Aunt Anna's Green Dip

Grandpa's sister Aunt Anna was a GOOD cook, and she was very generous when it came to feeding people. But she could get cagey about giving out recipes. She would sometimes strategically leave out one or two ingredients, just so other people's versions of her recipes would never turn out as well as hers. (Scoundrel.)

We don't know if this dip has all the ingredients, but it's plenty toothsome as is.

AUNT ANNA'S GREEN DIP
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 package frozen spinach, defrosted, pressed dry and chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped very fine
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 envelope Knorr Leek Soup (sometimes sold as "Leek Recipe Mix")

Mix everything together very well. Store in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving so the flavors blend. Serve with crudités, baguette slices or chips.

Makes about 3 cups dip.

Contributor: Anna Hartelius

Marshmallow Dip

Ah, creamy, dreamy marshmallow dip. Fresh fruit's naughty friend. As my cousin Phil used to say, "The mayo makes it a little white-trash, but who cares... it's so delicious." Wise words indeed.

MARSHMALLOW DIP
1 pint marshmallow creme
1 pint mayonnaise
Grated ginger to taste
Zest of 1 orange, grated

Mix it all together. Maybe let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two so the flavors get to know each other. Serve with fresh strawberries, apple slices, banana chunks, or any other kind of firm, dippable fruit your little heart desires. (It's a good idea to skewer the fruit chunks with toothpicks, so no fingers go in the dip.)

Serves a party.

Contributor: Karin Buck

Pickled Herring

I know you're all keen to find out how to make pickled herring from scratch. (And if you're not, I don't want to hear about it.) This is the recipe straight from Grandpa Eriksson. He didn't bother to give much information by way of proportions, but if you've ever looked over a jar of pickled herring, I'm pretty sure you can figure things out.

PICKLED HERRING
salt herring fillets
water
white vinegar
sugar
carrots
red onions
fresh root ginger
whole allspice
whole mustard seed

Soak salt herring in cold water 6 hours or overnight, changing the water every two hours. Drain herring, pat dry with paper towels and cut into neat bite-sized chunks.

Make a brine of about 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar (for a small batch: 1 quart water, ½ pint vinegar). Saturate brine with sugar (it should taste sweet). Bring brine to a boil, then allow it to cool completely. Get out a large, clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cut carrots and onions into thin rounds. Slice ginger very thin and place a thin round at the bottom of the glass jar. Layer in herring chunks, allspice berries, carrots, onions and mustard seed; repeat until jar is full. Add brine to jar, completely covering herring, and pack down to make sure no air bubbles remain. Tighten lid and let herring pickle in the refrigerator for at least five days before eating.

When not scarfing down nommy silver fish, store in the fridge.

Contributor: Karl Eriksson

Hummus

It's ridiculously easy if you have a food processor.

HUMMUS
2 cloves garlic
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, plus ½ cup bean liquid
¼ cup tahini
lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil to taste

Peel garlic and whirl it in the food processor until it's in tiny pieces. Open garbanzo beans and drain all but ½ cup of the liquid, reserving liquid for later use. Whirl garbanzos with garlic. Add tahini, reserved garbanzo liquid, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then process while adding a thin stream of olive oil to the mix. It's done when it reaches a nice smooth dipping consistency. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary.

Garlicky good! Tasty as a dip for raw veggies, spread on lavash as part of a pinwheel sandwich, or in a tabbouleh-filled pita.

Contributor: Soozcat

Crab Cheeseball

Look, we're all big cheeseballs over something. Why not over crab? Mmm, crab!

CRAB CHEESEBALL
½ lb. crabmeat, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons onions, finely minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
pinch cayenne
sprinkle of salt
8 oz. softened cream cheese
⅔ cup walnuts, finely chopped

Mix together everything except walnuts, stirring until all ingredients are well incorporated. Dump cheese mixture on waxed paper, using the paper to form the cheese into a ball, then roll cheeseball in nuts. Serve with crackers.

Makes 1 cheesy cheeseball for appetizer goodness.

Contributor: Karin Buck

Marinated Vegetable Salad

This may be used as a salad or a relish. Yes, "it's a lovely relish dish!"

MARINATED VEGETABLE SALAD
½ lb. small fresh mushrooms, washed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
1 head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
1 head broccoli, washed and broken into florets
1 can black olives, drained
1 bottle Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix

In a large bowl, mix together all vegetables. Shake salad dressing mix over the top, then add the bottle of Kraft dressing. Stir gently to mix well, cover, put in the fridge and let marinate at least 4 hours, stirring every now and then to turn vegetables in the marinade. Serves 7-8 as a salad.

Mom sez, "Put the mushrooms in the bottom so they can really soak up the marinade."

I also like to add a container of marinated artichoke hearts (drained) just before serving, but it isn't necessary. IT'S JUST SUPER GOOD!

Contributor: Karin Buck

Cowboy Caviar

This stuff is too solid and chunky to be called a dip, really. It's more of a scoop. This is the reason tortilla chips were made.

COWBOY CAVIAR
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1½ teaspoons hot pepper sauce
fresh ground black pepper
1 ripe avocado
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
⅔ cup green onions, sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ lb. Roma tomatoes, chopped
salt to taste
tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine vinegar, oil, garlic, hot sauce and pepper. Peel, pit and cut avocado into ½" cubes. Add to the vinegar mixture and toss lightly to coat. Add beans, corn, onion, cilantro and tomatoes. Mix gently to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cowboy caviar can also be used as a Southwest-style relish for grilled chicken or steak.

Stolen from Deanna Buxton. Ha ha, we are dirty stealers!

Artichoke Spinach Dip

Mom sez this one is nom. And who am I to gainsay Mom?

ARTICHOKE SPINACH DIP
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, preferably at room temperature
½ cup mayonnaise (NOT salad dressing)
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts in water (not the marinated kind), drained and chopped
¼ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together everything but the spinach and artichokes until mixture is smooth. Add spinach and artichokes. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Chill and serve with cubes of French bread or raw vegetables for dipping.

Feeds a small gathering as an appetizer.

Contributor: Karin Buck