The Bowls Are Coming!

Ahhh football! Love it. Are you planning to watch the games? Or hosting a party? How about trying one of our favorite dips! Not too filling (in case you are having a big meal after) and each has its own personality. Something that you can make ahead and, a big must for me, not take up stove or oven space. I like to serve something with some pizazz. Not the hackneyed clam, crab or onion dips... I think we've had enough of them.... but some others we really like around my house.

The first I posted a while back- a nice spicy eggplant dip. Delicious. You can find it HERE. But it takes a tad more time to prepare than you may wish to spend. The others are simple to make and can be made a day ahead- in fact I've found most dips are better the second day, haven't you?

Happy New Year everyone and Happy Bowl watching!

Sun Dried Tomato Dip
Adapted from Cuisine At Home

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 ounces plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup shallots, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

Crackers or bagel chips

Method:
Blend cream cheese, yogurt, sour cream, tomatoes, shallots, lemon juice, zest and salt in a food processor until smooth. Fold in parsley and tarragon, then chill for at least 1 hour.

Smoked Bluefish Paté
From Open House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase

 Ingredients:
1 pound smoked bluefish, skinned and flaked (I use whitefish)
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 red onion, minced
1/4 cup chopped dill pickle
2 tablespoons capers, drained
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons cognac

Method:
Beat fish, cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Add other ingredients but do not over beat. Some texture is desired. Cover and refrigerate several hours. Serve with crackers. Makes about 3 cups.

Smoked Salmon Spread
From Barefoot Contessa, Family Style

 Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon horseradish, drained
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1/4 pound (4 ounces) good quality smoked salmon, minced

Method:
Cream the cheese until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices.

Christmas Collections

It's Christmas week so I thought it would be fun to show you some of our ornaments, collections and decorations. My camera is old... excuse the poor photos. 
Santa Baby, can I please have a new camera? Been an awful good girl....

We live in Florida, love all things pertaining to the ocean, so our tree has a lot of sea-related ornaments. Such fun. We try to add to it each year.
I have collected Santas of all kinds since I was a child and several of the red ones pictured here belonged to my mother. Mixed in with both the red and blue Santas are Schaller's gift givers, now distributed by Radko. Each one opens up and there is room inside to place a very small gift. For those of you who would like to know more about gift givers, HERE is their fascinating history.

I made the Santa on the right many years ago. Looks like he's had too much punch! That's a Radko on the left; he's actually a pull toy, if anyone dared!

The blue Santas are all Schaller/Radko Gift Givers. The red ones are a mixture of Gift Givers, antiques, a nutcracker and even a little Santa Limoges.

The bowl on the left contains my mother's old ornaments; you can still see the flocking on them. The tree on the right was made by an elderly woman for my mother...back in the 50's and she got her ornaments from HER mother, who was a miniature collector. I have a pair. I treasure them and continue to be impressed with her patience to work with such tiny ornaments. They stand about 12 inches high.

My daughter brought me the adorable snowlady a couple years ago. I love her. And I made four of the needlepoint stockings. Can you tell which ones?

My sister made the Santa on the left. Isn't she talented? The tree on the right is a Radko tree. Many years ago, the Radko people offered a new ornament every month and if you bought all twelve, you got the tree and the topper. If you look carefully you can see each month; back to school is on the lower left.....you can see books hanging from an old schoolhouse. It depicts September of course. Difficult to see in a photo, but it is fun to look at.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!
"Tis the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial fire of charity in the heart"

Washington Irving

Happy Hanukkah!
… and May This Festival of Lights bring Blessings upon you and All Your Loved Ones for Happiness, for Health, and for Spiritual and Material Wealth, and May the Lights of Chanukah Usher in the Light of Moshiach and a Better World for All of Humankind.
Hanukkah blessing