Recipe: Spiced-Ham-and-Cheese Toasts

We made these Spiced-Ham-and-Cheese Toasts from Food and Wine Magazine (Dec 2013, p. 140) along with the Cream of Leek and Potato Soup.  Nice soup and sandwich dinner on a cold winter day.

I tweaked this recipe a bit, and it still turned out delicious.  Here's what I did:

• Sauteed the onions in butter
• Mixed dried sage, cloves, cayenne, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, Dijon mustard and apple cider together in a bowl.  = the spread
• Took sliced bread and put the spread on it.  Topped it with the sauteed onions.  And then broiled it until the spread was just bubbling.
• Topped it with smoked ham and served.

Perhaps next time I should try making it per the recipe -- as a pate.  I can see this as being a nice hors d'oeuvres for a party.

Recipe: Chex Mix with Chex, Cheese-Its, Pretzels and Cashews

I'd been wanting to make some Chex Mix for a while and finally took the time this past weekend.  It wasn't the typical Chex Mix . . .  it had Chex, Cheese-Its, Pretzels and Cashews -- all things I love!  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 5 cups Chex cereal (Rice or Corn or a combination)
• 5 cups Cheez-It White Cheddar crackers
• 1 1/2 cup pretzels
• 1 cup dry roasted cashews
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

Directions

1.  On a large cookie sheet, combine the Chex cereal, Cheez-Its, pretzels and cashews. Set aside.

2. Stir together remaining ingredients. Drizzle over cereal mixture. Stir until evenly coated. 

3. Bake at 250°F about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.