Cucumber Sandwiches

This is the vegetarian sandwich I put together for the graduation open house. I think it would be wonderful for a tea party, too. This is just the basic recipe, one could do a lot with it.

Cucumber Sandwiches

• 2 loaves mini French bread (baguettes would work well, too)
• 1 English cucumber
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• Seasoned rice vinegar (any vinegar would probably be fine)
• Favorite herbs - I used dried dill and thyme

Thinly slice cucumber and place in a small bowl. Cover with vinegar and let set 30 to 60 minutes (30 is really all you need). Drain vinegar.

Mix together herbs (to taste) and cream cheese. If needed, add a little milk or cream to make it lighter. However, if the cream cheese is at room temperature, it should mix up just fine. I like the taste of the herbs to come through so I started with a half teaspoon of each and added a "pinch" until I got the flavor I wanted. You may want to add a pinch of salt.

Slice bread to desired thickness. I think mine was about 1/8th of an inch but I'd slice them a little thicker if they were to be more filling, as for a tea party. Spread cream cheese mixture on the bread and then top with two cucumbers.

Serve on your prettiest plate or serving platter.

Cheese Shrimp Ball

I've had this recipe since the 1980's. It is very good and if you have a food processor, extremely easy! If you don't, chop the shrimp as fine as possible and mix everything into the cream cheese.

Cheese Shrimp Ball

• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temp
• 2 cans small shrimp - or - 1 8 oz. pkg. frozen salad shrimp, defrosted
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon chili sauce (I use Heinz)
• 1 Tablespoon horse radish (I never have it on hand so I don't use it)
• 2 Tablespoons chopped onion (or a little more)

Blend above ingredients. Form into a ball. Chill.

Can be rolled in nuts if desired.

Lentil Salad

My friend, Sheila (of Sheila's cake fame) served me this salad many years ago and I thought it a wonderful way to serve lentils. She said it came from one of the Frugal Gourmet cookbooks.

Lentil Salad

• 1 1/2 Cups lentils (Added: I use French lentils for salads)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup chopped parsley
• 6 green onions
• 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Black pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

The original recipe says to soak lentils a few hours. I have no idea why one would do that since lentils (unlike beans) do not have to soak. I just rinse the lentils and look for any rocks masquerading as lentils.

Cook lentils about 30 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Drain and cool.

Mix the salt, parsley, and onions (I actually add salt later).

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, coriander, and cumin.

Toss with lentils, best made at least a few hours before serving.

Hamburger Dip

We've served this for so long, I can't remember when I found the recipe... when we lived in Iowa I think.

Hamburger Dip

1 pound ground beef
2 large jars salsa
1 pound Velveeta

Brown the ground beef, pour off excess grease.

Place ground beef, salsa, and Velveeta in Crock Pot and set to "high". Switch to "low" when Velveeta has melted.

-- or --

After pouring off excess grease, add salsa and Velveeta to the ground beef and stir (on low temp) until cheese has melted. Then pour into Crock Pot and keep on "low" until ready to serve (this is much faster than letting the cheese melt in the Crock Pot as above).

I serve it in the Crock Pot and have people ladle it into bowls and serve it with big corn chips.

Snickerdoodles

These are a family favorite. I remember neighbors who had moved to the Midwest from California that LOVED these cookies. They'd never heard of them before.

Snickerdoodles

Mix:
1 Cup shortening, room temperature
(I like to use 1 stick butter and 1 stick margarine)
1 1/2 Cups sugar
2 Eggs

In another bowl, mix together and then add to above mixture:

2 3/4 Cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

After mixing dough well, roll into balls about the size of a walnut. Dip each into a mixture of 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Heloise's Mom's Potato Salad

This is a delicious potato salad. I've been using it since I first found the recipe in one of Heloise's columns perhaps as long as twenty years ago! It was the original Heloise's "go to" potato salad recipe and her daughter was reprinting it for a request.

This is the way it was printed in the paper.  There are no specifics but through the years, I've developed my own amounts.

Read the entire recipe first for there are ingredients all the way through.

Heloise's Potato Salad

Boil potatoes in their jacket, cool slightly, peel and cube.   I usually use about five pounds of potatoes.   (The potatoes should still be warm when you combine them with the dressing.)

Mix together:

Mayonnaise (I start with one cup and always use Hellmann's Real Mayo), cider vinegar (to taste), celery salt (or celery seed if you are watching your salt), Lowry's seasoned salt (if you do NOT use celery salt), a jar of chopped pimento, ground pepper.  Mix in a little mustard (to taste).

The jar of chopped pimento adds a lot to the flavor, I pour out most of the liquid in the jar but keep just a little and then add everything to the mayo mixture.  These jars are located where one finds pickles and relish.  A small jar adds less flavor, a large jar adds more... entirely your preference but it is an important part of this recipe.

