Recipe for Homemade Bean Dip:

Appetizer - Sarah Hubbard

Ingredients:

3 cans refried beans (I used the refried beans w/ green chilies)

6 oz cream cheese (1 pkg)

8-12 oz salsa (I used hot salsa)

2 cloves garlic

6-8 green onions

2 tbsp Lime Juice

As much cheddar or pepper-jack cheese as you like.

Directions:

**Slowly heat refried beans and cream cheese over low heat, allowing the cream cheese to blend in with the beans. Continue heating while adding other ingredients to desired taste. Continue heating over low heat, while intermittently stirring, for about 20 minutes after all of the ingredients are added. Enjoy!

Entre - Rich Doerr - Basque Chicken Stew

This recipe was adapted from Pasta Cookery, http://www.amazon.com/Pasta-Cookery-Revised-Sophie-Petros/dp/1557880263/sr=1-1/qid=1165859427/ref=sr_1_1/104-3984289-7601563?ie=UTF8&s=books. The recipe in the book is for a chicken cut into large pieces, like Chicken Cacciatori. I adapted it for stews - less messy, more reheatable, less fat, yada yada yada. I baked it, per the recipe, and just reheated/warmed it in the crockpot...although, I suspect it could very easily be cooked in the crockpot (maybe a couple or three hours at high, and the rest of the day on low?).

Ingredients:

1-1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

6-8 oz ham (I use packaged deli ham - plain, honey, smoked, turkey, whatever)

1 medium eggplant, cut into small cubes

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

6-8 oz fresh mushrooms, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1-2 large garlic cloves, pressed

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1/3 cup wine (red or white, anything better than Thunderbird will do)

1 cup of chicken or veggie buillion (a cube and water is just fine)

salt and pepper

8-12 oz pasta (I like those bowtie things)

Directions:

1. Bring the olive oil up over medium heat, in a large pot.

2. Brown the chicken pieces, sprinkling with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

3. Remove the chicken pieces to a large, greased baking dish. Keep the drippings in the pan.

4. Add the ham, eggplant, green pepper, mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the stovetop pan. Cook over medium heat for 10-20 minutes, until veggies are reduced.

5. Mix together the tomato sauce, wine, buillion, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Pour this mixture into the reduced veggies and ham in the pan, and bring to a boil.

6. Spoon/ladle this mixture into the baking pan, on top of the chicken pieces.

7. Put into a cold oven, and bake at 375 for 50 minutes.

8. Serve over or mix in fresh pasta.

For potlucks, cook the pasta no softer than al dente, and store separately, in cold water, to prevent more cooking. 30 minutes or so before showtime, mix into the warmed up stew.