I Love the Idea of Appetizers. They Say, I Have All the Time in the World. Let S Make An

APPETIZERS:

I love the idea of appetizers. They say, “I have all the time in the world. Let’s make an evening out of this.” Lori sent me this story. I love it.

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door! He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, “What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?!!”

Building up a head of steam he went on. “That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?!!”

“Please, mister, please. I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop...” tears were dripping down the boys chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.

“Thank you and God bless you,” the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long walk back to his Jaguar....a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

God whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes when you don’t have time to listen, He has to throw a brick” at you. It’s your choice: Listen to the whisper—or wait for the brick.

Prayer to your heavenly Father is the best means of communication between two people. Many a marriage has been completely transformed by initiating a practice of regular prayer. The success of many marriages can be attributed to obeying Proverbs 3:5-6, which states, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths

Someone once said, "You can't quarrel with the woman you pray with every day." There is something humbling about getting down on your knees together that is emotionally beneficial to both parties. Many couples have acknowledged that they rise from their knees more genuinely intertwined than before they prayed.

BAKED ONION DIP (JED)

1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (or Swiss)

2 cups Best Foods Real mayonnaise

2 cups chopped sweet onion (Texas Sweet or Vidalia), finely chopped

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

dash garlic salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1 quart baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and sweet onion. Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, or until onions are tender and the mixture is bubbly and lightly browned.

BAKED CHEDDAR VIDALIA ONION DIP

Serves: 16

1 large Vidalia onion or other sweet onion (about 1 lb or 3 cups) finely chopped

4 oz pepper-jack cheese, shredded

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 tsp dried thyme

Heat oven to 375. Place 2 cups onion in a bowl. Place shredded cheeses, cream cheese, mayo, thyme and remaining 1 cup onion in bowl of food processor. Process until fairly smooth. Mix with onion in bowl. Spoon into shallow 6 cup baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir. Bake 10 more minutes. Cool slightly. Serve with crackers or toast.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa By Karen Wood

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

6 - 8 Roma tomatoes diced

1 can shoepeg corn, rinsed and drained

1 - 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 8 oz. can diced green chilies

juice of 1 - 2 fresh limes

1 medium red onion diced

1 tsp cumin (optional)

1 - 2 avocados diced

chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Toss all together and serve with tortilla chips, quesadillas, or fajitas

CHEESECAKE BALL

1cup powdered sugar

1 ½ Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 8 oz. cream cheese softened

1 stick butter

Add cinnamon to taste

Mix the butter and cream cheese then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until firm. Cover and chill in fridge for 6 hours. When semi firm, shape into a ball. [This is still pretty soft, so place in small serving bowl and create ball shape.] Serve with honey or cinnamon Graham cracker sticks, or Vanilla Wafers.

CRAB SPREAD By Kay Rees

1 can crabmeat (fresh may be used)

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup green onion, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

dash Worcestershire sauce

little lemon juice

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix and spread on English muffins. Put under broiler until bubbly and brown around the edges. Can be used on bread rounds for an appetizer.

FROZEN FRUIT COCKTAIL By Kay Rees

12 peaches

2 cup sugar

1 lb green grapes

1 small can crushed pineapple

3 lemons; juiced

3 oranges; juiced

(or 1 1/2 cups orange juice)

frozen raspberries (barely thawed)

Sprinkle peaches with sugar. Cut grapes lengthwise. Mix together and freeze. Serve with frozen raspberries (barely thawed).

GRAPEFRUIT AND CRAB COCKTAIL By Kay Rees

Serves: 16

7 oz crabmeat

2 cups canned grapefruit sections; undrained

1 pt. catsup

46 oz tomato juice

2-4 lemons; juiced

Salt

pepper

little sugar

Tabasco

Worcestershire sauce

Combine and chill thoroughly.

HOT CRAB SPREAD By Kay Rees

1 can crab, drained (squirt lemon over)

2 packages Cream Cheese; softened

2 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion

1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp. horseradish

1/4 tsp. Salt, scant

dash pepper

Blend all ingredients, mixing well and place in greased (9x9) pan. Cover with sliced almonds. Bake in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Serve with crackers (Carr or Matsos brand).

ITALIAN CHEESE BALL By Sharon Salisbury

8 oz Cream Cheese

2 cup grated cheddar cheese

3/4 oz dry Italian dressing mix

2 Tbsp. sour cream

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley

Blend. Form into a ball. Cover with saran wrap. Chill.

LITTLE SMOKIES By JaNae Hay

2 pkgs. li’l smokies

1 bottle chili sauce

1 small jar grape jelly

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hours or until heated through.

LION HOUSE STUFFED MUSHROOMS

50 medium-sized fresh mushrooms

1/2 pound country style sausage

1 package (8oz) cream cheese

3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and remove stems from mushrooms. Combine uncooked sausage with remaining ingredients. Using a small spoon fill each mushroom cap with about two teaspoons of filling. Place in a large baking pan and cover with foil. Place in a 400 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Uncover during the last five minutes of cooking for additional browning.

