Cook's Corner

Welcome to the Cook's Corner. To help everyone prepare for their New Year's parties this week focuses on appetizers. My family has a New Year's party every year on January 1. It is a potluck brunch for our family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. I have included many of the recipes that we serve every year at our party.

Happy holidays to everyone.

Previews Look forward to lots of warming recipes - soups, stews, casseroles. I will announce the details of our cooking contest in the next article. Prizes will include a free web page on the Herndon/Reston web, free cooking class for you and a couple friends, or free advertising. Your recipe will also be featured in an upcoming Cook's Corner.

Cook's Corner can also be accessed through the columns section of the Herndon/Reston web.

Please continue sending me your comments, inquiries and suggestions.

On to the recipes:

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1-2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/4 cups pineapple juice

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon grated ginger root (optional)

Mix the cornstarch with 1-2 Tablespoons of water before you add it to the pineapple juice. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and cook until the sauce just begins to thicken. If you cook it any longer then it will become the texture of pudding. Add the meatballs which have already been baked (recipe below). The meatballs can be served as an appetizer or they can be served with rice as an entree. The meatballs can easily be kept warm in a crock pot.

Meatball Mixture

1 lb ground beef, chicken or turkey

1/2 - 3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

2-4 Tablespoons minced onions

1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

pepper

Mix together the ground meat and the rest of the ingredients. Put the meatballs into mini muffin tins or onto a cookie sheet. Bake them in a 350F oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are just beginning to brown. You can double or triple this recipe and then freeze the extras either baked or unbaked.

Spiced Meatballs with Creamy Dip

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 lb ground turkey, chicken, hamburger

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon fresh chives

1 teaspoon fresh parsley

Thoroughly mix together all the ingredients. Bake the meatballs for 12-15 minutes in a 350F oven until they are browned. You can also serve these meatballs in pita bread with cucumber, tomato and sliced onion.

Creamy Dip

1 1/4 cups yogurt

dash of tabasco (or to taste)

3/4 cup drained tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Serve the meatballs with this dip in a bowl on the side. Guests can easily dip their meatballs if you provide toothpicks to spear the meatballs.

Fettucine and Mushroom Salad

8 mushrooms, sliced

1 or 2 green onion, bias cut

1/4 - 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (1 Tablespoon dried)

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 Tablespoons oil

3 Tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon tarragon

1 lb fettucine noodles, cooked and drained

pepper

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing. Pour over the cooked and well drained noodles. This salad is excellent served chilled.

Clam Dip

6 1/2 oz minced clams (canned is ok)

2 Tablespoons parsley, fresh (2 teaspoons dried)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

8 oz cream cheese

1 Tablespoon minced onion

1/2 teaspoon horseradish (optional)

Mix together above ingredients thoroughly and chill. You can serve this with water crackers or cocktail breads.

Simple Spinach Dip

10 package of frozen spinach thawed and drained

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Mix all of the ingredients. Chill. This dip can be served in a round loaf of bread which you have cut the top off of and hollowed out. This is excellent with cocktail rye bread.

To make a gourmet version of this dip add an 8 oz can of water chestnuts which have been chopped and 2 or 3 sliced green onions.

Roast Beef with Herb Cheese

roast beef

herb cheese (allouette, garlic and onion)

alfalfa sprouts

red leaf or boston lettuce

small dinner rolls

Slice rolls in half. Spread roll with herb cheese, add roast beef, sprouts and lettuce.

I think the best roast beef to be found in this area is at The Deli, located in the Kmart shopping center in Herndon off of Elden street.

Cranberry Almond Sour Cream Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil 1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the sour cream and cranberry sauce. Fill each muffin cup 1/4 full. Put in a spoonful of cranberry sauce and sprinkle with almonds. Spoon batter over the cranberry and almonds so that the muffin cup is 3/4 full. Bake in a 375F oven for 30-35 minutes.

Spiced Nuts

1 egg white

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups whole walnuts or pecans

Beat the egg white until it is stiff. Combine the spices, sugar, and water in a second bowl. Pour nuts into the beaten egg white and toss to coat. Then pour the nuts into the spice mixture. Tossing again. Spread on a greased cookie sheet, separating the nuts as much as possible. Toast in a 275F oven for 30 minutes. Cool. Separate the nuts again if necessary. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.

Thank you for stopping by the Cook's Corner. There will be new recipes and suggestions next week. Please send your favorite recipes, suggestions, comments and questions to cookscorner@townweb.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Brief Biography: Lisa Carlson has been a cooking instructor for over three years with the Fairfax County Adult Education program. She also teaches cooking and art classes for children and adults at the Herndon Community Center. She studied cooking during her junior year of college in Scotland, while she traveled throughout Europe, and during her year long tenure in Japan. She has appeared in 9 television programs on cooking, puppetry, and gift basket design on the Fairfax County public access channel.

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