South-of-the-Border Cheese Log

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups (7 oz.) Sargento® Bistro® Blends Shredded Nacho & Taco Cheese
• 1 cup Sargento® Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
• 1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
• 3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions

1. Combine cheeses, chilies and butter in bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until blended.
2. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours. Shape into log; roll in cilantro.
3. Spread on crackers or sliced fresh vegetables.

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients

• 6 oz. spaghetti, cooked
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 3/4 cup (3 oz.) Sargento® Artisan Blends® Shredded Parmesan Cheese, divided
• 1 cup Sargento® Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup (2 oz.) Sargento® ChefStyle Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

1. Toss spaghetti with olive oil in large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture into greased 10-inch pie plate; form into a crust.
2. Spoon Ricotta cheese over spaghetti crust. Top with pasta sauce. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 25 minutes. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Orange Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, separated
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup Sargento® Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Honey or maple syrup (optional)

Directions

1. Combine egg yolks, orange rind, juice, Ricotta cheese, flour, milk, butter and salt in large bowl.
2. Beat whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter.
3. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto greased, preheated 375°F griddle or skillet. Cook pancakes 2 minutes each side or until golden brown. Serve hot with honey or syrup, if desired.

Applejack Mincemeat

This recipe comes from my Saturday Evening Post Christmas Book.  My late father was a huge fan of Mincemeat Pie, so one year for Christmas and his birthday I made a batch.  It was a huge success.

2 pounds lean venison or beef, chopped or ground

1 pound suet, chopped or ground

6 cups cubbed apples

1 pound currants

1 pound seedless raisins

1 pound muscat raisins

1 pound store-bought diced candied fruit (orange, citron, cherries, lemon)

3 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 to 3 cups water

2 cups applejack

Combine all the ingredients except for the applejack in a heavy kettle or casserole.  Stir well and add enough water to make the mixture quite moist.  Cover and barely simmer for 2 to 3 hours.  Stir occasionally, adding more water if necessary.

When cooked, the mincemeat should be fairly dry.  Stir in the applejack and pack into pint jars or cool and pack into containers for freezing.  This recipes makes 10 pints, enough for 5 large pies.

Mediterranean Vegetable Feta Cheese Tart

Perfect for 8" Shallow Fry Pan serves 6 - 8

Using a fry pan for baking a tart in the oven may not seem a likely choice of utensil, but the combination of the material and the shape makes it ideal.
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. frozen pie crust, thawed
3 oz. roasted red peppers in oil, drained
6 oz. canned artichoke hearts, drained
1 oz. sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
6 oz. fresh baby tomatoes, halved
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon dried oregano
3 large eggs
½ cup 2% milk
4 oz. feta cheese
Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

1.Pre-heat oven to 400?F.

2. Roll-out pie crust until it is about ¼ inch thick, and large enough to line the base and sides of the pan. Press into the pan, trimming off any excess pastry from the top edge. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Cut red pepper into thin strips, cut artichokes into quarters and chop sun dried tomatoes into small pieces. Mix together in a bowl with the tomatoes, herbs and some salt and pepper. Transfer to the pastry lined fry pan, leveling the top. In the same bowl beat together the eggs, milk and crumbled feta cheese. Pour this over the filling.

4. Bake in center of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 10 - 15 minutes or until the filling is set and the top golden brown.

5. Place fry pan on a cooling rack for 10 - 15 minutes. Ease tart out with a spatula onto a warmed plate and serve immediately.

RICOTTA-HONEY GELATO

Yield: 8 servings (1 quart)

2 cups homemade ricotta

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

2/3 cup honey

1. Process ricotta with cream, milk, sugar, liqueur and honey in a food processor until smooth. Taste and add more honey or liqueur if necessary; the flavor should be quite pronounced, as it will become muted after freezing.

2. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. The texture will be slightly grainy. For the best flavor, the gelato should be eaten the same day.

Per serving: 356 calories; 20g fat; 12g saturated fat; 68mg cholesterol; 9g protein; 37g carbohydrate; no fiber; 189mg sodium.

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