Brunches

Individual Cherry Cheesecakes (no bake)

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6-8 8 ounce wide mouth canning jars

Chocolate graham crackers or mini teddy graham cookies II like to use Kodiak chocolate teddy cookies

OR you can use cinnamon graham crackers, or classic original graham crackers

6-8 tablespoons of butter

2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese

1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk or sweetened condensed coconut milk

1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 can of cherry pie filling

put graham crackers in food processor until ground. melt butter in microwave and add to graham crackers until it holds together in clumps. (I don’t put any sugar in this, some do, but i don’t think it needs any.

Put 1/3 cup in the bottom of each cleaned canning jar. take a small glass or anything that will fit into the jar and press it down to make a firm crust. set aside

Beat softened cream cheese with mixer until fluffy. add sweetened condensed milk until smooth Stir in the lemon juice and add vanilla.

I use a piping bag with a Wilton 1A tip and pipe in to jar on top of crust to app 2/3 full.

top with the cherries and you can add some of the crumbled graham crackers if you like

these are great for picnics, family reunions, outside get together. or just to keep some in the frig for later!!

I printed off paper lid covers for our 45th Class Reunion. Also did the same thing for a family reunion. simply top the canning lid with the paper cut out then screw on top lid

Crab Rangoon Dip with Crispy Wontons

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Hot Crab Rangoon Dip

This Crab Rangoon dip is from Once Upon A Chef. it was so so good, no changes were needed to make it perfect.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE HOT CRAB RANGOON DIP

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • 8 oz fresh lump crab meat, well drained
  • 3 scallions, white and dark green parts separated
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, divided
  • ¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro (optional, for garnish)

FOR THE WONTON CRISPS

  • 24 wonton wrappers, cut in half, from one 6-oz package
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE HOT CRAB RANGOON DIP

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the dark green portion of the sliced scallions to use as a garnish on the finished dip.
  2. Place the cream cheese in a large, microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high heat until the cream cheese is softened, 45 to 60 seconds. Whisk the cream cheese until completely smooth. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, Sriracha, lime juice, garlic, salt, and sugar; whisk to combine. Add the crab meat, scallions, and ¾ cup of the cheese; using a rubber spatula, fold to combine, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab meat too much.
  3. Spread the dip evenly into a 1-qt baking dish and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese over top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the crab dip is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the Thai sweet chili sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the reserved dark green scallions and cilantro (if using). Serve with a spoon for scooping the dip onto the wonton chips, as the chips are fragile.
  4. Make-Ahead Instructions: The dip can be assembled up until the point of baking and refrigerated up to one day ahead of time. Allow a few extra minutes in the oven if baking straight out of the refrigerator.

FOR THE CRISPY WONTON CHIPS

  1. Pour the vegetable oil to a depth of ¾-inch into a Dutch oven or large heavy pot. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°. (If you don’t want to bother with a thermometer, just drop one of the wontons into the oil to test it; if it sizzles, the oil is ready.) Fry the wontons in batches, without crowding the pan, for about 15 seconds on each side or until golden brown and crisp. Adjust the heat as necessary as you go if the wontons are cooking to quickly or slowly. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.
  2. Make-Ahead Instructions: The wonton chips can be made a day ahead of time and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Mama’s Classic Hummus

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Ingredients

1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas. You  can make your own, or use a can. I make my own, put them in a crock pot and night and cook on low all night.

1/3 cup Tahini  (if you don’t have Tahini, you can sue almond butter – I use that 90% of the time

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 T fresh lemon juice (add more to taste)

3 cloves of garlic – peeled

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Smoked Paprika for garnish

Chickpea water to desired texture

Instructions

  1. In a high-speed blender, food processor or Vitamix, add chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt/ Blend until silky smooth, adding chickpea water to the consistency you want. (I rarely need to add it)
  2. Transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature to serve. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, carrots snow peas (whatever you like)

Roasted red pepper hummus – add one long roasted red pepper and 1 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika to the chickpea mixture to blend (you can use roasted red peppers  from a jar or grill your own)

Enjoy!!

Classic Hummus and Roaster Red Pepper Hummus
Classic Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper hummus

Mama’s Tuna Noodle Casserole

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Growing up in the Catholic middle class of the Midwest, our families pinched pennies to feed their large families. I was recently reminded of a childhood favorite of mine, so I gave it a try last night.
Ingredients:
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup shredded cheese (I used Monterrey Jack and Cheddar) but you can use most any cheese you want! (even Velveeta)
4 T butter
6 ounces of frozen peas
1 5 ounce can of good grade tuna
9 ounces of egg noodles
Process:
turn on oven to 375 degrees
Cook pasta as instructed on the package. Meanwhile, add frozen peas to a large bowl, add butter, cut in to 4 slices. Add cheese and tuna (drain, if there is water). Add cream of mushroom soup.
Drain pasta and mix with other ingredients. spray oil in a loaf pan, or 8×8 pan. pour contents in pan.
bake for 30-40 minutes until well heated and peas are cooked. enjoy!!!