Blue cheese- Apricot Canapes

Whole wheat bread slices
Cream cheese, softened
Blue cheese
Apricot preserves
Toasted walnuts, chopped

Cream together equal amounts of cream cheese and blue cheese.
Lay out the bread slices.
Spread cheese mixture on one slice bread, top with chopped walnuts.
Spread apricot preserves on another slice of bread, then top the first aka a sandwich.
Repeat with enough bread slices to use up your cheese mixture.
Cut off the crusts. Then cut into little canapes and secure with a tooth pick.
The smaller the bite the more impressive.
Keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Enjoy the cut-off crusts yourself.

Artichoke and Onion Dip

1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely choped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
2 tsp pimentos, diced
1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped
Package frozen spinch, thawed (or 1 cup fresh spinach)
8 ounces de-rined brie and/or cream cheese, softened
3 handfuls of grated parmesean cheese
3 Tbs light cream or half-n-half
1/4 cup white wine

Carmelize onions and garlic in frying pan with the oil on medium to low heat for about 10 minutes. Add pimentos, spinach and artichokes and stir well. Add cream and wine and cook about 2 minutes. Add the cheeses, stir well. Pour into a small baking dish and bake for 20 minutes right before serving.

Pork and Chorizo Burgers with Green-Chile Mayo

Burgers
1/2 lb smoked chorizo sausage (fully cooked) casings removed, cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 lbs ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
3/4 tsp course salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. In a food processor, pulse chorizo until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add ground pork, garlic, Worcestershire, Cajun seasoning, alt and cayenne; mix gently. Form mixture into four 1-inch-thick- patties. (To store, cover and refrigerate patties up to 1 day.)

2. Grill burgers, covered, until cooked through, 7-8 min per side. Serve with warmed buns and Green Chile Mayo.

MayoIn a food processor, combine 1 cup of mayo (or Greek plain yogurt), 1 minced garlic clove, 1 roasted jalepeno (or pablano) pepper (peeled and seeded), and 1 Tbs of fresh lime juice. Blend until smooth. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

from Everyday Food issue 63

Salade Nicoise

Hard-boiled eggs

Boiled potatoes

Skinned tomatoes

Stuffed olives

Anchovies

Tuna fish

Lettuce

Salt & pepper

Vinaigrette

Layer lettuce leaves on plate and arrange toppings around a center of tuna fish. Pour vinaigrette over all. garnish with anchovies.

Laced hoecakes

Ingredients:
Nonstick butter spray
2 cups all-purpose cornmeal
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sliced, about 1/8-inch, thin rounds okra (or corn kernels)
Vegetable oil
Butter

Directions:
Spray pan with a nonstick butter spray, heat griddle to medium-high, so it gets hot.
Mix together the cornmeal, water, and salt, and allow mixture to sit for a few minutes. The batter should be very thin. Add sliced okra (or corn kernels) and stir together.

Reduce heat to no higher than medium. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and pour batter into center of griddle, allowing it to spread to sides. The "lace" will form a crispy edge.

*Cook's Note: Use the "inverted plate on top" technique to flip hoecake.
* When the edges are slightly brown, place a wet glass plate over the hoecake. With a dishcloth, grab the handle of the pan, flip the pan and hoecake onto the plate. Slide the hoecake off the plate back in the pan to cook the other side, until golden brown. (A regular spatula turn worked for me) Put a little more oil on the pan for the second side.

Stir the batter and add oil to the pan before making your next hoecake. Serve with butter.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen and foodnetwork.com

Sauteed Swiss Chard

Olive oil, for pan
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch nutmeg
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Kosher salt

Coat a large saute pan lightly with olive oil and add the shallots, garlic and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat. When the garlic has turned a lovely golden brown, remove from the pan and discard. Add the Swiss chard stems and the stock and cook until the stock has mostly evaporated. Add the Swiss chard leaves and nutmeg. Saute until they are slightly wilted. Season with salt.

Sausage-Cheese Balls

1 pound hot breakfast sausage
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups Bisquick

Mix half of all ingredients together, then the other half (for ease). Roll into balls the size of marbles. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (or until golden brown). They freeze well after baking. Reheat in aluminum foil. Makes 100 balls. Serve with a dipping mustard.