What Is Your Speciality Dish?

I make a delicious fresh salsa and I'm always asked to bring it to gatherings. Sometimes I even fry up some corn tortillas for fresh chips. Mmm! I'm also always responsible for the stuffing at the holidays because I'm the only one in the family who will make it from scratch instead of from a box. I make a traditional version using fresh herbs and also one with diced apples and dried cranberries. Both are very good and I always get compliments.

Rost potatoes,veg and stuffing(see receips on answer to camping trip)
For dessert hot pears and chocolate with a spoon of icecream.-In oven dish cut up some pears,put chunks of milk chocolate on top.Add a little water.Cover and cook in the oven for 20-40 mins(depending how hard the pears are.Keep on eye on it not to over cook.The choclate will melt on the warm pears.Serve with a spoon of vanilla icecream
Enjoy
B.

How about broccoli casserole or green bean casserole. Both are good and healthy except for the fat from the soups. You can modify that, if you want.

LOL... that's okay honey, I'm in the opposite boat because I'm the "cook" in the family, so I almost never bring the same thing twice! People just request random things that I've made in the past that they've had at my house or I've brought. The "Oh...hey... can you bring the ________, you know the one with the ________?"

I want ONE go to thing as well!!! Some of those requests take HOURS (or days if it's truffles or cake decorating schtuff), and others are pricey. I want one thing I can count on!

Here's a quick and easy app... costs about $12-15

- Kettle Chips (just plain old salted kettle potato chips)
- Rogue River Smokey Bleu Cheese (or any smokey bleu, but RR is my fav)
- Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Pour the chips in a bowl, crumble over with bleu cheese, liberally drizzle over the hotwing sauce. Finis. How easy was that?

Here's a short list of things I've been asked to bring to get togethers

- Proscuitto wrapped, roasted, jalapeno poppers (served cold)
- Bacon wrapped, grilled jalapeno poppers (served hot)
- Deviled Eggs
- Chicken Marsala
- Everything but the kitchen sink nachos
- Blueberry cobbler
- Chocolate covered strawberries & Candy drizzled strawberries (pepper)
- Mini salsa verde enchiladas
- Toasted baguette with pesto, strawberry tomato slices, & pecorino romano
- Inari
- Phillo dough apple pie (1/2 baklava, 1/2 apple pie)
- Indian thingmies (pastry stuffed with flavored mashed potato)
- Saag Paneer
- Coconut Curry eggrolls (CHEAT! They're from trader joes)
- Mango Mochi Icecream (ANOTHER cheat! Also from trader joes)
- Cold somen noodle salad
- muffin quiches (quiches made in giant muffin tin)
- meat muffins with honey cumin glaze (meatloafs made in giant muffin tin)
- broiled asparagus (with garlic & soy)
- salted fresh peas
- hot artichoke dip
- heart attack (yum) collard greens

I'm an appetizer girl:
Deviled eggs!! Who doesn't love deviled eggs? DO NOT ruin them with vinegar or sweet pickles. Easiest way to make is Mayo, salt, pepper, dill pickle relish, dijon mustard and deviled ham (secret ingredient!) Srinkle with paprika and chopped chives. Crab is also good in deviled eggs.

Also persimmons and procuitto. You slice up persimmons into rectangles, spread Boursin garlic and herb cheese, top with arugula, and wrap with sliced procuitto. Drizzle with a really good Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Aged Balsamic, and a sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper. Yum. Serve cold.

I've gone through phases. It used to be Lasagna. and I always bring the stuffing for Thanksgiving. For a while, everybody would request Cheesecake - that's great to specialize in because you can make so many easy variations that it doesn't feel like you are bringing the same thing everytime.
I've moved into the appetizer and desert realms more and more as my specialty - because you don't have to worry that it will clash with what everyone else brings. I often bring shrimp diablo - a half of fresh jalepeno with a shrimp in it, wrapped in bacon, good with cream cheese too. People love them. Bringing an app means everybody tries your food 1st and it's the only thing they are eating, so you get mad props! And the hostess is usually glad to have something to stall people while she gets everything together.

