Feta Cheese Fold-overs

My youngest sister, Alyssa, is studying dietetics. When she talks about her nutrition and culinary classes it makes me wonder why I ever got my English teaching degree. I would love to learn the things she's learning. But I probably wouldn't love the homework. No, actually I'm sure I wouldn't.

Alyssa taught me something the other day when she shared this recipe on our family cooking blog. This fold-over recipe originated from Greece which was the birth place of the cookbook and the white chef hat. Hmm! Who knew? Let's all go there, shall we? It sounds like a marvelous place to visit. I'm sure we would have a great time.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

3 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, blend feta cheese, green onions, and egg. Cut pastry into 12 (3-inch) squares. Place a tablespoon of the feta mixture on the center of each square. Moisten edges with water, and fold pastry over filling to form a triangle. Press edges together firmly with a fork to seal. Lightly brush pastries with the egg yolk mixture. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

So and So's Sausage Dip

This is one of those recipes that I don't want to make, but it's so good I just can't help it. I got the original recipe from a sister-in-law before she left the family. And I can't help but thinking, "This is so and so's recipe" each time I make it and I can just see her chopping tomatoes and peppers in my mom's kitchen chit chatting and laughing with the rest of us. And then I think of how simple life was way back then before my siblings and I grew up and had to really start figuring out what life was about and how to get through it all. Oh, well. Things happen for reasons. On the bright side, I have to thank her for sharing a few good recipes and a couple of darn good boys with the family.

Ingredients:

2 pounds sausage

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 large tomatoes, chopped

1 4 ounce can diced green chilies

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 ounces sour cream

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

10 dashes hot sauce (I use Cholula)

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon crushed cilantro

tortilla chips

Directions:

Brown sausage; drain and put in crock pot. Saute green pepper and onion in remaining sausage grease. Add to crock pot with all remaining ingredients. Mix and cook on low until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Toffee Apple Dip

I first had this yummy apple dip at a family reunion. One of my aunts brought it. Don't ask me how it survived making it out of my grandma's goody cellar to share with everyone else. Maybe it was safe in the fridge. Who knows. This recipe takes about five minutes to make and tastes best with granny smith apples to balance out the sweetness of the dip. Make it and you'll be licking your plate just like my girls did last week. You just won't be able to help it.

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup toffee pieces

6 granny smith apples, cored and cut into 8 wedges

1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Combine first four ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with a until smooth. Add toffee bits and mix well. Cover and chill. Combine juice and apples in a bowl; toss well. Serve apples with dip.