Shrimp Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. cream 

2 T. lemon juice

1/8 t. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 c. cooked or canned shrimp, drained

Dice shrimp. Combine all ingredients. Serve with chips, crackers, or vegetables. 

Smoked Salmon Pastry Bites

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed

3 oz. smoked salmon, rough chopped

8 oz. cream cheese, softened 

1 T. chopped chives

1 T. fresh dill (plus more for garnish) 

Preheat oven to 400°. Prick the flat puff pastry sheet all over with a fork. Cut into 25 even squares (you will only use 24). Press the squares into the sections of a mini muffin tin. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, smoked salmon, and dill. Divide filling among the 24 shells. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cream cheese starts to brown slightly. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Place on a serving platter, garnish with more dill if desired.

Katie’s Artichoke Dip

2 (15 oz.) cans artichokes, chopped

1 c. shredded Swiss (or other type of cheese) 

1 c. shredded mozzarella 

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan 

1 c. (or a little more) mayonnaise 

garlic to taste

pepper to taste

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes in a 9x9 pan until edges are bubbly.

Amanda’s Guacamole

4 avocados, mashed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. diced tomato
1/4 c. finely diced onion
2-3 T. chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt, pepper, cumin, & cayenne to taste

Combine ingredients and serve fresh.

Chili Cheese Balls

2 c. shredded sharp Old English cheese
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ t. garlic powder
1/8 t. onion salt
dash black pepper

1 T. lemon juice
¼ c. finely chopped pecans
1 t. chili powder
1 t. paprika

Combine first 6 ingredients. Beat with fork until fluffy. Stir in nuts. Butter hands and form mixture into two balls. Combine chili powder and paprika, place on wax paper and roll balls in this mixture. Chill.* Let set at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers and knife on tray.

*Can freeze.

Puppy Chow

¼ c. peanut butter
1 c. chocolate chips
¼ c. butter
9 c. Chex cereal
1 to 1 ½ c. confectioners’ sugar

Melt together peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips. Mix well, then pour over cereal. Stir gently until coated. Mixture will be clumpy. Pour sugar in clean paper bag. Add coated cereal before it has cooled. Seal bag tightly and shake for several minutes. Store mixture in airtight container.

Robyn's Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lb. fresh mushrooms
3 oz. cream cheese
2 T. butter
1 t. Italian dressing mix

Rinse mushrooms. Chop stems and saute in butter. Add cream cheese and dressing mix. Stir until smooth. Stuff mixture into mushroom caps and broil 8 minutes.

Layered Taco Dip

You know a recipe's a winner when you bring it to a potluck and it's half gone before it's even time to eat . . .

15 oz. refried beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. sour cream
1 lb. ground beef, browned
½ c. red enchilada sauce
16 oz. mild salsa

1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 avocado, diced
2 t. lime juice
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 green onions, sliced
2 T. sliced black olives

Combine taco seasoning and refried beans. Spread on the bottom of a 9X12 inch pan. Using a hand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sour cream. Spread over beans. Combine enchilada sauce and ground beef. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Pour salsa over top and sprinkle on ½ of the tomato. Toss avocado with the lime juice and sprinkle over the salsa. Top with cheese. Garnish with green onions, black olives, and remaining tomato. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

Pizza Fondue

1 onion, diced
1/2 lb. ground beef
(2) 10.5 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 t. fennel seed
1 1/2 t. oregano
10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown onion and ground beef. Add tomato sauce, cornstarch, and spices. Cook until thick and bubbly, stirring continually. Stir in cheeses. Place in fondue pot to keep warm and serve with cubes of French bread for dipping.

Banana Bread

Grandma Jennie P's
1 (2) egg(s), beaten*
1 c. sugar
2 T. butter
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 c. sour milk
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 c. flour

Place in greased bread pan(s) and bake at 350 degrees- 1 hour for one large pan, 3/4 hour for two small pans.

* I found two different copies of this recipe. The one that looks older and more used calls for 2 eggs. The other one that I'm assuming to be a copy and more recently used, calls for one. 

