Yes, it’s supposed to be spelled “pimiento.” But Southerners like the ones in our family pronounce it “pimennah,” so the spelling hardly matters. Once you make this, you will never settle for the bland or just plain nasty stuff from the grocery store, ever again. One more thing – we hardly ever make this without the sharp and tangy Tillamook and Cabot cheddar cheeses that … Continue reading Pimento Cheese Spread
We assume you all know how to make this. On the other hand, whenever Carla has taken this to a potluck, this disappears immediately, so maybe some people haven’t figured out the ingredient ratios yet. One year, she made this so the kids would eat a little something before heading out for New Year’s Eve festivities; the boys and their friends stood around the crockpot … Continue reading Carla’s Ordinary Queso Dip
Blend all ingredients except corn until cheese dip is smooth; blend in corn, and chill before serving. We like this with lightly salted tortilla chips. See, that was easy. *When you are seeding or cutting any hot chile pepper, use vinyl or nitrile kitchen gloves. If you are working with a pepper higher on the Scoville scale than the jalapeño, consider safety glasses, too. Continue reading Confetti Dip
Similar to Parmesan crisps, these are salty, crunchy and as much fun for the kids to make as Rice Krispies bars. Cream butter and cheese together; add flour and mix with Tabasco. Mix cereal in by hand. Chill the mix for at least one hour. Form into small balls and flatten with fork before baking on ungreased cookie sheet, 375 degrees for 15 to 20 … Continue reading Cheese Crisps
Back in the early 1980s, when Laura and Carla sang in the choir at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, this was a new and very chic treat to bring to a party. Fifty years later, it’s still delicious. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in 9 x 13 baking pan; heat until warm and slightly browned. Serve immediately with crisp crackers, tortilla chips, or toasted … Continue reading Artichoke Dip
Oh, man, we loved this when we were kids. We also loved it when Mom made us afterschool treats of anchovy paste on buttered toast points … yes, we also loved chocolate chip cookies and Lucky Charms, but Eastern European treats have so much of that lovely salty fatty umami that one just craves sometimes. We honestly thought this was lost until the kids came … Continue reading Mamcik’s Paté
This recipe is a work in progress. Carla is still trying to get it close to tasting like the mousse served at Kansas City’s old Californos restaurant; the first time she and a friend ordered it, they wolfed it down until there were only smears of it left in the serving dish. When the waiter tried to take the dish away, they nearly rapped the waiter’s knuckles and made him leave it on the table; they ended up scraping the last of the mousse off the sides of the dish with their fingers. Continue reading Shrimp and Salmon Mousse
We’d forgotten about this dip, and were delighted to find the recipe when we were digging through old recipe boxes to find our favorites for this book. Wow, is it good. Continue reading Shrimp Dip
Here’s a forgotten recipe from the 1960s. Why did we stop making this when it tasted so good? Continue reading Beef and Cheese Ball
The vivid red and green layers make this great for the Christmas holidays, and also as an appetizer for an Italian dinner party. Continue reading Layered Red and Green Pesto with Cream Cheese
Around Our Table 