Tomato Croustades - Crunchy fried bread with garlic and tomato spread – takes about a half hour to fix. Combine tomatoes, parsley, onions and olives – splash lightly with vinegar – salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cut bread into ¼ inch slices crosswise. Pour enough olive oil into a skillet to cover bottom. Add garlic and sizzle for a few minutes. Brush both sides of bread slices liberally with garlic-infused oil. Wipe out pan and fry bread slices in batches until lightly browned. Drain bread on paper towels. Spoon tomato mixture onto bread slices and serve.

3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped          

1 splash of Balsamic Vinegar

2 T. fresh or dried parsley                              

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 T. chopped onions or scallions                   

Olive Oil

1 Small jar sliced olives                                 

1 long thin loaf of French bread

Grilled Pork Tenderloin - I served this last weekend at a dock potluck and it was one of the first things to disappear from the table. It is no trouble at all to prepare. You can find the long, thin pork tenderloins – two in a package – at any grocery store now. I prefer to unseasoned ones. Toss on the grill for 20-30 minutes until inside temperature is about 170 degrees. Slice thin and arrange on a platter. Serve with a mixture of sour cream and as much horseradish as your taste prefers.  Spicy hot mustard and a small bowl of sesame seeds for dipping also goes well with sliced pork.

Horseradish Sauce

      3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Spicy Mustard Sauce - In a small saucepan, combine mustard, sugar, salt, vinegar, and egg. Blend well. Cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise. Refrigerate

     1/4 cup Dry Mustard

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Cup Cider vinegar

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

Chile Relleno Squares - Grease an 8 X 8 baking pan. Spread chilies or jalapenos over bottom of pan. Sprinkle with cheese. Pour eggs on top and bake 1 hour at 300 degrees F. until center tests firm. Cool and cut into 25 squares.  Can also be baked in a pie pan and served for brunch.

     One 4-ounce can green chilies or jalapenos

3/4 pound cheddar cheese, grated

4 eggs, beaten

Chicken Pate’ -  If this classic French recipe scares off some diehard football fans, you can just call it chicken dip – It goes great with crackers or pieces of French bread. Best if made one day ahead so flavors blend and it firms up a little.

½ pound bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces        

½ Cup Robust Dry Red Wine

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped             

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 onion, chopped                                           

2 T. chopped fresh or dried parsley

1 pound chicken livers                                   

2 T. melted butter

Fry bacon in skillet until fat is sizzling; add apple and onions and cook until softened; add chicken livers and cook until they turn gray; Add wine and tarragon. Cook until wine reduces to about half. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper and add parsley. Mash mixture with a fork into a course paste (or use a food processor if you wish). Spoon into a container, cover and refrigerate one day or up to one week.

Stuffed Zucchini Bites - Slice small (6 to 8 inch) zucchini lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape the pulp from the halves. Grate the pulp. Mix the grated pulp and all remaining ingredients, except bacon. Cook in skillet for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture firms slightly. Stuff mixture into Zucchini halves and sprinkle with bacon. Place on baking sheet, cover with foil and bake for ten minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes. Slice into bite size pieces.

6 small Zucchini

3/4 cup Tomato, chopped fine

1/4 cup onion, chopped fine

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 egg

6 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled

Salt and pepper

Tortilla Pinwheels - This is a healthy and versatile appetizer - you can fill it with lunchmeats, cheeses, even smoked salmon or crab. Mix all of the filling ingredients together thoroughly. Divide the filling and spread evenly over five large tortillas. Roll up tortillas and over tightly with plastic wrap, twisting ends. Refrigerate for several hours. Unwrap and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slides. Serve with salsa

8 ounces Sour cream

8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened

1 4-oz. can Diced green chilies, drained

1 4-oz. can Chopped Black Olives, drained

1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

5 flour Tortillas

1/2 cup Green onions, chopped

Garlic power, to taste

Seasoned salt, to taste

Parsley, for garnish

BLT Stuffed Tomatoes - These taste like BLT sandwiches and are great as an appetizer or served as lunch. Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes. Scoop out inside of whole cherry tomatoes and spoon in the stuffing. Chill and serve.

 ½ pound bacon, Fry crisp & crumble

1/4 Cup green onions, chopped

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

24 each Cherry tomatoes

Ham Crescent Rolls - Dress up refrigerated crescent roll dough by unrolling, placing a thin slice of ham and a little mustard on top of each before rolling back up and cooking according to package directions. 

