Jumbo Grande Jalapenos..growing again this year,,Last year they held up to their name,,almost 1 1/2" wide and 4" long.. I grew these for the purpose of stuffing them.. Stuff them with shrimp and crab....wrap with bacon...stuff with cream cheese and wrap with bacon...grill fer 5 minutes per side..or until the bacon is done....awesome appetizers.. just make sure to scrape out the meat and seeds...other wise they are a lil on the hot side,,but if ya like the heat...leave the meat..

Surprise Cheese Balls. Keep 'em frozen then pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Surprise Cheese Balls 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1 stick butter, softened â¨1 cup flour â¨1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper â¨1/2 teaspoon dry mustard â¨1/2 teaspoon salt (I use a little less) â¨1 teaspoon paprika â¨1 small jar pimento stuffed olives (drained and wiped dry) or whole small pecans â¨Sift dry ingredients together. Cream softened butter and cheese then stir in dry ingredients. â¨Â â¨Take about 1 teaspoon of dough and flatten. Put an olive (or pecan) in the middle and wrap dough around it, then roll to make a ball. Put tray of balls in freezer until firm, then pop into Ziploc bags.  Bake (frozen) at 400° for 15 minutes. Â

Clare, Moe and I always have the same thing on New Years Eve. Lobster and Champagne. We have been doing this for over 30 years, with few exceptions. I don't even bother with appetizers. Sometimes I serve steamed asparagus to dip in the melted butter. But usually we just pig out on lobster. I have 4 one pound live lobsters on order that I will pick up later today. And a bottle of Veuve Clicquot chilling. But if I were going to serve an appetizer I would choose from one of these three. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Escargot In Mini Toast Cups =========================== Source: Elegant Entertaining Cookbook - M. Sable 1 loaf of white bread 1/4 cup melted butter 1 can escargot (36 to 50 size) 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup chicken broth 2 shallots 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried) 1 bay leaf 1 cup whipping cream 2 cloves of garlic salt and pepper 1/4 cup butter 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley . preheat oven to 400 Cut crusts off bread and roll out very thin. cut 2 inch rounds and fit each round gently into a well buttered 1 1/4 muffin tin. Brush tops of rounds with melted butter and bake them for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from tins and cool. In a medium sauce pan combine wine, chicken stock and shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid to 1/3 cup. Stir in cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Reduce liquid to 1/2 cup. Add escargot. Remove bayleaf and stir in butter. Fill each croustade with 1 or 2 escargot and some of the sauce. Sprinkle with minced parsley. OPtions: Use puff pastry instead of toast cups Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Escargot Stilton ================ Recipe of the Week We have a new participant in our Guest Chef series this week - Todd White of Cafe Normandie. Todd is the Chef de Cuisine (in other words the number 2 guy) at Cafe Normandie. That's right - the same fabulous Frenchtown eatery that is the showcase for all the good things that Georges Johnson (another guest chef) prepares. You know these young upstarts - they want to show everyone that they're just as good as the boss - and I guess this recipe proves it. Todd says that he's been told by diners that this particular dish is "better than sex." I'll leave that decision up to you. Todd White of Cafe Normandie Escargot Stilton 1 dozen large snails 3 oz Stilton cheese, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup white wine 3/4 cup heavy cream pinch of diced shallots salt and pepper to taste 1 pkg frozen puff pastry (I wouldn't dream of telling you to make your own - this is perfectly good) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Defrost puff pastry according to package directions. Place 2 large snails in 2" x 2" puff pastry squares. Fold corners in and enclose. Place on greased baking sheet and bake in the oven until golden brown, approximately 13-15 minutes. In a saucepan, place the white wine and shallots. Cook over medium high heat until reduced by half. Add the cream and again reduce by half. Remove from heat and add Stilton, stirring until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, divide the sauce onto 2 plates and place 3 escargot packets on each. Just the appetizer to serve on a romantic occasion when the dining is a deux! Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Stuffed Endives With Crab Meat ============================== Filling Fills about 24 leaves 1 2-oz. can whole pimentos 1 green onion 1 shallot 1/2 lb. cooked crab meat 1 tsp. prepared mustard 2 tsp. lemon juice 2-4 Tbl. mayonnaise Salt and pepper Paprika 3 Belgian endives . Chop 1 pimento (reserve the remainder for another use), the green onion, and the shallot. Combine the crab meat, mustard, lemon juice, green onion, shallot, and 2 Tbl. of the mayonnaise, adding more if needed. Add the pimento and season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. To prepare the Belgian endive cut off 1 inch from the root end; carefully separate each leaf. Stuff Belgian endive leaves with crab meat filling.

This is a T&T recipe I have made many times..talk about an awesome flavor! It's made in a slow cooker & served in Pita Pockets (cut in half if not sold that way)-easy for teens to dish up themselves..using a slotted spoon. "OVER THE TOP MEATBALL PITAS" **************************** * 5-6 lbs of prepared meatballs (the smaller sized balls), homemade or purchased * 1 and 1/2 cups maple syrup * 4 (12 ounce) jars 'medium' picante sauce * 2 (12 ounce) jars seedless raspberry jam * pita pocket halves Thaw meatballs if frozen or brown homemade ones in a skillet. In a medium bowl, combine the maple syrup, picante sauce & jam. Mix well, then pour mixture into the container of your slow cooker. Gently add the meatballs so as not to break them. Using a rubber spatula-gently combine them in the sauce so they're completely covered. Slow cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. You can warm the pita halves in the oven and if you wish-you can fill them & stack them neatly in a 13x9 pan or let everyone fill their own. DELISH!!