BETTY’S PIZZA DIP

1 large package (8 oz.) cream cheese softened

1 jar pizza sauce (16 oz.)

1 small can chopped or sliced ripe olives

½ c. chopped onion

1 pkg. sliced pepperoni

8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese

Spread cream cheese in bottom of slow cooker/Crock-Pot. Then mix up the pizza sauce, onion, olives and pepperoni and spread on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle with the pizza cheese and cook on low until the cheese on top melts. Serve with chips of choice.

MISSIE’S SHRIMP AND GRITS

Missie Arenson

2 Tbs. butter

¼ c. yellow onion, minced

½ c. green onion (reserve ¼ c. for topping)

¼ c. minced red bell pepper

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

¾ c. halved grape tomatoes

1 tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. crushed red pepper

1½ lb. peeled and deveined large (26-30 count) shrimp

¼ c. dry white wine

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

½ c. butter, softened

Shrimp

In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbs. butter over medium-high heat. Add yellow onions and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add shrimp; cook for1-2 minutes or until shrimp begin to turn pink. Remove pan from heat and spoon mixture into large bowl.

Add wine and lemon juice to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until mixture is reduced by 1/3. Remove skillet from heat. Return shrimp mixture to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until shrimp are pink and firm. Spoon grits into serving bowls; top with shrimp mixture and garnish with green onions.

Stone Ground Fontina Grits

5 c. chicken broth

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. stone ground grits

½ c. heavy whipping cream

1 ½ c. shredded Fontina cheese

In a medium Dutch oven, bring broth and salt to boil. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Add cream and cook, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes or until grits are very thick. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

BARBECUE

Regina Smith

Place 2 lb. roast into slow-cooker with ½ tsp. each salt and pepper. Add one whole, peeled, medium onion, cook on low 8-10 hours.  I use a venison roast for this but beef or pork works just as well.

After roast is fork-tender, turn off Crock-pot for a half hour or so. Then with a couple of large forks pull meat and onion to shreds; leave in pot.

Sometime while meat is cooking, mix together 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar with 1 c. yellow mustard until smooth. Add about a quarter cup of ketchup (color should be a burnt yellowish-orange). Add a crushed garlic clove, a tsp. or so of Texas Pete, ½ tsp. ground pepper, 1-1½ tsp. lemon juice, a squirt of Worcestershire sauce and a touch of Liquid Smoke; mix well. Should have a bit of tang to the taste and some bite. Add enough to shredded meat and onion to moisten well, but not drown, and mix well, turn Crock-pot back on for 30-45 minutes. Serve over rice or on hamburger buns (toasted buns are even better).

Leftover sauce is good in baked beans or added to leftover chicken for another barbecue meal.

Apple-Rice Salad

Sue Keys

1/3 c. brown rice

1/3 c. wild rice (rinsed and drained)

2 c. apple, chopped (2 medium, I used MacIntosh)

1 c.thinly sliced celery (2 stalks)

¼ c. sunflower seeds

¼ c. dried cranberries (or currants)

Dressing
Make up in a screw-top jar to make mixing easy.

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. honey

2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

2 tsp. finely shredded orange peel (or grated)

1-2 Tbs. orange juice

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp. salt

In medium saucepan, bring 1¾ c. water and both rices to boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 40-45 minutes. Transfer to large bowl, cover and chill up to 4 hours. Add apple, celery, sunflower seeds and cranberries, and toss with dressing to coat. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

You can vary amounts of any ingredient, but the balsamic, orange peel and Dijon really make it. It’s especially good with pork.

PEANUT-BUTTER-CUP CHEESECAKE

Arlene Ramsey

Crust

Cooking spray

8 peanut butter sandwich cookies, broken up

1/3 c. unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

1 tsp. sugar

1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

Filling

3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 c. sugar

½ c. sour cream

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

6 regular-size, chocolate-covered peanut-butter cups, coarsely chopped (1-c.), refrigerated

Topping

¼ c. smooth peanut butter at room temperature, mixed with ½-c. sour cream

Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. With cooking spray, lightly coat 9-inch springform pan. In food processor, pulse cookies, peanuts and sugar until finely ground. Add butter, pulse until moistened. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and crust is set. Cool on rack. Wrap outside of pan with heavy duty foil. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Filling

In large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese 2 to 3 minutes or until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula until smooth. With mixer on medium speed, add sour cream and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, just until incorporated. Pour half of filling into crust. Set springform pan in center of large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to reach half way up sides of springform pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove pan from water.

Scatter candy evenly over top. Add remaining filling. Return pan to water. Bake 45 minutes or until center of cake is almost set but still slightly jiggly. Do not overbake as cake will firm as it cools. Spread with topping. Bake 10 minutes or until set. Let cool in water 15 minutes. Transfer to rack and let cool completely.

Remove foil. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight. Run thin-bladed knife around edge of pan; remove pan sides. Transfer to serving plate. Garnish with chocolate curls. Let stand at room temperature ½ hour. Slice as desired.

ÉCLAIRS

Elsa Cooke Verbyla

1 stick margarine

1 c. water

1 c. flour

4 eggs

Bring margarine and water to a boil. Reduce heat rapidly and stir in flour. Cook until mixture leaves sides of pan, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs one at a time. Form mixture into 5×1 inch strips on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F.for 40 minutes.

To assemble, cut tops off shells. Fill each with vanilla pudding and replace tops.

Glaze

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

2 Tbs. butter

1½ c. confectioners’ sugar

3 Tbs. milk

Dash of salt

Melt chocolate with butter over low heat. Remove from heat, blend in sugar, salt and milk. Immediately spread on éclairs.

LOW-FAT ANGEL FOOD DELIGHT 

Tina Nelson

1 box angel food cake mix

1 low-fat can of pie filling

Mix together and bake in a glass casserole dish for 30 minutes. It’s great and low calorie.