NACHO APPETIZER By Kay Rees

1 can bean spread or refried beans

8 oz sour cream

1 small can chopped green chilies; mix with sour cream

Guacamole

2 hard boiled eggs; chopped

1 can chopped olives

1 cup grated cheese

2 large tomatoes; chopped

Guacamole: 2 mashed avocados with a little cream cheese, chopped tomato, dash of Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, bacon bits, and chopped green onions. Place in layers in a 8 X 11 casserole dish. Served with Doritos, tortilla chips, or other corn chips.

PARTY CHEESE BALL

8 oz package cream cheese

8 oz crushed pineapple; in its own juice

1 onion; chopped fine

4 oz cheddar cheese

4 oz Monterey jack

Worcestershire sauce

pinch salt/pepper

I am always asked to bring this cheese ball to parties, and I never have any to bring home. Soften cream cheese to room temperature and add it to a bowl. Drain pineapple and mix it with cream cheese. Grate the cheeses and add it along with diced onion. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Incorporate all the ingredients and form a ball. Refrigerate until firm. Optional: Roll in chopped pecans. Serve with crackers.

PINEAPPLE CHEESE BALL By Mary Ann Poppleton

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz crushed pineapple; drain and pat dry

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/4 cup green pepper

RANCH DRESSING CHEESE BALL

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mayonnaise

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup milk

5 oz sliced, almonds; roasted

Combine the ranch dressing mix, mayonnaise, and milk. Mix well. Use 1/2 cup of this dressing mix, blend with cream cheese and beat well with electric mixed. (Refrigerator rest of mix for another cheese ball.) Add cheddar cheese and blend. Cover and freeze for 30 minutes. Shape cheese mixture into ball. Roll cheese ball in roasted almonds.

SEAFOOD SHRIMP BALL By Sharon Salisbury

16 oz Cream Cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 can shrimp, drained

6 oz roka cheese (jar)

6 oz old English (jar cheese)

2 Tbsp. chopped green onions

Blend. Roll in chopped nuts. Is quite wet. Cover in saran wrap and chill.

SHRIMP CHEESE BALL By Mary Ann Poppleton

1 tbsp grated onion (and juice)

1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

16 oz cream cheese; softened

1 bottle old English cheese spread

3/8 tsp garlic powder (or less)

1 can shrimp; drained (not rinsed)

Form into four balls. Chill thoroughly. Roll in chopped nuts or parsley. Can be frozen before adding nuts.

SOUR DOUGH SLICES By Lisa Weller

sour dough baguettes; slices

olive oil

salt

basil

sliced tomatoes

mozzarella cheese; sliced

Spread olive oil and basil on bread and toast in broiler. Top with cheese and tomato slices and broil. Can also be done by making a fresh salsa with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and tomatoes. This can be spread on top of bread and cheese

VEGETABLE PIZZA By Patricia Blau

favorite roll recipe; baked on cookie sheet

----pizza sauce----

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup miracle whip

3 green onions; minced

2 tablespoon dill weed

Flatten roll dough on cookie sheet and bake.

Mix all ingredients of sauce together and spread evenly over roll crust. Toppings: shredded carrots, diced celery, chopped onions, chopped green pepper, sliced olives. Be creative in your choices

Appetizers

BEEF:

Although men and women are more alike than different, any happy marriage must allow for some basic differences.

MONEY A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t want.

BATHROOMS A man has five items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel. The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

ARGUMENTS A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

SUCCESS A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t. A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change and she does.

NATURAL Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about the dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Any married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing.

Before marriage, a man yearns for the woman he loves. After marriage, the “y” becomes silent.

How do most men define marriage? A very expensive way to get your laundry and cleaning done free.

A man said his credit card was stolen but he decided not to report it because the thief was spending less than his wife did.

“There’s a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It’s called marriage.” -James Holt McGavran

A little boy asked his father, “Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?” And the father replied, “I don’t know, son, I’m still paying for it.”

A couple was having a discussion about family finances. Finally the husband exploded, “If it weren’t for my money, the house wouldn’t be here!” The wife replied, “My dear, if it weren’t for your money, I wouldn’t be here.”

All kidding aside, finances are very important to the strength of your marriage. A woman I know has her QVC products mailed to the office so her husband won’t see them. He has confiscated her credit card, but she has memorized her number and continues to order. They have a serious problem. Talk about how money is to be spent and who will manage the checkbook.

BAKED BRISKET By Lori Hurst

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. onion salt

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. celery salt

Worcestershire sauce

Use enough Worcestershire sauce to make paste with above ingredients.

Rub on both sides of the brisket. Wrap in foil and marinate 12 hours or overnight. Before baking redo above sauce and apply. Bake at 250 for at least 1 hour per pound. Remove from oven and pour off liquid. If desired, add favorite BBQ sauce and bake 1 more hour.

BARBECUED BRISKET By Lynda Campbell

4 pound brisket

garlic salt

onion salt

celery salt

Salt brisket heavily with all salts. Cover with liquid smoke. Set in fridge overnight. Bake at 275 for 5 hours covered. Top with barbecue sauce. Uncover, and bake another hour. Serve with rice.