French Quarter Cheese

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon grated onion
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Combine cream cheese, garlic, and onion. Spread onto a plate, and refrigerate. Combine remaining ingredients in a sauce pan, heating until butter melts. Cover chilled cheese with nut mixture. Serve at room temperature with crackers (wheat thins are great). it makes 10-12 servings.

i had this at hans and joelle's wedding reception, and kirk and i both loved it! when i made it, i only used about half the amount of pecans and it was plenty. also, i used reduced fat cream cheese.

Rigatoni Bolognese

1 box (1 lb) rigatoni pasta
2 medium carrots, halved
1 medium onion, quartered
1 pkg (8 or 10 oz) whole mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp olive oil
3 links Italian turkey sausage (about 10 oz), casings removed
1⁄2 tsp crushed rosemary
1⁄4 tsp each salt and pepper
1⁄2 cup white wine (optional)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in thick purée

Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water as box directs. Meanwhile, put carrots, onion, mushrooms and garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chopped vegetables 6 minutes. Add turkey sausage and cook, breaking up clumps, 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in rosemary, salt, pepper and wine, if using; boil 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Spoon over drained pasta.

Notes: I just used ground turkey instead of sausage and it was fine. Also, it was a little bland so I added more rosemary and salt and put in some basil. It's very good, but my favorite thing about it is the use of vegetables. This is also from Woman's Day.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Posole

1 can (15 oz) yellow or white hominy, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Mexican-style diced tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) mild green enchilada sauce
2 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, skin removed
Chopped cilantro (optional)
lime wedges (optional)
Tortilla chips (optional)

Combine hominy, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, carrots, onion, garlic and cumin in a slow-cooker. Add chicken and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 3 to 3 1⁄2 hours until chicken is cooked through and vegetables tender. Skim and discard any fat from the surface.

Remove chicken; pull meat off bones into large shreds. Stir back into slow-cooker. Stir in cilantro, if using. Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Karissa discovered this recipe in a Woman's Day magazine, and it was a splendid discovery indeed. So far we haven't bothered with any tortilla chips. Also, for those not around Spanish-speaking people, it's pronounced poh-SOH-lay. :)