Mary Lynn's Hot Spinach Dip

I am blessed to know a number of really good cooks that I also can call friends. Mary Lynn is one of those. She is the epitome of laid back but busy. Being a grandmother of one, soon to be two, is one of her greatest joys. This recipe from her is one of my favorites. It is a nice change of pace from the Knorr's cold spinach dip and the spinach and artichoke one. Mary Lynn suggested to serve it alongside purple hull or black-eyed peas as side dish for a simple, filling supper. I think that is a great idea.

1 (10-ounce) box of frozen chopped spnach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 (8 -ounce) block of cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 - 4 tablespoons chopped jalapenos (from the jar)

2 fresh tomatoes, diced

Mix the thawed, dry spinach with the cream cheese; add the onions, then the Monterey Jack cheese, and finally the jalapenos and tomatoes. You do not want the tomatoes to be smashed. Bake at 400 degrees in a casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray for 20 - 25 minutes or until lightly browned and heated thoroughly. Serve with pita chips. crackers, etc. Leftovers are good heated in the microwave.

I have added in drained hot Rotel as a subsitute for the fresh tomatoes. It works for us, but it will definitely add some heat. I have frozen this, and it tasted fine although it seemed to "weep" extra liquid. It wasn't a problem for us. I probably would not freeze it if I wanted to take it to a party.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

This is another Cooking Light recipe that I have used for several years. I noticed it back up on their web page just recently, so it must still be popular. We really like it; if you are a big meat eater, then...do your own thing!

2 teaspoons olive oil2 cups thinly sliced onion, separated into rings (about 1 onion)
1 (1-pound) Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
1/2 cup bottled pizza sauce (such as Contadina)
1/4 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
2/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450°.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for 11 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Combine the sauce and tomatoes. Spread sauce mixture over pizza crust. Top with onion and cheese.

Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with basil. Cut into 6 wedges.

I would serve this with a mixed green or spinach salad.

Yield: 6 servings (PROBABLY 2 as a full meal)

Mary Lynn's Tomato Basil Soup

This is very similar to La Madeleine's Tomato Basil Soup. My friend, Mary Lynn, has to email me the recipe every time I get ready to make it because I always seem to lose my copy and am just too lazy to look for it. This makes a BUNCH, but it is really good. I also have another tomato-basil soup recipe that I like very much...unfortunately, I can't find that one either:) It will show up eventually, and I will post it.

4 cups (8-10) tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped OR 4 cups canned whole tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice (You can combine tomato juice and chicken or vegetable stock to make the four cups. I prefer that.)
12 - 14 washed, fresh basil leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound sweet, unsalted butter (Is there a sour butter?)
salt to taste (It won't take much unless you are like my husband who salts his salt.)
1/4 or more freshly cracked pepper

Combine tomatoes, juice/and, or stock in saucepan. Simmer over low hear for thirty minutes. Puree, along with the basil leaves, in small batches. If you have a hand-held blender, this would be a perfect time to use it. Return the blended soup to the pot and add the cream and butter. Stir slowly as you do. Garnish with basil leaves or freshly grated parmesan.

I usually serve this with some time of crusty garlic bread.

Gary's Pumpkin Bread

Okay. Technically this is Mrs. Watson's* pumpkin bread, but nobody here would know it by that name. Gary likes to hand out this bread every year at Christmas. I have made upwards of 90+ loaves; this year was a no bake year. I just played Nana to my precious grandbabies instead. It was definitely less fattening and just as tiring to do that! This is not a low-fat, low-calorie recipe. Don't even try to make it that way...just enjoy it and pass it on to friends.

Gary's (aka Mrs. Watson's)  Pumpkin Bread

Yield: 2 large loaves
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 eggs
1 (1 pound) can pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
2/3 cup water
1 cup (or more) chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

Combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat well. Add pumpkin and mix well. Sift (I don't EVEN do this anymore.) together dry ingredients. Add water and beat well. Stir in nuts. Pour into two greased, large loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. (If you use a convection oven, you may want to shorten this time.) Cool slightly on cake racks before removing from the pans. This can be wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil and frozen. It keeps well.

If you want to use other size pans, just adjust the time spent in the oven.

* Mrs. Watson used to make this for her son every year; I always managed to sneak a loaf away from him. He finally just gave me the recipe.

Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

This is a nice change of pace for a winter salad. If you don't like blue cheese, substitute Roquefort. I like to sprinkle it with dried cranberries or fresh or dried blueberries as well. Add a crusty roll and you have a light meal.

Total Time: 45 Minutes
Rating: Easy

For the Pecans—
Toast: 1 cup pecan halves or pieces

Combine; Toss with Pecans and Roast:
2 T. sugar
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch cayenne

For the Warm Bacon Dressing—
Saute:
6 slices (8 oz.) thick-sliced bacon, diced
Add and Saute:
1/4 cup shallots, minced (about 3 shallots)
Stir in:
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whisk in:
1/2 cup apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad—
Toss Together:
12 cups mesclun salad greens
1 cup fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 firm yet ripe Bosc pear, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup Maytag, Roquefort, or other good-quality blue cheese, crumbled

Prepared pecans and dressing

Preheat oven to 350°.Toast pecans on a baking sheet in oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Combine sugar, oil, salt, and spices in a small bowl while nuts toast. Toss hot pecans with sugar mixture until well coated. Return nuts to baking sheet and roast 8–10 more minutes, or until coating is dry. Do not overbake. Saute bacon for the dressing in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Spoon off excess fat; leave bacon in skillet. Add the shallots to the skillet; saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mustard and cinnamon; cook another minute.Whisk in the apple juice concentrate, oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Keep dressing warm over low heat until ready to toss the salad.Toss the greens, fennel, pear, blue cheese, and spiced pecans with some of the warm dressing (you may not use all the dressing).

Serve salad immediately.

This is from another of my favorite magazines, Cuisine at Home.

Maple-Glazed Salmon

This is another favorite from Cooking Light. We eat lots of salmon at our house - Copper River salmon when we can get and afford it - otherwise, the best we can get. I suggest trying this as it is for the first effort, then modifying it to suit your tastes.

2 tablespoons maple (the real deal) syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons apple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons country-style Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)

Preheat grill or broiler. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add salmon to bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the bag, reserving the marinade. Place salmon fillets, skin sides down, on a broiler rack coated with cooking sprary. broil 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting salmon with reserved marinade. Remove the skin before eating, not before grilling.

We usually grill ours, and it takes 8-10 minutes to suit our tastes. We do not like the salmon to be dry. I serve this with grilled asparagus and usually saffron rice or couscous.

Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

I really like a good Greek salad. Unfortunately, they are often filled with lots of fattening ingredients which I do not need. This one is a good basic one to follow and adjust to suit your preferences. It came from the August 2002 issue of Cooking Light.

Prep time: 35 minutes
Serving size: 2 cups salad, 3 ounces chicken, 1 tablespoon feta
Dressing:
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Tip: Prepare the dressing up to a week in advance; cover and store in the refrigerator. (Or, you can cheat and use Pete's Famous Greek Salad Dressing. I buy it every year at the Greek Food Festival in Little Rock. It, naturally, is not low-fat, but it is terrific.)

Salad:
4 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
8 cups torn romaine
1 cup sliced cucumber
8 pitted Kalamata olves, halved
3 plum tomatoes, quartered lenghwise (Or your favorite fresh from the garden.)
2 (1/4 inch thick) slices red onion, separated into rings. (I prefer mine to be thinner than this.)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Prepare grill or broiler. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Brush chicken with 2 tablespoons dressing; set remaining dressing aside. Place chicken on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Cut across the bias into thin slices. Combine romaine and next four ingredients in a large bow; toss with remining salad dressing. Divide salad evenly among four plates; top with sliced chicken; sprinkle with feta.

231 calories

Cinnamon Pecans

1 egg white

4 cups pecans

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat the egg white with the salt and water. Coat the pecans with this mixture. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Bake in a single layer on a buttered cookie sheet(s). Stir every five minutes for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

One of my students gave me a bag of these at Christmas. They were delicious. I tried to eat just one - didn't happen. Suddenly, they disappeared!

Crawfish Appetizer

1 pound crawfish tails

8 tablespoons salted butter

1 medium onion, chopped to equal 1 cup

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 pint half and half to equal 1 cup

1/4 cup white wine (or more)

1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

Melt butter. Slowly add flour and whisk to make a paste. Add half and half, whisking all the while. When this is smooth, add the crawfish and spices. Heat thoroughly. This is better is made a day ahead and reheated.

I got this from my daughter a few years ago. If you like crawfish, you are sure to like this as well.