2 cans ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS  Rinse and dry.
1 1/2 cups fresh PARMESAN CHEESE grated fine....or buy in deli.
1/2 cup MAYO
3 CLOVES GARLIC, finely minced
2 teaspoons+FRESH LEMON JUICE 
2 teaspoons  LEMON ZEST
1/4 cup PINE NUTS coarsely chopped
 

Use cookie sheet with sides or jellyroll pan. Put bottoms in pan. Make sure they lie flat, may have to slice a little of the bottom of the bottoms.  Combine Parmesan cheese, mayo, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Mound mixture into bottoms. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake 20 minutes 350 degrees. If the bottoms are large, you can cut each bottom into halves or fourths for easier eating by guests.

Tip: You can fix the bottoms, make the mixture, fill the bottoms before guests arrive. Sprinkle with nuts and bake. Very rich, very good, very easy to make.

It used to be King Crab Spread but Alaskan King Crab is hard to find at any cost. So now I use imitation King Crab. This has been favorite Holiday comfort food for almost 40 years in our family. Makes for colorful Holiday party fare, easy to take to parties.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Louis Kemp imitation crab meat. Cut in small pieces.
2  (8 oz size) cream cheese
dash of fresh lemon juice
Sprinkle of garlic powder 
1 or 2 Tablespoons Mayo
Dash or 2 of tobasco
Cocktail sauce -- store bought or homemade

Soften cream cheese in microwave. Blend in other ingredients with spatula or fork. Put on 2 salad size plates, flatten down to about 1 inch, leaving space between crab spread and rim of plate. Cover  with plastic wrap. Refrigerate. Can be made 2 or more days ahead of time, keeps real well. When ready to serve, cover top of crab spead with cocktail sauce. Serve with small spreader knife and triscut crackers.

Note: If you like more crab meat....use one pkg of crab to one pkg of cream cheese.

Put all ingredients except chicken in blender, cover and run on speed 2 (low) until smooth. Add chicken, run on speed 4 ( high) until chicken is chopped. Stop blender during processing and push ingredients toward blades with rubber spatula. makes 1 cup.
Today you can mix in food processor.

Make small Cream Puffs and stuff with chicken mixture for parties - make bigger cream puffs for a luncheon

Melt butter in boiling water in saucepan on stove
Add flour and dash of salt - stir vigorously
Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that does not separate
Remove from heat and cool slightly
Add eggs and beat with mixture until smooth.
Drop dough onto baking sheet using 1 teaspoon of dough for each puff.
Bake 350 - 400 for abt 15 to 20 min
Remove puffs from oven - cool and split.

Option: can add 1/2 cup shedded Swiss Cheese to mixture after beating in eggs.

Note: for parties I would make up several batches of chicken salad and cream puffs. Put together day of party - can store in Refrigerator after adding the chicken to puffs.

2 Cups Mayo
2 Cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons Dill Weed
3 Tablespoons instant onions
3-4 Tablespoons parsley
1 Tablespoon sweet parsley

Mix all together. Chill.
Keeps a long time in refrigerator. 

When I was 20 years old, I attended my first "Welcome Aboard" Naval Officer Wives function. It was given by a Senior Officer's wife who happened to live a couple of  blocks away from my Grandparents. Her buffet brunch table was covered with many appealing things but my eyes were focused on the mellon balls in the crystal compote with frosted grapes hanging over the side. She shared her recipe with me that day - and over the years I have dazzled adults and children alike with frosted grapes. I share with you.

I like to get big, seedless grapes. Sometimes I get green, red, and black, other times just all of one color, depending on what is available. 

Seedless Grapes
Sugar
Egg Whites
Wax paper

Wash grapes well. With scissors, cut into small bunches. let dry.  Dip small grape bunches into egg whites, roll them in granulated sugar, covering real well. Put on wax paper to dry. That's it!

Keep on wax paper until ready to use them, either as a garnish for another dish or just by themselves in crystal bowl.

DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE REFIGERATOR. The sugar will melt. They need to be dry, and will actually keep for several days just fine. Children love them.

I used to make these BEFORE you could buy them at the store but these are a little more meaty, less salt, etc. Served in Mom Schrupp's stainless chaffing dish is for memory sake for family. She put it in the dishwasher and ruined the wooden handle but that makes it Mom Schrupp. For Party times I use a fancy silver chafing dish which makes a beautiful statement on the table.
 

3 pkg. lean (92-93%) ground beef, 4 1/2 to 5 lbs.
2 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
1/4 cup parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal flakes
3/4-1 cup bread crumbs (Italian flavor)
1 or 2 Tablespoons kitchen bouquet (makes it dark)

6"x10" glass Pyrex dish or other size that will fit in your Micro.

Let meat and eggs come to room temperature. Mix dry ingredients in big bowl(yellow Tupperware). Add the meat, eggs, and kitchen bouquet. Stir with a fork to blend well. Let set to blend flavors for about 30-45 minutes.

Make small teaspoon balls. 24 in above pan. While cooking can make more and put on paper plate. 

Cover balls with paper plate, cook on high for 3 minutes. Take out and rearrange. Cook 2 1/2 min. more.  Clean Pyrex pan with soap and water between cooking batches. 

After all meat balls made, cool in refrigerator. Store in gallon plastic bags in freezer. Take out when needed. Micro 2 minutes or until heated or cook sauce and let meatballs heat up in the sauce.

