Cherry Cheesecake Dip

You're looking at the dessert I made to bring to the 4th of July party we attended.  Even though it was smokin hot, this dip held up pretty well.  I served it with graham crackers and it was D-lishious!  We were only at the party for a couple of hours (because we got a new puppy, and we brought her with us) and we wanted to get her home for dinner and to cool down.

Talk about an easy appetizer or dessert to put together.  Only four ingredients and then whatever you want to dip into it. It was ready in less than 15 minutes and then just keep it cool until ready to serve.

I have to say, this is one of my favorites.  I mean, I love cherry cheesecake and this is SO much easier and just as good.  Plus, you can just take what you want.  The graham crackers are a perfect accompniament with this dip as they serve as the "crust".  I just loved it and apparently so did everyone at the party.  We were only there for 2 hours and yet I took home a half empty 9x13 inch dish.

I had to share a picture of our sweet little girl.  Her name is Kacey, she is my daughters puppy and we all just adore her.  She is a Mini Australian Shepherd.  She's taking up much of my time as we potty train her but she's super smart and it's going really well. 

Cherry Cheesecake Dip
Recipe from The Country Cook

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 of a 7.5 ounce jar marshmallow cream
• 8 ounces cool whip, thawed
• 14.5 ounce jar pie filling, I could only find the larger can size and it worked perfectly
• graham crackers for dipping

Cooking Directions

1. Mix together the cream cheese and marshmallow cream until smooth.
2. Add the thawed cool whip and mix until smooth.
3. Spread into a 2 quart casserole dish or a 9x13 inch dish and top with the cherry pie filling.
4. Refrigerate leftovers.

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

This appetizer is one that I brought to a New Years party that I attended.  They were a huge hit and lots of people asked me for the recipe.  So, here is is.  Very simple to put together.  The ingredients aren't hard to find and if you've got yourself a little time for assembly they aren't complicated.

I've made them several times since that night and I've discovered that cooking them on a rack vs directly on a pan really helps with two things.  First: you don't get the pooling of melted brown sugar and bacon fat around each tater tot, which in turn makes them difficult to get off the tin foil.  Second: They crisp up better and aren't as gooey.

The combination of sweet and salty, combined with a yummy tater tot is delicious. Prepare yourself for a lot of people asking how they're made.

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 2 cups tater tots, at room temperature
• 4 slices (or more) thin sliced bacon, cut into quarters
• 1 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4" pieces
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º
2. Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil and place cooling racks on top the tin foil.
3. Take a tater tot, place a piece of cheese on top, wrap in bacon, roll in brown sugar and place on the prepared pan.
4. Continue until all are wrapped.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The bacon should have started to get crisp around the edges and be golden in color.
6. Let cool a little before removing from the pan.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Mexican Corn Dip

I've been wanting to try this recipe for quite some time. My chance finally came up recently and it was SO good!

I have to admit that I may have just dug into this with a spoon.  I mean, it makes a fantastic dip, it also tastes great straight off the spoon. :)

The slight bite and heat from the jalapeño was delicious.  The cheese pieces and the creaminess from the mayonnaise was outstanding. There isn't anything about this dip I didn't like.  The flavors all meld together so well.  I just loved it.

Mexican Corn Dip

Recipe by Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 ears corn, rinsed and shucked
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp crumbled cotija cheese
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• juice from 1 lime

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the corn and jalapeño and cook until charred, about 8-10 minutes. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients and serve immediately. 

2-Ingredient Pizza Dough

Pizza isn't one of those things I can wrap my mind around ahead of time.  I think that's the reason frozen pizza's are so popular, they're a last minute thing.  Well, this recipe solves that problem.  If I can just remember to have plain Greek yogurt in my refrigerator I'll never need to buy frozen pizza again.

This recipe is easy to throw together (I mean come one, two ingredients?) just keep at it until it becomes a smooth dough.  I heated my pizza stone in the oven prior to even starting the dough.

