Cocktail munchies.... PARMESAN BLACK-PEPPER BISCOTTI These savory biscotti are ideal for a soiree. Their crisp texture is accented by the richness of parmesan and the bite of black pepper perfect for nibbling in between sips of wine. 1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns 4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 4 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (2 1/4 cups) 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 4 large eggs 1 cup whole milk appetizer biscottiPut oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse peppercorns in grinder until coarsely ground. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 2 cups cheese, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 3 eggs with milk and add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and quarter dough. Using well-floured hands, form each piece into a slightly flattened 12-inch-long log (about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch high). Transfer logs to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging logs about 3 inches apart. Whisk remaining egg and brush some over logs, then sprinkle tops of logs evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper. Bake, rotating sheets 180 degrees and switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until logs are pale golden and firm, about 30 minutes total. Cool logs to warm on sheets on a rack, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Carefully transfer 1 warm log to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining logs, transferring slices to sheets. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes total. Cool biscotti on baking sheets on racks, about 15 minutes. Cooks' note: Biscotti keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks. Makes 5 to 6 dozen biscotti. Blue cheese cocktail cookies....4/12 dozen 1 3/4 cups flour 3/4 cups chopped pecans 8 ox Maytag Blue cheese 1/2 cup butter 2 egg yolks beaten 2 tsps fresh ground black pepper Combine all and mix with hands until smooth. roll into 2 1 1/2 inch rolls, wrap in plastic and chill 4 hours or over night. Slice into 1/4 inch slices, and bake 425 on ungreases sheet for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Snackers 1 ring Dutch Balogna ( about a pound ) 2 medium yellow onions ( about the size of a baseball) Slice and layer in a crock or straihgt sided bowl In a sauce pan place 1 c. cider vinegar, 1 cup water and 3/4 c sugar and 1 tsp mustard seed ( whole). Bring to a boil and pour over meat and let stand un refigerated for 24 hours. Serve with cocktail rye. Robins blue blazers 1/2 cup butter or margarine 2 oz Maytag Blue Cheese 1 T cognac 2 T chili sauce 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 2 T minced green onion Cayenne pepper to taste ( more is better!) 4 English muffins split and lightly toasted Black olive halves to garnish Have butter and blue cheese at room temperature. Mix all but muffins and olives with a fork until well mixed. Spread on muffin halves, cut into quarters, top each piece with a black olive half, place on a cookie sheet and broil until lightly browned. Serve hot.

I'm glad your pup is OK Shaun. I accidentally fed corn to one of mine the other day. While cutting some off the cob for a new recipe a lot wound up on the floor so I let her eat it. I got the finger wagged in my face for letting her eat corn with her digestive issues. At least I didn't drop the cob. LOL Back to corn... It is so cheap and so sweet in FL right now that I went looking for a different way to prepare it. I found a recipe that I had saved from the guy who won Rachael Ray's so you think you can cook contest last year. I liked it alot. I completely forgot to add the butter at the end but I can say that it was real tasty even without the butter. I just finished the leftovers. Yum! Carmelized corn Pete from Rachel Ray 3 tablespoons EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4 to 5 ears (2 cups) fresh corn, cut off cob Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 shallots, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 5 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine (preferably Sauvignon Blanc) 2 tablespoons butter Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a large skillet over high heat. Add corn, a good pinch of salt and 2 to 3 turns freshly ground pepper. Toss corn to coat lightly with EVOO and cook until slightly browned and caramelized, approximately 2-3 minutes. Lower heat under corn to medium-high. Add remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO to the pan along with the shallots, garlic, 5 tablespoons parsley, thyme and chives. Re-season with salt and pepper, give everything a toss and cook until the shallots are translucent. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping bottom of pan to pull up any brown bits. Cook for 1 minute. Cut butter into small chunks and scatter over corn. Cook till wine is reduced by half

Agreed. So, little did I know, Annie posted Elery's recipe a few days ago on another thread and I am pasting it here, in the hopes she doesn't mind: Elery's Hot Dog Sauce 1 lb. ground beef or venison 2 tbls oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 3/4 cup flat beer (open and let it sit if necessary) 1/4 cup water 2 Tablespoons chili powder 2 Teaspoons oregano 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes (or less, if you're a wuss like me) 1/4 teaspoon cumin Salt & Pepper To Taste Saute onion in oil in a 2-quart pot until soft, about five minutes. Keep stirring to make sure they donâÂÂt burn. Add meat and cook until completely brown, then break it up by mashing with a potato masher. This breaks the pieces into small chunks which won't fall off the bun. Add chili powder, oregano, chili flakes, cumin (if using), salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add beer and water. Simmer on low heat for approximately one hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot dogs or just put it on a bun like sloppy joes. OK, now the changes. We use the oil because our grass fed beef is so lean it sticks to the pan, as does venison if not mixed with pork or other fat. If your meat is fattier, you might not need the oil at all. Elery likes to add more dried chili flakes, his preference is a big heaping spoonful but if he does that the kids in the family can't eat it. I can't either, LOL. ed note: I may be more of a wuss than Annie, but I will try this one next. This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Nov 24, 13 at 11:41

Yeah, Carol, we're just adorable, aren't we? ROFL... shaun, I thought that was a really handy way to use up cherry tomatoes when the big ones aren't very good and it makes a great salad that doesn't need a fork! Yes, you're suggestable. LOL That's why we love you. (grin) Gina, that's a HUGE convention hall, so it wasn't crowded at all when we got there, and was only a little more crowded when we left at 4. There were 12 "aisles" of food and wine booths and we just walked up and down the aisles, eating and drinking as we went. Eileen, I'll make a separate posting for those blue cheesse wafers. It was supposed to be a cookie (?!!) recipe, but that didn't sound good so I just left the sugar out. Elery liked them a lot, and you make logs like refrigerator cookies and then just cut off and bake what you want. I still have one roll left in the fridge for Thanksgiving "snackies". Annie