Cookbook Reviews...Better Homes and Garden’s Good Food on a Budget

Better Homes and Garden’s Good Food on a Budget was published in 1971, and I think that my copy is that old.  In 1971, the inflation rate in the US was 4.3%, the Dow closed the year at 890, the average cost of a new house was $25,250 and the average yearly income was $10,600.  The average monthly rent was $150 and gas cost 40¢ a gallon.  Those prices sound low today, but so was income, and over 4% overall inflation was a problem.  As a new housewife, I certainly worried about how to make ends meet, and I found a lot in this cook book to help me.  The last chapter in the book, More for Your Money, covered planning, a shopper’s checklist, food storage guide, common can size chart, how to buy, store and prepare meat, economical meat cuts and how to get 3 meals from a chicken, ham or arm pot roast.  The back cover has a unit price chart, and the front cover has a chart on “how much to buy” for 1, 2, 3 and 4 servings of dairy products, cereals, pasta, fruits and vegetables.

Myrna and I didn’t have any trouble finding recipes to make from this book, even though it is thin, with less than 100 pages.  I saw a copy of this at a church thrift shop today, where they were selling old cook books for 4 for $1.  A good buy for a book where all the recipes “work”, with nice, full color photos, minimal “convenience foods”, recipes for basics like pie crust and bread,  and lots of other useful information.

Some recipes from this book:

Orange Meringue Pie

Three Flour Bread

Mock Lasagna Casserole

Frank and Potato Bake

Cornmeal Batter Rolls

Family Favorites...Crab Stuffed Sole

We have enjoyed crab-stuffed sole in our favorite seafood restaurant, but it was getting really expensive to eat there.  When I saw this recipe, it looked similar, so I had to try it.  It is still not inexpensive in the Midwest, where good seafood commands a premium, but it was delicious, and not as fussy as I thought it would be. 

I used my mini food processor to turn slices of whole wheat bread into soft crumbs, as well as chop the onion.  For the sauce, I microwaved mine in a 2-cup measure (so it doesn’t boil over), about a minute and a half in 30 second increments (stir each time).  No extra pan to clean!

I made the stuffing about an hour ahead of time and refrigerated until I assembled the entrée.  I lined a quarter-sheet pan with foil so I didn’t have any cleanup either.

We served it with Spinach Salad with Cider Dressing and Cornmeal Batter Rolls.

                            Crab Stuffed Sole

  1         Cup  Soft Bread Crumbs

  1         Cup  Crabmeat -- cooked or canned, drained and flaked

  1         Small  Onion -- finely chopped

  1         Large  Egg -- lightly beaten

     ½     Teaspoon  Salt

             Dash  Cayenne Pepper

  4         Each  Sole Fillets -- 1 pound

  3         Tablespoons  Butter -- divided, melted

  1         Tablespoon  Flour

     ½     Cup  Chicken Broth

             Grated Parmesan Cheese

             Sliced Almonds

In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, crab, onion, egg, salt and cayenne.  Spoon onto fillets; roll up and secure with a toothpick.

Place on a greased 2 quart broiler-proof dish; drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter.  Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

For sauce, place remaining butter in a saucepan.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add broth.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.  Drain liquid from baking dish.  Spoon sauce over fillets; sprinkle with cheese and almonds.  Broil 5" from the heat until cheese is melted and almonds are lightly browned.  Discard toothpicks.

4 Servings

  "Taste of Home Holiday Recipe Cards 2003"

Per Serving: 325 Calories; 13g Fat (36.5% calories from fat); 41g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 181mg Cholesterol; 759mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 Fat.

Sausage Over Rice

 Need to stretch that breakfast sausage?  Here’s a delicious way to do it.  This is basically a mild chili recipe made with sausage instead of beef, one that most folks will enjoy.   It could certainly be served over whatever starch your family enjoys; spaghetti, rice, macaroni, or even good, homemade cornbread or polenta.   I used sausage from my brother-in-law’s hog, and used light kidney beans that I had on hand.          

