Jill had us over for a Girl’s Night In on Friday and Barbara brought her version of classic artichoke dip, which she kicks up several notches by adding jalapenos, pimentos and sharp cheddar cheese. Yum! 

1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 jar pimentos, 4 oz. drained
6-12 jalapeño slices, chopped,  (adjust to your palate!)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

• Mix everthing together and put in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Bake 30 minutes at 325 degrees.  Serve with Doritos or Frito Scoops.  (I prefer Fritos: had them at the party)

I needed a dessert to take to this month’s Ladies’ Luncheon and wanted to do something different. Not having much of a sweet tooth, I decided to make something combining my two favorite “sweet” flavors: dark chocolate and mint. (I used to count the days until the Girl Scout Cookie drive rolled around again so I could get my annual fix of the their chocolate mint cookies).  These are what I came up with, and they satisfy that flavor craving.

BROWNIES:

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp mint extracxt
1 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cups Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 12 oz. pkg. Hershey’s mint chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the narrow width of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan, and make it long enough for there to be several inches hanging over each of the long ends. You’ll use these as a handle to remove the finished brownies from the pan.
• Beat eggs until foamy. Slowly add sugar. Blend in melted butter. Add vanilla and mint extracts. Beat for several minutes until smooth and frothy.
• Stir together dry ingredients. Sift into the egg mixture. Mix on medium for two minutes until shiny and smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl while doing this.
• Stir in mint choclate chips.
• Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges of the brownies pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• When completely cool, lift carefully from the pan using the parchment “handles” and place onto a cutting surface. Using a sharp roller style pizza cutter (best) or really sharp knife (2nd choice) cut lengthwise into 4 sections, and then crosswise into 8 sections.

WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE

2/3 cups white chocolate chips
1 tsp Crisco shortening

• Put the chips and Crisco in a microwave safe measuring cup and nuke on high for 30 seconds.  Stir. Repeat for additional 15 second intervals stirring after each, until chips are melted and the glaze is smooth.
• Pour into a sandwich size zip lock bag, twist the bag until the glaze is forced into one corner of the bag and, using scissors, make a really tiny snip in that corner.
• Slowly drizzle glaze back and forth over the brownies first one direction, and then the other, to make a criss cross pattern. Put the brownies in the fridge for at least 10 minutes to completely set the glaze.

Julia and her mom, Barbara, are two of my favorite cooks and they both send me terrific recipes. Julia’s made this salad for me several times and it’s wonderful; fresh and light with just a hint of mint. BONUS: Grab some extra fresh mint while you’re picking up the ingredients and treat yourself to a mojito while you’re making dinner! We always do. Barbara recommends making the dressing a little bit ahead of time to let the flavors get to know each other.

1 head lettuce
3 large tomatoes, cut in bite-size chunks
1 Tbsp. dried mint (or 1/2 C fresh, chopped)
1 small onion, sliced in thin crescent shapes
1 green pepper, cut in strips
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 C EVOO
1/3 C fresh squeezed lemon juice (or more to taste)

• Wash lettuce, drain well. Tear up well-drained lettuce in a large bowl; add onion, mint, tomatoes and green pepper strips. Sprinkle with black pepper and garlic powder. Toss and set aside or in refrigerator until ready to serve.
• At serving time, add salt, lemon juice, and oil, mixed together, and toss lightly.
• ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Mix the pepper, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, and EVOO in a screw-top jar and refrigerate until ready to serve. Shake well before pouring over the salad.

I’ve had this recipe copied in my home recipe file for so long I have no idea now where I even got it from, but it’s one of my favorite gumbos.  When fresh okra is in season, definitely give this a try.

1 qt. okra, cut into 1/2 in. pieces    
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs oil
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 qts. water          
1 16 oz. can stewed tomatoes
2-3 lbs shrimp    
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup oil           
2 tbs Worcestershire
1/2 cup flour       
2 small boiled crabs
2 medium onions, chopped             
Salt to taste
1 bell pepper, chopped      
1 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
2 ribs celery, chopped      
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

• Peel and devein shrimp. Set aside in refrigerator. Boil shrimp shells in 2 quarts of water several hours to make a stock. Set aside.
• In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tbs oil and saute the okra about 1/2 hour. Set aside.
• In a large (6-8 qt.) heavy Dutch Oven make a dark brown roux with the oil and flour. Add onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic and parsley and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and cook 15 minutes. Add sauteed okra, shrimp stock, crabs (broken into quarters), Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste. Add the peeled shrimp and continue cooking until the shrimp are done.
• Serve over steamed rice. This dish is best if cooked a day in advance and left overnight.

This was one of the recipes chosen by Jill for her dinner club tapas menu.  It was a real hit. From Coastal Living, September 1999

6 medium-size dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)
1 cup hot water
6 green onions
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skinned and boned chicken thighs
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 serrano chili pepper, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons Thai curry paste
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
1 cup frozen tiny sweet green peas
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 heads romaine lettuce

• Soak mushrooms in hot water 30 minutes; drain, reserving liquid. Rinse mushrooms in cold water; pat dry. Remove and discard stems; thinly slice tops. Pour reserved liquid through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a measuring cup; reserve 1/2 cup.
• Slice green onions, separating green tops from white portions. Set aside.
• Remove excess fat from chicken. Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes.
• Saute chicken in 2 tablespoons hot oil in a large skillet 5 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool. Coarsely chop chicken. Set aside.
• Saute white portion of green onions and serrano pepper in remaining 2 tablespoons hot oil in a large skillet 1 minute; add mushroom liquid, curry paste, coconut milk, and soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, carrot, and next 3 ingredients; simmer 3 minutes. Stir in chicken.
• Whisk together cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in basil and green onion tops. Serve over romaine lettuce leaves.

Yield: 20 appetizer servings

I’ve become addicted to this salad for lunch.  It’s easy to put together, tastes fantastic, and is good for ya to boot! What more could you want?

½ lb. broccoli florets
½ cup chopped pecans
½ lb. cooked crumbled bacon
½ cup raisins
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ medium red onion, sliced
4 tsp Splenda
1 Tbs white vinegar (white Balsamic is my fave)
1 T parmesan cheese

• Toss the first five ingredients in a large salad bowl.
• In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.
• Add to salad bowl. Toss well and serve.