Grilled French Bread and Veggie Salad

Submitted by Janet Schlosser

1/2 Loaf of French or Italian Bread
1 Yellow squash
1 cucumber
1 bell pepper
1/4 block cheese (favorite - mozzarella balls go really well in this salad)
1 Tomato

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

Grill cubed bread until toasted and lightly browned. Add veggies and drizzle with dressing.

Firecracker Burgers

Submitted by JoDee Leahy

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chunky salsa
4 frozen breaded cheddar cheese jalapeno peppers, thawed (I've used the cream cheese poppers as well and they were still great)
1/4 cup guacamole
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
4 lettuce leaves
1/4 cup salsa con queso dip
1/4 cup sliced plum tomatoes
2 Tbsp sliced ripe olives
4 thin slices sweet onion

In a bowl, combine the beef and salsa. Shape into four patties. Place a jalapeno popper in the center of each; wrap beef around the jalapeno, forming a ball. Reshape into patties, about 3 1/2 - 4 in. in diameter and 1 in. thick.

Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink. Spread guacamole over toasted side of bun tops. On each bun bottom, layer lettuce, a burger, con queso dip, tomatoes, olives, and onion; replace tops

Yield: 4 Servings

Ginger Chicken

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

Combine:

1 can Gingerale
1/3 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cups soy sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Marinate 1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken overnight.

Grill as desired.

Rattafruitti

Submitted by JoDee Leahy

This dish was inspired by the making of Ratatouille, which was inspired by the movie. I just made it with fruit and ice cream instead of veggies and tomato sauce.

Fruit of choice (bananas, strawberries, apricots, kiwi, mangoes, etc.)
Cheddar Cheese
Angel Food Cake Bar
Ice Cream
Rich Hot Fudge Sauce (recipe below)
Frozen Blueberries
Whipped Cream

Pick several fruits that are about 1/2 dollar sized in circumference to your preference & different in color: I chose the fruits listed above (ok so the last isn't the right size, but I love them, so I used them and then cut the slices to size with a round spice jar lid.) Slice all the fruit very thin with a mandolin (or as thin as you can with a knife.) Slice the cheese and Angel Food Cake as thin as you can and cut into circles with a 1/2 dollar sized jar lid. In a Tupperware bowl, stack the fruit, cheese, & cake, with each circle sightly exposing the one underneath, alternating flavors and colors, in a spiral fashion until you run out of most items. This can then be covered and saved in fridge until you're ready to serve the dessert.

In a small bowl, heat the blueberries in the microwave until thawed and slightly cooked. Beat until smooth or mash and remove skins. Store in fridge.

When you're ready to serve, Heat up some fudge sauce, drizzle some on plate. Drizzle some blueberry sauce on plate, & place a scoop of ice cream in middle. Carefully pick up a small length of rattafuitti layers and place around and up the sides of the ice cream. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Rich Hot Fudge Sauce

Submitted by JoDee Leahy

1 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 squares (1 oz each)unsweetened chocolate
4-5 tsp vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan, combine cream and butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add the sugars and salt; cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 4 minutes. (Don't let mixture boil too hard. Lower/raise heat as needed to maintain a low boil/simmer.) Stir in the cocoa and corn syrup; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until cocoa is blended.

Add chocolate; cook and stir 3-4 minutes longer or until chocolate is melted. Reduce heat to medium-low (just enough to maintain a simmer.) Simmer for 12-16 minutes or until desired thickness is reached, stirring constantly. (I like it thick and sticky, so I boil it longer than that. I used a small cup of ice cream to test the fudge on. Remember it will thicken as it cools.) Remove from the heat; stir in extracts. Cool slightly. Serve warm over ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: about 3 1/2 cups.

Bacon Water Chestnut Wraps

Submitted by Sarah Terry

INGREDIENTS
1 pound sliced bacon
2 (8 ounce) cans whole water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce

DIRECTIONS
Cut bacon strips in half. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until almost crisp; drain. Wrap each bacon piece around a water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
Combine the brown sugar, mayonnaise and chili sauce; pour over water chestnuts. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Hot Onion Souffle’ Dip

Submitted by Heather Sheehan

1 large yellow onion, chopped.
2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened.
Best if spread on something firm such as crackers, bagel chips, or fresh veggies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients well in large bowl.
Pour into 2-quart souffle’ or casserole dish.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned on top.
Allow to cool on stove top 10-15 minutes before serving.