Cheese Puffs

Made up a batch of these for our New Year's Eve Party. They had great flavor, but ours toughened up as the cooled, so we enjoyed them most when they were hot out of the oven.

*1 loaf crusty French bread

*1/2 stick butter

*3 cloves garlic, minced

*1 whole shallot, minced

*1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

*8 oz. cream cheese, sliced (I used 1/3 less fat)

*1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, grated

*Salt and pepper, to taste

*2 egg whites, beaten

Cut French bread into 1-inch cubes; set aside. In a skillet, over medium heat, heat butter until melted. Add garlic and shallot and saute for about 1 minute. Add Dijon, stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add cheddar cheese, slowly, and stir until melted.

Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and fold in egg whites.

Dunk bread cubes into cheese mixture to fully coat. Put coated cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. At this point the cubes can be stored in a freezer bag in the freezer until needed.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375. Place frozen cubes on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.

I could have sworn I took pictures when we served these, but my camera tells me otherwise. Imagine a cheesy melted bread cube or look at the link above for pictures.

Nelson Chip Dip

This chip/veggie dip is a standard at all Nelson family parties. Credit is given to my grandpa for coming up with this.

*1 pkg cream cheese (use the 1/3 less fat if you'd like), very soft

*2-3 green onions, finely sliced

*6-ish strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
*1/4 green pepper, chopped

*1/2 tsp. garlic powder (more or less to taste)

*1/4 c. (appx) milk

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy and whipped. Add milk and mix to desired consistency. Beat in garlic powder to incorporate. Stir in green onions, green peppers, and bacon. This gets better as it sits, so make it a day ahead and refrigerate overnight. Stir in milk to thin if necessary before serving.

This household likes it with crinkly potato chips, carrots, radishes and celery. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Hummus

I made a batch of this the day before Thanksgiving and have had to make a couple subsequent batches to feed my addiction. I think the hummus is delicious and healthy (pretty sure the bags of pita chips aren't so much), but we've also tried this on veggies, tortilla chips, as a sandwich spread (on whole wheat rolls, with turkey...amazing!) and my husband has declared this the dip-of-the-year.

*3 cloves garlic

*2 TBSP. fresh parsley

*1 1/4 c. garbanzo beans, cooked, rinsed, drained (I think this is probably close to one can)

*2 TBSP. tahini

*2 TBSP lemon juice

*1 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil

*1 c. canned pumpkin

*1 tsp. cumin

*1/2 tsp. salt

*1/4 tsp. paprika

*1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne

*2 tsp. maple syrup

In a food processor, pulse garlic and parsley for about 10 seconds. Add garbanzo beans and puree for about 20 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. This makes about 2 c. Cover and it will keep in the fridge for a couple days. If you've got some pumpkin seeds or pepitas, chop and sprinkle on top for presentation if you'd like.

Cream Cheese and Chive Wontons

There's a Chinese restaurant in Bountiful called Joy Luck that makes amazing cream cheese won tons. They don't add any crab to them like most places, which I appreciate because I don't care for crab. Anyway, that's where I got my idea for these won tons.

Step 1 - Dice some chives. I just grabbed a handful from my herb garden and diced them into tiny pieces.

Step 2 - Mix diced chives with 4 oz. softened cream cheese.

Here are the won ton wrappers I buy. You can pick them up in the produce section of any grocery store. They're usually between $2 and $3 for a package of 48. I used about half for this batch, so I just saved the rest for when I make them again.

Step 3 - Get a cup of water and place it next to the won ton wrappers. Water is what will make the edges stick together. Then place a dime-sized scoop (don't go any bigger than this or they will be too full) of your cream cheese and chive mixture in the center of a won ton wrapper. Then wet the edges with your finger as shown below.

Step 4 - Fold bottom corner of won ton wrapper directly over to make a triangle and push the edges together.

Step 5 - Wet the two bottom corners of the triangle and fold one side over top of the other.

Here is the finished pile of won tons ready to be fried.

Step 6 - Heat about 1/2" oil in a skillet. When oil reaches 350 degrees, add about 6 won tons at a time and turn when the first side is golden brown and crisp. When both sides are crispy, transfer to a paper towel to cool down.

Here is what they should look like when they are finished and ready to eat.

It's as simple as that. I chose to serve them with some sweet and sour sauce (you can make your own or pick some up at the grocery store) and some fried rice. Perhaps Keri will post her recipe for fried rice, because it's really good, and I'm tired. :)