Tortilla Pinwheels

 Recipe from Donna Kranchalk Danchisko, June 2023

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 can(4 1/4 ounces) chopped black olives
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Garlic powder, to taste
Seasoned salt, to taste
5 flour tortillas
Salsa, optional

Directions

Beat together cream cheese, sour cream, and cheddar cheese until blended. Stir in olives, chilies, onions, garlic and salt.

Spread over tortillas. Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Twist ends. Refrigerate several hours.

Unwrap. Cut with a serrated knife into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices. Serve with salsa, if desired.

Artichoke Dip

 Recipe from Monica Pileggi

I made this for a recent book club evening.

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts (not in oil), drained well, and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced 
3 T. chopped onion 
3 basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese + a little for the topping
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 4.5 oz. canned green chilies, drained
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
Dash or two of hot sauce (optional)
Pepper to taste 
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 t. fresh lemon juice

Crusty bread, crackers, or tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 
Combine the dip ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.

Place in an 8x8 baking dish and top with additional mozzarella cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes. It should come out nice and golden on the top. 
 
Serve with the sliced crusty bread, crackers, or tortilla chips. 

Optional:  Add 1 cup chopped fresh spinach to the mixture.

Deviled Eggs

Recipe from Monica Pileggi

There are many, many recipes for making deviled eggs. This is my creation.

Ingredients

1 dozen extra large eggs, hard boiled and peeled

4 T. Mayonnaise

1-1/2 t. Dijon mustard

1 T. Blue cheese dressing

1 T. minced white onion

A little bit of dried Dill

Dash of Curry

Salt and pepper to taste

A dash or two of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Paprika to garnish

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop the yolks in a large bowl (I actually slightly bend the white and it pops out); place the whites in a serving platter.

Combine the yolks with the remaining ingredients (except for the paprika) and mash until smooth with a fork. 

Fill each white with the yolk mixture with a spoon. Sprinkle the tops with paprika. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Notes: 

I add the mayo, dijon, and blue cheese dressing a little at a time until I get the right consistency and taste. Adjust to your liking. You may want more blue cheese, or less. If you don't like curry, leave it out. I don't add much, so it's not that noticeable.

I use my Instant Pot (IP) to hard-boil the eggs, using the 5-5-5 method: 5 minutes pressure cooking, 5 minutes natural pressure release, and 5 minutes in an ice water bath using a large bowl. 

If you don't have an IP, you can follow this method on steaming eggs (skip the crazy shaking of the eggs in a food storage container and follow my ice water bath method):   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9nz1qlY64.  Steaming is a better method than boiling directly in the water because the eggs will peel very easily.