The crust became nice and crispy on the bottom.  I found that one dough ball was the perfect size for my large pizza stone and it turned out like a pretty thin crust.  Obviously you can roll it out to your desired thickness.

As far as taste goes, it was quite good.  I think that some of the longer crusts (that need to rise) have a better taste but this one was totally delicious especially when you consider it only took 10 minutes to prepare and roll out and top.  I baked mine for about 15 minutes.  It also made me feel good to know I made it with my own two hands and there weren't any pesky preservatives added.  It's homemade, but really really fast.  Great recipe to have on hand for those times you don't "plan" on having pizza.

2-Ingredient Pizza Dough
Recipe from The Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups self rising flour
• 1 cup full fat or 2% Greek yogurt

Cooking Directions

1. Mix both ingredients into a shaggy dough, then dump onto a lightly floured work area and knead into a smooth dough. 
2. Roll into one large round pizza or two smaller ones.  Top and bake on a stone that has preheated in your oven set to 500º. 
3. Can be refrigerated for up to two days.  Let come up to room temperature before rolling out. 

PW's Burgundy Mushrooms

I've been meaning to post this recipe for some time.  I was going to do it before vacation.  Now it's two weeks after vacation and I'm just getting around to it.

So here's the thing.  I wasn't sure about this recipe.  I mean, I've heard The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond brag about this recipe for years.  She's never led me wrong before, but still I procrastinated. I did that because I like wine, but I don't love it.  I love it in recipes but I don't really sit down all that often and drink a glass of it. So I was afraid that this recipe would have this overwhelming taste of wine.  I mean, it's cooked in 1 quart of the stuff, now could it NOT taste like wine?

I don't know how.....it just doesn't.

I made this recipe for a gathering at a neighbors house.  Actually it was a birthday party, but it was an adults birthday party.  I was told they didn't need anymore desserts (my usual go-to party contribution). I knew that most of the people attending had a fondness for wine so I figured that this would be perfect.

Prepare yourself, this is an all day cooking process but it's oh so worth it. The flavor is hard to describe but there is both chicken and beef bouillon and you can definitely taste them.  There is a little hint of garlic and the butter makes the sauce that's leftover at the bottom is just silky and decadent. It's good to have a good loaf of bread to soak up all that tasty juice.

Also, I couldn't find burgundy wine so I used a cupcake red wine and it was wonderful.

Burgundy Mushrooms

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 4 pounds white button mushrooms
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 quart burgundy wine (or other red wine)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups boiling water
• 4 whole chicken bullion cubes
• 4 whole beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tsp dill seed
• 5 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 tsp salt

Cooking Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients except the salt in a large stock pot. Stir together and heat to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to simmer for 6 hours, covered.
3. Remove cover and simmer for 3 more hours.
4. Add salt before serving. Serve with some good crusty bread to suck up the juices.

Pumpkin Tea Cake with Honey Cream

I recently borrowed this cookbook from my local library and I've been wanting to try the honey cream so bad!  Of course, I felt guilty for thinking I could just eat the honey cream with a spoon.  So I made the tea cake too.  Plus, I like saying "tea cake".  

Plus plus, it's pumpkin and I like pumpkin. 

So anyway, I'm extremely glad I made the bread too, oh um I mean the "tea cake".  The honey cream compliments the tea cake really well.  But, I believe it would be just as tasty slathered on a piece of toast or a bagel. Or just use a spoon. 

The pumpkin tea cake has a great pumpkin taste without being too overly pumpkin-y.  The spice is mild as well.  The honey cream is delicious. Smooth and creamy.  It comes out as a very pale golden color and tastes like heaven. Go ahead, make some honey cream today.  You know you want to. 

Pumpkin Tea Cake with Honey Cream

Recipe from Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook page 64

Bread Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

Honey Cream

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray
3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whisk attachment, add the eggs, sugar, melted butter and pumpkin and mix well.
5. Fold the wet mix into the dry mix.
6. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let sit for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and remove the loaf from the pan and let cool completely. 
7. For the Honey Cream, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Use a mixer with mixer for a creamier texture. Keep leftovers refrigerated. 

