Next Saturday is the start of college football season--woo hoo! I think I will make these and freeze half for another Saturday. I will probably use Havarti instead of Swiss. Harry isn't crazy about it (but he likes gueyere??). HAM AND CHEESE SLIDERS (The Girl Who Ate Everything) 24 good white dinner rolls 24 pieces good honey ham 24 small slices Swiss cheese 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup miracle whip Poppy Seed Sauce: 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds 1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 Tablespoon minced onion 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm. Note: Sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

Artichoke Bread Artichoke Bread With the big game day approaching I have been thinking about snacks more. Last weekend I got the chance to try making an artichoke bread that has been on my mind for a while. The artichoke bread is essentially an artichoke dip that is baked on bread until the crust of the bread perfectly light and crispy, the dip is nice and warm, the cheesy topping is melted and golden brown. For the artichoke topping I decided to start with my favorite hot spinach and artichoke dip and I removed the spinach and tweaked it a bit. (You could of course leave the spinach in for a slightly healthier version.) For the bread I used a loaf of Italian style bread that I cut it in half lengthwise and then scooped out a bit of the center to provide room for more filling. The next challenge was baking the bread for long enough to heat up the artichoke dip so that all of the cheese in it melted without the crust of the bread burning. I decided that the best way to go about it was to cover the bread in foil while it warmed up and then to remove the foil near the end to let the cheese on top melt and turn golden brown. The artichoke bread turned out amazingly well! I used a nice fresh loaf of Italian bread so while the crust was light and crispy the inside was nice and soft and moist. The warm artichoke dip with the melted cheesy topping was so good and the fact the it was in the perfectly cooked bread made it even better! Artichoke Bread An artichoke dip baked in a loaf of bread until ooey gooey and cheesy and good! Servings: makes 4-8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Printable Recipe Ingredients 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 2 green onions, sliced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise Directions Mix the artichoke hearts, green onions, garlic, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano reserving some of the cheese. Hollow 1/2 an inch out of the center of both halves of the bread. Spread the mixture into the hole in the bread slices and top with the reserved cheese. Bake in a preheated 350F oven covered in foil for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

I made this yesterday, and it was very good! Four of us each had a slice, and all comments were positive. Key Lime Cheesecake 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 6 tablespoons butter, melted 24-oz. cream cheese, softened 1 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 3 eggs 1 tablespoon grated lime zest 2/3 cups key lime juice Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press into bottom and partially up the sides of a 9" springform pan. Refrigerate. Combine cream cheese, sugar, lime peel and cornstarch in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time blending just until smooth. Add key lime juice and finish mixing by hand. Do not over beat or cake will crack during baking. Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake at 300º for 55 to 65 minutes, or until set. To minimize cracking, place a shallow pan half full of hot water on the lower rack during baking. Turn oven off and let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes with the door open at least 4 inches. Remove from oven. Refrigerate overnight, and up to three day.

I add 1/2 tsp. dried oregano to this and more croutons. I mix the croutons in rather than sprinkle on top. This makes a lot so it's great for a pot luck (and even kids like it). PEPPERONI PIZZA SALAD (Tast of Home 2003 Recipe Cookbook) 10 plum tomatoes, chopped 3 green peppers, cut into 1" pieces 2 c. (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese 1 pkg. (3-1/2 oz.) sliced pepperoni 1 can (2-1/4 oz.) sliced ripe olives 1/4 c. chopped onion 1/3 c. tomato juice 1/4 c. red wine vinegar or cider vinegar 1/4 c. olive or veg. oil 1 garlic clove, minced (I use 2) 1/2 tsp. dried basil 1/4 tsp. pepper 3/4 c. seasoned salad croutons In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine tomato juice, vinegar, oil, garlic, basil and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate several hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with croutons. Serves: 12-14