                            Sausage Over Rice

     1/2      pound  Pork Sausage

     1/3      cup  chopped onion

     1/3      cup  chopped green pepper

  1             celery rib -- sliced

  1             garlic clove -- minced

  1             can  tomato sauce -- (8 ounces)

     3/4      Cup  canned kidney beans -- rinsed and drained

     1/2      cup  water

     1/2      teaspoon  garlic powder

     1/2      teaspoon  chili powder

     1/2      teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce

     1/4      teaspoon  pepper

     1/8      teaspoon  hot pepper sauce

  2             cups  hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion, green pepper, celery and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain.

Add the tomato sauce, beans, water, garlic powder, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until flavors are blended. Serve with rice.

Per Serving: 430 Calories; 24g Fat (49.2% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 42g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 39mg Cholesterol; 938mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 Grain (Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 4 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

“Taste of Home”

From the Garden...Cauliflower with Carrots

 My daughter wanted something to serve at a noon potluck luncheon. This recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook had a recipe for a cauliflower dish that she thought would be good as hardly anyone brings a vegetable dish.
 It was well received and we have scaled it down for serving in both of our small families.The carrots add color as well as flavor to this dish. A good way to get vegetables in your family.
She left the green beans out of hers, you can use them if your family likes green beans.

Cauliflower with Carrots and Lemon

Be creative with seasonings! The inspired combination of coriander, oregano, and lemon peel adds character to this colorful vegetable side dish.

SERVINGS: 6
PREP TIME: 20 mins

ingredients

1  cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths (about 2 cups)

2  cups thinly bias-sliced carrots

1  cup cauliflower florets

1/2 of a medium red or green sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1 tablespoon cold water

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

4  teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

In a large saucepan combine the chicken broth, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Bring to boiling; add green beans. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add carrots, cauliflower, and sweet pepper. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a serving bowl, reserving broth mixture in saucepan. Cover vegetables; keep warm.
In a small bowl stir together oregano, water, cornstarch, and lemon peel; stir into broth mixture in saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in lemon juice. Pour thickened broth mixture over vegetables. Toss lightly to coat. Makes 6 servings.
NUTRITION INFORMATION

Per Serving: cal. (kcal) 49, carb. (g) 11, fiber (g) 3, pro. (g) 2, vit. A (IU) 5879, vit. C (mg) 28, sodium (mg) 184, calcium (mg) 30, iron (mg) 1, Vegetables () 2, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Sausage Rice Pecan Casserole

 Taking a basic recipe and changing it to suit your families taste is an easy thing to do.

This recipe from Johnsonville Sausage Company did not call for the pecans, but we like them with rice so I used some. Added sherry to the cooking liquid and left out the seasoning packet that comes with Uncle Ben’s wild rice and white rice mix. The seasoning packet has wheat in it so I used a tablespoon of a herb mix seasoning from Penzeys spice company. You could use any combo of spices your family likes though I would stay with the green herbs. I also used just three sausage instead of the whole package because that was what I had on hand. 

 Every one enjoyed it and I will make it again. Served it with green peas, cottage cheese and warm rolls. Next time I might add some shredded orange peel for a little extra flavor boost. It was quick and good to fix when we were all tired of leftovers from the Ham and Turkey, etc. This gives you a change of pace without a lot of work.

Sausage, Rice, Pecan Casserole

1 box (6 ounces) long grain, wild rice mix with seasonings, Or 1 tablespoon of a Italian seasoning spice mix

1 package (13.5) Johnsonville smoked sausage, sliced (I used 3 sausages)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

½ cup diced green pepper

1 garlic clove minced

½ cup toasted broken pecans 

¼ cup sherry (optional)

1 cup chicken stock 

 Prepare rice according to the package directions using the sherry and chicken stock for some of the water called for on the rice package. 