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This is a quick and easy recipe to make for dinner or an appetizer.  If you're making it for dinner just serve it on top of some rice.  For an appetizer just dig in with some toothpicks.  Everyone loves sweet and sour and when you add it to the convenience of meatballs, it just can't be beat.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients

• 2 pounds frozen meatballs
• 1 (10 oz) jar sweet and sour sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cubed
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cubed (I used orange)
• 1 medium onion, cubed
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks

Cooking Directions

1. Place the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker.
2. In a medium sized bowl, add all the other ingredients and mix together and then pour over the top of the meatballs. Stir until coated.
3. Turn slow cooker on low and cook for 7-8 hours or 4-5 hours on high. 

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Happy Friday everyone!

I'm glad to get this week over.  The cold weather has once again arrived and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

During some of my many hours searching the Internet for recipe ideas, I stumbled up these yummy buffalo cauliflower bites.  I usually eat cauliflower raw but I love buffalo sauce so I thought I'd give this one a try.

The cauliflower gets dunked into a batter before you bake it.  Then you roll it around in a sauce as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Pretty much the same procedure as regular chicken wings although you probably don't use a "batter" with chicken.  Anyway, I thought they were delicious. You could pretty much put buffalo sauce on anything and I'd like it.

This would make a great snack for the Super Bowl.  I might even try it without the batter next time, just to cut off a few more calories.

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Recipe from Skinny Taste

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut up. About 6 1/2 cups
• 3/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º
2. Spray a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with non-stick spray.
3. Mix the water, flour and garlic powder together to make a batter.
4. Dip the cauliflower into the batter until coated, you can scrape off the excess. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, mix the melted butter and Franks sauce together.
6. After the cauliflower comes out of the oven, coat in the sauce mix and serve.

Simple Artichoke Dip

Talk about an easy recipe!  Three ingredients and it's delicious!

I have a small obsession with artichokes.  Seriously, I eat them plain and in salads, I throw them in pasta and on pizza.  I love them.  I also loved this recipe.  I do warn you, if you're not a mayonnaise fan you will probably want to try another recipe.  You can certainly taste the mayo in this one. Also, I recommend you use some artichokes that are in brine.  You can rinse the brine off if you want but that salty briny flavor is really good in combination with the other two ingredients.

I love how easy and delicious this recipe is.  Definitely a keeper.

Simple Artichoke Dip

Recipe from South Carolina Hometown Cookbook page 18

Ingredients

• 1 - 14oz can artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and place in an oven proof dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with pita chips, sliced bread or crackers.

Guacamole

One item you can count on disappearing from your party is guacamole. Everyone seems to love it!

When I was visiting my family in Oregon a couple of weeks ago, I was asked to put together a guacamole for an event.  Turns out, everyone loved it.  My aunt suggested I put in the cumin and it was the perfect ingredient!  You can make guacamole a million different ways but this one seemed to be the winner for us.

Keep in mind, air is the enemy of avocado's too.  Get that lemon juice in there and mixed in well so it doesn't turn a funky color on you!

Enjoy!

Guacamole

From Alissamay's kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocado's, seed and skin removed
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 2 medium roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
•  the juice from 1 small fresh lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper sauce (like Tobasco)
• 1-2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Use a medium bowl to mash the avocado with a fork. Some chunks are fine, it's up to you how smooth you want it.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (minus the cilantro) and mix well, tasting as you go.
3. Add the cilantro last, right before serving.

Mushroom Bacon Bites

I know I'm a little late posting a new recipe this week.  Sorry about that.  I was on vacation last week and it's taken me this long to get my act together.  

Well, it also explains why we had appetizers for dinner one night.  Actually, I could eat appetizers for dinner every night.  I just love them. 

