Avocado, Tomato & Feta Cheese Appetizer

I got this recipe from a mailer I got from Kroger (our grocery store). I tried it out on my family and my brothers' families and it was a big hit! *note: it makes a lot.

2 avocados, chopped
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, trimmed and chopped
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (I couldn't find plain feta so I used peppercorn feta and it was awesome!)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt

Combine the avocados, tomatoes and onion in a bowl. Mix gently. Stir in the cilantro. Add feta cheese, olive oil, vinegar, cumin and salt and mix until combined. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator. Serve with warm pita wedges, tortilla chips, or crostini. Refrigerate any leftovers.

(I served my with homemade pita chips and crostini but it's good with chips too)

Asparagus Roll-Ups

8 fresh asparagus spears
1 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls (I like the lowfat Pillsbury ones)
4 oz. (1/2 of a package) cream cheese, softened (I use lowfat)
8 Bacon strips - cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus in a skillet with a small amount of water; cook until crips-tender, about 6-8 minutes. Drain, cut spears in half, and set aside. Combine cream cheese & green onion; spread 1 T on each triangle of dough. Top with two pieces of asparagus and a slice of bacon. Roll up tightly and place seam down on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 8 rolls.

Bulgogi (A Korean dish)

I found this very quick and easy recipe on the internet. It tastes the same as the stuff I've had in restaurants.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean beef (sirloin, tenderloin)
2 T. brown sugar
4 T. soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
2 T. sesame oil
4 T. chopped green onion
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. garlic powder (I just used 3 cloves of garlic, minced)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:
Cut beef into thin cross grain slices. Combine sugar, soy sauce, oil, onion, garlic and pepper; mix well. Add beef and let stand at least 15 minutes. Best grilled over charcoal fire or bulgogi pan, but may be oven broiled or pan fried or stir fried also. (I just stir fried mine.) Serve with rice.

The way I've eaten Bulgogi before is in lettuce wraps. You just put some steamed rice and some beef into a large piece of lettuce and wrap it up. In the picture above, I also have some Kimchi, which I just bought premade at the store. And there is also a container of Gochu Jang, which is a very spicy red pepper sauce that they put on everything here in Korea. I like the flavor of it, so I put a little bit in the wrap with the rice and beef. It may be hard to find Kimchi or the red pepper sauce, but in my opinion, the Bulgogi is yummy all by itself too. Also, I didn't have any green onion on hand, so I just left them out.

Grandpa Mammen's Famous Fondue

I've had a few requests for this recipe from my father-in-law, so I figured I'd just post it here. It is amazing!


Toss in a bowl:
1/2 lb. Emmanthaller (a type of cheese - you can probably find it in your deli's cheese section) - Cut into 1/4" squares
1/2 lb. Gruyere - Cut into 1/4" squares
1 Tablespoon white flour
1 teaspoon corn starch

Slice a clove of garlic in half and rub halves on the inside of a pot.
Bring 2 cups champagne to a boil.
Add a handful of the cheese mixture at a time to the champagne using a wooden spoon to stir constantly in a figure 8.

Cook until cheese is melted, place over fondue warmer and serve immediately with cubed bread and apple slices. When dipping your pieces be sure to coat them in a figure 8 still in order to keep the cheese constantly stirred.

Garden Veggie Pizza Squares

A friend of mine brought this to my baby shower and it was really good! I love this stuff!

1 - 8oz pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls
1 - 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 - 1oz pkg. ranch style dressing mix
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375.
Roll out crescent rolls onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Stretch and flatten to form a single rectangular shape on the baking sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 min, or until golden brown. Allow to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix cram cheese with 1/3 of the ranch dressing mix. Adjust the amount of dressing mix to taste. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange chopped vegetables on top (feel free to add as many veggies as you want, the more the better I think). Chill approx. 1 hour. Cut into bite-size squares to serve.

Cowboy Caviar

This stuff is so good...I could seriously snack on it all day long.

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 clove minced Garlic
1 to 2 tsp Hot Sauce
1/8 tsp Pepper

1 Medium sized avocado (peeled and diced) - you can add more if you like a lot of avocado
1 - 15oz can of black-eyed peas, drained
1 - 15oz can of corn, drained
2/3 cup cilantro, chopped fine
2/3 cup green onions, chopped
salt to taste

Mix red wine vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, hot sauce, and pepper in a separate bowl.

Mix remaining ingredients, gently coat with oil mixture, and mix again. Dig in with tortilla chips, or add cabbage and eat as a salad or stuffed pitas or tortillas. (it might need some time in the fridge to allow the flavors to come out more)

Brunch Bread

This is a good one to bring to showers or get-togethers with family and friends, including football or world series parties. It's also good for dinner and really easy which is awesome!

Brunch Bread

1 loaf bread dough
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 lb thinly sliced lunch meat, ham is best
1 cube margarine, softened (I used less than this, you could probably get away with 1/2 or 1/4 cube - depends on how much butter you like on things.)
grated cheese
poppy seeds

1. Roll bread dough into a large rectangle about the size of a large jellyroll pan.
2. Draw lines lengthwise to divide into thirds.
3. Mix dressing powder and softened marg together and spread most over dough.
4. Put meat in center third and top with cheese.
5. Braid dough to form loaf. Spread remaining margarine mixture over top and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
6. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min. or until golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 min.

I used frozen dough (like Rhodes), turkey and swiss cheese and I got a lot of compliments...it was yummy and it only took me about 5 minutes to assemble.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

My mom found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and made it last Sunday, it was FABULOUS! I couldn't stop eating it!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 8 ounces raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit and spice mixture.

Baked Artichoke Dip

I dunno which magazine this came from, but they apparently adapted it from The Cooking Club Cookbook anyway. It's fairly low-fat, and really yummy. We usually halve it, but that's just because there's not very many of us. But it re-heats really well.

2 14 oz cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 c fat free or "lite" mayonnaise
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t garlic salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
Pita bread or crackers for serving

In a large bowl, combine the chopped artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayo, lemon juice, garlic salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish suitable for serving.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with bread or crackers.

Makes 8 servings.