The "Other" Hot Reuben Dip

With all due respect to and admiration for those who came before me - this is THE best Hot Reuben Dip out there.

You could, if you wanted to but I'm not recommending you do if you have a weak heart, use it to top a baked potato and call it dinner.

This is my Hot Reuben Dip recipe - Dip Reuben a la City Girl, if you please.

I doubled it for our Superbowl party, served it with toasted cocktail rye bread and it vanished.

I'll never make another hot dip again. Sayonara, Spinach and Artichoke dip. Adios, Velveeta-Rotel Dip-o. (Yes, we actually eat that - it's football food - stop wincing).

Hot Reuben Dip

8 oz Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Drained Sauerkraut

2 tbsps Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 cup Milk

1 cup+ Chopped Dried Corned Beef (I use a package of Buddig instead of the jar)

Loosely combine all ingredients in a bowl. Microwave for 3 minutes or until cream cheese softens. Stir to combine. Microwave another 2 minutes - 4 minutes until hot. Stir.

Mixture will appear thin, but it thickens as it cools.

Serve with toasted cocktail rye slices.

Serves 1 - 12 as an appetizer, entree or breakfast hangover remedy.

SW's Hot Reuben Dip

This should NOT have been so good...but having said that, IT'S FAT AND SALT! How wrong can you go with this?

Had this at a birthday party Saturday night, at a house famous for its spreads, and this simple dip was the hit of the bar. It is SO good...and how easy is this?

Hot Reuben Dip

1 (18-ounce) can sauerkraut, rinsed/drained/patted dry
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 cups grated Swiss cheese
1 (8-ounce) package corned beef, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and stir well. Spread misture in a 13x9 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with cocktail rye or baquette slices.

Mushroom Pate

When we lived in Decatur, Betty Sims had opened Johnston Street Cafe and it was a wonderful place to go. They served this, and 20 years later it's still one of my favorites. She served it on curly red lettuce with Bremner wafers.

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Sherry to taste

Soften the gelatin in the cold water in a small glass cup for five minutes. Place the small cup in a larger cup half filled with boiling water, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Saute the mushrooms in the butter in a skillet; drain well. Combine the mushrooms, gelatin, cream cheese, sherry and garlic salt in a food processor. Process until smooth; chill thoroughly.

(I added the sherry, and it might be smart to let the sherry be part of the 1/4 cup water...so that you can add to taste.)

Baked Sandwich Squares

Last year (at one of the two times a YEAR my husband's family gets together) one of his cousins brought a dish with ham and cheese layered with yeast rolls, but the trick was that it used yeast dough from Sysco. I meant to get the recipe, forgot, and then had this recipe Sunday at homecoming at church and it is lovely. Not as good as the yeast roll thing (and I've emailed for the recipe and will share if I get it) but much more do-able...you don't have to track down a caterer friend or restaurant friend to get the dough. We ate a third of this before the nice people got out of church. That'll teach 'em.

Baked Ham & Cheese Squares

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish.

2 8-oz cans crescent rolls
1/2 pound sliced salami
1/2 pound sliced swiss or provolone cheese
1/2 pound sliced boiled ham
7 eggs
1 cup parmesan cheese

Unroll one can crescent roll dough into the bottom of the dish, pinching together to form a solid crust. Beat SIX eggs and add the parmesan cheese.

Layer the salami, cheese, egg and cheese mixture, and ham...in that order. Top with the remaining crescent roll dough, pinching to form a solid crust.

Beat the remaining egg and brush over the top. Cook for 30 minutes covered with foil, then 30 more minutes uncovered. If you use a glass dish you may need to cut down the cooking time...or cook the full time at 325.

Obviously, you can substitute any luncheon meats, and I've been looking at this since Sunday thinking: Roast beef and blue cheese. Since 1/2 pound blue cheese would be awfully strong for the masses, that would probably work using Swiss AND blue cheese. I'll let you know.

(P.S....I made these this weekend for the soccer/birthday party/volunteering/football/last pool party/shrimp boil marathon that was going on and they were SPECTACULAR. Hit of the party. I did add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the egg mixture.)