This recipe was in my Taste of Home magazine/cookbook.  I'm weird, I keep all those things in addition to all the cookbooks I already have.  I make our lives interesting each time we have to move. :)

Anyway, it's super quick and super easy and SO delicious!  I had left over bacon so I wrapped some other things from my garden which I will post later.  When is anything wrapped in bacon NOT delicious?!

Mushroom Bacon Bites

Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 24 medium fresh mushrooms
• 12 strips bacon, halved
• 1 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

1. Cut the bacon strips in half. 
2. Wrap one piece of bacon around each mushroom and secure with a toothpick. 
3. Top with barbecue sauce and grill, uncovered, over indirect heat for about 10-15 minutes.  Turn over and add more barbecue sauce about halfway through.  You're looking for the bacon to become crisp and the mushrooms to soften. 

Quick Jalapeño Cream Cheese Poppers

Talk about a quick and easy party favorite!  This recipe is really to put together at the last minute.  It takes no time at all to bake and run out the door to a party.  I used some pickled jalapenos that I made and I loved them even more.  The slight pickled flavor made it spectacular for me.

I've got some pictures below to demonstrate how to use the refrigerated crescent roll dough.  This isn't complicated, I just think pictures are really handy. 

The crescent roll dough you buy in the refrigerated section is easy to use.  That "pop" still scares me silly. Just open the can and take out the dough without unrolling it.  There is a perforation down the center, break it in half.  Unroll the two sections but pinch the seams together that separate the four sections, so you have two long rectangular pieces.
Slather on the cream cheese.
Roll up, cut, bake. Easy.

Once baked up, they buttery tender crescents just add to the deliciousness of the filling.  The jalapeños are spicy but get mellowed out from the cream cheese.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Quick Jalapeno Cream Cheese Poppers

Recipe from High Heels & Grills

Ingredients

• 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup jalapeños, minced (I used these pickled jalapeños)
• Crumbled bacon (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º
2. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and jalapeños.  You can mix in the bacon if you are using it. 
3. Open the can of crescent roll dough and put it on your work surface WITHOUT separating it. 
4. Break the roll in half where it is perforated. You want two long rolls of dough, so pinch the seams together on each roll so you have two continuous rolls of crescents. 
5. Spread the cream cheese mixture oven the top of each rectangle. Roll each roll up starting from the short side (so the roll is the long way).  Cut into 11-16 pieces depending on how big you want them. 
6. Bake for 11-13 minutes. 

Caramel Bacon Buns

Will you believe me if I told you I JUST made these? They're still warm actually.  I'm taking them to a party tonight and I'm pretty sure they're going to be loved by all.  I wasn't sure at first but once they started baking and my house started to smell like caramelized bacon I was pretty sure they'd be good.  I was right, they are.  Thank you Pinterest!

I've got to say, I'm not usually very fond of canned biscuits but when it comes to this appetizer, I really do think they are the best choice.

I'm not really sure if this falls under the appetizer or dessert category since it is covered in caramel sauce, but I think appetizer is perfect.  They are sweet but not over the top sweet.  The bacon gets sort of candy like on top the bun.  Just heavenly. I can't wait to share these tonight!

Caramel Bacon Buns
Recipe from Oh, Bite It!

Ingredients

• 1 can refrigerated biscuits
• 1 jar caramel sauce (for ice cream)
• 1 package (about 8 pieces or so) bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º
2. Spoon a little caramel sauce into the bottom of 20 mini cupcake. I found a scant tsp was about right.
3. Sprinkle as much bacon on top of the caramel as desired. About 1/2 a tsp.
4. Cut each biscuit in half and lay one half on top of each caramel/bacon cup.
5. Line a separate baking sheet with tin foil and place it on the rack under the rack you are going to cook these on, to catch any drips that might occur. 
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. 
7. Get a cookie sheet ready so you can flip the buns over on top of it. 
8. You can drizzle extra caramel sauce over the top if desired. 
9. Makes 20 mini buns, serve at room temperature. 

