Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries

32 large whole fresh strawberries
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons semisweet or milk chocolate, grated

Slice from the stem end of each strawberry, so they will stand upright on flattened end. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter, pointed end up. Cut down each berry horizontally and vertically to create 4 wedges. Cut into, but not through, the bottom to create a flower petal.
Open the wedges just slightly, taking care not to break through the bottom. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and almond extract until light and fluffy. Gently fold in grated chocolate.
Using a decorating bag with a tip (or a plastic bag with the corner clipped) fill the strawberries. If desired, sprinkle with a little more grated chocolate. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Makes 32 filled strawberries

Artichoke & Mushroom Frittatas

1-15 oz. can artichoke Hearts (quartered)
1 - 8 oz. can sliced Mushrooms
1 Large onion, diced
1 T minced garlic
3 T butter
1 c zucchini, minced
12 eggs
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 c grated Romano cheese
1 c spaghetti sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Saute the onion and the garlic in the butter until the onion is clear, but be careful not to brown.
Add the artichoke hearts, mushrooms, then the zucchini, and saute for another 5 minutes. Spoon this mixture into oiled muffin tins, about half way up.
Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper until frothy. Mix in the grated cheese, then pour evenly over the top of the vegetables. Top each one with a tablespoon of the spaghetti sauce and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges of each frittata and serve.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

fresh pumpkin seeds, cleaned & rinsed
melted butter
salt
seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 300F.
In a bowl, mix pumpkin seeds with melted butter. Grease a cookie sheet (with edges) and spread the pumpkin seeds out on the pan in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt & seasoned salt.
Bake at 300F for 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.
Let cool and enjoy!

Corn on the Cob Spread

2/3 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 T grated parmesan cheese
1 t oregano
1/2 t Tabasco sauce

In a small bowl combine ingredients until combined. Spread on hot ears of corn and enjoy.

Jones Fresh Salsa

My own recipe!

4 large tomatoes, diced
2 bunches green onions, sliced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded & minced
1-2 anaheim peppers, seeded & minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t cumin

3 T minced fresh cilantro
1T lime juice
1/2 t black pepper
1 t salt

Louisiana Style Lil' Smokies

5 slices bacon, diced
1/2 c onion, chopped
3/4 c ketchup
1 c unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 c green pepper, chopped
3 T green pepper sauce
16 oz. Lil' smokies sausages
hot cooked rice

Fry bacon in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat until crisp & brown, about 5 minutes. Drain. Add onion & green pepper and cook until tender, about 5 min.
Stir in pineapple juice, ketchup & green pepper sauce, mixing well.
Add sausages to sauce, bring to a boil. Reduce heat & let simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve over rice as a main dish, or alone as an appetizer.

California Roll Salad

California Rolls
2 c sushi rice (see recipe below)
3 half-size sheets seaweed paper
1/2 c crab meat (minced)
1-2 t hot sauce (optional)
1-2 T Sushi Seasoning
Cucumbers, seeded, peeled & cut into thin strips
Avocado, peeled, pitted * cut into thin strips
mixed greens
Japanese Salad dressing (see recipe below)

To make the crab mixture mix together the minced crab, hot sauce & sushi seasoning. For assembly instructions better than I can write visit the Tokyo Food Page.

Sushi Rice
2 cups (450g) Japanese rice
2¾ cups (630ml) water
1/2 cup (100 ml) rice wine vinegar
2½ tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Cook the rice according to package directions.
Make the vinegar solution. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.
When cooked, spread the hot rice in a flat-bottomed bowl or glass baking dish (the Japanese use a special wooden bowl called a sushi-oke). Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold swiftly with a spatula. Be careful not to mash the rice—just allow the vinegar mixture to come into contact with all of the grains. Move the spatula as if scooping the rice rather than blending it.
Cool the rice swiftly using a paper fan, and gently turn the rice with the spatula. Fanning the rice prevents it from becoming overly sticky, and also adds luster. Use sushi rice immediately—don’t store it in the refrigerator. Cover it with a damp cloth if you won’t be using it for 10 minutes or more, to prevent it from drying out.

Japanese Salad Dressing
Whisk together:
2 T rice vinegar
2 T vegetable oil
2 t sesame oil
2 t soy sauce
salt & pepper, to taste


To assemble salads:
Lay down a layer of mixed greens on a dinner plate. Drizzle dressing over the top. Arrange California rolls on top. Garnish with wasabi & pickled ginger, if desired. Ehjoy!

Falafel with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

1 C dried chickpeas
1 T lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 C fresh curly parsley, stems removed, tightly packed
1 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Vegetable oil for frying

Rinse the chickpeas, then soak them in a medium-size bowl in several inches of water overnight in the refrigerator. (The patties won't hold together as well if you use canned chickpeas.)
To make the sauce, whisk together the yogurt and water in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Makes 1 cup.
Drain the soaked chickpeas and place them in a food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend, scraping the sides if necessary, until the mixture is creamy, about 1 minute total.
Heat an inch of oil in a large, heavy frying pan to 375 degrees (a spoonful of the mixture should sizzle as soon as it's immersed). Scoop up a heaping dinner tablespoon of the falafel mixture and gently place it in the heated oil. Place 4 or 5 more spoonfuls in the pan. Fry the patties until they're thoroughly brown on one side, about 2 to 3 minutes, then flip them to brown the other side.
Drain the patties on a plate covered with a paper towel and sprinkle with additional salt, if desired. Serve with yogurt dipping sauce. Makes 16 to 20 patties.

Yogurt Dipping Sauce
6-ounces of plain yogurt
3 T water
1 T finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade Granola

Good plain as a snack, or with milk for breakfast!
6 c. rolled oats (not the instant kind)
1/2 c. Maple Sugar
1 c. unsweetened dried coconut
1/3 c. raw sesame seeds
1/4 raw sunflower seeds
1/2 c. dried raisins or cranberries (optional)
1 c. almonds or pecans (optional)
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. honey
2 t. vanilla
Mix all dry ingredients together except for raisins/cranberries.
Whish together oil, honey & vanilla. Pour over dry mixture. Stir to coat throughly. Spread on a cookie sheet (or cake pan) and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure even baking. Add raisins/cranberries during the last 5 minutes of baking.
It is important to watch the baking process very carefully. The cereal should be golden brown. Do not overbake.
Let cereal cool on a baking sheet. When cooled, break up any large pieces. Store in an air tight container. Makes 8 cups.