 In a skillet, sauté sausage for 2 to 3 minutes, blot some of the grease with a paper towel, add the mushrooms, green pepper garlic until tender. Add the toasted pecans and heat through. Combine with the prepared rice and serve. Garnish with some green pepper strips 

Use What Is Left

Why we started this blog??  We were trying to do a better job of keeping our families fed with less waste and expense and with more basic ingredients and less convenience foods.  This poster is the basis of our food philosophy and we still feel the need to be always aware of not wasting food, the surest way to cut your food budget.

Everything old is new again.  It amazes me that the ideas from this World War I poster are exactly the "Green" kitchen ideas of today.    Careful use of our resources is self-reliant, reduces the drain on the world's resources to feed the hungry, is healthier, and is simply good practice in our "household business".  

We think that buying only what you can reasonably use, cooking it well, preparing and serving just enough and using leftovers and planned overs creatively are exactly the way to manage your kitchen.  Learning to preserve abundance by canning, dehydrating, pickling or freezing limits waste too.  Simpler menus and recipes certainly help, costing less time and money.

We only post recipes we really cook and like...and simple and timeless are what we like!  We want to be able to find the ingredients without a lot of fuss; or money either; and cooking shouldn't be a REALLY big job, just enjoyable.

Learning to cook from "scratch" is important for our health and our pocketbooks.  I might suggest that relaxing around the dinner table with family and friends, enjoying conversation and fellowship,  is also good for our well-being.

 She looks well to the ways of her household.  Proverbs 31:27

Sunday in Iowa...Merry Christmas

This is the kind of Christmas excitement we remember  

We hope your Christmas is full of simple joys!

Cookbook Reviews...Better Homes and Gardens Hometown Favorites

  The Better Homes and Gardens Hometown favorites was published by Meredith Corporation. 

  It is a cookbook for those of you who like community and church cookbooks. The recipes are a collection from local cookbooks and local cooks around the United States. 

   Part of the enjoyment of this book for me was reading where the recipes were from, after I tried to guess the region of the States. Some where fairly obvious as to where they were from and some surprised me.  

  All the recipes we tried were good no matter where they came from. There are family friendly recipes for meat and chicken meals, breakfasts and of course appetizers, side dishes and desserts. 

  These small paperback cookbooks that you can pick up in the grocery stores have some excellent recipes and this is one of them. Again watch for them at thrift stores and sales.

Some recipes from this cookbook:

Beef in Red Wine Gravy

Waffle Cookies

Fried Whitefish

Mocha Brownies

Overnight Coffee Cake

Family Favorites...Pineapple Coconut Snowballs

  While looking for a quick, simple, recipe to make the day we were making candy I spotted this recipe for Pineapple Coconut Snowballs in the Taste of Home Holiday Recipe Card Collection from 2003. Very simple, just three ingredients, Sure to be quick and it was. I used my small cookie scoop to drop balls into the coconut and some chopped pecans we used on a few of them. The girls rolled them in the coating and into the refrigerator they went. How simple can you get! 

They need to chill for 6 hours so do have to be made ahead and should be stored in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese. I would be sure to use regular cream cheese and a good brand of pineapple as these are really the only ingredients used. Using fat free or low fat cream cheese could cause these not to set up firm enough to roll into balls. 

  They were the perfect thing to set off all the chocolate candy we made the same day.

I will certainly make these again and not just for Christmas. We were all pleased with the ease of preparation and the flavor of the finished product.

  
Pineapple Coconut Snowballs

1 8 ounce package of regular fat cream cheese

1 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple, well drained

2 cups flaked coconut (If you want to roll some in crushed nuts, you will not need this amount of coconut.)

  In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, add pineapple until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll in 1 inch balls; If they are too soft to handle, refrigerate for a while longer and then roll. Put coconut into a pie plate and then drop the balls into the coconut and roll to coat. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. 