Jalapeno cheese bites

Not for the faint of heart or those who worry about their cholesterol, but these cheese squares have been the hit of branch parties for the past three years. This year, I remembered to get the recipe.

Jalapeno Cheese Squares
1 jar Trappey's jalapenos, drained and chopped (the coarser the chop, the hotter the pie)
1 dozen eggs, beaten
2 pounds cheddar cheese, grated (Chef's comment: This looks like a ton of cheese 'cause IT IS! The is recipe is not for 98 lb. weaklings or those with a cholesterol problem.)

Layer cheese and jalapenos in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour eggs evenly over the top and bake at 350 degrees. Chef says the recipe says to bake for 20 minutes, but it usually takes 30 to 40 minutes for it to set and get slightly brown.

These go like hot cakes...when the Chef handed the platter to my sister-in-law, SIL took two for herself before she put it on the table!!

Red Onion and Gorgonzola Bruschetta

When my mother was eight years old, her mother died a week after giving birth to her second child. They were in Detroit for the "war effort," so my grandfather loaded up my mother on a train and brought her back to Tennessee, to his in-law's. The newborn stayed in the hospital for three months, and as soon as she was old enough he brought her to Mama's house, too. (Mama was 65 years old when she took in the eight-year-old and the newborn.) At one point, during the war, there were 17 people living in that house. It was a two-story Sears and Roebuck house and they were financially successful merchants but hey...17 people? Rationing? Oooh.

They told the story for years about how Mama liked chicken neck. On Sunday, when she fried chicken, everyone had a favorite piece and Mama's was the neck. It was only years later, when everyone was grown that they realized...Mama liked the neck because by the time she got to eat, it was the only piece left.

I tell that story to tell this story. (That's a direct quote from Ron White and if you didn't know that, well, you ort to.)

We had three tomatoes from the garden yesterday. Now, these are cheater tomatoes because the blooms were on the plants when we bought them and that's...just not right. You have to bloom the blooms yourself. But regardless, the taste of these (after the winter tomato famine) is divine. So here we sit...we have tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. We have home-made bread. This is REALLY looking good except that I birthed these babies and I know...three small tomatoes isn't even going to scratch the surface, so there better be a back-up plan. These kids are going to eat ALL of everything I make with the tomatoes so I'm going to have to have an alternative dish if I hope to get even a single bite. Hopefully, a dish that will let me have a bite of the (chicken breast) fresh tomato.

The back-up plan was SO good that it shared center stage and everyone was fed and happy. I didn't have to do without my share of the fresh tomato and the kids were ecstatic about some onions. Go figure.

Sweet Onion Bruschetta
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Roasted garlic
Good blue cheese
I heated a cast iron griddle, poured in some olive oil and let it get hot. I added the sliced onions (I love me a mandelione) and turned the heat down. While I was fooling with the other stuff, I let the onions wilt, stirring them occasionally. After a while I poured in about two tablespoons balsamic vinegar, sprinkled some kosher salt and black pepper and stirred. I left the onions on low heat and stirred them every now and then.
I sliced the bread I had about one-half inch thick, smeared it with roasted garlic and then brushed it with olive oil. Toasted it just until it was no longer soft and then topped it with the onions. I sprinkled the onions with blue cheese (this was the last of the Point Reyes I got for Christmas...I had frozen the last handful) and toasted the bruschetta to soften the cheese. When we got to the table I realized...I'd been a little stingy with the cheese so we added more and popped them under the broiler again.

Oh, Lordy. I should do this more often. Summer time and the livin' is easy.

Potted Cheese

Last year I made potted cheese with cheddar and beer and while it was okay, the texture wasn't right. This year I went with port and according to the people who ate two containers-full and took the third home with them, this works. So here, just in time for St. Patrick's Day, is a really easy appetizer.

Port Wine Potted Cheese
10 ounces sharp cheddar, diced and at room temperature
3 ounces room temperature goat or cream cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Freshly grated black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup ruby port
1/4 cup chopped green onions or chives

In the bowl of a food processor, combine cheeses, mustard and pepper and process until smooth. Pour in the port and sort of mix it in with a spoon...I just turned on the processor and spewed it all over the countertop...and process until blended. Add the green onion (I didn't have any so I cut chives from the garden) and process in short bursts just until they're finely minced. Serve with crackers.

