Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I just got back from the gym. I'm proud of myself for getting there today. I am not cooking dinner, but I am going to my brothers house. I always do the big Christmas dinner for about 25 or so, and I enjoy the one day that I can go and relax and enjoy our family. I was assigned two appetizers to bring. I decided to make deviled eggs and a hot dip. Both of these are BFC friendly. The dip, which is called Santa Fe Dip, does have corn in it, but you can really do without it or just dip around it.  I'm not sure where I got this dip recipe, but I have made a few changes, like adding hot sauce instead of the chipotle, just because I didn't have it. I also change up the cheeses alittle bit depending on what I have. I like the shredded Mexican Jack blend from Sargento. If you double the recipe, you can make a batch ahead of time and stick it in an oven/freezer proof dish and freeze it.It's great to pull out and stick in the oven when someone drops by. I'm going to bring the dip with chips for those who want them, and some celery sticks and zucchinit sticks for the me and whoever else wants them. The deviled eggs I am taking will also be a nice pre dinner treat. I am using a new recipe that I got from Rachel Ray's website. I haven't tried it before, but it sounds delicious.

As far as the rest of the meal, I am going to fill up on the appetizers and just have a few bites of the bad stuff ( sweet potatoes, stuffing). I'll skip the rolls and fill up on turkey. I'm not that big on dessert anyway, so sipping some coffee after dinner should be just fine. Sounds like a plan right?
Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving!

Thought for the day: If you fail to plan, then plan to fail!


Caesar Stuffed Eggs

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 12 eggs
• 1 to 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
• 1/2 small onion, grated
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded

Yields: 6-8 servings

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Preparation

Put the eggs in a saucepan and fill halfway with cold water. Set over high heat and cover the pot with a lid. When the water boils, turn off the heat and place the lid over the pot of eggs and let sit 10 minutes. I find 13-15 minutes is just perfect.

Place the pot of cooked eggs in the sink and run some cold water over the eggs until both the water and the pan feel cool. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, roll each egg on a work surface to crack the shell. Carefully peel off the eggshells and discard.

Place the eggs on a cutting board and cut a quarter off the egg from the fat rounded end to expose the yolk. Next, cut just a sliver off the opposite end, the pointed end so the egg is able to sit upright without rolling over. Once all the eggs have been cut, scoop out their yolks into a medium size mixing bowl. Place the egg white halves back into the egg container for easy transport and filling, making sure the holes are pointing up so that you are able to fill them with the Caesar mixture.

To the bowl with the yolks add the anchovy paste, Worcestershire, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mash up the yolks with a fork until the mixture is paste-like. Mix in half of the shredded romaine, reserving the rest for garnish.

Spoon the egg mixture into a plastic, re-sealable bag and squish it all into one of the bottom corners. Snip off the corner and squeeze out a bit of yolk mixture into each of the egg whites.

Once all eggs are filled, garnish them with a sprinkle of extra cheese and some additional shredded romaine. Close the container lid and you are off to that party!

Santa Fe Dip

Ingredients

• 2 cupss shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing
• 1 8 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained (3/4 cup)
• 1  4 ounce can chopped green chili peppers, drained
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (* I omitted this and used tabasco sauce to taste, 1 -2 tsps depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• medium tomato, seeded and chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1/4  cup sliced green onion
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
• Vegetable dippers such as sweet pepper wedges and sliced jicama
• Lightly salted tortilla chips or baked tortilla wedge

Directions

1. Stir together cheeses, mayonnaise or salad dressing, corn, chili peppers, chipotle chili peppers, and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl. Spread mixture into a 9-inch quiche dish, shallow 1-quart casserole, or 9-inch pie plate. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Combine tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Cover and chill up to 24 hours.

2. To serve, bake cheese mixture in dish in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes or until heated through. Spoon tomato mixture in the center. Serve with vegetable dippers and tortilla chips.