Very Good Crab or Shrimp Dip

The original recipe for this dip was written for shrimp, which is wonderful, but I had a can of crab on the pantry shelf and decided to use it with some adjustments to the recipe. We thought the flavor was very nice, mild and delicious on Ritz crackers. The Super Bowl is coming and this dip would be a nice addition to the party menu if you have a crowd coming to your home.
Blessings...

Recipe:

1 6-ounce can crab, drained and picked over (or 6 ounces canned deveined shrimp)
1 8-ounce pkg. low-fat cream cheese
1 can 98% fat-free Cream of Mushroom soup
1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Ritz Crackers

1. Soften gelatin in 3 tablespoons water. This will take about 5 minutes.
2. Heat soup to very warm and add gelatin; stir to thoroughly blend and dissolve gelatin. Blend in cream cheese with an electric hand mixer.
3. Stir in salt, pepper, celery, onion and lemon juice and blend well. Pour into a 4 cup mold and chill until set, about 3 hours.
4. Unmold onto a lettuce-lined plate and serve with crackers.

Note: To unmold, run a butter knife around the edge of dip and place the mold into a warm water bath. Let the mold sit for a few minutes to loosen, dry mold off and invert onto lettuce-lined plate.
Note: This dip lasts very well in the fridge. I've had leftovers, that we have been eating off of for two weeks, and the mold is still holding it's shape and the flavor is wonderful.

Sausage Potato Soup with Sage

This recipe for another wonderful soup is adapted from my favorite author of Amish cooking, Marcia Adams, and her book entitled New Recipes from Quilt Country. This is a very easy soup to prepare and is made from ingredients that are usually in the pantry, except the sausage, of course. We love potato soup and the addition of the sage- flavored sausage adds a real country flavor to an otherwise basic and humble ingredient like a potato. A thick slice of Irish Soda Bread is wonderful alongside a bowl of potato soup. I'll post my favorite recipe soon. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pound lean pork sausage with sage such as Jimmy Dean rolled sausage
2 cups chopped onion
5 cups peeled and thickly sliced potatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. celery seeds
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
4 shakes hot red pepper sauce
3 tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. minced fresh marjoram, or 1/2 tsp. dried

1. In a stock pot, brown the sausage over medium heat until the juices are released, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and saute' the mixture until the onions are limp, about 8 minutes. Drain off the fat, and set the sausage aside in a bowl.
2. Add the potatoes, broth, salt, celery seeds, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
3. Slightly mash the potatoes, leaving some in chunks for good texture. Add the reserved sausage, the milk, hot pepper sauce, parsley, and marjoram. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Yield: 8 cups

Hospitality

"Essential to hospitality is the open heart which results in an open home... be it a small room, a modest apartment, or a mansion- in which we can practice hospitality." Karen Mains

I love this quote, and I have had the privilege of practicing hospitality in all locations but the mansion. There was a time in our lives when we lived in a small rental, and because of unemployment most of our furniture was sold and we were eating our meals on a card table. When we had guests in for a meal another utility table was added to accommodate the numbers, but we always had guests, no matter what the circumstances. The meal might have been very frugal, but the fellowship was always wonderful and uplifting.

Sadly, hospitality is becoming a lost art. But I do believe the most important hospitality we will ever extend will be to our family at the end of a long day. This time is so important to the well-being of the family, especially to children. This is a precious time for each member of the family to share about the events of the day and draw close to one another after long hours of separation. The gift of love and laughter and the sharing of feelings as we talk about the day satisfies the soul like a bowl of warm soup on a cold winter night. May you and your family have many wonderful meals together in this new year. Blessings...

Frozen Cherry Salad

This is a festive, delicious, easy to make frozen fruit salad that is perfect for dressing up any family meal. I've served it this week with the Hot Turkey Sandwich recipe that was posted on 12/5/13. The combination of cherries and mandarin oranges in a rich creamy salad make it a kid-friendly treat, as well. This is another reader-contributed recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pkg. (8 ounces) low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin oranges, drained

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and whipped topping using an electric mixer. Stir in the pie filling.
2. Set aside 1/4 cup mandarin oranges for garnish if desired. Fold remaining oranges into cream cheese mixture.
3. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Cover and freeze overnight or until firm.
4. Remove salad from freezer 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
5. To unmold, run a knife around the edge to loosen salad from pan. Set salad in warm water for a few minutes and turn out on a cutting board. Cut into slices to serve.

Yield: 12 servings
Note: To make this salad low calorie use fat-free cream cheese, light whipped topping and reduced-sugar pie filling.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish each and every visitor to my site a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. May you know the warmth of loving relationships in your family and with friends today and through your life. Please know how much I appreciate your visits. Blessings...

Chewy Sugar Cookies

I have been searching for the best part of this year for a soft, chewy sugar cookie for a friend and I. I found it at www.americastestkitchen.com. This test kitchen creates some of the best recipes I have ever used. These cookies are everything the name suggests; soft, chewy, covered in sugar, and very easy to prepare. They are not a cut-out cookie for decorating, but rather a stand-alone sugar cookie that is wonderful with a glass of milk or a cup of tea. Blessings...

Recipe:

2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 tbsps. unsalted butter, melted and still warm (I used salted butter)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tbsp. milk
2 tsps. vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Place 1-1/2 cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in small bowl and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with wooden spoon until soft homogeneous dough forms.
4. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tbsps. each (or use #40 portion scoop). Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2-inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 tsps. of sugar remaining in dish ( 2 tsps. per tray), discarding any remaining sugar.
5. Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Yield: 2 dozen

Turkey Artichoke Quiche

A year or two ago on Thanksgiving weekend, when I was in need of something to feed my family for brunch, I thought of making a quiche. Because of that need, a Broccoli Cheddar Quiche was created, the recipe will be shared later, but from that recipe I created this quiche this week for dinner. We love the combination of poultry, in this case turkey, and artichokes in a casserole, so I figured it might work well in a quiche. We thought it was very good, maybe your family will, as well. Quiche is a nice change of pace; not something usually found on the family menu as it is a little bit more work with the pie crust, but so worth the effort. Blessings...

Recipe:
Pastry for a 10-inch one-crust pie
1 cup cooked chopped turkey or chicken
1 cup grated medium cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup chopped artichoke hearts, from a 13.75 ounce can, well drained
1/3 cup minced onion
1-2 tsps. butter
4 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup half-and-half
1 few grinds white pepper
1/2 tsp. Fines Herbes
1 tbsp. fresh minced parsley

1. Line 10-inch pie plate or 10-inch quiche dish with pastry. Make high fluted edge and set aside.
2. In small frying pan over low heat, melt butter. Add onion and fry until golden in color, remove pan from heat.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Carefully spread cooked onion in pie plate.
5. Sprinkle turkey, cheese and artichokes over onion.
6. Whisk together last 6 ingredients in a medium size bowl until well combined. Carefully pour cream mixture into pie plate.
7. Bake 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake another 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cover crust last 10 minutes if it is browning too quickly. Remove quiche from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Yield: 6 main dish servings
Note: Fines Herbes is a blend of chervil, minced parsley, French tarragon and chopped chives that is not very popular, but very good in a quiche or vegetable dish.