I make two desserts. One is a trifle and the other is a chocolate chip cookie bar (aka Chocolate Chip Crack Bars).

The trifle is layers of yellow pound cake (I use Tastefully Simple), instant vanilla pudding mixed with whipped cream, cut up strawberries and blueberries with whipped cream on top and garnished with berries.

The chocolate chip cookie bars are your basic cookie dough recipe (I use refrigerated toll house - approx. 1 and 1/2 tubes) spread on the bottom of a 9 x 13" pan. Then I take a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and melt that on the stove with 1 small container of sweetened condensed milk. When the chips are melted and combined with the milk, I remove the pan from the heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt. I pour the fudge over the cookie dough and sprinkle any left over refrigerated cookie dough pieces on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (until cookie dough pieces are brown). Let cool and serve.

And if you want to serve it warm, it is especially good with vanilla ice cream.

Both of these desserts are on the "most requested" list. I also make other things but these two consistently disappear when brought to functions.

I have a great cranberry dessert recipe that looks beautiful at the holidays and tastes really good.
Thanksgiving Cranberry Jello from S. spinelli
2 boxes red jello (can be cherry, raspberry, strawberry etc)
1 bag cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 can crushed pinapple
2 cups sugar
enough water to cover cranberries in a pan

rinse cranberries and put into pot, cover with water (about a 2 cups)
cook until cranberries pop like popcorn, turn off heat add sugar, jello, and pinapple mix well stir in nuts pour into glass dish (clear is best as it is really pretty when done) put in fridge and leave overnight make sure there is a couple inches above the jello as there is a topping

topping
2 - 3oz bars of cream cheese
1 bag of mini marshmallows (I use aldis brand)
2 small cartons of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
cut cream cheese into cubes, pour marshmallows and whipping cream and sugar into big bowl mix on high till whip cream mixture forms. when jello has completely set frost it with the whipped mixture. It is really good. enjoy

I always take a veggie pizza for an appetizer. Soooooo yummy. It's rather simple to make, but I like to blanch the veggies so they are brighter in color and easier to chew. You can put pretty much whatever you want on it.
Here's how I make it:

1. Roll out 2 pkgs croissant dough onto a cookie sheet that you've sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Pinch together the seems so there aren't any holes. Bake using pkg. directions, usu. around 11 mins, it will be golden brown. Cool completely.

2. Mix together 2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese (softened in microwave for about 15-20 sec) with 1 cup mayo and 1 pkg dry ranch dressing. Spread evenly over cooled crust.

3. Chop veggies of your choice into tiny pieces. I use carrots, broccolli, and cauliflower that I blanch for 1-2 min in boiling water and then put into an ice bath to lock in the color. You don't have to blanch them, but it makes them more tender and the colors brighter. Make sure they are mostly dry, you can even spin them in the salad spinner to get excess water out. I also like to put on chopped grape or cherry tomatoes. You might also like to use mushrooms or colorful bell peppers, but you wouldn't need to blanch them first.

4. Sprinkle finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the cream cheese spread, then sprinkled on the chopped veggies. Use as much or as little of each one as you like. Sometimes I also sprinkle on crumbled bacon. Cut and serve!

It's not the healthiest recipe, but it's always gone at the end of the party! I usually use the neufchatel cream cheese and lowfat mayo.

How about appetizers? You would be amazed at how many people fall all over themselves for my spinach dip, simply because it's not the pre-made, store-bought version. I don't do anything fancy, just follow the directions on the Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix box and serve it with King's Hawaiian Rolls.
If you want to be more adventurous, we also love to make bacon-wrapped asparagus appetizers for parties. We wrap the asparagus spears in bacon, glaze with a jalepeno jelly and grill (indoor or outdoor).

