Shrimp Cheese Ball

This recipe has been in my family for years. My mom always served it up at Christmas time and New Years Eve. I always looked forward to this dip.

Ingredients:

6 oz cream cheese softened

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. finely chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp. mustard

dash of salt and pepper

1 can of shrimp, drained (It's best to use a good quality canned shrimp. I used the Great Value brand from Walmart and it was not as good.)

finely chopped pecans to roll cheese ball in, optional

crackers of your choice

Mix all ingredients except pecans together. Refrigerate. As you can tell from my photo I did not shape the dip into a ball. That was because I was just serving this at home. For a prettier presentation you can shape the dip into a ball and roll in finely chopped pecans. Also, this dip does need to be made up ahead of time as it needs to chill for a few hours for the flavors to come together. Serve with your favorite crackers. My favorite crackers to serve with this dip is Wheat Thins.

Easy Ham and Cheese Appetizer Sandwiches

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com but changed it up to suit our tastes. These little sandwiches have quickly become a family favorite and I serve them up for meals not just as appetizers. I read in the comments section of Allrecipes.com for this recipe that once the sandwiches are put together you can freeze them at that point. Then when you need a quick meal or appetizer just pull them out of the freezer to thaw and bake as directed.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened

1 -2 tsp. of onion powder ( I don't measure this, so this is just a guess as to the amount I use, I just sprinkle it in.)

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons of prepared Dijon style mustard

2 (12oz.) packages white party rolls

1 pound sliced honey ham from the deli

1 package or 12 slices of swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, onion powder, worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard. Slice rolls in half horizontally and set aside tops. Arrange bottoms in a single layer in 11x15 baking dish. Spread bottoms with the butter mixture. Top with ham and swiss cheese. Replace tops. Cover with foil and bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted(The baking time has always been more like 15-20 minutes in my oven).

Ranch Dip

This is an easy and yummy dip. It only takes 5 ingredients and is so simple to make. Serve it with your favorite crackers. Our favorite crackers to serve with it are the Keebler Club Snack Sticks in original and honey wheat flavors.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup milk

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

1 envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

1 8oz fancy shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the first 4 ingredients in stand mixer or with hand mixer. Stir in cheddar cheese. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Holiday Monster Cookies

I saw this recipe yesterday at Tasty Kitchen.com and I just got done making them. They are so good. They are so pretty, too. They are a flourless cookie, which intrigued me and all the ingredients of oatmeal, peanut butter, coconut, chocolate chips, and m&ms.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. baking soda ( I normally leave out baking soda in all my cookies but I added it in these and would not leave it out)

1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

4 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats ( I used quick cooking)

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup M&Ms, divided

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. According to the recipe on Tasty Kitchen you mix the ingredients together in the order listed but reserve half of the M&Ms. I creamed the butter and sugars, added eggs and vanilla. Then I added the baking soda, peanut butter, oats, and coconut and mixed. Next, I added the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup M&Ms and mixed. Drop by rounded tablespoons(I used my medium cookie scoop) onto baking sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in cold water. Press a few of the reserved M&Ms into the top of the cookies that have no M&Ms showing( I did this on all the cookies and ended up needing a little more than 1/2 cup). Bake 10-12 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. These cookies are best slightly under-done, so err on the side of taking them out too soon rather than letting them get overdone.

My Amish Friend's Carmel Corn

I got this recipe off of Allrecipes. com. I made just a few changes. It's the best carmel corn.

Ingredients:

7 quarts plain popped popcorn ( I use corn pops located in the chip aisle because there are no kernels or hulls to deal with and my family just prefers it over regular popcorn in this recipe.)

2 cups dry roasted peanuts, optional ( I use 1 cup pecans and 1 cup almonds)

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup margarine ( I use butter)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans and add peanuts if using. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all of the corn coated. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Line counter with waxed paper. Dump the corn onto the wax paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Seafood Gumbo

This is my mom's recipe for gumbo. She was born in New Orleans, LA. This is a wonderful recipe. We have gumbo at every holiday meal because that was the tradition passed down in my mom's family. Unfortunately, measurements were never used, it is just thrown together. I don't measure either except for the butter and flour for the roux. So, the measurements listed are just estimates. This makes a large batch. Also, chicken can be substituted for all the seafood in this recipe for a batch of chicken gumbo. Another version I make is shrimp and chicken. For the batches made with chicken, I just use 5 or 6 uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts cut up into bite size chunks.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1/2 to 1 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

1 to 2 tsp of dried garlic pieces, if using fresh garlic I use 3 or 4 cloves

1 to 2 bay leaves - I always use 2

3 to 5 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning ( I just sprinkle it out of the can so I have never measured this, I just know when it looks right)

1/2 lb smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces

8 cups chicken broth

2lbs peeled, uncooked shrimp

1lb crab meat( I get this at Sam's club in the meat department)

2 to 3 teaspoons of File (I buy Tony Chachere's Gumbo File in the spice aisle and I just sprinkle it in just before serving and have never measured this)

3 to 4 teaspoons of Kitchen Bouquet - this is for coloring and making the gumbo a more brown color.

1 - 2 teaspoons of cajun spice, optional( This is something I don't measure either and just sprinkle in just a bit, we don't like our gumbo too spicey but we do like to have just a tiny bit of spice.)

Cooked white rice

Melt butter in large stockpot and add flour. When roux is the color of peanut butter add green peppers, onions, celery, and garlic. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add bay leaves, Old Bay seasoning, cajun spice and sausage. Cook until sausage for about 5 or so minutes, you just want to brown it a bit. Then slowly add chicken broth. Stir in kitchen bouquet until a nice brown color. You do not want to add too much as it will change the flavor of the gumbo so it is best to start out with a teaspoon or 2 and stir. If the color is still too light continue to add some kitchen bouquet but make sure to stir after each addition. Then add peeled, uncooked shrimp and crab to gumbo(or chicken if using instead of the seafood). Allow to simmer for 2 hours. Just before serving add the gumbo file. Serve over cooked white rice.

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe a few years ago on Christmas-Cookies.com but they call them Peanut Butter Oatmeal Drops. They are a peanut butter version of the chocolate no bake cookies. These are a family favorite and well liked whenever I bring them to potlucks.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup milk or evaporated milk (I always use milk)

pinch of salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups quick cooking rolled oats

Line two baking sheets with waxed paper. In a large heavy saucepan combine the butter, brown sugar, milk and salt. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Without stirring, let mixture boil for exactly 3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until peanut butter has melted. Quickly stir in oats, mix well. Working fast, drop mixture by tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. Allow to cool and become firm(this doesn't take long).