Grilled Zucchini Rolls with Herbs and Cheese

3 zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 ounces reduced-fat soft goat's cheese
1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup basil leaves

Discard the outermost slices of zucchini and brush the rest of the slices with the oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill or grill pan for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender.



In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, parsley leaves and lemon juice, mashing with a fork.

Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2-inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and 1 small, or half of a large basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini slices.

From The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger

Miniature Muffalettas

These were a hit at the Mardi Gras party! They are tasty and easy to put together ahead of time. About 10 minutes before the guests were due to arrive, I slid them in the oven. They were just right - the cheese good and melty, the bread nice and toasty - when everyone got there.

30 Dinner rolls
4 ounces Genoa salami
4 ounces ham
4 ounces Provolone cheese
1 (8-ounce jar) olive salad
Sesame seeds
1 egg, beaten
a slug of milk

Split dinner rolls in half. You can use frozen roll dough that you thaw and bake if you are so inclined. I love ya’ll and all but that’s not what I did. Wal-Mart dinner rolls to the rescue!

Put 1 deli-thin slice ham, a piece of salami, about half a slice of Provolone, and one teaspoon of olive salad on each roll.

Cover sandwiches and refrigerate. Place something kind of heavy on them, like a cast iron skillet or a couple of books, to smash them down. Chill for several hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush sandwich rolls with beaten egg and milk. Generously sprinkle sesame seeds over the tops.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperatures. If there are any leftovers, they reheat wonderfully the next day for a snack.

Tomato Tart

It's true love!


Up until I made this tart, I didn't like tomatoes, not even a little bit. Not on a burger or sandwich or salad. Now, though...

For Tomato Tart:

pie pastry
1 garlic bulb
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese, divided
handful fresh basil leaves
2 to 3 tomatoes tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

For the pie pastry, make your own if you are so inclined.

The recipe I use is my mom's:


Combine a cup of all purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cut in 1/2 cup shortening (it's not a bad idea to refrigerate the shortening first) and add ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time. Stir with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Roll out on lightly floured surface.

Or use a refrigerated pie pastry.

Either way, press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch square tart pan (the kind with a removable bottom although you could bake this in a 9-inch round pie pan, too). Bake for about 8 minutes or until lightly golden.

Cut off the top of a bulb of garlic and place it on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle garlic bulb with olive oil and fold in aluminum foil to seal.

Bake for 35 minutes. Unwrap garlic and let cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves onto the bottom of the baked piecrust. Smear it around and moan about how good it smells.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup fontina cheese over the roasted garlic.

Slice the tomatoes and place on folded paper towels. Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt and pepper and let sit for 10 minutes. The tomatoes look so pretty just like that.

Arrange tomato slices over shredded cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes or until tart is lightly browned.

Eat and enjoy warm or at room temperature. Good stuff!

Tomato Canapes

Our friend, Sherrie, made these tasty little appetizers for New Year's Eve. She also made this really good salad and a delicious potato casserole. One day soon I'll post about those, too.


Tomato Canapes

These are good. Make a lot: The batch that Sherrie made disappeared in about two seconds.

3/4 cup finely diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons finely diced onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon The Lady's House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 package mini phyllo shells
1/2 cup packed shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons real bacon pieces, or more as needed (recommended: Hormel Real Bacon pieces)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the diced tomatoes in a colander. Sprinkle with the onions, basil, and House Seasoning, and toss to coat. Allow to drain, stirring occasionally. Fill each phyllo shell with a scant tablespoon of the tomato mixture. Stir together the mozzarella and mayonnaise. Frost the top of each shell with a scant tablespoon of the mozzarella mixture. Sprinkle each shell with 1/4 teaspoon of bacon pieces. Bake the filled shells for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot. These may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until serving time.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Tailgate Dip

Classic Cheese Spread
Refrigerated, this spread keeps well for several days. Serve with crackers or crisp apple and pear slices, dipped first in lemon juice, pineapple juice, Sprite, or 7Up to prevent browning.

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 jar dried beef, sliced into small pieces
1/2 small can chopped black olives (about 2 ounces), drained
half bunch green onions, thinly sliced
chopped pecans, minced parsley, or paprika

Combine all ingredient except pecans, parsley, or paprika. Mix well, cover, and chill for several hours or overnight. Shape into a ball, log, or even a football shape if you’re really into the game.

Coat with chopped pecans, parsley, paprika, or a combination of all three.

Tailgate Time

Southeastern Conference football is steeped in tradition: boisterous cheers, annual campus pilgrimages, the pageantry of Homecoming, and hyped-up ESPN coverage.