The one that we bring to all family things is Mormon Funeral Potatoes. Not healthy, but it is hashbrowns, sourcream, cheese, etc. You can PM me if you want the recipe.

mine is buffalo wings, greens, and mac and cheese. to make the buffalo wings fry some wing dings, when they are done mix some franks hot sauce and butter and bring to a slight boil. after that put some wings in the sauce and let leave them there for about 2-3 minutes and do that for all of them. if you need to make more suace do the same thing again then when you get done pour the remainging sauce over the wings and your good to go. ranch or blue cheese dressing works for dipping sauce. now for the greens i only like to make collard greens. so get some greens. take the leaves of the stalks( i go along the stalk to the tip cuase i don't like stalks at all) put the leaves in a sink full of water and let them soak and wash them by hand with NO soap. but you can use vegetable rinse on them. rinse them 3-4 times or until the water has no dirt( most greens come pretty clean nowdays but still wash them yourself.) fill a pit about 2/3 full with water, put some lawry's seasoning salt and/or green seasoning and some kind of meat in it( hamhocks, salt pork, neckbones or for lower salt turkey pieces, i use salt pork about 5-6 pieces) then let themk cook on low-med heat for about and hour. and your done they can be frozen if you make to much. and ,ake and cheese i boil the noodles and mix 2 eggs and pet milk with some seansoning salt in it and once the noodles are done i pour the egga and milk mix on the noodles once you put them in the casserole dish. then i only use kraft cheese and pour that in the noodle mix and mix it with my hands so the cheese is everywhere then i sprinkle the top with a little seasoning salt and put a dab of butter cover with foil and put in the oven on 375 for about 45 min. then take the foil off and let it brown alittle on the top for about 10-15 minutes. hope you try one and good luck.

SWEET N SOUR MEAT BALLS

I use the large bag of frozen pre made and seasoned meat balls, pot them in the oven till they are hot all the way through.

THEN I add to them

I make my own sweet and sour sauce along the the fruit and add over the top along with steamed white rice.

Mix 3/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups of water set this aside

1 cup of soy sauce
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of vinegar (white)
3/4 cup catsup
1 T. minced garlic

heat through with warm add the mixed cornstarch and water mix be sure and mix again be fore adding this will thicken put on low

dice red, yellow, green bell pepper
white onion, pineapple, and cherries
add this to the sauce mix to coat and pour over the meat balls mix again to have a mixture of all when serving.

I also use this same sauce with out the fruit to another dish.

Use chicken breast with out the bone or skin cut into bite size pieces
dip into flour, then beaten egg, then redip in the egg and then dip into panco mix. Deep fry-------serve with rice and a anything else that you would like to have with a chinese dinner.
THIS IS A MEAL THAT MY KIDS AND FAMILY EXPECT TO HAVE WHEN EVER WE HAVE A SPECIAL OCCASION.

I do a Spinach Lasagna.

I have used sliced Mozzarella cheese, grated Mozzarella cheese, it doesn't matter at all which you pick.

I cook 2 packages of fresh frozen chopped Spinach as the directions state. Then I squish it out in a dish towel and roll it around to get all the water out. Set it aside to drain even more, like in a colander or strainer over the sink.

Then I start the noodles cooking in fresh boiling water. I add a tiny bit of olive oil to the water to make working with the noodles easier. I dump the noodles in a colander over the sink and then when they are slightly cooled I gently pick them up, one by one, and lay them out on oiled foil to make using them very easy. You can use this foil to cover the dish while cooking if you wipe it off a bit to remove excess debris.

I mix up the Spinach with some Ricotta Cheese, at least the small tub but sometimes O want the big tub and just don't use every last bit of it and add an egg and maybe a teaspoon of chopped or dried parsley. Set aside.

I love the Chunky Ragu Garlic and Onion spaghetti sauce so I don't make fresh sauce anymore.

