Recipe Swap: Party on with special recipes

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. It is the McClanahan family tradition to have shrimp, crab legs and tenderloin with all of the sides for our Thanksgiving meal. It is always delicious, and our children look forward to this meal at Nana and Pop's house. Then, in the evening, it is my family's tradition to have all of the regular Thanksgiving foods. We had 25 people this year, and as we circled and sang our table grace together in harmony, it brought chills as well as tears to my eyes for all we have to be so thankful for.

Last week I reminded you to send in your favorite party food recipes, and Fran Rediger of Cape Girardeau sent me several. All of these recipes would make a fun and delicious buffet spread to have friends and family together over the holiday. Give them a try and, of course, clip them for your recipe files to use all year long.

Chipped Beef Spread

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

1 (8-ounce) package sour cream

1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) milk

1 small jar chipped beef, cut into small pieces

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons vermouth

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Blend together all the ingredients except the pecans. Spread in a 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle pecans on top of cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with Triscuit snack crackers.

Buffalo Wing Dip

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese

1 cup ranch or bleu cheese dressing

2 chicken breasts, coked and shredded fine, or 2 cans chicken

16 ounces mild hot wing sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 large bag corn chips

Mix cream cheese with dressing. Spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass dish. Layer the shredded chicken on top of the cream cheese mixture. Drizzle the top with the hot wing sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Heat in a 350-degree oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with corn chips. Serves 12 to 14. Recipe amounts could be cut in half and prepared in an 8-by-8-inch dish.

Reuben Dip

1 (14- to 16-ounce) can sauerkraut, drained

2 cups real mayonnaise (do not use fat-free)

8 ounces Swiss cheese

3 (1.5-ounce) packages corned beef, chopped

1 tablespoon minced onion

Rye snack crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together all the ingredients. Transfer to an oven safe container. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Serve on rye crackers.

Fran made a side note that she likes to serve this dip with Rye Triscuit crackers.

Rye D's

This recipe was given to Fran by Martha Maxton.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley

1 package sliced Swiss cheese

Thinly sliced rye bread, party or cocktail

Cut bread in half before serving to form two D shapes. Cut Swiss cheese slices to fit the bread; do not let it overlap. Mix together mayonnaise, onion and parsley. Just before serving, spread bread with mayonnaise mixture and top with the cheese slice. Bake at 350 degrees in oven for 3 to 5 minutes or microwave until the cheese melts. Watch closely.

Hot Chili Dip

Fran's daughter Cindy Propst gave this recipe to her, and now she is sharing it with you.

12 ounces cream cheese

1 can chili without beans

2 cups shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese

Jalapeno slices, pickled

Spread cream cheese in a 9-by-13-inch glass pan. Spread chili over the cream cheese and then add the shredded cheese. Top with a few pickled jalapeno slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Dixie Caviar

2 (15.8-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 medium-size green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

4 green onions, sliced

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup Italian dressing

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup sour cream

Tortilla chips

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Seal and chill 24 hours. Drain. Spoon mixture into a serving bowl. Stir in cilantro, and top with sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cajun Shrimp Cheesecake

I like savory cheesecakes, and I have a recipe for a crab cheesecake that I dearly love. But this recipe is new, so I will try it this Christmas.

1 pound unpeeled, uncooked medium shrimp

1 (8 ounce) package Jambalaya Mix

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 (16 ounce) package smoked sausage, diced

1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 (8 ounce) container sour cream

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 large eggs

Peel shrimp and devein. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Prepare jambalaya mix according to package directions, omitting meats. Press jambalaya mixture in bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saut? 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in red bell pepper, next 3 ingredients and shrimp. Cook, stirring often, 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat, and let cool 15 minutes. Do not drain mixture. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sour cream and cornstarch at low speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer, using paddle attachment, until blended and smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Fold in cooled shrimp mixture. Pour batter into prepared crust, and smooth top of batter using a spatula. Place pan on an aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until set. Turn off oven. Let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven. Let cool on a wire rack 1 hour or until completely cool. Remove sides of springform pan. Cut cheesecake into 12 to 16 wedges. Serve at room temperature. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

There is still time for you to send in your favorite party food recipes and we will include them here in this column so other readers might enjoy new recipes over the upcoming holiday season.

Have a wonderful week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.