MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or bars, cut into bite-size chunks
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 teaspoons flour
8 extra-large paper muffin cups (or use regular paper muffin cups, which will make 12 cakes)

Directions
Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; remove from heat. Whisk together eggs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat egg mixture into chocolate until smooth. Stir in flour until just combined. Adjust oven rack to middle position.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a standard-size muffin tin with 8 extra-large muffin papers (papers should extend above cups to facilitate removal). Spray muffin papers with vegetable cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, about 8 minutes. Carefully lift cakes from tin and set on a work surface. Pull papers away from cakes and transfer cakes to dessert plates.

Let's Dish
I confess, I have had limited success making these with the muffin papers.  If you decide to go with 12 cakes, I recommend the foil muffin papers that can be set directly on a baking sheet.  Otherwise, they are very tricky to remove from the muffin tin without making a chocolate lava mess.  I usually bake these in ramekins (be sure to grease them first), and it's much less hassle.  In fact, you can eat them right from the ramekins if you don't want to risk turning them out onto a plate--they'll still look fantastic and taste delicious.  I have 7-ounce ramekins and can make five cakes.  With 4-ounce ramekins I'm guessing you could make about 8 cakes. 

The trickiest part of this recipe is getting the baking time just right.  Using the 7-ounce ramekins, the cakes are just right after about 10 minutes.  With twelve regular sized muffin cups, your cooking time should be closer to 7 minutes.  These are much easier than they look, and the batter can be made a day or two ahead of time, spooned into your ramekins or muffin cups, and then refrigerated.  Just return the cakes to room temperature an hour or so before baking.  These are delicious served with ice cream, whipped cream, or raspberry puree.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com.

ANTIPASTO PLATTER

Filed under Appetizers
Ingredients

1 head Romaine lettuce
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 (8 oz.) bottle Italian-style salad dressing
½ pound thinly sliced cooked ham
½ pound sliced pepperoni
½ pound sliced salami
½ pound cheddar cheese, cubed
½ pound mozzarella cheese, cubed
½ pound pepper jack cheese, cubed
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1 cup whole pepperoncini peppers
1 cup whole black olives
1 cup cherry tomatoes

Directions
Wash and dry lettuce and arrange on a large platter. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon each of garlic salt, dried oregano and about ¼ cup of Italian dressing. Roll up ham, pepperoni and salami and arrange around outside edge of platter. Fill center of platter with cubed cheeses, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes and pepperoncini peppers. Sprinkle with remaining garlic salt, oregano and desired amount of Italian dressing. Serve with Italian bread or crackers.

Let's Dish
This is a beautiful appetizer that feeds a crowd and never fails to impress!  It's really more of an idea than a recipe, so feel free to make substitutions and omissions. When I include mushrooms, I like to marinate them in some Italian dressing for a for a few hours first. This can get a bit pricey with all that meat and cheese, so I usually make it for special occassions and holidays.
 
Who Dished It Up First 
Antipasto in Italian means "before the meal."  This is the original Italian appetizer.

RASPBERRY CREAM GELATIN

Ingredients

1 (12 oz.) package frozen raspberries
1 (6 oz.) package raspberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
10 ounces evaporated milk

Directions
In a mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in the lemon juice and the frozen raspberries. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, until gelatin is just beginning to set.  Add the evaporated milk and beat until thickened, about 4 minutes. Pour into a 2 quart bowl. Refrigerate until set.

Let's Dish
I usually make this Jello salad at Christmas because the color is so pretty and festive. Some people (especially kids) don't care for the rasberry seeds in their Jello, but I love raspberries, so that has never bothered me.  Although I haven't tried this with other gelatin flavors or different fruits, I'm sure it would work.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com 

EASY COCKTAIL MEATBALLS

Filed under Appetizers
Ingredients

60 frozen meatballs
1 (12 oz.) bottle chili sauce
1 (10 oz.) jar grape jelly
½ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions
Place meatballs in large sauce pan or slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meatballs. Heat on low until warmed through and ready to serve.

Let's Dish
This is one of my husband's favorite appetizers.  I know the ingredients sound a bit weird, but trust me, they're good! You could always make your own meatballs, if you have that kind of time on your hands.  I know many people who like to prepare this with jellied cranberry sauce in place of the grape jelly, especially at the holidays.  It's a great recipe for parties and other gatherings since it feeds a crowd and can be kept warm in a slow cooker.