Lorraine P's
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1/2 (3/4) c. margarine*
2-3 bananas, mashed
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1 (1 1/2) c. flour*

Beat eggs, sugar, and margarine. Continue beatind and add bananas, flour, and soda. Let stand for 15 minutes. 15 minutes in floured pan. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Both of these measurments are noted on the recipe. I'm not sure which is correct.

Peanut Butter Pudding

Yeild: 2 1/2 cups

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. half-and-half

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1 t. vanilla

Combine first three ingredients in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk and half-and-half. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat. (Pudding will be thin.) Add peanut butter and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Pour into a bowl; place plastic wrap directly over warm pudding to prevent it from forming a skin. Chill two hours before serving.

Taffy Apple Dip



Serve with sliced apples. Yum!



8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Blend first five ingredients until smooth. Stir in nuts.







Peanut Butter Popcorn

2-3 quarts freshly popped corn (we use an airpopper)
1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. honey

Melt butter in saucepan. Add peanut butter and honey; stir well. Pour over popcorn. Stir to coat. Spread evenly in 1 or 2 baking pans. Bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Beet Pickles

1 8 oz. can sliced beets
6 T. liquid from beets
6 T. vinegar
6 T. sugar
1/2 t. mustard seed
1/2 t. salt
4 whole cloves
4 mediums onion slices

Combine salt, sugar, mustard seed, cloves, beet liquid, and vinegar. Bring to the boiling point. Pour this hot mixture over the drained beets and onion slices. Allow these pickles to stand overnight before serving. Serve cool.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Makes 50-60 balls

1 lb. hamburger
1 small onion, chopped fine
1/2 c. cooked rice
1 t. lemon juice
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. salt
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
2 t. brown sugar
pinch of garlic powder

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well; form into 50-60 small balls. Brown lightly in hot fat. Pour sauce over meatballs. Heat for 1/2 hour. Serve in a chafing dish or electric fry pan.

Sauce
1 medium sized bottle of ketchup
1 small jar grape jelly
1 handful of raisins
1 t. lemon juice
1 small onion, diced

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir and heat for 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Cookie Dip

Makes 4 cups

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
14 oz. marshmallow creme
15 oz. can solid pack pumpkin
1 T. cinnamon

Beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme until smooth. Stir in pumpkin and cinnamon. Serve as a dip with gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, or some other type of cookie. Store in refrigerator.

Hummus

Good with crackers, chips, or veggies!

2 c. cooked garbanzo beans
¼ -½ c. water
¼ c. tahini
¼ c. lemon juice
1 t. cumin
¼ t. chili powder
4-6 cloves garlic (or more, to taste)
salt

Place in blender and process until a thick, smooth paste forms, adding water until the desired consistency is reached.

Zucchini Bread

Make 2 regular sized loaves or 5 small loaves



If you have nut allergies, just leave them out. It's still yummy!

3 eggs, beaten

2 c. sugar

3 t. vanilla

1 c. oil

2 c. shredded zucchini

3 c. flour

1/4 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

3 t. cinnamon

1 c. chopped nuts

Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, vanilla, and oil. Blend well. Stir in zucchini, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Fold in nuts. Pour into greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.



Pesto Cheese Ball

Italy

2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. pesto

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

about 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

Combine cream cheese, pesto, and Parmesan. Line a small round bowl with plastic wrap , and scoop cheese mixture into the bowl. Pack down firmly, pulling plastic wrap up around sides to form a round ball. Refrigerate 3 hours. Remove ball from bowl and peel off plastic wrap. Press nuts all over the surface of the cheese ball until it is well covered. Store in refrigerator; bring to room temperature one hour before serving. Serve with crackers.

Chex Mix

United States

5 c. stick pretzels
4 c. Cheerios

8 c. assorted Chex cereal (corn, wheat, rice)

3 c. mixed nuts

1 c. butter

4 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. liquid smoke
2 t. seasoning salt
½ t. garlic powder

In a large roasting pan combine pretzels, cereals, and nuts; set aside. Heat remaining ingredients in a small saucepan until butter melts. Drizzle over cereal mixture; stir gently to coat. Bake in a 300 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on a large piece of foil to cool. Store in an airtight container. Make 20 cups.

Recipe notes: This is a traditional snack food at holiday parties in the USA. My family always made a big batch so we would have plenty for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.