To build the lasagna:

I grease the 13X9X2 pan with Olive Oil so clean up will go quicker.
I put 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom. I smear on about half the spinach mix onto the noodles then pour some sauce on the spinach mix, top with about 1/3 of my cheese, then repeat another layer, noodles, spinach mix, sauce, cheese...etc, this shallow of a pan will only do 2 layer successfully. If you have an actual lasagna pan it will be at least 1/2 inch deeper and you may be able to do 3 layers.

Finally I top with 3 more noodles and then heat it in the over covered with foil to keep the moisture in and fully cook the egg. After about 20-30 minutes I top with Mozzarella cheese and put it back in for just a few moments, maybe 3-5. just to melt the cheese. You should be able to put the foil back on to make travel easy. I spray the foil with a cooking spray, like regular Pam so the cheese won't stick when it's removed.

I have made this dish and traveled 3 hours away to a family reunion and just heated it back up when I got there. I wrapped the pan in a big towel and placed it on the back floorboards so it was flat.

If the shindig is at my house, then homemade alfredo. It's so easy and tastes so good. It's 2 sticks of butter melted, 2 cups of heavy cream, 1 1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese and a dash or two of garlic powder. Melt the butter, stir in the cheese, add cream and garlic powder and heat on medium to a low boil. Turn down and simmer for 10 minutes. While it's simmering you can saute some shrimp in olive oil with garlic and itallian seasoning and *voila* shrimp alfredo. This is just for dinner at your house because it doesn't reheat well, but you look like a food star!

To take to others house: Loaded baked potatoes. Peel and slice 5 lbs. idaho potatoes about 1/8 " thick. In a bowl combine potatoes, 2 c. sour cream, 1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, bacon - cooked and crumbled or the precooked torn into small pieces, small red onion slicedand separated into rings, 2 tsp. garic. I mix this with my hands in a giant bowl and then pour into a 9X13 in. pan, cover it with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour. It's delish and is great for cookouts and potlucks.

Strawberry bread and sometimes strawberry butter. I'm a legend! He He

If you're going to do rolls, do them right! I like to take crescent rolls and spray them with butter and sprinkle some garlic powder on them before I roll them up. Or, serve plain rolls and serve them with good extra virgin olive oil and a spice mis (a la Carrabas). I have a recipe for the spice mix, if you'd like it PM me.

I also adore pasta and am always experimenting with vege & pasta dishes. One that I made recently that I absolutely adore is taking a bunch of fresh vegetables, saute in olive oil with garlic and onion. Toss in pasta (I like tri-colored rotini just cooked aldente) and allow the flavors to marry. Just a minute before removing from heat, stir in sour cream. Yum.

Lasagna and cheesecake.
My lasagna recipe came from my mom; my cheescake recipe came off the side of the graham cracker crumb box.

This chicken and shrimp pasta I make... it's soooo good :)
My best friend is obsessed with my lasagna and my ex was obsessed with my pork chops haha.

I don't really have one either, but my MIL brings Roast Potatoes and Carrots to almost any holiday family gathering regardless of whether it is a cook or what and it usually gets eaten and we have hamburger leftovers. Homemade yeast rolls are great too. My aunt (my moms sister) makes them for every occasion and will even send them with us for get togethers at my MIL laws on holidays. Other suggestions are Potato salad, or homemade baked beans. They go with almost any occasion.

Stuffed Peppers.... I make a few different kinds: gr. turkey & cheese, spinach & cheese, spinach w/gr. turkey & cheese... sometimes I use different spices or sauces.

Red Pepper Dip.... canned red peppers, feta cheese & olive oil... I then buy the greek bread and quick warm it on the grill (or stove/oven).

I like making watermelon baskets (artsy) :)

Homemade pizzas (sometimes I make them mini's sometimes large), various different toppings depending on what I find is inseason and/or fresh.

Chocolate dipped strawberries... so easy to make but hardly anyone every makes them, the store is such a rip off because I can make 4 dozen for what they charge for 4 of them.