*These must be refrigerated to set up enough to use as balls of candy. If they just will not set up enough you could stir in a small amount of powdered sugar, but keep in mind that this will make them sweeter. 

Eggnog Baked French Toast

 There are several recipes for Baked French Toast. I had some leftover eggnog so looked for one calling for eggnog. This recipe from the PBS web site looked like the one we would like the best so I used it. This would be perfect for your family and guests on the Holiday Morning.

 I did cut back on the amount of brown sugar in the topping as I didn’t want it too sweet. I think you could easily omit it though It does seem to help the bread brown.

 I laid mine flat in the pan instead of layering them and thought it worked well as they were all the same degree of brown.

 The first piece did not want to come out, but after about five minutes all of rest came out quite well. Lyle and Bettie thought it was quite good and I like that it is all done at the same time and feeds everyone at once. Freeze before baking and then you can just bake as many slices as you want. I would put them in the oven still frozen in your buttered or sprayed pan and bake using the directions given. I just cut back the amount of the recipe so we would eat it in one meal.

 Baked Eggnog French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

FRENCH TOAST:
1 loaf French bread (standard, not a baguette), cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices
5 large eggs
1 cup eggnog
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
TOPPING:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

Generously coat a medium-large baking dish with nonstick spray or butter. Arrange the bread in the dish in overlapping slices. *Large deep-dish pie plates work great.
 In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, eggnog, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Pour this egg mixture evenly over the bread slices. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 3 hours.
 The next morning, remove the baking dish from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
 To make the topping, combine the butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture begins to bubble and foam. Once the butter has melted, slowly pour the mixture over the bread and in between the slices.
Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden on top.
Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

From the Garden...Vegetables in Cheese Sauce

This a basic vegetable recipe from the "The Casserole Cookbook" and they recommend using cauliflower, green beans, asparagus or a combination of celery and onions for the vegetables.  I used a combination of cauliflower and green beans.  I used American cheese in my sauce, because I find that cheddar cheese gets grainy when it melts, and often separates – problems solved by processed cheeses.  I do have a double boiler, and it makes it easy to prevent scorching of your sauce.  We thought that Swiss cheese would have made a good sauce – maybe next time.             

Vegetables in Cheese Sauce

                        Sauce

     1/2  pound  cheddar cheese -- diced

     2/3  cup  milk

  1         tablespoon  pimiento -- finely chopped

  1         teaspoon  worcestershire sauce

     1/8  teaspoon  salt

             dash  cayenne

                        Casserole

  3         slices  bacon -- cooked and drained

     3/4  cup  soft bread crumbs -- Combined with butter (about 1 slice)

  1 1/2  tablespoons  butter -- melted

  2 1/4  cups  cauliflower, broccoli and/or green beans -- drained well

Cook sauce in double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until sauce is smooth and well blended.

Meanwhile, prepare bacon and buttered crumbs.  Crumble bacon and mix with crumbs.

Place can of drained green beans in greased 1 quart casserole.  Cover with sauce and top with bacon-crumb mixture.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, until crumbs are browned.

Serves 4

Eggnog Custard

This has a spoonful of topping removed so you can see the custard.

To me the Holidays always mean Eggnog. I made my own for several years, now I buy the commercial. Here in our area of Iowa I buy Anderson Erickson Eggnog, but It is only available through the Holiday Season so now is the time to make use of it in recipes as well as drinking it.