Southern Style Boiled Peanuts

Boiled Peanuts are one of the things I had never heard of when I moved to the South. Why would you boil a peanut, I would ask.  While down in Louisiana visiting family, I saw that boiled peanuts were everywhere!  Like, at every gas station. So, I tried one.  And I hated it.  I mean, they're soft.  Aren't peanuts supposed to be hard?

OK, fast forward to years later when I was out on the lake with my friends.  There was a boat on the lake that was a concession stand, basically.  But onboard they sold boiled peanuts, and everyone was buying them.  What is wrong with these people, I silently wondered.  Ok I'll try one.  You know what? It wasn't that bad.  So eventually I started to even like them.  They are soft, but they are salty and sometimes spicy and pretty darn good.

Nowadays I just make them myself.  I don't hang out at the lake like I once did but that doesn't mean that I can't have some boiled peanuts. They are somewhat time consuming so plan ahead.  The good news is that I've also made these in a crock pot so at least you've got options.  The cooking time will be the same in the crock pot if you cook it on high. Just test them every so often for the saltiness you like and or spice.  The nuts should be soft but not mushy.

I might have had slightly more then 5 pounds, so I added about 1/2 cup more salt and cooked for about 30 minutes longer.

Southern Style Boiled Peanuts

Recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 5 lbs raw, unsalted peanuts in the shell
• 1 cup salt
• 5 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled

Cooking Directions

1. Add the peanuts and all of the remaining ingredients to a large pot. Cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil and cover, lower heat and let boil for 3 hours.
3. Taste the peanuts and add more salt if desired or cook longer if they are not soft enough for your taste.

Dinner Club: Theme - Kosher/Israeli

Our lovely and talented host this month was Lisette.  She is the one who chose Kosher/Israeli as the theme, a theme I was not familiar with.  I'm overjoyed with the theme because not only was it something new for us all to try but it tasted amazing.  This is definitely one of my new favorite types of food.  There wasn't one single thing that I tried that I didn't like.  

Thank you Lisette for hosting!  She made two delicious dishes, one was the kebabs you see above. So good. She made both beef and lamb varieties and they were so tasty.  Ton's of flavor, tender and dipped in the cucumber sauce she made was the perfect compliment.  Great job!

Kofta Kebabs

Recipe from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 pound ground lamb (or beef)
• 3 Tbsp onion, grated
• 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 28 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes.

Cooking Directions

1. Mash the garlic into a paste using a mortar and pestle or the side of a chefs knife.
2. Mix the garlic in with the ground lamb and add the the spices. 
3. Form the mixture into 28 balls.  Slide each ball onto a skewer and flatten into a 2" oval. 
4. Place all the skewers into a baking dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. 
5. Heat a grill (indoor or outdoor) to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. 
6. Cook the skewers until they reach the desired doneness.  About 6 minutes per side for medium. 

Lisette also made this yummy Israeli Salad.  Very refreshing.  The dressing was very light and not over powering and the veggies were crisp and cold.  The couscous added another texture.  Loved this side dish. 
Israeli Salad

Recipe modified slightly from "The Shiksa in the Kitchen"

Ingredients

• 1 pound cucumbers, diced
• 1 pound fresh tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup onion, minced (optional)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup Israeli Couscous, cooked

Cooking Directions

1. Place all the vegetables, couscous and the parsley in a large bowl.
2. Use a whisk to mix the olive oil and lemon juice and pour it over the top of the salad, mix well.
3. Season with salt and serve at room temperature or chill and serve cold.

Lynn T. brought these amazing Knishes.  I'd never had a Knish before and my first experience with them was true love.  You dip them in some deli mustard first and it was A-MAZING. This was dish number 1 that Lynn brought.  