What's for supper? Toasted Ravioli & Mini-Burgers!

Oooh. Potluck worked out last night!

We had cheese ravioli a couple of nights ago, and had some un-sauced leftovers. And so, because it seems like every time the weather gets above 55 degrees someone around here starts squalling for grilled hamburgers, last night we had toasted ravioli and mini-burgers.

I don't get the mini-burger thing but then, maybe that's why I'm not a marketing genuis. And the problem last night was that while I had the mini-burgers, I didn't have the mini-buns. So recipe hunting we went and things worked out beautifully! We snacked on the ravioli as soon as The Big Boy got home, then he and The Not Nice Kid grilled the burgers.

Toasted Ravioli

16 large square cheese ravioli (mine were already cooked)

2 eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup water

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup pecan meal

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Vegetable oil for frying

Mix breadcrumbs with pecan meal and seasonings. Heat vegetable oil in skillet, to about 350 degrees. Dip the ravioli in the egg wash, then the crumb mixture and ease into the hot oil. Fry until lightly browned, turn and brown the other side and drain on paper towels. Serve with marinara sauce or, since we didn't have marinara sauce, pizza sauce works!

Mini-Burger Buns

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

Mix cream, buttermilk, water and sliced butter in a mixing bowl. Microwave just until warm and butter has softened. Using dough hooks, mix in 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, salt and egg. Mix until combined, then add remaining flour one cup at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic. Let it rise for about 45 minutes. Then punch it down, divide into 24 balls and put them on lightly greased baking sheets. I flattened them to where they sort of looked like biscuits, but next time I think I'll leave them a little fatter. Let rise another 30 minutes, then bake for 12 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

These were so GOOD! I actually cut the salt to one teaspoon and added 1/4 cup finely grated Asiago cheese. And according to several recipes I looked at, if you use instant yeast you can skip the first rising.

Blue Cheese Chips

Truthfully, this isn't a recipe either. I'm just passing on a concoction and a view on missing out.

I have a friend whose husband is all about some...appearances. Severely about appearances. So one of the things I enjoy about going to visit them is...whatever Bon Appetit or Gourmet or the NYT had to say about good living, last week? They're in. And I learn a lot of fun stuff.

At the same time, the big kids in this family work for a major restaurant chain. Now, this chain uses artesan cheese, organic greens and never-frozen, slaughtered-to-order Angus beef but it is still...a chain. And some people, particularly my acquaintance in the Big City, have carried conspicuous consumption snobbery to the point that they wouldn't be caught DEAD in a chain restaurant. No matter what.

Last spring I stopped by Chain Restaurant to see one of the kids. While I was there, he brought out a new dish they were introducing and honey, it was Luhve. Luhve at first bite. Blue Cheese Chips. Last fall, I was in the Big City and my trendy friends took me to the trendy Place of the Moment for lunch. We ate in high-backed leather-covered booths, with exposed ductwork and lots of chrome and windows. Lots of really skinny people in really skinny-people clothes, watching all the other skinny people. I sat my fat and happy self in my slippery booth and studied the menu. Drank out of a too-small glass but hey, I guess you stay that skinny you down-size everything. And the newly invented "specialty" of the house was...Blue Cheese Chips. And so I'M thinking...the high end version! If these were so good in the Chain, then just imagine the possibilities here! So I paid about $22 for an appetizer of Blue Cheese Chips and guess what? They didn't get it right. So here's the recipe/directions for how to do it right. And Single Guy doesn't even need separate instructions.

Blue Cheese Chips

1 package kettle-fried potato chips...the thicker and crunchier the better
1 recipe/jar thick Alfredo sauce
Really good blue cheese
Bacon, fried really crisp and crumbled

Pour the alfredo sauce into a pan and warm it. In an oven-proof dish, spread a thick layer of chips. How many depends on how many people you're feeding...I fed the four hearty eaters in this institution with about 2/3 of a bag. Place the chips in a 350 degree oven for five minutes...just to heat through and crisp up. Remove from the oven, pour the warm alfredo sauce over the chips, sprinkle with the blue cheese and crumbled bacon and return to the oven. Heat for another 5-7 minutes, to warm the blue cheese.

