Sassy Tailgate Sandwiches

This recipe was giving to me by an office mate who's wife made these for one of our office parties. They are easy and delicious!

1 pkg. (12 count) Hawaiian bread rolls
1 lb. shaved Black Forest ham
12 slices Gruyere cheese
1 tub (8 oz.) Philadelphia® Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T dried minced onion
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut all rolls in half. Place roll bottoms in 9x13-inch pan.
Place equal amounts of ham on each roll bottom. Top with Gruyere.
On each of the roll tops, spread a generous amount of the cream cheese spread. Return the tops to the bottoms making sandwiches.
In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, Worcestershire sauce, onion and Parmesan cheese. Pour over your sandwiches and let sit for at lease 20 minutes. (You can make these ahead of time and allow to sit in fridge overnight.)
Place sandwiches, covered in foil, in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through. Enjoy! Yield: 12

NOTE: I shredded chunk Gruyere as I could not find slices. Your butter mixture will look a little curdled once together. Don't worry--it's supposed to look like that.

Butternut Squash Soup

I wanted to make some Butternut Squash Soup to go with our Tailgate Sandwiches. It was a great combination.

2 T Butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
32-oz. chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

NOTE: I used a 16-oz. bag of frozen butternut squash and I blended in about one-half cup of sour cream after the soup had been pureed, heating through gently.

Cheese Cake

This easy Cheese Cake recipe actually makes a pie.

Make a graham cracker crust for an 8-9-inch pie using the directions on the graham cracker crumb box or keep it extra simple and buy a pre-made graham cracker crust. I prefer to make mine.

Brush the pie crust shell with one beaten egg yolk (mix with a tiny bit of water if too thick) and bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Let cool.

One 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese (beaten)
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash salt

Blend these ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then add 2 eggs, one at a time, beat after each. I also add the egg white from the egg yolk I used to brush on the pie shell. Pour filling into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients. Spoon over top of pie and spread evenly. Bake 10 minutes longer. Chill several hours. Serve plain or with your favorite fresh berries.

Black Dog Chili

Don't worry--no black dogs were harmed while making this great chili alternative.

One 1-lb. pkg. flavorful hot dogs diced into quarter-inch pieces (I use Nathan's Beef franks)
1-lb. ground turkey or turkey breast
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small orange bell pepper, diced
Two 6-oz. cans tomato paste
Two 15-oz. cans black beans, rinse and drain
Two 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, with juice
4 tsp. chili powder
1 and 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. red (cayenne) pepper

Brown ground turkey in vegetable oil with onion and garlic. Add diced dogs, bell peppers and seasonings. Thoroughly stir in tomato paste. Add beans and tomatoes and simmer on low heat until all ingredients are soft, stirring often. Serve straight or over rice or pasta. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese. I serve straight with the sour cream and cheese and tortilla chips to scoop or crumble.

Maryland Crab Soup

Enjoy this Maryland favorite!

Two 46-oz. cans V-8 (one spicy and one regular)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1-lb. baby red potatoes, skin on, cut into chunks
2-lb. bag frozen mixed vegetables
3 large carrots, pared and sliced
Two 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes
 2 tsp. Old Bay (or to taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-lb. Blue Crab meat, picked

Put all ingredients except crab meat in large soup pot and let simmer till vegetables are tender. Add crab meat and heat through. Adjust seasonings. Always best the second day after flavors have melded.

Chocolate Mint Squares

These chocolatey brownie-like squares have a mint filling which you can tint green. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any other day for that matter.





Cake Layer

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 16-oz. can Hershey's chocolate syrup

Mix above ingredients together and pour into ungreased 9x15 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool before adding mint layer.

Mint Layer

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 to 1 tsp. peppermint extract (to your taste)
Few drops green food coloring (to your shade)

Mix ingredients thoroughly to form a minty butter cream frosting and spread evenly over cooled cake.

Glaze

6 Tbsp. butter
6-oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Put butter and chocolate chips in Pyrex measuring cup and place in pan of water over low heat. Melt and mix together. Spread over mint layer. Chill and cut into squares before serving.

Vidalia Onions

These hot, buttery Vidalia onions are one of our favorite side dishes when these sweet onions are in season. I learned this very easy method of preparing them from my mother.

Allow one onion per person. Slice the top and bottom off of each onion you wish to prepare and take off the outer skin. Place onions in a cassarole dish that has a lid. Put a generous pat of butter on top of each onion. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Cover and put in microwave for about 8-10 minutes on high power depending on size and quantity of onions. Onions are done when tender and practically falling apart. Serve with a spoonful of the buttery onion juice. These are especially good with a steak.