CRAB AND CORN CHOWDER

Ingredients
3 large potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 quart (4 cups) half and half
1 pint (2 cups) milk
1-2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 (6 oz.) cans lump crab meat
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar


Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Peel and dice potatoes.  Add potatoes to boiling water and cook until just tender, 5-10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat.  Add garlic, onions and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook for an additional minute or two.  Whisk broth into butter/flour mixture and continue cooking and stirring until mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in half and half, milk, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Add cooked potatoes, crab meat and corn. Simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes, adding more broth or milk if soup becomes too thick.  Just before serving, stir in red wine vinegar.

Let's Dish
My husband is a big fan of clam chowder, but I like this crab chowder even more.  The recipe as originally given to me didn't use corn, so feel free to leave that out, but I think it really adds to the dish.  As with most soups, you can always use a little less of this or a little more of that, depending on what you have on hand.  Since this chowder uses half and half instead of cream, I feel a little less guilty having a second bowl.  I like to have a bottle of hot sauce on the table, for those who want to spice their chowder up a bit.

Who Dished It Up First
My friend and neighbor Micah passed this recipe on to me.

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MUMMY POPS

Ingredients
1 (18 oz.) package Oreo cookies
2 pounds white candy melts
1 cup miniature M&M's candies
Sucker sticks

Directions
Carefully separate Oreo cookies so you have one side with filling and one without.  Melt 1 pound of white chocolate according to package directions.  Dip the end of a sucker stick into the melted chocolate. Gently press the chocolate coated stick into the center of the Oreo filling.  Carefully put the cookie back together.  Repeat with remaining Oreos.

Dip the cookie sucker into the melted chocolate to coat completely.  Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. While the chocolate is still soft, place two mini M&M's eyes about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the cookie. Repeat with remaining cookie suckers.  Melt more white chocolate as needed to coat all of the suckers.  Place remaining melted chocolate into a large zip-top plastic bag and snip off a small corner.  Pipe "mummy wrapping" over the suckers in a random pattern.  Allow cookie pops to set completely before wrapping.

Let's Dish
Once I got the hang of it, these were pretty easy to put together.  I broke a few Oreos in the process, but that's okay--I just at those.  Be sure to secure your stick in the center of the cookie with some white chocolate.  Otherwise, everything falls apart when you go to dip the cookies. If you can find candy googly eyes, those are great in place of the mini M&M's. Once these have been individually wrapped, they can be stored in the freezer for up to a month.

Who Dished It Up First
I found these here, at How Does She?  Check out the other Halloween cookie pops--ghosts and tombstones!

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PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH CARMEL FROSTING

Ingredients
Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in pumpkin. In a medium bowl, sift together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
 
To make frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool then stir in confectioner's sugar.  Spread frosting over cooled cookies.
 
Let's Dish
The frosting is the star of these cookies, and it's a nice change from the cream cheese frosting that often accompanies pumpkin desserts (I love that version too, though).  Really, they're more like little pumpkin cakes. They're so moist, I've left them out on the counter overnight and they were still fantastic the next day.  These don't flatten much during baking, and the dough is a bit sticky to flatten it before baking.  I flatten mine slightly with the bottom of a glass just as they come out of the oven.  Once they're frosting, no one knows!  This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.
 
Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from allrecipes.com
 
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PARMESAN GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES

Ingredients
1.5 pounds potatoes, cubed
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Arrange potatoes in prepared pan.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic, parsely flakes, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat potatoes evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Stir once half-way through baking time.

Let's Dish
These potatoes are a good example of how keeping it simple is often best.  There aren't a lot of fancy ingredients, but they taste fabulous and make a great side dish for almost any meal.  You can use a metal baking pan or sheet, but the potatoes will brown more quickly, so keep an eye on them.  Any variety of potato will do, but I like to use red or Yukon Gold.  Keep in mind that your cooking time will vary depending on how large or small you chop your potatoes.  My six year-old covers his in ketchup, but they really are tasty just the way they are.

Who Dished It Up First
This is an original recipe, although I'm sure I'm not the first person to cook potatoes this way.

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CHICKEN PARMESANIA

Ingredients
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 chicken cutlets or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups jarred tomato sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices

Directions
Preheat broiler. Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan in a shallow bowl. Season chicken with salt and  pepper. Dip chicken in the beaten egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat both sides.
Spread tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 10 x 15 inch baking dish. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 4 chicken cutlets in skillet and cook until golden, 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer browned cutlets to the baking dish, placing them on top of sauce. Repeat with remaining oil and cutlets. Top each cutlet with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Broil about 4 inches from heat source until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Let's Dish
This is a classic dish that always goes over well with kids and adults.  It's also quick to make and comes together in about 20 minutes.  Using fresh mozzarella makes a huge difference, so I definitley recommend it.  I like to serve this with a side of pasta and some crusty bread.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.

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APPLE CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE

Ingredients
Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)


Brown Sugar Glaze
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 9x13-inch pan and set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Add the oil and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon and continue stirring the batter til the flour disappears. Add the apples and nuts; mix well. Scrape the batter into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack.

While the cake is still hot, prepare the glaze.  Combine the brown sugar, butter, vanilla and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Continue cooking for 3 minutes. Spoon the hot glaze over the still warm cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan.

Let's Dish
I saw this cake over at Lick the Bowl Good a few weeks ago and made it that very day.  My kids smelled it baking and kept asking when it would be done.  After tasting it, they proclaimed it the best cake they've ever had.  I think it was even better the next day.  In fact, I made it again the same week. It's so moist and delicious, and tastes a lot like a carmel apple.  It's a great fall recipe, but one that I plan on making year round.  If you don't have any heavy cream, evaporated milk is a good substitute.
 
Who Dished It Up First
This recipe was originally published in the Southern Cakes cookbook, but I found it at Lick the Bowl Good.
 
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CHERRY TOMATO CRISP

Ingredients
1 pound (about 4 cups) cherry tomatoes
2 slices white sandwich bread
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, combine bread, Parmesan cheese, parsley leaves, olive oil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse until bread is very coarsely chopped, 4 to 6 times. Drizzle an 8-inch square baking dish with olive oil, or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange cherry tomatoes in a single layer and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture. Bake until crust is browned and tomatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let's Dish
I saw this recipe in my Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook and couldn't wait for my garden to produce enough cherry tomatoes to make it.  (I use the term garden loosely).  It's quick, easy and really delicious!  In fact, I plan to plant more cherry tomatoes next year so I can make it more often.  I find it helps to cut the larger tomatoes in half, so everything cooks evenly.  If your tops gets brown before the tomatoes are done, just cover it with some foil and cook it a few minutes longer.  This dish is a perfect compliment to almost any meal.  I've even been known to eat it on it's own for lunch.

Who Dished It Up First
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

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