second can of crescent roll dough on top of cheese mixture, pinch seams together and pinch edges together.
Mix melted butter, .5 cup sugar, cinnamon and pecans.  Spread on top of crescent rolls.
Bake 30-45 minutes until golden and center is set.

Thanks to St. Clare

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