PARTY CHEESE CAKES

2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
12 to 16 vanilla wafers
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together cheese mixture. Put vanilla wafers in bottom of paper lined muffin tins. Put in cheese mixture and bake 20 minutes. NOTE: Top with blueberry or cherry pie filling.

PEANUT BUTTER BON-BONS

Melt 1 stick margarine. Add 18 ounce peanut butter. Mix with not quite 1 pound confectioners' sugar. Add 3 cups Rice Krispies. Mix and form into small balls. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Dip tops in melted 6 ounce chocolate chips. Makes 80-85.

MOCK CHOPPED LIVER

1 lb. fresh or frozen string beans, cooked and drained
8 oz. pkg. frozen peas, cooked and drained
1/2 lb. walnuts, finely chopped
3-5 white or yellow onions, finely chopped
4-6 Tbsps. oil
4-8 hard boiled eggs
Pepper to taste
Onion powder to taste

While string beans and peas are cooling and draining, simmer
onions in oil until golden brown and glazed. Grind all
ingredients in food processor, alternating ingredients for more
even mixture. Add pepper and onion powder. Allow to
refrigerate in sealed bowl overnight. Refrigeration will change
color from green to brown and change texture so that it looks
and tastes like chopped liver. Use as you would chopped liver
- as a spread, an appetizer, in a sandwich. Will keep in
refrigerator for over one week. May be frozen.
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ZUCCHINI HORS D'OEUVRES

1 Cup Bisquick
1/2 Cup Onion, Chopped Fine
1/2 Cup Parmesan, Grated
2 Tbls Fresh Parsley, Chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Oregano, Ground
1/8 tsp White Pepper
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
4 Medium Eggs, Well Beaten
3 Cups Zucchini, Sliced Thin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients
but the zucchini. Mix thoroughly. Stir in the zucchini.

Lightly grease a (13"x9"x2") baking pan. Spread the mixture in
the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cut into 1 1/2" squares.
Serve warm.

Yields 48 Appetizers

PORTOBELLOS STUFFED WITH CRAB MEAT:

Recipe courtesy Da Mimmo Restaurant
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage
1 egg
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard
12 saltine crackers
1 teaspoon crab boil seasoning
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
4 large portobello mushrooms, destemmed
1 teaspoon butter
Sprinkle paprika
Lemon slices, sliced tomatoes, or sliced cucumbers, for garnish

Place the crab into a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine egg, mayonnaise, mustard, crackers, crab boil seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Gently fold mixture into the crab.

Place crab mixture equally on top of each portobello mushroom. Top each center of the stuffing with a 1/4 teaspoon of butter. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat over to 380 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes, then place under the broiler for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve with your favorite garnish, perhaps sliced lemon, tomato or cucumber.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Diet Hints ---- Painless

SALT CONTRIBUTES TO WEIGHT GAIN BECAUSE IT CAUSES THE BODY TO STORE WATER. YOU CAN GET THE SAME SATISFACTION OF TASTE USING OTHER HERBS AND SPICES. GARLIC IS MY FAVORITE.

CUT CALORIES THRU BETTER SEASONING. USE GARLIC, HERBS AND SPICES INSTEAD OF BUTTER, FATTY DRIPPINGS, CATSUP AND MAYONNAISE. THIS WILL HELP REDUCE CALORIES AND YOU WILL STILL EAT A LOT OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS. YOU ALREADY KNOW THE OLD ADAGE; A LITTLE CAN BUILD INTO A LOT. CHECK ON THE CALORIE CONTENT OF SOME OF THE THINGS YOU USUALLY USE FOR SEASONING. I KNOW I WAS THE WORLD WORST FOR I COULD NOT COOK VEGETABLES WITH OUT A LITTLE BACON GREASE.

I REDISCOVERED A TOOL FROM MY CHILDHOOD. “A PRESSURE COOKER.” PUT A GIVEN DISH IN THE COOKER WITH ONE-CUP WATER. SPRINKLE ON THE HERBS AND SPICES AND COOK FOR THE RECOMMENDED TIME. WHAT FLAVOR!!! YOU WILL BE SURPRISED. NO FAT, NO SALT, JUST FLAVOR.

IT IS EASY TO USE GARLIC FOR FLAVOR. TO PEEL THAT GARLIC EASIER, DROP INTO BOILING WATER FOR 30/60 SECONDS, NO LONGER, RINSE IN COLD WATER, THE PEEL COMES RIGHT OFF. I TELL YOU THIS, FOR I WOULD LIKE YOU TO BECOME A GARLIC LOVER SUCH AS I.

Emeril's Essence

5 tablespoons sweet paprika
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons cayenne
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme

Everyday guides for sizing up your servings of Food

Single serving equals:
3 ounces meat or fish - Deck of cards or the size of your palm
1 cup of vegetables - Size of your fist
Medium apple - Size of a baseball
1/2 cup pasta (cooked) - Ice cream scoop
1 1/2 ounces cheese - Pair of dice or pair of dominos
1 teaspoon butter or margarine - Tip of your thumb
1 cup dry cereal - Large handful

Recipe: Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 pastry crust for a deep-dish pie 9-inch (homemade or store-bought)
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (You may need more if your family sits by the bowl and sneaks the sliced applies when you are not looking) Marsha likes to use golden delicious and fuji apples.
1 recipe crumb topping (see below)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup caramel topping
1 oz. of TLC (tender, loving care — see Marsha's love story below)

Ingredients for Crumb Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2cup all-purpose flour
1/2cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup butter

Directions for Crumb Topping:

1. Stir together brown sugar,flour, rolled oats.

2. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until topping is like course crumbs. Set aside.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.

2. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated.

3. Transfer apple mixture to the pie shell (I remove the store-bought pie shell from the aluminum pie plate and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate of my own, but you do not have to.)

4. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture.

5. Place pie on a cookie sheet so the drippings don't drop into your oven.

6. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil.

7. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 25 minutes. Then remove foil and put back in for another 25 to 30 minutes without foil.

8. Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle with caramel on top.

9. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Marsha Brooks, Apple Pie Contest 2001

Seasoned Spinach Balls

-------- ------------ --------------------------------
20 ounces frozen chopped spinach
--thawed and well-drained

2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
--crushed

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 eggs -- beaten

3/4 cup butter -- softened

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Using paper towels, squeeze out
as much moisture as possible from spinach. In a large bowl,
combine all ingredients; mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls.
Place on 2 ungreased 15-by-10-by-1-inch cooking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until set.
Makes 8 dozen appetizers.

Turkey Dressing Supreme

Ingredients:
º 5 C. Bread Crumbs
º 1 C. Chopped Onion
º 112 C. Popcorn (Unpopped)
º 1/4 C. Parsley
º 3 C. Giblet broth
º 1-1/2 teaspoon Sage

Mixing Instructions:

1. Chop giblets fine. Mix all ingredients in broth.

2. Stuff turkey loosely. Bake slowly at 350º approximate

3. 5 hours or until popcorn blows the turkey's ass off.