My mother-in-law is good with lettuce salads.

My sister-in-law is good with drinks... seriously she has some great holiday drinks she makes (both alcholic and non)

Pick something that YOU enjoy to make & eat... others will enjoy it too :)

hi b. j. I make scalloped potatoes, every one calls them cheesey potatoes & everyone loves them. I peel & slice 2 or 3 pounds of potatoes, cook till they are about half way done. in the meantime I fix a white sauce with butter or margarines & & flour, cut up about 3/4ths of a large pkg. of velveta cheese & put in the white sauce to melt. pour potatoes into a baking dish, then pour in cheese mixture, bake in 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes. delicious

I have many specialty dishes, but the one I am always making and bring to family functions is my Meatball dish. It is quick and easy.

1 crock pot
1 bag of frozen Swedish meatballs
2 cans of chili or turkey chili works well
1 bottle of strawberry, raspberry, or blackberry jelly

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and mix together. Put on high for 3 hours, mix everything, and put on warm. I never have left overs. You could also double the recipe for big functions. This usually feeds 8-10 people.

I have multiple "specialty dishes". I would suggest you watch the Food Network, I get a lot of ideas from there. 2 of my favorites I got from Rachael Ray and just about all the recipes can be found online at:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

I love the Not- Sagna pasta toss. It's all the components of lasagna but tossed together instead of layered. She also has a super yummy recipe for baked ziti!

I also have some cookbooks I turn too when looking for a good recipe, you may want to check out half priced books and find a few you like that suit your tastes and style.

I'm sure you will find something!

i pretty much make everything, but i get a few responses from the vegetarian chili, brocolli rice casserole, deviled eggs, lasagna, sushi

my husband makes the best huevos rancheros

green beans and shallots - EASY and good side dish or buffet dish for summer or winter!

blanche green beans, set aside
saute sliced shallots in olive oil with some salt and pepper
toss beans and shallots together
serve hot or cold, but warm is better
can sprinkle with parmesean

not fancy bt a good all around dish and healthy too

These are a bit labor intensive, but the payoff for your mouth (and cooking ego) is worth it!

Jalapeno wraps

1-2 jalapenos/ guest
cream cheese ("light" work great)
turkey bacon

Preheat oven to 350.
Slice jalapenos in half, and remove seeds with a spoon or melon-baller according to taste (leave some in for spicy or remove all and rinse for mild).
Fill jalapeno halves with cream cheese. The easiest and quickest way is to fill an icing piper and go at it assembly line style.
Wrap each jalapeno with a strip of bacon, starting by placing the bacon over the top of the open end to avoid looking all of your cheese in baking. If you have a large crowd or like jalapeno and cheese better than crispy, use 1/2 strip/jalapeno and secure with a toothpick.
Bake at 350 until the cheese is turning golden and bubbly (15-30 minutes depending on the density of your wraps). Broil for 3-7 minutes until bacon is crispy on top.
Let cool (the hardest part) and ENJOY!

Tips/ Notes to Novice: Make sure you use something to remove the seeds! The first time I made these I didn't eat jalapenos or really cook, no one told me this bit and my fingers were on fire for days.
The icing piper (or freezer-not sandwich- bag) makes a TON of difference in prep time.
You can use regular bacon, but they are not as crispy and are too greasy for me and mine. Morningstar veggie bacon works GREAT too to make this a vegetarian friendly dish.
Don't rush them out of the oven. Many of my friends and family have tried to make this and always say they're not as good as mine- its because they dont cook them long enough. You will understand after you have tried them.

My lasagna & mashed potatoes with chives & cream cheese.
The lasagna is a tweaked version of my moms that is far to lengthy for here.
My potatoes are easy
Potatoes mashed with a cream cheese, sour cream & fresh chives. I boil the potatoes in salt water so I dont add any to the mixture. They are yummy but not to healthy so I only make them at special occasions.