Cheese Spread

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheddar or Swiss cheese - grated
1 small onion chopped
1 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)

What to do:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion in butter until translucent. Add remaining ingredients. Mix Well. Bake in small baking dish for 20 minutes.Serve hot with crackers and sliced baguette.

Pecan Tarts

My grandmother made the best pecan pie in the world. Here's a recipe that comes close to duplicating hers. I like the idea of the tiny tarts, too. They're great for bake sales and covered dish suppers- there's no need for cutting and serving.

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup margarine (NOT butter) and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in egg yolks, almond extract, and sifted flour.
Spray tiny muffin cups with non-stick spray. Press mixture evenly into tiny muffin cups. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
To make Filling: Bring to a boil 1/2 cup margarine, corn syrup, and confectioner's sugar. Stir in chopped pecans.
Spoon into shells no more than 1/2 way. Top with pecan halves. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 5 minutes.

Oriental Cashew Crunch

1 (16-ounce) box Quaker Oatmeal Squares Cereal (about 8 cups)
1 cup cashews/nuts
1 (3-ounce) can chow mein noodles (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup cooking oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
(This is VERY garlicky so adjust the amounts to suit your taste.)

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Combine cereal, noodles and nuts in 9" x 12" baking pan.
Sprinkle oil and soy sauce over mixture. Stir to coat.
Sprinkle on garlic and onion powder. Stir.
Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

NOTE: Oil spray may be substituted to reduce calories. Lightly coat the cereal, add some seasoning, spray again, add some more seasoning, etc.

Creamy Veggie Casserole

16 ounce package frozen vegetables (or use the cooked Steamfresh veggies)
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces grated Swiss cheese
1 dash paprika

Butter a casserole dish and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring vegetables to a boil in salted water (if you're not using the Steamfresh ones). Boil for 5 minutes. Drain and place in the casserole dish. Mix flour, sour cream, pepper and salt together. Pour over the vegetables. Top with Swiss cheese. Sprinkle with paprika, and bake for 30 minutes.

Crockpot Granola

5 cups oats (regular, not the quick ones)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup melted butter
a total of 2-3 cups nuts and seeds- I used a can of lightly salted cashews and a bag of Planter's Fruit and Nut Trail Mix
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberries)

Put all the dry ingredients except for the dried fruit into your crockpot. You'll need at least a 4 quart.
Melt the butter in the microwave and add. Add the honey. Toss well.
Cover, but vent with a chopstick. That keeps it from being too moist. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring often.
If you can smell the granola cooking, go stir. It will burn if you don't keep an eye on it. I'm not kidding- stay close and stir often. After it finishes cooking, add the dried fruit. If you try to cook the raisins in with the granola, they burn quickly and turn into hard, tasteless lumps. Ask me know I know...
Eat with milk like cereal, warmed with milk like oatmeal, or as is. I like mine mixed with yogurt. Seal well in an air-tight container or in a ziplock bag. Granola freezes well.

Crockpot Chicken and Dressing

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts. About 6 pieces.
1 box Stove Top Stuffing mix (I used savory herb)
1 jar Heinz Fat Free Chicken gravy
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1 cup chicken broth

Spray the bottom of the crockpot with Pam and place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Pour the broth over the chicken. In a bowl, mix together the dry stuffing mix, celery, onions, cranberries and gravy until slightly moistened. Heap over the chicken in the crockpot. Cook 6-7 hours on low.The chicken is falling-apart tender and the stuffing is soft, warm and infused with gravy. It is true comfort food.

Note - If you prefer your stuffing less moist, only add 1/2 cup broth rather than the full cup, or take off the cover of the crock pot for the last 1/2 hr of cooking to let it dry a bit.

Hot Flash Microwave Toffee

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water

Rub butter to edge of a glass bowl. Put remaining butter into center of bowl. Pour sugar on top of butter. Next pour salt and water on top of sugar. Do not stir. Microwave on high for 7 minutes. Continue cooking on high at 30 second intervals until candy turns light brown. Do Not Stir! Pour onto foil-covered buttered cookie sheet sprinkled with sliced almonds. Cool. Top with almonds. Do not stir or use spatula- candy sugars if stirred.

*I used what I had on hand- a can of lightly salted mixed nuts instead of almonds. I sprinkled chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee and let them melt and then spread them around.