LUCK IS FOR LEPRECHAUNS

The theme for March's recipe exchange is LUCK IS FOR LEPRECHAUNS. Please bring one of your recipes you know never fails. Whether it's the quick meal thrown together last minute, or the one you showcase for your guests, we could all use a few more trusted recipes. Hope to see you Wednesday, March 11 at 7:45 at the Tovar home (9034 Broadmoor Bend) for some good eats.

Once you have decided on your recipe, please leave it as a comment on this post or send me an email so we can add it to the final post. If you needed recipes from the previous exchange, check out February's post. (We are missing some of the recipes. . .if you are someone who forgot to send me your recipe, REPENT! Just add in in the comment portion of the previous post.)

Thanks for all the food and fun Wednesday night. I have received a lot of recipes, but we are still missing some. For those who still need to send it, please either post it in the comment section or email me. Next time I will have tags for everyone to set by their dish so they can find the desired recipe on this blog. Without further ado, the recipes.



DRINKS AND APPETIZERS

Brazilian Lemonade (Sabrina)

~1 large lime, with smooth skin (the smoother the skin, the juicier the lime)
~1/2 c. sugar
~2 to 3 tblsp. sweetened condensed milk
~3 c. water
~ice

Wash and scrub the lime with a little bit of soap. Rinse well. Cut off the ends of the lime and cut fruit into eight pieces. Place lime pieces in a blender. Add sugar, sweetened condensed milk and water. Cover blender and pulse (on-off) five times on high speed. Strain the lemonade to remove lime rinds. Pour lemonade over ice. Raspberries, strawberries, pineapples, or coconut also can be added to the lime mixture before blending.


Roast Beef Roll-Ups (Michelle)

1 container (8 oz) cream cheese spread
3-4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
6 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 (6-7 inch) flour tortillas
½ lb thinly sliced deli roast beef (8 slices)

Combine cream cheese and horseradish; mix well. Thinly slice tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. For each roll, spread tortilla evenly with 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture. Top with 5 tomato slices, 5 cucumber slices, 3 red onion slices, and 1 roast beef slice. Roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Wrap filled tortillas individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate, seam side down for 30 minutes. To serve, cut each roll crosswise into thirds.
Yield: 24 appetizers

(Variation: Turkey Roll-Up: Omit horseradish. Substitute chive and onion cream cheese spread for the cream cheese and thinly sliced deli peppered turkey breast for the roast beef slices. Prepare as recipe directs.)

Bruchetta (Becca)

1 loaf of french bread(I use a baguette because it is easier when serving a large group of people)
1 large tomato
Feta Cheese(I've used some flavored with Basil and Sun dried tomatoes)
Olive Oil
Basil

Slice bread into thin slices. Toast in the oven on 400 until warm and crispy. While it is toasting chop tomato into small pieces, try to get rid of as much liquid as you can. Mix in a small bowl, tomatoes and feta cheese crumbles. (Use as much cheese as you would like). Remove bread from oven and top each piece with a spoonful of tomato mixture. Drizzle each piece with olive oil and garnish with basil. Bake at 400 until warm.

---It is just as good without the cheese or with mozzarella cheese! Enjoy!


Joe's Crab Shack Warm Crab Dip (Jennifer)

Ingredients-

* One 8 Oz pkg Cream Cheese
* 2 Cans crabmeat (drained)
* 1/4 Cup diced green onions
* 1 Tbs minced mild red chili pepper
* 1 Tbs mild green chili pepper, minced.
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp white pepper
* 2 Tbs shredded parmesean cheese
* Paprika for garnish.
* 1 tsp minced fresh parsley for garnish.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Combine cream cheese with crab, green onions, chili peppers, salt and white pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine.
3. Spread mixture into the bottom of an oven safe dish. Use a wide dish for this is so the dip is only about and inch deep in the bottom.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese over the surface of the dip.
5. Broil 3 or 4 minutes or until cheese on top begins to brown.
6. Sprinkle paprika over the dip, followed by the fresh minced parsley.
7. Serve with sliced toasted bread, tortilla chips or crackers.

Black Bean Salsa (Lorena)
2 cans Black Beans, drained
2 small plum tomatoes, diced
2 small avocado (or more if desired), diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
salt to taste

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Chill in the fridge for flavors to blend. Serve with chips.

Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce Cream Cheese Dip (Kimberli)
This is a great recipe to use in a pinch... I always have these ingredients on hand and its easy to throw together.

* Cream cheese - softened
* Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (my favorite brand is by Fischer & Wieser)
* assortment of your favorite crackers

Spead cream cheese into a shallow dish. For Wednesday's party, I cut the cream cheese into a heart shape with a cookie cutter. Cover with Raspberry Chipolte sauce. Enjoy!