In case you're wondering, a Knish is a dough filled with a potato onion mixture in this case.  You can either fry them or bake them and I can't wait to make them for my family to try. 
Potato Knish

Recipe from Kosher Culinary Arts

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup cold tap water
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 1/2 pound Idaho or Russet potato, boiled and mashed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 whole egg
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar

Cooking Directions

To make the potato filling: boil the peeled potatoes until they are tender.  Remove from the heat and mash them up.  Incorporate the sautéed onion, salt and pepper.  The mixture will be thick but if you feel they are too thick you can add a spoonful or two of water. You will need about 3 cups of mashed potatoes. Let cool.

To make the dough: 

1. Combine flour, salt and turmeric in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl beat eggs with the water, oil and vinegar. 
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the egg mixture in it.  Work together until a nice soft dough forms. 
4. Knead for one minute. 
5. Wrap the dough in some floured plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. 
6. Cut the dough in half and work with one half while the other half stays in the refrigerator. 
7. Roll the dough out thin on a lightly floured surface. Stretch the dough in your hands being careful to avoid making holes.  It should be nice and elastic. 
8. Cut the dough into 8 even sized squares. 
9. Fill each dough square with an even amount of the potato filling and seal the edges.

To Bake: 

Preheat the oven to 350-375º. Place the oven rack in the top portion of your oven. Brush the filled knish's with egg wash (1 beaten egg and 2 Tbsp water). Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden. 

To Fry:

Heat 1/4 to 1/3" oil in a skillet.  When the oil is hot (test my placing the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil, if it bubbles around the wooden handle, then it's ready).  You might need to adjust the temperature so that the oil doesn't get too hot. Place the knish's in the oil two at a time. They take about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.

Wendy S. brought this cold salad, it was apples and cinnamon goodness along with a bunch of other flavors.  You don't see many recipes were you grate an apple but we all really liked the texture and flavors.  Thanks Wendy!
Charoset

Recipe from Wolfgang Puck

Ingredients

• 6 cups Granny Smith apples, cored and grated
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup kosher for Passover sweet red wine

Cooking Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well and serve.

Lynn's second dish was this amazing dessert.  Just look at it, almost too good to eat. Almost. Flavored with orange this was a delicous cake.  The texture was moist with a hint of the olive oil used.  It was another first for me and I loved it! 
Orange Olive Oil Cake

Recipe from Food Network by Melissa d'Arabian

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pan
• 1 1/4 cups + more for the pans all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 orange, zested and juiced (3 Tbsp juice, 1 Tbsp zest)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• confectioners' sugar for dusting

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
3. Use the bowl of a stand mixer (or a hand mixer) and add the sugar and eggs. Mix until light and smooth. Add the orange juice and zest and mix well.
4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
5. Add the flour mixture little by little to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl. Mix on low, just until incorporated.
6. Pour the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Everyone loved this meatball that was brought by Amber.  Amber is actually a new member to dinner club so we loved having an opportunity to catch up with her and found out what an amazing cook she is.  My husband will love this meatball and I plan to make it for him soon.

The Pomegranate glaze was sweet and tangy at the same time.  Perfect!  Thanks Amber and see you at the next event!

Spinach Beef Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze

Recipe from Kosher in the Kitch

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp montreal steak seasoning

Directions

1. Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil. When soft and cooked through, add the spinach and cook until warmed through. 
2. In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef and the garlic and onion, mix. 
3. Add the eggs, bread crumbs and seasonings and mix well. 
4. Preheat the oven to 400º
5. Shape the meat mixture into 1" balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. 
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden. 
7. Serve with rice, or quinoa and the Pomegranate glaze below. 

Pomegranate Glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp water

Cooking Directions

1. Bring the ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, then simmer until the glaze has thickened.

It was a night of many first for everyone, but I was particularly intrigued by this cake that Emily brought.  I asked her what was in it and she strolled through several items you would not normally have just sitting around your kitchen so I couldn't wait to sample it.

The thing I liked most about this cake was how the syrup used on top just sort of made a candy like, chewy bite.  The flavor was so amazing, I really don't know how to describe it.  It's something you really have to experience.  I truly loved this one, thanks Emily!

