Avocado Deviled Eggs

Recipe given by Krysti Larsen

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced

3 slices cooked turkey bacon, chopped, divided

2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/8 teaspoon cayenne peppersea 

salt to taste

1 jalapeno pepper, sliced (optional)

1 dash hot sauce, or to taste (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Scoop egg yolks into a bowl; add avocado, 2/3 of chopped turkey bacon, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mash egg yolk mixture until filling is evenly combined.Spoon filling into a piping bag or plastic bag with a snipped corner. Pipe filling into each egg white; top with a turkey bacon piece, jalapeno slice, and dash hot sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Recipe given by Nancy Darling

2 cans chicken breast

2 8oz pkgs cream cheese

1/2 cup mild pepper sauce

1 cup ranch dressing

1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

Put chicken and sauce in pan.  Heat up.  Mix in cream cheese.  Continue until melted.  Add Ranch Dressing and 1/2 of cheese mix.  put in a crockpot or shallow casserole dish to keep warm.  Cover with rest of the shredded cheese.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 T)

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 t balsamic vinegar

6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced or chopped

1 t kosher salt, more or less to taste

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper, more or less to taste

1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

-Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  As the water is heating make shallow cuts in a cross patter at the tip ends of the tomatoes (this will make the tomatoes easier to peel).  Once the water is boiling, remove the pot from the heat.  Put the tomatoes in the hot water and blanch for 1 minute.  Remove with a slotted spoon and let sit until cool enough to handle.  Then gently peel off the tomato skins.  Cut out the stem base with a pain knife.  Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters and squeeze out mot of the juices and seeds.

-Preheat the over to 450F with a rack in the top slot of the oven. Finely chop the tomatoes and place them in a medium bowl.  Mix in the minced garlic, 1 T extra virgin olive oil, and the balsamic vinegar.  Stir in the thinly sliced basil and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, adding more to taste.  Note, tomatoes love salt; you may need to add more than you expect.

-Use a bread knife to slice the baguette on diagonal making half-inch thick slices.  Brush one side of each slice with olive oil (a pastry brush helps here) and place olive oil-side down on a baking sheet or roasting pan.  The baguette slices will toast best in the top rack of your oven, so you may need to work in the batches to toast them all.  When the oven has reached 450F place the slices in the oven on the top rack and toast for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.

-Arrange the toasted bread on a platter, olive oil side facing up (the olive oil will help create a temporary barrier keeping the bread from getting soggy from the chopped tomatoes.)  Either serve the toasts plain with a bowl of the tomato brushed mixture on the side for people to top their own, or use a spoon to gently top each toasted bread slice with some of the tomatoes mixture.  If you top each slice individually, do it right before serving.  

The person that brought this recipe said they used two can of petite diced tomatoes and added sliced mozzarella.

Bacon and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Recipe given by Holly Beck

8 oz bacon
1/2 cup finely minced sweet onion
1 clove garlic, minced
16 oz white button mushrooms
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut raw bacon into small pieces.  In a large state pan, over medium heat, cook bacon until nice and crispy.  While bacon is cooking, remove mushroom stems from caps and chop stems into small pieces.  When bacon is done, remove from pan and set aside; reserve 2 T  of bacon grease and pour the rest from pan.  Saute onion until soft and about 5 minutes, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pan.  Add chopped mushrooms stems and garlic and cook a few minutes longer.  Reduce heat to low.  Add cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until cheese are melted.  Add reserved chopped bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper.  (Mixture can be made, cooled, and stored, covered, in the fridge for up to two days.)  Remove mixture from heat and stuff each mushroom cap generously with mixture.  Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and filling is nice and hot.

PF Changs Lettuce Wraps

Recipe given by Paula Taylor

1 T olive oil

1 Pound ground chicken 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 T soy sauce

1 T rice wine vinegar

1 T freshly grated ginger

1 t Sriracha, or more, to taste

1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 head butter lettuce

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.

Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes.; season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.

Paula served this with diced chicken instead of ground chicken and she left the Sriracha out of the recipe.

Fruit Dip

Recipe given by Natalie Taylor

2 packages of cream cheese
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
two score candy bars or any toffee or brittle

Mix first three ingredients till smooth.  Crumble toffee and sprinkle on top.  Serve with fruit.