crab stuffed mushrooms

12 oz. crabmeat
1/2 pound mushrooms (with medium to large caps)
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon margarine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash cayenne pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons yogurt

Pick over crabmeat to remove any shell. Rinse mushrooms and remove stems from caps. Chop stems and onion (including some green). Sauté in margarine until soft. Stir in crabmeat, seasonings, mayonnaise and yogurt. Stuff mushroom caps. Broil 5 minutes.

macaroni-cheese twist

1/2 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 8 ounce cans Hunts tomato sauce with onions
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
4 ounces American cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
8 ounces corkscrew macaroni, cooked and drained

In skillet cook green pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in tomato sauce, water, oregano and parsley; simmer 10 minutes. Add cheese cubes, stir just to mix. Serve immediately over hot macaroni. Makes 4 servings.

broccoli roulade

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter or margarine
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (6 ounces.)
6 eggs, separated
1 pound fresh broccoli
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Grease a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan; line with foil; grease foil.

Melt margarine in medium-sized saucepan; blend in flour and salt. Slowly add 3 cups milk, stirring constantly until sauce thickens and bubbles. Remove sauce from heat; pour 1 cup into a small saucepan and reserve.

Add 1/2 cup of the cheese to the larger amount of sauce, stirring until cheese melts.

Beat egg whites in a small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat egg yolks in a large bowl with the same beaters until light and thick, about 3 minutes.

Beat a small amount of the hot sauce into the yolks, then slowly stir in the remainder until the mixture is well blended.

Stir a spoonful of the egg whites into the sauce, then fold in remaining egg whites until no streaks of white remain. Spread souffl? mixture evenly in prepared pan.

Bake in moderate over (325) for 45 minutes or until top is golden and springs back when lightly touched.

Cut broccoli flowerets into 3-inch lengths, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces, reserving a few for garnish. Save remainder of stems for another meal. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until tender; drain.
Stir dry mustard, 1/2 cup of the cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup milk into reserved sauce in the small saucepan. Stir over low heat until cheese melts.

Remove souffl? from oven; loosen around edges with spatula. Cover a cookie sheet with foil; invert over souffl?. Invert souffl?; remove jelly roll pan and layer of foil carefully.

Spread broccoli evenly over souffl?; sprinkle broccoli with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of the sauce. Starting at the 10-inch side, roll souffl? jelly-roll style, lifting foil to guide it. Lift roll onto heated platter with two wide spatulas. Spoon some sauce over top. Garnish with reserved broccoli and cherry tomatoes, if desired. Cut into thick slices and serve with remaining sauce. This is a lot of trouble, but it's delicious!

black beans and rice

2 cups water
1 cup long grain white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
2 medium tomatoes, cut up
1 ear of corn, cut from cob
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 15 oz. can black beans

Bring water to boil, add rice; reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté onion and jalapeno peppers in oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat one to two minutes or until onions are soft, but not brown. Add tomatoes, corn and garlic and cook three minutes. Stir in beans and heat through. Serve immediately over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Serve with a lettuce and avocado salad dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. For a heavier meal, grill chicken lightly dusted with chili powder. Sliced nectarines and blueberries and brown sugar would be nice for dessert.

chili olivettes

2/3 cup chopped ripe olives
2/3 cup grated American cheese
3/4 teaspoon chili pepper
1 pkg. pie crust mix (or homemade based on 1-1/2 cup flour)

Combine olives with cheese and chili. Roll pastry thin, cut into 2″ rounds. Place scant teaspoon of filling on each round. Moisten edges; fold over to make a half-moon. Pinch edges to seal. Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate. At party time, heat oven to 475 degrees. Bake 10-12 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 36 snacks.

cheese pinwheels

1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
2 3-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
32 pimento stuffed olives

Thaw folded pastry sheets about 20 minutes; unfold gently. Cut each sheet into 16 squares measuring about 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 making a total of 32 squares. Blend cream cheese into onion, chili powder and garlic powder. Place pastry squares on ungreased baking sheet. Cut and shape as indicated in diagram below.

Place teaspoon of cheese mixture in center of each pinwheel. Top with olive. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until puffed and golden. Makes 32 snacks.

buddig pinwheels

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 teaspoon horseradish
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 4 oz. or two 2-1/2 oz. Buddig smoked sliced beef or ham

Blend cream cheese, onion, horseradish and Worcestershire sauce until spreading consistency. Separate meat slices. Lay out five slices, slightly overlapping on an 18″ piece of foil. Lay out two more rows to form a rectangle of meat. Spread with cheese mixture. Roll up as jelly roll using foil to bring up meat. Use fingers to roll completely. Chill. Just before serving, slice into one inch slices.

bean spread (hot & cheesy)

Drain a 16-oz. can of kidney beans and reserve liquid. Put one tablespoon liquid in blender or food processor, then add beans, 2 teaspoons chili powder, a dash of cayenne or hot pepper sauce and 2 teaspoons ground cumin. Place mixture in microwaveable dish and stir in 1/2 cup each low-fat sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Cover and microwave on high, set 2-4 minutes, stirring once or twice. Serve with tortilla chips.