Recipes

I know for those of you out there that haven't eaten any of the following items it will be hard to convince you to make these things without pictures. I promise two things: they are worth your time and I will start taking pics of food. Here we go...

Jezebel Sauce

This recipe is a dip typically used with sliced deli ham as an appetizer. For Cooper's reception I decided to serve it as a condiment on Hawaiian rolls with ham. Recipe is from the Harding Academy cook book.

10 oz of apple jelly
12 oz of pineapple preserves
5 oz horseradish

Heat in a saucepan until melted together and let cool. Spicy and Sweet!!!!

Cupcake Frosting

I was trying to find a recipe that wasn't a traditional buttercream, but also wasn't your typical cream cheese frosting either. Thanks to Smitten Kitchen I found a great frosting: easy to make, easy to pipe onto cupcakes and delish!!!

16 oz cream cheese (room temp)
4 sticks unsalted butter (room temp)
1.5 pounds of xxx sugar
1.5 t vanilla extract

Those all of these into your Kitchenaid stand mixer and let it go until light and fluffy. If you don't have a Kitchenaid stand mixer you can use a hand mixer but tomorrow morning go out and get a Kitchenaid. It will turn you into a baker. Promise.

Pasta Salad

I have never had a great pasta salad recipe. Since I'm addicted to the pasta salad with ham and peas on the Ruby Tuesday's salad bar (why do they change their menu so much?) the perfect recipe was hard to find. Everything I looked at had ingredients I'm scared of (mushrooms, olives, etc.). However, I found this on my FAVORITE recipe site allrecipes.com and by making some substitutions per people's reviews ended up with a great standard pasta salad recipe.

12 oz tri-color rotini
12 oz bacon
1 c mayo
1 packet ranch dressing mix
.25 t garlic powder
.50 t pepper
.50 c milk
1 small container grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 small box of frozen peas
4 carrots, shredded

-Bowl pasta in salted water per package directions. Throw in frozen peas right before it's done. Drain and set aside.
- Cook bacon. Drain and chop.
- In a large bowl mix mayo, dressing mix, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir in milk until smooth.
- Throw in the remaining ingredients and stir to coat.
- Cover and chill at least one hour.

Stutgart Cheese

I might be spelling that wrong, but it doesn't matter. This dip/spread is amazing. It is also a Harding Academy recipe and is a staple at Osgood family functions. I serve it in a pumpernickel bread bowl with cubes of bread or crackers. During my pregnancy I literally made a batch of this and ate it and ONLY it for 3 days until it was gone.

16 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
16 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
12 green onions, chopped
1 small package sliced almonds
2 c mayo
2 T Dijon mustard

Throw in a bowl and mix. Refrigerate overnight if possible.

Note: Sometimes shredding your own cheese makes a big difference in a recipe, but not in this instance. Buy it pre-shredded.

Note: Jane also recommends putting this on bread and putting it under the broiler. I am tempted to do just that with some Pepperidge Farm Hearty White with some leftover ham under the cheese. Mmmm....

Potato Salad

This recipe is relatively new to me as well, but since it came from allrecipes I knew it would be a hit. I served with ribs, rolls, a green salad and cake. Made for a great summer dinner with great friends.

2 lb new potatoes, cleaned and cubed
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
16 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 T relish
1 c sour cream
2 T mustard
1 c mayo
dash of paprika
S&P to taste

- Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, but still firm; drain and let cool
- Add all other ingredients to cooled potatoes and mix.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Note: You can buy hardboiled eggs in Publix's deli which makes me much more inclined to make things with hardboiled eggs as an ingredient. I've never mastered hard boiling eggs. If you have, let me know how.