Louisiana Corn Dip

I first tasted this recipe at a football banquet. The woman who brought it moved here from Louisiana about five years ago. Thank goodness for new people and new recipes! (She made gumbo for us one year).

2 cans Mexicorn, drained
7 or 8 green onions. chopped (keep white and green parts)
1/2 c mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 lb. pepper jack cheese, grated
Frito's or crackers

Sorry-my pictures are terrible-but you can get the general idea...
First, drain the Mexicorn.

Chop the green onions.

Place corn, onions and mayo in a bowl. Normally, I am a Miracle Whip girl. But in this recipe, I've tried both-and the mayonnaise seems to be my favorite. Mix well. Add the cheese.

The dip should be fairly firm. If it is too thick, add a little mayo, if it is too thin, add a little cheese until you have the consistency you prefer. I like mine with Frito's, so I make a fairly thick dip. Crackers would require a thinner dip.

*I don't have a very brave family when it comes to new dishes, so I try to keep things simple. (Translation: I might be wasting my money if I served this for dinner.) But I think this would work well as a sort of sandwich spread. Maybe with some chicken,wrapped up in a tortilla....

Wedding Shower Dip

This one is an old "classic" from my mom. It seemed she was always making it for something special-like bridal showers or baby showers-and we kids couldn't have any of it. Now that I'm in charge, we make some whenever we want!

2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1 can of crushed pineapple, drained
2 c. finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 - 1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper (or to suit or tastes)
1/2 c finely chopped onion (again, start with a half of a cup, and add more if you want)
1 tsp salt.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Leave in the bowl, or form into two balls and roll in additional chopped nuts. Serve with crackers-preferably Wheat Thins.

Jalapeno Poppers

If you made me list my favorite recipes, this one would be right at the top. It, along with the wonton wrap recipe, are a "must" at our Christmas Eve festivities.

Ingredients:
12 jalapenos
1 pkg cream cheese
1 lb bacon

Obviously, they aren't exactly heart friendly, and to make them even less so, 1/2 fat and fat free cream cheese don't work well in the recipe. They just melt and run out of the popper.

Directions:
Cut the stem off each jalapeno, then slice in half. I would suggest using gloves when handling the jalapenos. In the past, I thought "Heck, I'm tough, I can handle it", and then wondered why my hands burnt all night long. Now I use gloves. My hands thank me.

Next, remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeno. This will remove the "heat" from the pepper. I've found that a a grapefruit spoon works really well. (I never knew what a grapefruit spoon was until I married Ryan. It's a spoon with serrated edges.) But a regular spoon will work as well. A little hint-I try to scrape away from me so that the juice doesn't pop me in the face. See, I've had lots of experience with these things. Wash out the jalapenos if you want to make sure you got all of the seeds. Cover a large cookie sheet (with sides) with tinfoil. Very important for clean up!

Next, cut the cream cheese into 24 pieces. This isn't necessary (at all) but that way I get a fairly even amount of cream cheese in each popper. Again, it's not necessary, a "spoonful" is as good a measurement. Spread the cream cheese inside the jalapeno. It doesn't have to look pretty. Place on the cookie sheet.

Take your pound of bacon and cut in half. I should have taken a picture of this. . .but cut them in half so they aren't as long. Hope that makes sense... Take one piece of bacon and wrap around the jalapeno. I've found that if you start at the bottom of the fat side of the popper, it works better. Wrap the bacon so that it covers as much of the jalapeno as possible. Try to end with the wrap on the bottom as well. That way, it won't flip up when cooked. The bacon will stretch quite nicely. I have seen people secure the bacon with toothpicks. Personally, that is more work than I need. Return to the cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. The bacon should be crisp and the jalapenos should be soft and fully cooked. It's better that they be overcooked than undercooked. Trust me on this one. The cream cheese will kind of squirt out a bit, but that's OK. Remove from the cookie sheet and serve. My mouth is watering just thinking of them. . .

Mexican Wonton Wraps

This is usually a "special occasion" recipe. Not that it is particularly difficult or time consuming, but it is an appetizer, rather than a meal. However, Syd and Cade were gone tonight, so there was enough that the rest of us could eat all we want. Lauren had nine!

1 pkg wonton wrappers
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can diced green chili
1/2 to 1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. ranch dressing
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
chopped bell pepper
Optional toppings: tomatoes, green onion, olives, sour cream, salsa, guacamole

Lightly spray 24 muffin tins. Place wonton wrappers in muffin tins to form a cup. Here, I'm using round wrappers because they didn't have any of the square ones.

Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining wrappers. I place them on cookie sheets for the next steps, but you can just leave them in the muffin tins if you want.

Mix chicken, dressing, sour cream, chilies, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Chop bell peppers, (and here, my favorite toppings: tomatoes and green onions)

Place a tablespoon of the chicken mixture in each wrap. (The exact amount will vary depending on the size and shape of your wonton wrap). Top with a pinch of bell pepper and cheese. Again, the amount will vary on your taste and the size of the wrap.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and the chicken is warm. Remove from the oven and serve with optional toppings.