Hot Reuben Dip - Mix cream cheese, 1 cup Swiss cheese, dressing and corned beef. Spread in pie plate and top with sauerkraut and remaining 1/2 cup Swiss cheese. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve hot on cocktail rye bread.

 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing

4 ounces deli sliced corned beef, chopped

1/2 cup drained sauerkraut

Veggie Dip - Dana and Laurie recommended this great-tasting dip to serve with crackers or corn chips. Mix and refrigerate overnight.

 2 Blocks of Cream Cheese – Softened

1 Tomato Chopped

1 Bunch Green onion – Chopped

1 Bell Pepper - Chopped

5 Slices fried and crumbled bacon

1 T. Mustard

Cheese Spread Combine room temperature ingredients in a mixer bowl and whip. Spread cheese on French bread, sourdough or English muffins, place on cookie sheet and broil.

1 pound butter

1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 pound Romano cheese, grated

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon horseradish

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Grilled Shrimp - My favorite way to prepare shrimp is on the grill – but you really have to watch out for overcooking. Heat the grill up before you put the shrimp on. Also lightly oil the shrimp to keep it from sticking. To avoid overcooking, keep them in the shell and flip them over (in a basket or on skewers for smaller shrimp or individually for jumbo shrimp) when the shell is tinged with pink (about 2 to 4 minutes per side). If the shrimp starts to curl and the shell sticks to the meet, you are over cooking it.

Cocktail Sauce - Mix together 2 cups catsup with juice and zest of two lemons. Add 4 or more heaping teaspoons of horseradish and 8 shakes of hot sauce.

Butter Sauce - Melt ½ cup unsalted butter and mix in 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and 2 teaspoons garlic powder.

Sesame Lemon Chicken Strips - These are good hot or cold; so you can make them ahead of time for a party. Arrange chicken in a shallow dish and pour lemon juice over it. Refrigerate about 1 hour then drain. Combine sesame seeds and garlic in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with curry powder; salt and pepper. Press chicken in sesame/garlic mixture to coat. Arrange on greased baking sheet and cook in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes and then cut crosswise into ½ inch wide strips. Serve with a dipping sauce made of ½ Cup plan low-fat yogurt, 1/3 cup purchased mango chutney 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro.

4 boneless chicken breast halves

½ Cup fresh Lemon Juice

¼ Cup Sesame seeds

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons Curry powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Apricot Chicken Wings - I got this recipe from a cabin attendant on one of my business trips. She keeps the wings in her freezer and the other ingredients in her pantry so that she is ready for drop-in guests or easy to toss-together suppers. Mix jam, Russian dressing and onion soup mix together and pour over chicken wings. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 2 hours.

4 pounds chicken wings

1 small jar apricot jam

1 8-oz. bottle Russian salad dressing

1/2 package dry onion soup mix

September 2004- Great Tasting and “Good for you” Snacks - The Captain and I are still maintaining our low-fat, low-carbohydrate regime. We really haven’t been suffering too much – although shopping and cooking takes a little extra time. We enjoy having company on board Solitaire – and don’t want our guests to feel like we are “shoving our diet down their throats” – so to speak. Here are some great tasting appetizers that we tried out this weekend. We never even told our guests they were eating “diet” food.

Low-fat Cheese Ball -  Mix 12 ounces of low-fat cream cheese with one package of Ranch Dressing Mix. The best way to do this is with your hands – it’s messy – but effective. Shape in a ball and then roll in no-salt spice mix. Chill for a couple hours to blend flavors. Serve with Melba toast, bagel rounds or fresh vegetables.

Farmers Market Quesadillas

1 jalapeno and 1 bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup yellow squash, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 garlic glove, chopped

1 cup shredded low-fat Mexican cheese

½ cup crumbled goat cheese

8 fat-free flour tortillas

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Sauté vegetables and divide among 4 tortillas. Sprinkle each tortilla with 2 T. shredded cheese, 1 T. goat cheese, and 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro. Top with one of the remaining tortillas and cook in a pan for about 5 minutes per side until brown and crisp.

Spinach and Feta Focaccia

1/2 medium onion chopped

2 garlic gloves, chopped

1 6 ounce package of baby spinach

½ cup mushrooms and ½ cup feta

2 Tablespoons pine nuts, crunched

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 Teaspoon oregano

1 Can refrigerated pizza crush dough

1 T. 2% milk

¼ Cup grated parmesan cheese

Sauté onion and garlic, add spinach and wilt. Stir in feta cheese, lemon juice and seasonings. Pat dough into rectangle and spread mixture over half. Fold other half over filling and press edges together with a fork to seal. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Slice and serve