Who Dished It Up First
I honestly can't remember where I first came across this recipe.  I vaguely remember a friend once telling me about "the meatballs made with grape jelly and cocktail sauce."  I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this recipe was included in the very first Crock-Pot instruction manual back in 1971.

SAUTEED GARLIC ASPARAGUS

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1 bunch fresh asparagus
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and asparagus spears; cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until asparagus is tender but still crisp.

Let's Dish
Vegetables don't get much easier than this.  Don't forget to snap of the bottom of the asparagus before you cook it.  Just bend the stalk where the color starts to change from white to green.  For a slightly healthier version, I sometimes pepare this with olive oil instead of butter.  If you like more tender asparagus, lower the heat and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com

APPLE POMEGRANATE SALAD

Ingredients

1 quart (4 cups) heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
6 Red Delicious apples, chopped
2 pomegranates, seeded (reserve some for garnish)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Using an electric mixer, whip cream until soft peaks form; fold in sugar.  Place chopped apples in a large bowl.  Add whipped cream (you may have extra, but use as much as you'd like) and stir.  Gently fold in chocolate chips and pomegranate seeds.  Chill until serving.  Garnish with reserved pomegranate seeds.

Let's Dish
This is the easiest holiday salad ever, especially if you use a tub of frozen whipped topping (although the real stuff tastes much better).  It looks so festive in individual serving dishes, garnished with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.  I like to use the mini chocolate chips in this recipe. You can also add more sugar to your whipped cream if you like it a little sweeter.  And if anyone has a method for seeding pomegranates that doesn't splatter red juice all over the kitchen, I'd love to hear about it!

Who Dished It Up First
My sister made this one Thanksgiving, and I've been making it ever since.  I don't even think she had a recipe.  She just threw everything into a bowl and mixed it up.  Easy. Easy. EASY!

HONEY GLAZED HAM

Ingredients

1 (5 pound) ready-to-eat ham
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
5 tablespoons butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Score ham (if not spiral sliced). Place ham in foil lined pan. In the top half of a double boiler, heat the brown sugar, honey and butter. Stir in cloves. Keep glaze warm while baking ham. Brush glaze over ham, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Baste ham every 10 to 15 minutes with the honey glaze. During the last 4 to 5 minutes of baking, turn on broiler to caramelize the glaze. Remove from oven, and let sit a few minutes before serving.

Let's Dish
This is my favorite way to prepare ham, although I rarely bake it in the oven.  I find it gets a bit dry that way.  You can always tent the ham with foil, but that makes basting difficult.  I usually put the ham in my slow cooker.  It's really easy to remove the lid for basting, and the ham always stays moist.  Of course, the carmelization step doesn't really work in a slow cooker, so if you have your heart set on a crunchy, Honey-Baked-Ham style coating, you'll want to use the oven method.  This works with any size ham, just be sure to adjust your cooking time accordingly.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com

SAUSAGE, APPLE AND CRANBERRY STUFFING

Ingredients

6 cups cubed, dried bread or stuffing mix
2 cups crumbled cornbread
1 pound seasoned ground sausage
1 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 medium apples, cored and chopped
1½ cups dried cranberries
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
½ cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Mix dried bread cubes and cornbread in a large bowl; set aside. In a large skillet, cook the sausage until done; remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  Add butter to the skillet to melt.   Add onions, chopped celery, sage, rosemary and thyme and sauté for about five minutes. Add the butter mixture to the bread mixture, along with the sausage, chopped apples, cranberries and parsley. Drizzle with stock. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon mixture into a large casserole dish or 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for about 40-45 minutes, or until heated through.

Let's Dish
We have a deal at our house.  Turkey for Thanksgiving (for me) and ham for Christmas (for my husband).  Since stuffing is one of my favorite holiday foods, I had to find a stuffing recipe that would work with ham, and this is it.  I've had (crazy) people who don't like stuffing tell me this the best they've ever tried.  I usually use Pepperidge Farms stuffing mix and make up a 9x9 inch pan of cornbread using a Jiffy mix.  But if you want to go homemade all the way, you can use the Homesteader Cornbread recipe from this site.  I never really follow the recipe exactly when I make stuffing, so using a little more or less of something probably isn't going to hurt.  Feel free to experiment until it tastes the way you like it!

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com

GREEN ONION CHEESE BALL

Filed under Appetizers
Ingredients

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon beau monde or bon appetite seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
4 green onions, chopped fine
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions
Mix together cream cheese, seasonings and green onions. Form into a ball then roll in almonds. Refrigerate until firm and serve with crackers.