 Since we all like custard and eggnog, this recipe was perfect for us. Custards are easy to make either the unbaked like this or the baked in a water bath. You will find these are a festive touch for a party or just for you and your family during the Holiday Season.
Eggnog Custard with Raspberry Jam
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
½ cup cold water
2 ½ teaspoons powdered gelatin (plain like Knox Gelatin)
2 cups eggnog
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional) (I used Marsala)
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Directions
 Place the cold water in a small heat-safe bowl and sprinkl the gelatin on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes (to bloom)
Melt the bloomed gelatin in the microwave, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir to make sure it is fully dissolved.
 Pour the eggnog into a large bowl, then whisk the melted gelatin into the eggnog. Add the bourbon, if using and whisk to combine.
 With a electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar and vanila extract to medium peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the eggnog mixture, mixing gently just to combine.
 Pour the custard into 6 small bowls, or custard cups, leaving at least 1.2 inch of space at the top of the containers. Transfer the custards to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight,
 To serve using the back of a spoon dollop 1 tablespoon of jam onto each dish and smooth it to the edges. Serve chilled. 
 *You can pour finished custard into a large serving bowl increasing the chilling time to two hours.

Basic Cocoa Syrup

We like to know what’s in our cocoa; and this syrup from "Farm Journal Thrifty Cook" takes just minutes to prepare, and blends with milk perfectly, without any grittiness.   I still like Hershey’s plain, unsweetened cocoa for good flavor.
They intended this recipe as a make-ahead for parties, but I make the smaller amount for us, that lasts us several days.   Myrna likes it with a little bit of coffee added.

Use a large enough pan, it boils up quite a bit.  It is not canned; it is just stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator until used.              

                     Basic Cocoa Syrup

10 Servings	40 Servings
½ cup	2 cups	Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 cup	4 cups	Sugar
1/16 teaspoon	¼ teaspoon	Salt
1 cup	4 cups	Boiling Water
1 teaspoon	4 teaspoons	Vanilla Extract
For One Serving	For Six Servings	Hot Cocoa
1 cup	6 cups	Milk
2 tablespoons	¾ cup	Basic Cocoa Syrup
1 ¼ Cups	1 ¼ Quart	Total Syrup

1.      Combine cocoa, sugar, sugar and salt in saucepan (a whisk works well for this).  Gradually add boiling water, stirring until mixture is smooth. (I microwave my water in the measuring cup).

2.      Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture comes to a boil.  Boil 1 minute without stirring.

3.      Remove from heat and cool; stir in vanilla.  Pour into glass jar; cover and refrigerate until needed.

To make cocoa, heat milk until bubbles form around edges of pan.  Add Basic Cocoa Syrup, stirring until well-blended with milk.  Pour into hot mugs.   (Stir or shake the cocoa syrup before measuring into pan or cups to make sure chocolate hasn't settle to the bottom of the mixture.)

Alternately, mix as above, microwave in cups or large measuring cup, 1-2 minutes per serving or until as hot as desired.

2016 Cost:  35¢ per serving with milk
Myrna Says:
Lyle and I like this recipe a lot and often I add coffee flavoring to the syrup mixture, try about 1/8 teaspoon for the 10 servings recipe.  Frontier is the brand I buy or you could use a coffee flavored liquor if you are serving just to adults. The liquor I add to each cup when preparing it.

Sunday in Iowa...

A little Christmas cheer in the farmyard  

on the two-lane County Road T17 South of Pella, Iowa

Cookbook Reviews...Holiday Recipes 1993

  For years our power and light company was called Midwest Power and Midwest Gas. It is now named MidAmerica Power. What ever the name, for  several years they put out a paperback cookbook around the holidays. It was intended as a gift for their patrons and could be picked up at their offices when you paid your bill or were out near them. I have a few of them, not all, which I am sure some of you do have.

  The book Holiday Recipes, we are using this week was printed in 1993. They state that “This is the 20 anniversary edition of our Holiday Cookbook”. The recipes were submitted by power customers. They are not attributed to any one person, just towns. The recipes range from Appetizers & Beverages through Vegetables and Miscellaneous. 

  I find that I tend to not get out this type of cookbook as often as I maybe should. One of the reasons why doing cookbooks this year has been so much fun. I am finding recipes that I have never tried and wonder why I didn’t. Just looking through it, I saw a recipe for Homemade Egg Beaters and Funnel cakes. Neither of these is something I am going to make, but it was interesting looking at the directions. Funnel cakes are something to buy when you go to the Fair, right?