Mix well and pour over warm potatoes when possible.  It does work over cold potatoes, too.

Fold in chopped boiled eggs and chopped onion.


I find this is best made the day before and refrigerated overnight. Although it is good as long as it can sit in the frig for the flavors to "marry" at least a few hours... but overnight is best.

Oriental Slaw

This is from Laine's Letters. It makes a good hot weather side dish.

Oriental Slaw

6 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (you may want to start with 1 Tablespoon... to taste)
1/2 Cup Olive Oil (or any vegetable oil)

Shredded Cabbage
Shredded Carrots
(or one package cole slaw mix)

Sliced Green Onions

Mix vinegar, brown sugar, oil, and soy sauce together.

Pour over veggies and let marinate about an hour or so, tossing frequently.

1,2,3,4 Cake

This makes a delicious yellow cake. It is an old fashioned recipe that still works. The name comes from the amounts... 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs.

1,2,3,4 Cake

• 1 Cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
• 2 Cups sugar
• 4 Large eggs, beaten
• 3 Cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and mix.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.

Add half flour, then half milk, remainder of flour, remainder of milk.

Add vanilla.

Bake in 9" cake pans for 25 - 30 minutes.

Shrimp Salad for sandwiches

I saw this Paula Deen recipe all over the Internet. I may use it for the Graduation Open House since I have two packages of cooked baby shrimp in the freezer.

I wouldn't do it for the open house but for a tea party, these would be great on dainty miniature croissants.

Paula Deen's Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
• 3 celery ribs, minced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 dash onion salt
• salt and pepper
• 1 dash seasoning salt
• 1 dash celery salt
• 8 slices your choice bread, toasted
• lettuce
• tomato, slices

Directions

1. 1 Cut shrimp up and transfer to a bowl.

2. 2 Add eggs, celery, and mayonnaise and mix well.

3. 3 Add seasonings, to taste, and stir to combine.

4. 4 Spread additional mayonnaise on both sides of bread.

5. 5 Heap shrimp salad onto bread and then cut sandwiches in half.

6. 6 Serve with lettuce and tomato, if desired.

From: RecipeZaar

Key Lime Squares

I think I'm making these for Saturday. I'll let you know how we like it!

I have plenty of key lime juice to use up. I like Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice. I think I got it at Target but I've seen it at other grocery stores. Don't let anyone tell you bottled stuff is not good... this is excellent. I use it all the time for key lime pie (my hubby's favorite).

Key Lime Squares

Recipe From: CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com

Serves/Makes: 2.5 dozen

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
4 eggs
1 lime peel grated (I may use lemon peel instead, since I already have one)
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Mix first four ingredients, then press in an ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Beat together remaining ingredients. Whisk together and pour over hot crust. Bake 30 minutes.

Cool on a rack and cut into squares. Sift powdered sugar on top when cool.


This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
© 1995-2008 CDKitchen, Inc.

Baked Chicken & Stuffing

As soon as I saw this recipe in a small recipe booklet (purchased for $2.99 at a restaurant from Lancaster County, I think it was in Bird-In-Hand), I knew I'd love it. It has all the flavors I like... almost like Thanksgiving without turkey and sage. :)

I made it almost as the recipe directed but "tweaked" it as I didn't need quite as much meat. Christopher and I both loved it but hubby doesn't care for dressing, even at Thanksgiving so he tolerated it. I might try different herbs & spices some day.

Plain & Fancy Restaurant's
Baked Chicken & Stuffing

Ingredients:

4 cups diced, cooked chicken
(I used three rather large, cooked chicken breasts, which was two cups)

1 cup margarine (butter here)
(I used one stick of butter to begin with and then melted 1/2 a stick and poured it over everything after one hour of baking)

1 Cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk

20 slices white bread, cubed (I just tore it into pieces)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper (always more pepper here)

1 cup chicken broth (a little more reserved if needed)

Melt butter in sauce pan with onion and celery, saute. Do not brown.

Combine milk, eggs, onions, celery and bread cubes in large bowl and mix until moistened. (I knew I was going to make this so I purchased a bag of white bread at the surplus bread store.)

In greased roasting pan (I used a 9 x 13 dish), place half of filling, then the chicken, and then the rest of the filling. When finished layering, pour broth on top.

Place in a preheated 325 degrees oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Add a little more broth if needed while baking. I checked it after one hour, added a little melted butter for additional flavoring (but you could probably get by without that, cutting your butter consumption in half). I baked it another twenty minutes or so. Baking it in a 9 x 13 dish shortens the baking time a bit.

When finished, remove from oven and serve hot with chicken gravy (obviously only if you have made chicken gravy).

The booklet said the Amish call this "Roast" and it is often served at weddings and other large gatherings.