Let's Dish
I usually make this cheeseball at Christmastime, and it's one of the reasons I look forward to the holidays!  I've found that the easiest (although not the neatest) way to mix this up is with my hands. Don't be fooled by the short list of ingredients.  This is delicious and full of flavor.  I could honestly eat the whole thing myself.  Luckily, my husband and kids love it too, which helps curb my holiday weight gain a bit.  I often make smaller cheese balls as neighbor gifts and deliver them with a box of crackers.  I've had more than one person tell me they ate the whole thing in one sitting.
 
Who Dished It Up First
I got this recipe from my friend Leann.  It's a holiday tradition and her house, and now it's a tradition at mine.

PIZZA ROLLS

Filed under Appetizers
Ingredients

Pizza Dough (click for recipe)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons basil
1 cup sliced pepperoni, chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide pizza dough in half.  Roll each half into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches long.  Sprinkle each half with equal amounts of garlic salt, basil, cheeses and pepperoni.  Starting at a short end, roll dough up tightly to form a log.  Slice into 1-inch pieces.  Place rolls on lightly greased baking sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes or until browned on top.  Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Let's Dish
These pizza rolls are a big hit with kids, and work well as an appetizer or a main dish.  On my last trip to the grocery store, I found Pepperoni Minis by Hormel--cute  little miniature pepperonis that are perfect for this recipe (no chopping required).  To save time, you could use prepared pizza dough.  I resort to this time-saving method often, although I think the homemade stuff is so much better.  Feel free to adapt the recipe to include any of your favorite pizza toppings.

Who Dished It Up First
This is an original recipe, although I'm sure I'm not the first person to come up with the idea.

PIZZA DOUGH

Filed under Breads
Ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup olive oil
1 egg

Directions
Combine water, yeast and sugar in a bowl; set aside for about 10 minutes. Mix egg and oil and add to yeast mixture. Add salt and stir. Gradually blend in flour until a soft dough forms. Oil dough and place in a large bowl. Let rise one hour.

For pizza, divide dough in half and roll out to desired thickness. Spread into 2 pizza pans. Top with sauce and toppings and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

For calzones, divide the dough into 4-6 equal portions and form into circles. Place toppings on half of circle. Fold remaining dough over toppings and seal edges. Brush with milk and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Let's Dish
This pizza dough is a staple at our house, although we most often use it to make breadsticks.  The dough should be very soft, but not sticky, so add the last half cup of flour in slowly to make sure you get it just right.  For pizza, I like to drizzle the crusts with additional olive oil and sprinkle them with garlic salt and Italian herbs before adding the toppings.  And calzones are always fun because everyone can choose their own fillings.

Who Dished It Up First
I got this recipe almost ten years ago when we were living in student housing while my husband worked on his master's degree. We'd gotten  together with friends to make calzones. I still haven't found a better recipe for pizza dough.

RED CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilis
1 tablespoon chili powder
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (19 oz.) jar red enchilada sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium, non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Cube the chicken and return it to the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook a few minutes longer, until onion is soft.  Stir in sour cream, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano and ground black pepper. Heat and stir until cheese melts. Stir in salt, diced chilis, tomato sauce and chili powder. Coat bottom of baking dish with about 1/3 of enchilada sauce. Roll even amounts of the chicken mixture in the tortillas. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and additional cup of cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Let's Dish
These recipe is a nice change from chicken enchiladas made with green sauce. The first time I tried these, I was a little reluctant about all the ingredients that went into the filling, but it really is delicious. You can always use a hot enchilada sauce if you want to spice things up a bit.  Chopped green and/or red peppers are also a nice addition.   I think these taste best when they're made ahead of time, or as leftovers the next day.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com

ROLO COOKIES

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2¼ cups flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (12 oz.) bag Rolos, unwrapped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugars and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda and add to butter mixture. Shape 1 tablespoon dough around 1 Rolo. Dip cookie bottom in chopped pecans. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake until cracked on top, about 8-10 minutes.

Let's Dish
I've seen people put a lot of things in cookies, but this has to be one of the best ideas ever!  This is a must bake holiday cookie at our house.  I find the dough is a little easier to handle if it's been chilled for about 20 minutes. You can omit the nuts, but they help prevent sticking if any carmel escapes during baking.  When we lived at a lower altitude it helped to refrigerate or freeze the Rolos, but now that we're at a higher altitude I find that isn't necessary. I recommend buying extra Rolos, just in case a few go missing while you're baking.

