Monday's Menu - Appetizers

There's so much food to be eaten over the holidays, which, as we well know, include not only the end of November and December, but every week in between. With all of the eating that you'll be doing and menus that you'll be making, opt for an assortment of appetizers instead of heavy main dishes.

Cocktail Saltines

2 sleeves unsalted saltines

1 heaping t. red pepper flakes

1/2 t. cayenne

1 package dry ranch dressing

1 cup canola oil

Mix dry ingredients in a gallon zip lock bag. Add oil and mix thoroughly. Carefully add the saltines. Seal the bag and gently turn to coat crackers with oil mixture. Marinate at least two hours and overnight if possible. Lay crackers on a paper towel to absorb extra oil. Put in a new bag or airtight tin.

Recipe from Nancy Mansfield

Rosemary Roasted Cashews

3 T. unsalted butter

6 T. fresh rosemary, finely chopped (use a food processor or coffee grinder)

1-1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cayenne, or to taste

3 c. cashews

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter, add rosemary, salt and cayenne. Pour butter mixture over nuts, tossing to coat. Bake the nuts on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Grits Toast with Creamy Mushrooms

Makes 48 toasts.

3, 14-oz. cans chicken broth

1-1/3 c. quick-cooking grits

1/2 c. grated Parmesan, plus 1 cup

1/2 t. salt

2 T. butter, melted

2 c. mayonnaise

8 oz. Portobello mushrooms, chopped

2, 2.8-oz. cans French-friend onion rings

Spray 2 mini muffin pans (24 muffins each) with PAM.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in grits, and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until grits are thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in ½ c. cheese and salt. Remove from heat. Spoon grits evenly into pans to make 48 mini muffins. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm. Cool and serve.

Saute mushrooms in butter until soft. Cool. In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise, 1 c. Parmesan, mushrooms, and onion rings. Top each grits round evenly with mushroom mixture. Broil 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and heated through.

Mini Lemon Pork Sandwiches

Makes 24-30 appetizer servings.

6, 11-oz. pkgs. frozen dinner rolls (Sister Shubert’s, for example)

5 lbs. pork tenderloin

1 c. vegetable oil

½ c. fresh lemon juice

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

¼ t. ground red pepper

2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

Lemon Tarragon Mayonnaise

2 c. mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. lemon juice

¼ t. chopped tarragon leaves

¼ t. salt

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Rinse tenderloin and pat dry. Combine oil and next 5 ingredients in a large zip-top freezer bag or shallow dish: add tenderloins and seal or cover, and chill at least 4 hours. Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade.

Grill pork to 160º. Assemble sandwiches with mayonnaise and pork. Enjoy!