  That said, if you spy one of these cookbooks at a book sale, you might want to pick one up. I think that is probably the only place you will find them. 

  Do try one or two, they are typical Iowa Recipes.

Christmas Brittle

Rhubarb Squares

Roxy's Potato Chip Cookies

Real Orange Cookies

Tiger Butter

Family Favorites...Creamed Turkey Over Rice

Here’s a way to dress up that old favorite – creamed turkey.  This only took as long as it did to cook the rice; as your turkey is already cooked.  You can use any cooked or canned poultry, or ham for that matter – a good way to use up holiday extras.   You can’t go wrong with simple – everyone will like this.                  

Creamed Turkey Over Rice

  1             Medium  Onion -- chopped

     ½       Cup  Celery -- chopped

     ¼       Cup  Butter

     ¼       Cup  Flour, All-purpose

  1 ½       Cups  Chicken Broth

  2            Cups  Turkey -- cooked, cubed

  1            Cup  Milk

     ½       Cup  Swiss Cheese -- cubed

  1             Tablespoon  Pimiento -- diced

     ½       Teaspoon  Salt

     ¼       Teaspoon  Pepper

     ¼       Teaspoon  Nutmeg

                 Hot Long Grain and Wild Rice

In skillet, sauté onion and celery in butter until tender.  Stir in flour until blended.

Gradually stir in broth.  Bring to a boil, boil and stir for 2 minutes.

Reduce heat; stir in turkey, milk, cheese, pimientos, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Cook until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through.

Serve over cooked rice.

4 Servings 

  "Taste of Home Holiday Recipe Card Collection 2002"

Creamy Crab Rangon dip with Wonton Chips

There are some snack crackers in the center of the plate

 For a good appetizer for a gathering try this recipe for Crab Rangoon Dip with Wonton Chips. I am not sure which magazine I got it from, though I think it was MidWest Living.

 We are fans of Crab Rangoon so this was one I had to try. 

 I will cut back the amount of crab the next time, I felt it would be as good or better with half as much crab though everyone else thought the amount of crab was very good. I am giving you the full amount in the recipe and you can choose for yourself. The other item I will change is to brush the wonton wrappers with olive oil instead of spraying just because I think I am a cooking spray klutz. I did use olive oil cooking spray and the chips might have been the best part of this appetizer. Easy to make and they were gone quickly. I used ten more wrappers than called for and we could have eaten more. I did not salt them but you could easily do that. I will make the wonton chips for other dips as they were so good and easy to make.

Creamy Crab Rangoon dip with Wonton Chips

PREP: 20 minutes           BAKE: 5 minutes       Chill: 2 hours

20 wonton wrappers (about 5 ounces)

Nonstick cooking spray

1 8 ounce tub light cream cheese spread

¼ cup sour cream

1 8 ounce package flake-style imitation crab meat, chopped

½ cup finely chopped water chestnuts (optional)

¼ cup finely chopped green onion

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Bottled sweet and sour sauce

Thinly bias-sliced green onion

  For wonton chips; Use a sharp knife to cut wonton wrappers diagonally in half to form 40 triangles, arrange in a single layer on baking sheets. Lightly spray with cooking spray, carefully turn and spray again. We like the chips plain or sprinkle with salt or another seasoning. Bake in a 375° oven for 5 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Set aside or store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

  For dip: In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and sour cream. Add crab, water chestnuts ( if using), ¼ cup green onion, the powdered sugar, lemon juice soy sauce and garlic; stir well. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. (To serve dip warm, heat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on high.

  To serve, drizzle the cold or warm dip with sweet and sour sauce and garnish with additional sliced green onion. Makes 10 servings.

 *Also good with rice crackers, sugar snap peas, celery sticks or other veggies of your choice.

 *We did not drizzle it with the sweet and sour sauce and I used regular onion chopped fine as that is what I had on hand.