Not the best thing for a party...

This weekend I helped welcome a new little boy, Mathis, to Houston. A few of my friends hosted a Sip N See for Mathis and his family. We had a great time getting to visit and I think Mathis enjoyed the attention. I took a few snack foods as well as a Broccoli Salad.

Since people are always trying to be healthy (well, most people I know) I went with a fruit tray and dip. This is really the easiest dip out there. 1 package of cream cheese (low fat works, but it can clump up a bit) and 1 jar Marshmallow Cream. Beat the two together with an electric mixer and voila - the best fruit dip. I don't make this very often, but every time I do I find myself wanting to eat the whole jar and make more.

The other dip I decided on was probably not the best idea in hindsight. Well, if you are single it's not the best idea. For those of us who will go home with people who have to take us home, who cares! I found this recipe in a Southern Living magazine a few months ago and have been looking for a reason to try it. Now, I want to make it again. AND you can do it low fat or fat free - score! I actually used the light sour cream this time and you couldn't taste the difference.

Caramelized Onion Dip from Southern Living

• 2 T butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• Salt & Pepper
• 16oz Sour Cream
• 2 T chopped fresh chives (I had to use green onions...my Kroger didn't have chives)

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until tender and brown, about 20 minutes. Add about 1/4 t each salt & pepper, remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Mix in with the sour cream, another 1/4 t each salt & pepper and the chives. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

Ladies, babies and food

Occasionally the girls on the Nest will have a Foodie GTG. Basically...a reason to hang out, chat and eat. :-) Plus, since we have them on a Saturday the moms bring their babies and, well, that just makes everything fun.

This time I took a few appetizers that my mom found in a magazine. She said that the recipes came from a Good Housekeeping magazine, but I could not find the recipes on line. So...I can't credit the source either. They both turned out really well and were fairly easy to make, unless you consider pitting the two packages of cherry tomatoes. Thank goodness Jason is a nice husband and helped me out because I would have been making a tomato dip instead of stuffed tomatoes!

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

• 2 pkgs cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup lite mayo
• 1/2 pgk bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 T grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• chopped parsley

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and pit them. I used a small paring knife which worked really well. Stir remaining ingredients and stuff the tomatoes. Try not to eat all them them before you serve them.

Stuffed Cucumber Slices

• 2 cucumbers
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream (I actually had to use Miracle Whip because my new container of sour cream was not sealed!)
• 1 apple, chopped (any flavor but I used Red Delicious)
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Slice the cucumbers. Mix remaining ingredients and spoon onto the cucumbers. I loved these, but my mom wasn't as thrilled with them.

Both of these are great for appetizers and not that horrible for you.

Overindulgence.

We all have had too much of something. Food, dessert, candy, wine...don't even try to deny it! I know you...you've been right there with me! Either wishing you could be very unladylike and unbutton your pants for the drive home...or wishing you could veg on the sofa all day with a wine hangover.

Last week, I wanted to veg. BAD. Jason did his annual "I think you are crazy" bike ride from Houston to Austin this past weekend. Don't get me wrong, I respect the fact that he wants to ride 150 miles on a seat smaller than my right butt cheek, and he's raising money for the MS society, but...I still think he's crazy!

Since I had the house to myself Saturday night, I invited some girlfriends over for wine, food and movies. I really didn't think we'd actually watch the movies...and I was right. We had a great time - eating too much food and drinking way too much wine. By 2am, I was almost dead in my chair! We'd managed to say some crazy words that don't exist, type text messages that were unreadable and spill wine! But we did have fun.

I wanted to try the crab cake recipe that was featured in the new Cooking Light magazine. I did not make the sauce that the recipe called for, but I thought they turned out pretty well...for my first attempt at crab cakes! We also made bruschetta, baked brie and bacon wrapped dates.

Crab Cakes from Cooking Light

• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound lump crab meat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided (I needed a lot more than this!)
• Cooking spray

Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crab meat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.

Double Tomato Bruschetta from allrecipes.com

• 6 Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven on broiler setting. In a large bowl, combine the Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. (This was really good! The recipe probably could top 2 baguettes, though.)

Tangy Pepper-Pecan Brie from Pampered Chef

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 4" round brie cheese, at room temp
• crackers or a French baguette

Preheat the oven to 425. Coarsely chop the pecans using a knife. Fine chop the jalapeno either using a knife or an electric chopper, combine with the preserves. Slice the brie round in half horizontally, place 1 half (cut side up) on a baking stone. Spread half of the apricot mixture on the brie, top with the other brie round, the remaining apricot mixture and chopped pecans. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Ok...these are pretty self-explanatory, but...take the dried dates, cut them in half. Take maple bacon (you can use any, but this is best) and cut each slice in thirds. Wrap the bacon around the date, skewer and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

Again, because of my overindulgence...I have no pics. I'm really getting bad about that!