My first thought when I hear "steamer" is some kind of Chinese dumpling as well! Probably because that's what I use mine for mostly! A good "cheat" for them is to just cook up some ground beef or turkey (I don't eat pork, but the traditional methods use ground pork) flavored with minced garlic & ginger, some sliced scallions and chopped water chestnuts, some soy sauce, sesame oil, maybe a touch of five spice powder - whatever flavors you like - then get a package of those refrigerator biscuits. The regular one's not the huge "grand" ones. Flatten out the biscuit, put a tablespoon or so of your mixture in the middle then bring up all the sides around and pinch it at the top to kind of seal the dough, then steam them. They're more filling than using a traditional dim sum wrapper, but not everyone has access to those. I think the biscuits are a "cheat" that works very well. Have fun at your party! Lisa

Here is another recipe share by a cook that I respect. Liz is the host of "That Skinny Chick Can Bake and her Tomato Tart looks like a winner. Tomato Tart with Gruyere...adapted from Once Upon a Tart Crust: 1 1/4 cups flour 1 1/2 tablespoons semolina flour (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon) 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes 1 1/2 tablespoons cold shortening (1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon) 2+ tablespoons ice cold water Filling: 12 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices, and allowed to drain in colander 1 cup grated Gruyere 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence 2 eggs 1/4 cup half and half 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste To prepare crust, put flours and salt in food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and shortening and pulse till mixture looks like cornmeal. Remove to bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Mix to combine, and gather together to form ball. If not holding together, slowly add more ice water...avoiding adding too much and forming a sticky dough. Flatten dough ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and fit into a 9 inch square tart pan (or another tart pan of comparable size), then trimming excess dough. Chill another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400ðF. Prick bottom of tart with fork, then line with parchment and cover parchment with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove paper and weights, and allow to cool as filling is prepared. Decrease oven temperature to 375ðF. Sprinkle bottom of tart shell with Gruyere, then herbs de Provence. Top with tomato slices arranged artfully. Whisk together eggs, half and half, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over tart, adding more cream if needed. Bake for 1 hour or longer, till custard is set. Cool on wire rack slightly before serving.

As every year, we are going to friends who have a 70" TV. They usually invite a dozen or people & it's a potluck. I'm making two appetizers: Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies 20 Fresh jalapenos, 2 Â 3 inches in length 8 oz. Cream cheese, softened Thin, regular bacon, sliced into thirds Slice the jalapeno in half length-wise. With a spoon, gently scrape out the seeds and white membranes. Smear cream cheese inside each jalapeno half generously. Wrap 1/3 slice bacon around the jalapeno snugly, but not tight. Stick a toothpick through the middle of each one; this will keep the bacon from coming off in the oven. Place them on a pan with a rack (so bacon grease can escape) and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Source: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/07/bacon-wrapped_j/ Be sure to wear plastic gloves to keep your hands from burning. Asparagus with Wasabi-Mayonnaise Dip 3 lb thin to medium asparagus, trimmed 1 cup mayonnaise 4 teaspoons soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons wasabi paste Blanch asparagus in 2 batches in a large saucepan of boiling salted water 1 minute. Transfer to a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry. Whisk together mayonnaise, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, and wasabi paste until sugar is dissolved. Serve asparagus with dip.

I wrote this recipe for a contest I'm in; once you get past the paleness of the pork meatloaf compared to a beef, you'll be surprised at how tasty it is. I always bake a ham with 2 cups of leftovers in mind for this! ps: you can use all potatoes in the topping if you prefer Butternut Gold-Crowned Pork Meatloaf Meatloaf: 1/3 cup finely minced shallots or onions 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 ( 8 oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain) 2 cups fine soft bread crumbs (about 4 to 5 slices white bread in food processor) 2 cups leftover baked ham, minced in food processor 1 pound ground pork Butternut Gold topping: 1 pound Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" chunks (about 3 cups) 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks (about 3 cups) 4 Tablespoons softened butter 1/4 to 1/2 cup warmed Half & Half (approximately) Preheat oven to 375º. Spray an 8" or 9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine meatloaf ingredients, along with pepper to taste and mix to blend thoroughly. Press into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until thermometer inserted in center of loaf reaches 165º. While meatloaf is baking, prepare topping. Place squash and potato chunks in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain into a colander, then use a ricer to rice chunks back into cooking pot. Add butter, enough warm Half & Half for desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste; mash until smooth. Cover and keep warm. When meatloaf is done, remove from oven and set broiler to heat. Blot meatloaf top lightly with paper towel to absorb any liquid, and cover with squash/potato topping. Place crowned meatloaf close to broiler and broil until very lightly browned. Makes 6 servings.