I remember as a child traveling to Starkville to watch the Mississippi State Bulldogs play. The air seemed electric and it was so exciting Lan and I could hardly contain ourselves. The feeling was contagious, I think. My mother was a majorette at State and loves being there so much she can hardly stand it, either.

The campus seemed full of good-natured people ready to have a good time and the marching band warming up somewhere in the distance added to the invigorating feel in the air. And if it was Homecoming, big sandwich board signs lined the way to the Union, urging students to vote for this candidate for Homecoming court. Girls were dressed up and wore corsages and all in all, it just seemed like a wonderful place to be. I decided right then and there that this college business was going to be fun.

When I think of those game days, the sun was always brightly shining, the sky always crisp and blue with a sharp sweet taste of fall in the air, and the Bulldogs always won. Obviously, the golden patina of time has made my memory quite selective.

The next time you go to a college football game, try to get there early in time to watch the tailgaters set up. It’s fun to watch different families pull up and get out their supplies. For some it’s intricate and elaborate, and I do mean elaborate – linen tablecloths, crystal pitchers, candelabras, floral arrangements, and a lavish spread of gourmet food. Others go to the opposite extreme – a red and white checked oilcloth tablecloth, a bucket of fried chicken, and a cooler of canned soft drinks. It’s probably safe to say that the majority of tailgaters fall somewhere in between, although the school colors are almost always seen at every spot in some form or another – from disposable napkins to pompons to other color-coordinated accessories.

For some families, tailgating is a big tradition that dictates certain foods be served. The menu almost becomes a good luck charm for the game.

At many schools, the social aspect of tailgating is as big a reason for attending as the game itself. Often, the grassy areas are still filled with fans -- visiting, chatting, and exchanging stories -- long after the game has begun.

Whether you’re driving to your alma mater or watching the game on TV, this is a great spread to snack on.


Excerpted from Culinary Kudzu: Recollections & Recipes from Growing Up Southern

Date Nut Spread

This recipe is so simple and yummy. If you need something to bring to an office party or neighborhood open house, this is an easy one that folks will love.

A version of a spread in the famed Come on In! cookbook by the Junior League of Jackson, Miss., this is one of my all time favorite recipes. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love it.

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons Amaretto (optional)

If desired, toast pecans. While not strictly necessary, it really brings out the buttery flavor of the pecans and isn’t much trouble. Just preheat your oven to about 350°, pour pecan pieces on a baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes and let completely cool before chopping.

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring well. That is it.

Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. The spread keeps well overnight and is better a day or two after it’s made.

Serve with apple slices, wheat thins, or your favorite cracker.

Phyllo Is Your Friend

I love phyllo dough. LOVE IT. It's so easy to work with, yet makes me feel so accomplished, kind of like homemade pizza dough (which is easy, easy yet I feel supremely proud of myself any time I make it).

My favorite form of phyllo are phyllo triangles, the wonderful little flaky pockets of goodies. Everyone loves them and the options, there are limitless.

To make them, melt tons of butter, more than you think you'll need. Lay one tissue-paper-thin sheet of phyllo on the work surface and brush with butter. Repeat until you have six layers of phyllo brushed with butter. Slice each stack of sheets into six strips. Place the fillings at the edge of each strip (anyone confused yet?) and fold over, starting at the end like you're folding a flag and go all the way up to make little triangles.


This is a link to a photo tutorial, which may make more sense. It's easy to do yet hard to explain.


For several years, my go-to filling was Tex-Mex. I used leftover grilled chicken or purchased cooked chicken or whatever. Some kind of chicken. Each triangle got a little bit of shredded chicken topped with salsa, shredded Colby Jack cheese, a few black beans, and chopped green onions.

Last weekend we had bought a rotisserie chicken for something and had some left over so I decided to do the phyllo triangles. They are so nice to have in the freezer, especially around this time of year as the holiday season gears up.

This time I branched out a bit and filled the triangles with a bit of chopped chicken, basil pesto, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, and goat cheese.


And they were AWESOME. We've found a new hit and will be making them again and again. We've already enjoyed some twice - once with a dinner salad and once with soup.

Try them. You'll love them.

Oh, wait. I bet you'd rather like to know how to store and bake them.

If you're baking right away, preheat oven to 375 and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

To squirrel some away for later, place the triangles in a singly layer on a baking sheet and freeze for an hour or two. Place triangles in a freezer proof zip top bag and freeze. To bake, place frozen triangles on ungreased baking sheet and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes in a preheated 375 oven.