Roasted Bell Peppers and Tomatoes

Get some sweet peppers and prepare yourself for a treat!

Ingredients:
4 - 6 peppers (red and yellow and orange)
1 basket of small tomatoes
lots of garlic cloves (4 - 6)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
Italian herbs of your choice: Rosemary, thyme, oregano, tarragon, majoram
1 tsp sugar
Salt, pepper
Basil leaves - chopped into strips

Directions:

• Seed and core peppers then cut into strips
• Take any stems off the tomatoes
  
• Heat oven to 400
• In a large bowl, mix peppers, tomatoes, half of the garlic, half the vinegar, all the Italian spices, sugar, salt, pepper
• Combine remainder of garlic with remainder of vinegar and set aside
  
• Mix veggies well and spread on baking sheet
• Roast for about 20 minutes then turn over (as much as possible) and roast another 5 - 10.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with garlic/vinegar mixture then mix again
• Let cool then sprinkle basil on top before serving

Yummy! Makes about 3 servings depending on how much you eat.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Be prepared for some heavy workin' out the day after you make these puppies...they are scrumptious but can pack on the pounds if you have too many.

CUPCAKES

6 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup + 2 TB butter
2 cups bakers sugar
3 medium eggs
2 cups all purpose flower
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream

• Set oven to 350 F then place liners in muffin tin
• Measure cocoa into small bowl, mix with boiling water until smooth then set aside
• Mix 1/2 cup softened butter and sugar on medium speed (electric mixer) until creamy (about 3 minutes). Melt remaining butter to liquid then add and mix another minute.
• Separate egg yolks and save whites then add yolks to mixture. Mix well.
• Sift remaining dry ingredients into a bowl then add to mixture (mixing on medium)
• Add cocoa liquid, sour cream, vanilla and mix well
• Whisk egg whites until stiff then fold into mixture
• Using spatula, fill liners 2/3 full
• Bake about 30 min (or 20 in convection oven). Cupcakes are done when toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of if tops spring back when you press with your finger
• Remove from oven - let stand about 3 minutes then cool on rack completely before frosting.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
6 TB butter
2 + 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup dark powdered unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

• Soften butter then beat in a medium bowl at low speed with hand mixer
• Add small bits of powdered sugar, cocoa, milk alternating slowly between the three ingredients and mix until smooth but thick (ok to add more sugar or milk for proper consistency)
  
• Stir in vanilla
• Frost cupcakes using favorite spatula or piping bag & tip(s)

Recipe makes about 18 cupcakes (if you don't go crazy with the frosting on each one).

Slammin' Crab Dip

People will love you for bringing this dip to any get-together! Don't count calories with this dish or you are going to be wayyyyy over your limit.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mayo
1 package fake crab pieces (8 oz) - cut into small pieces
1 cup grated parmesan cheese - get the good stuff not the sawdust kind!
1 package cream cheese (room temperature) - whipped works great!
1 can of artichoke hearts - drained and cut small
1/3 cup onion - small dice
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Mix mayo and cream cheese until creamy. Mix in other ingredients. Place in small glass dish. Heat at 375 for 18 - 25 minutes until ingredients are warm and top is slightly browned. Serve with tortilla chips, crunchy bread, or pita chips. Yummy!!!

COMMENTS:
A cast iron skillet works very well for cooking and serving this dish.

REFERENCE:
Thank you to the Louis Kemp website for this recipe: http://www.louiskemp.com/recipes.html