Side note: "Fischer & Wieser" started in Fredericksburg, TX. You can sample the products from their first store "Das Peach Haus". They have lots of yummy sauces and tons of recipes. Rather than make the trip to the Hill Country, you can pick up a bottle at HEB or grab a larger (and much cheaper) bottle at Costco.



VEGETABLES/SALAD


Ginger Soy Asparagus (Kaori)

1 lbs asparagus, cut ends off
2T soy sauce
1T oil (I use olive oil)
1 1/2 t sugar
1 1/2 t sesame seeds, you can either toast them or buy them already toasted
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4-1/2 t cumin

In a medium saucepan or steamer, cook asparagus until crisp and tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain and plunge in cool water. (I always skip this step and eat it warm) Drain again and put in a large serving bowl.

In a small bowl, mix other ingredients. Pour mixture over veggies tossing to coat. Enjoy!!
**You can also substitute the asparagus for fresh green beans.


MAIN DISHES

Shrimp alfredo (Arianne)

shrimp- fresh or frozen
butter
minced garlic
1 can petite diced tomatoes (drained)
1 jar alfredo sauce
basil
parsley
parmesan cheese
fettuccine pasta


Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook shrimp on medium in butter and garlic until shrimp makes a "c" shape. Drain and set aside. Cook alfredo sauce, tomatoes, basil, and parsley until warm. Add shrimp. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Chicken Crescent Rolls (Rachelle)


2 TBSP butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large celery stalk, diced
2 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1/2 bunch of green onions, sliced
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1 packages of refrigerated crescent rolls
3 TBSP butter melted
1/2 cup bread crumbs

SAUCE:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese


Mix the butter, cream cheese, salt, and pepper together until well blended. Stir in the cut veggies and chicken until evenly coated with the cream cheese mixture. Separate each crescent roll out on an ungreased cookie sheet. Evenly distribute the mixture onto the wide end of each crescent roll. Fold the two corners of the wide end of the crescent roll into the middle of the triangle then roll up the rest of the crescent roll. Pinch the dough together to prevent any of the mix from spilling out. Dip each filled roll into butter and then into bread crumbs. Place back on the cookie sheet. Cook at 375 for 15-18 mintues. Combine all the ingredients of the sauce in a small sauce pan. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

DESSERTS

Chocolate-Hazelnut Ravioli (Julie)
16 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten to blend
1 cup Nutella
Veggie oil for frying
Granulated sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
Mint leaves for a garnish (optional)

Brush the edges of wrapper with egg. Spoon 1 tbls Nutella into center of the wrapper. Fold diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat about 2 inches worth of oil in pan for frying over medium heat.

Add ravioli to hot oil and cook until golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. You can keep the cooked ones in the oven to keep warm.
Dust with powdered sugar.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place on a baking sheet and rewarm at 375 just until they are heated through, about 7 min.)

Chocolate Eclair Dessert (Haley)

Crust
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup water

Boil butter and water. Then remove from heat and add:

* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 tsp salt

Let mixture cool for 2 minutes. Then add:

* 4 eggs, one at a time until mixture is smooth and puffy

Bake in ungreased 9x13 pan at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let crust cool and shrink.

Topping
* 2 small pkgs French Vanilla instant pudding
* 3 cups milk
* 8 oz melted cream cheese
Combine ingredients together and allow it to set. Spread this mixture onto colled crust. Top with 1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip. Drizzle chocolate on top.


Chocolate Ricotta Pie (Danielle)

Crust

* 1 and 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 2 and 1/2 oz melted butter
* 2 TBSP sugar

Mix ingredients together well, shape inside 9" pie plate. Reserve and cool.

Filling
* 1 lb ricotta
* 3/4 cup confectionery sugar
* 1 tsp Almond Extract
* 1 cup toasted almonds
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 and 1/4 cup heavy cream

Combine ricotta, sugar, and extract in a bowl and set aside. Combine nuts and chocolate. Grind 1/3 at a time in an electric blender. Do not grind too fine. Fold ricotta and nut mixtures together and chill. Whip heavy cream until stiff and fold into the chilled ricotta mixture, half at a time. Spoon into the chilled crust and let sit overnight before serving.

Easy Crockpot Chocolate Fondue (Elizabeth)

--3 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet, dark, milk, or white. Your choice.)
--1 cup heavy cream
--1 tsp vanilla

optional
you can doctor this up with:

--1 tsp peppermint, orange, coconut, etc. extract

The Directions:

Put chocolate chips in a small crockpot. Add the heavy cream and teaspoon of vanilla. Cover. Plug in and cook on low for about an hour. Stir.

If you do not have a small crockpot, you can put an oven-safe dish inside of a larger crockpot. Do not add water. There's no need to create a water bath for melting chocolate in the crockpot. It melts nice and slow.

Serve with apple chunks, banana slices, cubes of pound cake, mandarin oranges, cubes of bread, strawberries, or marshmallows.