Who Dished It Up First
I got this recipe years ago from a co-worker when we were living in British Columbia, Canada.  I've made it every Christmas since.

Printable recipe

PUMPKIN FLUFF DIP

Ingredients

1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (3.5 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions
In a large bowl, mix together instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Fold in the thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Let's Dish
Dessert doesn't get much easier than this!  My kids love this stuff, and even my husband (who doesn't believe vegetables should ever be made into desserts) said it was "pretty good."  It's great served with graham crackers--especially the cinnamon ones--vanilla wafers, gingersnaps and even apples.  It's pictured here with Four Spice Crackles.  You can use sugar free and/or fat free pudding and whipped topping, which (when served with fruit) makes it a great dessert for diabetics or dieters.  It tastes best when made at least 8 hours in advance.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com

OATMEAL CARMELITAS

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, very soft
2 cups flour
2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup flour
1(14 ounce) bag Kraft carmels
1/4 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine butter, 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt until crumbly.  Press 1/2 of the crumb mixture into a lightly greased, 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven.  Meanwhile, in another bowl, stir together chocolate chips, nuts and 1/4 cup flour; set aside.  In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the caramels and milk, stirring frequently until the caramel is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Sprinkle the chocolate chip and nut mixture over the warm crust.  Pour melted carmel over chocolate chip/nut mixture. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the carmel.  Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Store completely cooled bars in the refrigerator.

Let's Dish
How have I lived for nearly 40 years and never tried this recipe? These are SO good.  You must try them.  I leave the nuts out of many recipes because my husband and children don't like them, but I couldn't bear to leave the nuts out of this one.  The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I thought pecans (chopped into teeny, tiny bits) would go over better around here.  I usually cheat and melt the carmels in the microwave.  If you want to make things really easy, you can use a jar of caramel ice cream topping.  I prefer the real carmel version myself.   

Who Dished It Up First
I saw this recipe posted at Kelli's Cakes and knew I had to try it.  A version of this recipe (the one that uses the carmel ice cream topping) was a Pillsbury Cookoff winner in 1967, submitted by Erlyce Larson.  I've adapted Kelli's recipe to make a 9x13 pan.  I could eat a whole 9x9 pan myself!

POTATO LEEK SOUP

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 5 cups)
2 leeks, washed and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Chopped green onion

Directions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the potatoes, leeks, onion, celery and garlic.  Cook and stir for about five minutes.  Add the chicken broth and milk.  Season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender.  Remove about half of the vegetables from the pot and let cool for 10-15 minutes.  Put cooled vegetables in blender and puree until smooth; return to pot. Add cream and stir to combine.  Reheat if necessary. Serve with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and chopped green onion for garnish.

Let's Dish
I love that this soupy is creamy without using too much milk or cream, thanks to the pureed vegetables.  If you have one of those immersion blenders, you can blend right in the pot.  I always add the optional garnishes--especially the bacon!  I think they make the soup so much better.  But it's best to serve them on the side for vegetarians or those who might be watching their diet.  In fact, you could even serve the cream on the side and let everyone stir in as little or as much as they'd like.  By the way, here's a little tutorial on how to use leeks, just in case you're wondering which part of the leek to put in your soup.

Who Dished It Up First

Another blogger suggested this recipe to me, and I'm so glad she did.  You can find her version of the recipe here.  Her recipe called for carrots, which I think would be delicious, but I have a few family members who disagree, so I left them out.

BAKED CHICKEN DIJON

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cube (½ cup) butter
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
¾ cup dry bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in sauté pan over low heat. Add garlic and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Blend in mustard, stirring well. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Mix cheese and breadcrumbs together, blending well. Dip chicken breast in butter mixture, coating all surfaces, then in breading mixture, packing crumbs on to coat chicken well. Place chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and done on the inside. Top with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Let's Dish
This easy chicken dish takes about 10 minutes to put together. It can even be made earlier in the day and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it. It's one of the first recipes I used when I got married almost 15 years ago.  Probably because it's easy to adjust the number of servings by adjusting the number of chicken breasts you use. I like to combine 1 part mayonnaise and 1 part Dijon mustard and serve it as a dipping sauce on the side (this is especially popular with the kids in the family). 

Who Dished It Up First
I found this recipe in an employee cookbook from a local department store in Rock Springs, Wyoming.  It just so happens it was the same department store where I was registered for my wedding.  Actually, I think it was the only department store in that part of Wyoming where you could register for a wedding.