My friend made this with half a jar of bottled alfredo sauce. I made a sauce with one stick butter, one cup cream and one cup Romano cheese.

The problem with the high-end Blue Cheese Chips? The sauce was a blue cheese sauce, instead of Alfredo. Blue cheese is so strong, you can't really get enough in the sauce to thicken it up, and when it melds with the cream you lose that sassy bite. The Alfredo in the Cheap Version has just the right smoothness to complement the blue cheese sprinkles and then, of course, there's BACON. Life is good.

Feta & Olive Meatballs

One of our great pleasures in life, before all this soccer and basketball and chicken living in the garage stuff, was going to one of the two exquisite steak houses in this neck of the woods and having...the Greek tray. Given that the founder was born in Greece and his son still runs the place, we can be forgiven for forgoing the house specialty...which happens to be steak...and gorging on an appetizer. Although I kinda think we had both.

Feta & Oive Meatballs

1 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped green olives
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven broiler. Mix all ingredients together (yep, you gotta use your hands) and shape into 16 meatballs. Place them two inches apart on a baking sheet. Broil about three inches from the heat until browned on top, then turn them over and brown the other side.

This is NOT the recipe from our local eatery, but it works well for home cooking because the olives give it a little extra punch. To serve, cover a big round platter with lettuce leaves. Place a small bowl of your favorite dressing in the center...we stick with blue cheese. Scatter the meatballs around the dressing then arrange, in clusters around the platter:

*cucumber spears
*pepperoncini
*chunks of feta cheese
*Greek olives
*wedges of fresh tomato
*anchovies

Good warm bread with good butter. A fun wine. Include the anchovies even if you're not a fan...my kids eat them and once you've tasted them with the other items you might convert!

So, how did Valentine's Day go?

We had spaghetti, which we have every year because we don't do quiet, romantic VD's...we have Family Mayhems. More kids than adults and The Big Boy plays DJ waaaay too loud and everyone starts drinking when they get off work and so they're happy when they get here.

So, VD dinner. Spaghetti, which I won't even THINK of telling you how to make. A couple of years ago I realized that I didn't make just...GREAT...spaghetti, so I sent out a plea to all my cooking buddies and asked for tips. One that stuck was from my sister-in-law, who...after the sauce is simmered...puts a wedge of parmesan in the sauce and then simmers it while the cheese melts. Luscious. Another tip involved a tablespoon of blackberry jelly to emphasize the caraway in the Italian sausage but OMG...I HATE caraway. I hate liquorice. I hate fennel. Something in my genes just does NOT get that taste. But then, that's me.

So we had spaghetti, my SIL's salad and we're waiting on permission to share the GoodTrue dressing recipe. Parmesan bread sticks. Flourless chocolate torte. (Both in preceeding posts.) A chocolate fountain but that's another blog and another post. And then. CG and I have a friend, Mary Virginia. And MV is one hell of a cook and one HELL of a cook for a crowd. And this appetizer is one of her specialties and once you make it you'll know why. Last year for VD I put it in the den and my little brother was just sitting on the floor scooping it up. There's something about the fresh vegetables, the shrimp and the cheese...this WORKS.

Mary Virginia's Layered Shrimp Dip

1 pound grated Mozzarella cheese
1 pound shrimp, boiled, peeled and deveined and chopped
1 12 oz jar cocktail sauce
2 8 oz packages cream cheese
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Tabasco
4 garlic cloves, pressed
6-8 green onions, chopped
Fresh parsley
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped

In a springform pan layer mozzarella evenly, then shrimp and cocktail sauce. Blend softened cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and garlic in a bowl. Spread evenly over the layers in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. When ready to serve, unhook the pan and invert onto a serving platter. Top with green onion, parsley, tomatoes and bell pepper. Serve with crackers.

I use cooked, frozen shrimp and add horseradish to the cocktail sauce. You can always tell where this is on the buffet because...that's where the crowd is.