Basbousa

Recipe from Cousins Cooking it Up

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups coarse semolina
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 200 grams (7/8 cup) thick yogurt
• 200 grams (7/8 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 25-30 blanched almonds
• milk if needed

Syrup

• 330 grams (1 1/2 cups) sugar
• 250 ml water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp rosewater

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Mix the first seven ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mixture should be quite stiff but you can add a little milk if needed.
3. Spread mixture into a buttered 30x25x5 inch baking tray.
4. Cut into diamond shapes, pressing hard.
5. Place an almond in the center of each diamond shape.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
7. While the cake is baking, make the syrup:  Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stir until the sugar has dissolved. 
8. Simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. 
9. Stir in the lemon juice and rosewater and remove from the heat, let cool. 
10. Pour the syrup over the cake while the cake is still hot.  Let cool before serving. 

Melissa Y. brought this yummy appetizer.  No recipe needed here.  It's just a plain bagel smeared with cream cheese and topped with salmon. I believe that smoked salmon was used in this case, found in the meat department of the grocery store. I am quite a fan of salmon so this was right up my ally. It had me craving bagels and lox for days after….

This recipe was my contribution to the night.  I had never heard of these before but I found a recipe on Pinterest on a board labeled Israeli food.  I was thrilled with how they turned out.  It's a pretty basic recipe of making a dough in the food processor.  Keeping it cold and then rolling it out and filling it with a luscious cheese and egg mixture.

The finished Borreka was delicious.  The crust was buttery and soft, the filling was cheesy and flavorful.  I will make them again for sure, great to bring to a party or just to have at home.  

Cheese Borrekas

Recipe from May I Have That Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, diced
• pinch of salt
• 1 whole egg
• 2 Tbsp ice cold water
• 5 ounces cheddar, shredded
• 6 ounces Feta, crumbled
• 2 whole eggs, beaten separately
• 1/8 tsp salt
• sesame seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the flour, butter and salt in your food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and cold water.  Pour into the flour mixture. Pulse until a dough forms. 
3. Lightly flatten the dough, wrap in in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350º.
5. Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, combine the cheddar, feta, 1 beaten egg and salt. Stir to combine. 
6. When the dough has cooled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch. 
7. Use a glass or cookie cutter to cut 3 1/2 inch circles. 
8. Use about a 1-2 tsp of filling per dough round.  Fold over the dough and make a half moon shape.  Crimp the eyes using your fingers or a fork. (A fork works best).
9. Brush the tops of the Borrekas with the beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.  
10. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

I'd also like to thank Lisa F for coming and bringing Challah bread.  I'd never had Challah bread before either but it's sweet and dense and delicious.  Someone mentioned that it makes great french toast and I cannot wait to try that!  

On another note, we had an assortment of wines available at dinner that night.  Lynn told us that her family mixes half sweet red wine with half cream soda so we all tried it.  It was amazing!  Really, who'd have ever thought those two things would be good together? Just goes to show you that you can learn so much from other nationalities (or just from your neighbors)!  I can't wait to see what the next dinner club brings us! Thanks for participating everyone!

Dinner Club - Theme: Cheese

A big thank you to Lynn for hosting this months dinner club!  What a great theme "cheese".  How can you go wring with that? The dishes were beautiful and tasty.  Lynn really knows how to entertain!  Not to mention she also had two dishes for everyone to try.  I instantly fell in love with the truffles you see above and the tart you see below.
The truffles were so delicious, creamy and decadent.  There were several different coatings which completely transformed the flavor of each.  I loved them.

Easy Cream Cheese Truffles

Recipe from MyRecipes

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 4 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 5 (1 oz) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Cooking Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
2. Slowly add 4 cups of powdered sugar.
3. Beat until smooth.
4. Add the melted chocolate and beat until blended.
5. Chill for approximately 1 hour.
6. Shape chilled mixture into balls and roll in 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, some in cocoa powder, some in nuts and some in coconut.
7. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Another dish made by our host Lynn.  So tasty.  I am a huge dill fan and this tart had me right from the start because of the fresh dill taste.  So refreshing and cheesy.

Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

Recipe from Rachael Ray 

Ingredients

• 4 zucchini (2 1/2 pounds) thinly sliced crosswise
• salt and pepper
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Layer the zucchini into a colander with salt sprinkled in between.  Set in your sink and let drip for about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. 
3. While the zucchini is dripping, on a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out and seal up the seams.  Press the pasty into a 9" pie plate and cut off the excess, leaving the top even with the top of the pie plate.  Use a fork to poke the bottom so it won't create bubbles.  Refrigerate. 
4. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the zucchini and cook until golden brown on both sides.  About 5 minutes. 
5. Stir in the dill and remove from the heat.  Let cool to room temperature. 
6. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan and the half and half.  Season with the salt and pepper to taste and add the nutmeg. 
7. Stir in the zucchini.  Pour the mixture into the chilled pastry crust and sprinkle with more Parmesan. 
8. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. 
9. Cool slightly before slicing. 

We have Shannon to thank for this one.  It was one of my favorite's from this night's dinner, mostly because I'm a self admitted Macaroni and Cheese addict.  This was creamy and smooth and delicious.  One of my favorites!  I'm already planning the next time I can have it.

Over The Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe from Mangio da sola

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb box elbow macaroni, or other small shaped pasta
• 8 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Muenster cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup (8 ounces) Velveeta
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Lightly grease a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the oil and the pasta. Cook the noodles for about 6-7 minutes but do not overcook.
4. Drain and return to the cooking pot.
5. In small saucepan, melt 8 ounces (1 stick) of butter and combine with the macaroni.
6. In a large bowl still the Muenster, mild and sharp cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses together.
7. Add the half-and-half and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheeses to the cooked macaroni. Cube the Velveeta and add all of it to the macaroni and also the eggs.
8. Transfer to the buttered casserole dish, salt and pepper and top with the remaining shredded cheese and then dot with 1 Tbsp of butter.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the sides are bubbly.

This is one of mine, it was already posted about here

Spicy Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Barbecue Sauce

Recipe modified slightly from Ring Finger Tan Line

Ingredients

• 8 slices bread (your choice but I used sourdough)
•  sharp cheddar cheese, sliced (about 1 slice per sandwich but it depends on bread size)
•  pepper jack cheese, sliced (depends on bread size)
• 1 large red onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup or more of your favorite barbecue sauce

Cooking Directions

1. Slice the onion thinly and place into a large skillet with about a Tbsp of oil or butter.
2. Cook on medium low for about 15 minutes or until the onions are soft and turning golden.
3. Remove the onions to a small bowl and top with barbecue sauce, stir together until coated. Add more sauce depending on how saucy you want it.
4. Butter one side of each piece of bread and lay on piece of bread on a hot skillet or griddle.  Lay both the cheeses on top of that slice of bread, top the cheese with the saucy onions and place another piece of bread (butter side up) on top the onions. 
5. Repeat with the remaining bread, cheese and onion mixture.  
6. Watch the sandwiches carefully so they do not get over brown on the bottom, when golden flip them over and cook the other side until golden over medium heat.  Takes about 4-5 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second side

This was the other dish that I brought, I've already posted about it here.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Recipe from Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package pitted dates
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1 (16 oz) package bacon

Cooking Directions

1. Slice each date in half length wise.
2. Scoop in a small amount of goat cheese, close the date around the cheese.
3. Cut the bacon in half length wise and wrap one slice around the cheese filled date. Place in a foil lined baking dish or rimmed cookie sheet, seam side down.
4. Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes.

Pepperoni Pizza pull apart bread made by Wendy, no recipe submitted.

Pizza with Artichokes, chicken and pesto made by Lisa, no recipe submitted

Broccoli and cheese casserole made by Lisette, no recipe submitted