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Stuffed Party Snack Mushrooms
~Yields 16 stuffed mushroom caps
~These stuffed mushrooms are delicious, filled with a cheesy potato-onion mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and/or a little chopped parsley for a vibrant presentation.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
  • 1 large baking potato, peeled, boiled and mashed
  • 1/4 cup cottage cheese
  • 2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
  • 2 teaspoons 2% milk
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Remove mushroom stems and chop. Set aside mushroom caps. Combine chopped stems with mashed potato, cottage cheese, soup mix and milk; mix well. Spoon into mushroom caps.
  • Place caps on baking sheet or baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from oven and serve warm.




Italian Salad
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup cooked macaroni cut in small rings
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 2/3 cup finely diced carrot
  • 1/2 cup cooked green peas
  • 2 teaspoons grated onion
  • Mayonnaise or boiled dressing


Directions:
  • Mix all ingredients, season with dressing
  • Serve on a lettuce leaf




Devilish Eggs
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
  • 6 ea Hard boiled eggs
  • 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp Poupon mustard
  • 1 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp Pimentos, mashed
  • 3 tbsp Dill relish
  • Salt, to taste


Directions:
  • Cut the eggs in half.Remove yolk from white and set white aside.
  • Mash yolks with a fork and add the mayonnaise and the rest of the ingredients.
  • Spoon mixture back into egg whites and serve on a bed of lettuce.




Basic Crepe Recipe
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cup Flour
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup Milk
  • 2 tbsp Butter or oil; melted/cooled


Directions: Mixing crepes by hand.
  • Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Break the eggs into another bowl and mix until yolks and whites are blended. Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in beaten eggs. (French chefs often break the eggs right into the dry ingredients but this makes mixing more difficult.
  • Stir the flour mixture into the eggs little by little. The dough will be difficult to work and it may be necessary to add a little milk (or whatever liquid is used in the particular recipe) to incorporate all the flour. Add the liquid a spoonful at a time and mix it in thoroughly before adding more liquid. When the mixture becomes easy to work (when about half of the liquid has been used) the remainder can be added in two portions.
  • Add melted butter (and flavorings if indicated).
  • Mix again, cover and set aside for at least an hour but not more than 6 hours at room temperature. Crepe batter can be held overnight in the refrigerater. If necessary, the crepe batter can be cooked immediately, but the "resting" time allows the flour to absorb more liquids, makes the mabber easier to handle, and gives the crepes more flavor. Since flours vary in their ability to absorb liquid, if the crepe batter seems too thick when you are ready to cook it, a small amount of extra liquid can be added at this time. The consistency could be at least as thin as heavy cream.




Apple Stuffed Mushrooms
Yield: 32 servings
Ingredients:
  • 32 lg Mushrooms, fresh
  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • 3 tbsp Celery; finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Apple; minced
  • 2 tbsp Fine, dry breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp Parsley, fresh; chopped
  • 2 tbsp Walnuts; finely chopped, toasted
  • 1 tbsp Blue cheese; crumbled
  • 2 tsp Lemon juice


Directions:
  • Clean mushrooms with damp paper towels. Remove stems; finely chop 1/3 cup of stems, reserving remaining stems for another use. Set mushroom caps aside.
  • Coat a small skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/3 cup reserved chopped mushroom stems and celery; saute 2 minutes or until tender.
  • Combine celery mix, apple and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Spoon 1-1/2 ts apple mix into each reserved mushroom cap. Place mushrooms in a 15x10" jelly roll pan; bake at 350 for 15 minutes.




Quick Smoked Salmon Pâté
Ingredients:
  • 200g (7oz) canned cannellini beans drained
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) chopped fresh herbs, such as chervil, dill, and parsley
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 200g (7oz) smoked salmon trimmings
  • salt and pepper


Directions:
  • Blend the beans, herbs, lemon juice, and salmon in a food processor or with a hand-held mixer, until it is really smooth
  • add salt and black pepper to taste
  • transfer pâté to a serving dish
  • Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour
  • served best when very fresh
~Reader's Digest




Avocado Salad Plate
Ingredients:
  • 1 avocado, peeled and halved
  • Boston lettuce leaves
  • 1 small tomato, sliced
  • 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tblsp sunflowerseeds, roasted

Basil Dressing
  • 1 tblsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 dash sugar
  • 1 dash black pepper
  • 2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 3 tblsp olive oil
Directions:
  • Place avocado half on a lettuce leaf, each half on a separate plate.
  • Arrange tomato slices around/beside the avocado half.
  • Drizzle basil dressing lightly over avocado and tomatoes, spoon any remaining dressing into the hollows of the avocado halves.
  • Sprinkle tomatoes with sprouts, onion, and sunflower seeds.
  • Basil dressing: In a small bowl mix vinegar, lemon juice, salt, sugar, pepper, and basil. Use a whisk or fork to blend until well combined.
~by the California Culinary Academy




Party Pita Wedges
~makes 16 wedges
Ingredients:
4 pita breads
-for the Mexican topping
  • 1 cup prepared salsa
  • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
  • 4 canned chopped green chilies
  • 2 tblsp sliced black olives
-for the Italian topping
  • 1 cup seeded, chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tblsp chopped red onion
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
-for the Deli topping
  • 3 ounces smoked turkey, shredded
  • 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
  • 1 cup seeded, chopped tomatoes
Directions:
  • In 3 small bowls, combine topping ingredients. Mix well.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice each pita bread into 4 equal wedges. Place wedges on a non-stick baking sheet. Spoon 1 type of topping onto each wedge.
  • Bake until cheese melts and pita is crisp, about 10 minutes. Use a flat spatula, place the wedges on a serving dish, and enjoy!





Homemade Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup non-fat ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tblsp chopped fresh chives or chopped green onion tops
  • 1 tblsp chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp dried marjoram
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 3/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • fresh chives and oregano sprigs for the garnish
Directions:
  • In a blender or food processor, combine ricotta, cottage cheese, and garlic.
  • Add the basil, parsley, chopped chives, marjoram, oregano,lemon juice, and pepper.
  • Process until smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping machine to scrape down the sides.
  • Place cheese in a small bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.
  • Garnish with chives and oregano sprigs. Serve with fresh veggies and/or crackers.
~Tasty Tip
Try cutting the bottoms off of cherry tomatoes, scoop out the seeds, and fill with the spread, then serve it as an appetizer all on it's own. Very tasty!






Last updated on April 24, 2006