Cheesy Artichoke Triangles

I actually don't use the refrigerated crescent rolls because I think they are gross. I just make a batch of my favorite bread dough and add some garlic powder and some dried parsley. This is so good and so worth the effort :)

2 pkg (8.5 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 tsp oregano and basil (or Italian Seasoning)
2 pkg (8 oz. each) cream cheese softened
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained, chopped
1 cup (4 oz.) fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1 chopped garlic clove (I use two cloves ‘cause I love garlic!)
2 eggs
2 plum tomatoes sliced (you might need more depending on the size of your pan)
2 tbsp parsley

Unroll 1 pkg of rolls with longest sides of dough across width of pan. Repeat, filling pan. Roll dough to remove perforations. Press up sides for crust. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Microwave cream cheese on high 1 minute until soft. Wisk until smooth. Add ½ cup of parmesan cheese to bowl. Add eggs and 1 tsp of seasonings. Blend well. Add artichokes and garlic. Mix well. Spread artichoke mixture on rolls. Arrange sliced tomatoes on top. Sprinkle parsley on top. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese and seasonings on top. Bake 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees or until golden brown and set (do not over-bake! The texture turns funny.). Cool ten minutes. Cut into 12 squares. Cut squares in half diagonally.

Overnight Refrigerator Pickles

I got this recipe from our CSA discussion board. We got seven cucumbers last week and there was no way we could eat all of them and since we also got a ton of dill over the last few weeks from them pickles seemed like a natural choice. I ended up using a mix of apple cider, white, and balsamic vinegars because I didn't have enough of any one kind. I also substituted ground mustard and ground pepper for the seeds and fresh dill for the dill seeds. They turned out a lot like bread and butter pickles if you've ever had those. They were great on a ham and cheese sandwich.

Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui), thinly sliced
2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons dill seeds

Divide sliced onion between two 1-quart wide-mouth glass jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill.

Using mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag and mallet, crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours. Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Sushi Rolls

You can add whatever fillings you want to these rolls, but I'll given you some of my favorites and some other suggestions.

Possible Fillings: (use one to four)

* Sliced egg omelets (4 eggs, 2 tsp. sugar, dash salt, vegetable oil)
* Dried Shitake Mushrooms (12 mushrooms, 1 cup chicken broth, 4 tbs sugar, 2 Tbs soy sauce)
* Canned Salmon, drained and flaked
* Ripe avocado cut into thin strips
* Parboiled snow peas cut into thin strips
* Crab meat
* Strips of proiscuto cheese
* Bell pepper strips
* Cooked asparagus tips
* Whole green beans, blanched

Sushi Rice:

4 cups rice (long grain white or Cal rosé)
4 cups water
Vinegar Mixture:
1/2 cup vinegar
5 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt

5-6 sheet nori (seaweed)

Prepare one to four items for filling. (Our favorite combination is the egg, mushroom, salmon, and avocado.)

For Sliced Egg Omelet:
Break eggs into a bowl, and stir. Add seasonings and strain through a sieve. (This makes the texture more smooth and uniform). Heat an oiled frying pan and pour about 1/4 cup egg mixture, spreading to cover the entire bottom of the pan. When egg is almost cooked (it starts to loose its shine) roll up from one end. Remove from pan and cool. Repeat with remaining egg. Slice length wise.

For Shitake Mushrooms:
Rinse and soak in water. Cut off hard tips. Cook in chicken broth and sugar, skimming the scum, for 4-5 minutes. Add soy sauce and simmer over medium heat until liquid is gone (a bit syrupy in the bottom). Cool on a plate or cutting board. Discard stems and cut into thin slices.


For Rice:
Wash the rice before cooking. Add water and let it stand for 1 hour (a good time to prepare the fillings). Make vinegar mixture (put everything into a small bowl and stir) and set aside. Bring water to a boil and cook according to the directions on the rice package. After it's done cooking, leave it to steam for 7-8 minutes.

Transfer rice to a large, deep baking pan. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and stir with vertical cutting movements, cooling as much as possible while doing this. Let sit until it reaches skin temperature.

Lay a bamboo mat down and place a sheet of nori, shinny side down, on it. Spread 1/5 to 1/6 of the rice on the nori leaving about 3/4 inch at the far edge. Lay the fillings in long horizontal strips across the rice. Using the bamboo mat, bring the bottom edge of the nori to the top and join together. Using bamboo mat, press to shape, rolling to tighten. Cut into eight equal slices (a sharp knife and water for rinsing are useful). Repeat until done.

Gyoza (Chinese Dumplings)

I've made these a number of times, and they’re always a hit. They're really fun for parties. Just make the meat mixture before hand and have everyone help make the dumplings (the most time consuming part). Cook them up in minutes, and you have yummy, impressive appetizers. For the sauce, you can also just do half and half rice vinegar and soy sauce.

Prep 50 min.     Cook 5 min per batch

Sauce:
1/2 C. soy sauce
1-2 Tbs water
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. rice or white vinegar
1 green onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Filling:
1 C. minced cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. lean ground pork or beef
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. minced gingerroot
2 green onions, minced
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar


1 (10 oz) package gyoza skins (the round ones found by the egg roll skins in the produce section)
Water
4 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 C. water

For sauce, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

For filling, mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Place 1 rounded tsp. filling (a bit larger then a marble) in the center of each gyoza skin. Paint the edge with water. Fold the skins over forming a semi-circle. Press tightly to seal and pleat edges if desired. Place on a tray, pressing bottoms to flatten slightly. Cover dumplings loosely with plastic wrap.

In a large non-stick skillet with lid, heat 2 Tbs oil over medium-high heat (medium for high altitude). Fry half of the dumplings until the bottoms are browned. Cover with lid, leaving a crack open. Carefully pour 1/4 cup water in the crack and close lid. Steam 2-3 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Remove cover and cook until the liquid evaporates. Fry a few seconds longer to crisp the bottoms. Place dumplings on a serving platter. Repeat process to make remaining dumplings.

Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Cranberry Orange Cheese Ball

This cheese ball is sweet and really yummy on the new cinnimon wheat thin crackers.

2 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3 T. orange juice concentrate
1 t. cinnamon
1 T. sugar
¼ cup chopped craisins
¼ cup chopped pecans


Mix all ingredients together. Roll in chopped pecans.

Cheese Ball

This is another recipe from my mother-in-law. It is surprisingly simple and very very yummy. You can easily make a small ball for yourself to munch on or make it bigger to take to a party.

1 8oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
2 tsp minced garlic (eyeball to taste; I use jarred garlic)
3-4 green onions, diced (I use my kitchen scissors)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans, my mother-in-law uses sliced almonds)

Mix the first three ingredients together well. Form into ball and roll in nuts to cover entire surface of ball. Double or tripple according to the crowd.

Diced red pepper makes a nice addition during the holidays (get it--red and green)

*My measurements on the garlic, green onions, and nuts are guesses. I just eyeball it to get a pretty good amount throughout the ball and to completely cover it with nuts.