Makes 7 batches,  178 balls (3 batches fill Mom Schrupp's chaffing dish) About 40 balls per lb. of beef

SAUCE: 
1 can tomato puree, 2 cans tomato sauce, 3 1/2 cups  water, 1/2 cup red wine, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1/2  teaspoon salt/pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Sauce can be made ahead. Store in refrigerator or freeze.

 SIMMER FOR 1 1/2 HOURS, ADD MEATBALLS
 
 

You do not have to be Jewish to enjoy Potato Latkes.  At chanukah time they are fried in oil, and when they are eaten, the miracle of the oil that burned for eight nights is remembered. They are served with sour cream or apple sauce. Our Jewish friends say Latkes are like pancakes but to me they are more like hash browns. Very tasty!

oil
2 cups of grated potatoes, drained (with paper towels)
small onion - grated
2 beaten eggs
1/2 teaspoon of salt
big Tablespoon of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
applesauce
Sour Cream

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in a skillet, maybe 1/4 inch, maybe more. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoons into the oil. If you like thin, crisp pancakes, flatten with the back of a spoon. Fry on both sides until brown. Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce. This recipe should serve 4 to 6 but when some people see potato latkes they act like they haven't eaten for a week. They will want to make from latkes alone a meal. when you have people who enjoy so much, so you won't mind grating potatoes all day long -- and if you should use your food processor, so who would be knowing the difference?

Recipe partially adapted from Sara Kasdan's Love and Knishes

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4 medium potatoes
1 onion
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
2 eggs
1/2 cup matza meal
salt and pepper to taste

For a group tasting, double everything and add an extra carrot.
Six potatoes, carrots and celery were grated in food processor.
Two potatoes and the onions were finely chopped with the chopping blade.
Mix all together.
Shape with hands.
Fry in enough vegetable oil to cover in an electric skillet at 400 degrees.

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2 1/4 cups Ore-Ida country style hash browns - thawed
1/4 cup chopped  onions
1 egg
2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dill weed
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil divided
3/4 cup sour cream

Mix hash browns, onions, egg, flour, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Drop 1/2 cup of potato mixture in hot skillet and flatten into pancake shape with spatula. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8 pancakes.
Serve 2 pancakes per serving with dollop of sour cream.

1 - 6 oz can salmon (the skinned and boned kind)
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 or 2 Tablespoons Mayo
Dash or 2 of tobasco sauce

Drain salmon. Soften cream cheese in the microwave...ok if it gets warm. Mix the salmon and cream cheese together, add mayo and tobasco sauce. Mix well. Serve right away as a warm dip or store in refrigerator. Serve cold as a spread with crackers. Tip: after it is cold you can roll in finely chopped pecans if you like.

I came up with this recipe around 1980 when we rented a cabin at a lake for Easter Break and I  wanted to have sausage but didn't want to cook it. Makes good party food.

2 pkgs Pillsbury Cresent Rolls
1 pound sausage

Open the Crescent Roll cans, unfold the dough. Lay on surface next to each other so have a long rectangle. Pat them together at the seams.

Let sausage  warm a few minutes and then carefully spread with a flat knife over the pastry. As the sausage warms it is easier to spread. Make complete covering of sausage over the pastry. Roll up on the long side, cut in 5 or 6 slices per pastry section. Place on cookie sheet with a rim and bake 350-375 for 15 minutes. Makes 20-24.

About 60-72 med. size mushrooms, washed and drained
1 or 2 sticks butter
Salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder
1 bunch green onions chopped fine
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Parsley flakes
1 1/2 to 2 cups herb stuffing mix or Italian bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Optional: 1 cup finely chopped nuts
 

Rinse mushrooms and carefully remove stems from caps (use twisting motion with hand). Chop mushroom stems finely.

Place caps in shallow baking dish (roasting pan). Dot each with melted butter (pastry brush) and sprinkle with seasonings. Bake 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Saute mushrooms, green onions in butter. Add nuts. and juice from cooked mushrooms. Add eggs, lemon juice, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs to hold filling together.

Fill caps.  Optional: Top with more melted butter 

Broil in oven for 5 min.  Watch, they can burn easily.

Make ahead! can be kept in refrigerator several days. Freezes well, cook a plate’s worth in Microwave abt. 2 min.

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About 1 pound small to medium fresh mushrooms with stems removed.
mince the removed stems
4 slices of bacon, diced
2 Tablespoons minced green peper
1/4 Cup minced onion
1 - 3oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 T. butter
1 teaspoon parsley

Cook in microwave on high, mushroom stems, bacon, green pepper, onion. Drain excess grease and liquid off.  Add cream cheese, worchestershire sause, bread crumbs, butter, and parsley. Press into tops of muchrooms. Put 1/2 of mushrooms on a plate and microwave on high 1 or 2 minutes.

Tip: Prepare stuffed mushrooms and refrigerate. Take out a plate’s worth and microwave when guests arrive.

These were one of the first appetizers I ever made for a party, came right out of my new 1961 Betty Crocker Cook Book. They take a little fussing but are good - I still like them.

20 slices white bread crusts removed
1 can (6 oz.) Tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 Tablespoons pickle relish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
Real Butter
Paprika -- optional
Toothpickss

Combine tuna, mayo, celery, relish and mustad. Spread thinly on buttered bread. Roll like a jelly roll. Cut each roll into 3 pinwheels. Fasten with a toothpick. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, place on cookie sheeet or jelly roll pan, brush with melted butter, sprinkle lightly with paprika. Broil until lightly toasted. Watch them!  Serve warm. 
Makes 60.