It’s almost 2010! That’s hard to believe. I hope that you have big plans for New Year’s Eve. Whether you are having a big party with lots of guests or a simple family gathering, I think you will enjoy these recipes.

The first and second recipe is a mushroom Bruschetta and the balsamic vinaigrette that goes over it. It uses three types of mushrooms and you can usually find them in the grocery store.

However, if you can’t, use whatever varieties you can find.

It’s a delicious dish that I hope you will make over and over.

The third recipe is chicken wings. Chicken wings are always a big hit at any gathering. I rarely have any of these left over when I make them. I pour the sauce into a bowl and toss the wings before putting them back in the oven to finish the cooking.

Your family and friends will love these wings. You can serve ranch dressing on the side, if you wish.

The fourth recipe is a spinach artichoke dip. This is my all time favorite dip. I could eat it almost daily.

Make this dip a day in advance and it tastes even better.

The last recipe is meatballs. They are always a hit at any party. These use that leftover can of cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The cranberry will give it a little different taste that I think you will enjoy.

I hope that you have a blessed and prosperous 2010!



Creamy Mushroom Bruschetta



2 cups button mushrooms, washed and sliced

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, washed and sliced

2 cups oyster mushrooms, washed and sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon minced chives

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1-2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups olive oil, not extra virgin

salt



Heat pan with butter and oil and sauté mushrooms until golden brown, then cool and chop.

Meanwhile, put cream in a small saucepan and reduce until it is 2 tablespoons.

Combine the mushrooms, shallots, chives, pine nuts, and cream and stir over medium heat until warmed through. Stir in the vinaigrette and serve on toasted baguette slices.

VINAGRETTE. Whisk together vinegar and mustard then slowly incorporate the olive oil until emulsified, and then add salt to taste.



Sweet and Tangy Chicken Wings



3 lbs chicken wings (about 16 – 20)

1 can (8 oz) cola

1 jar (12 oz) bottled chili sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

1 clove garlic, crushed

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley



In medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine cola, chili sauce, orange juice, cumin, coriander and garlic. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil and reduce until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Preheat broiler and arrange rack about four inches from heat. Place wings on broiler or baking pan covered with aluminum foil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven and broil 6 minutes, turn and broil for another 6 minutes. Remove from oven.

Turn off broiler and heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour sauce over wings, tossing until well-coated. Place tray with wings in oven and bake 35 minutes, or until wings are tender and register 165 degrees F when tested with meat thermometer.

To serve, remove wings to platter and sprinkle with parsley.



Spinach Artichoke Dip



2 (10-ounce) boxes chopped frozen spinach

1 box frozen artichoke hearts

3 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg, or to taste

1 cup Gorgonzola crumbles

1 1/2 cups shredded (a little larger than grated, available in tubs) Asiago or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Thick sesame bread sticks, for dipping

Celery hearts, trimmed for dipping

Pita crisps with Parmesan and herbs or other type of cracker, for dipping



Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Defrost spinach 10 minutes on defrost setting in microwave then drain well by wringing out in dish towel. Defrost artichokes as well, 6 minutes on defrost in microwave then wring out and finely chop.

Heat a sauce pot with butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic to melted butter and stir 1 to 2 minutes, then sprinkle in flour and combine 1 minute more. Whisk in stock and milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Thicken 2 minutes then remove from heat and melt in Gorgonzola. Stir in spinach and artichokes and half the shredded cheese then transfer to a small casserole and top with remaining cheese. Brown and bubble in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with bread sticks, celery hearts, crackers and pita crisps for dipping.



Cranberry Meatballs



1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 teaspoon instant minced mustard onion

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

salt and pepper

butter

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 pound can of whole cranberry sauce

Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, minced onion, mustard, salt and pepper. Shape meat mixture into ping pong size balls and brown them in butter, in a frying pan that has a lid. Mix together tomato sauce and cranberry sauce. Pour over the browned meatballs, then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.



Did You Know?



The various symptoms of your average hangover - headache, dry mouth, nausea, exhaustion - all come from different effects that alcohol has on your body. Many of these symptoms can be lessened by eating a good meal before drinking; the more food you have in your stomach, the slower it'll be processed, which means it'll hurt a lot less in the morning.

And, while there's no "cure" for a hangover, there's no shortage of ways, both fabled and factual, to take the edge off.

For the headache, which is thought to come from the dilating effect alcohol has on your blood vessels:

Aspirin (not acetaminophen or ibuprofen) will help with that headache, though there's no evidence taking it the night before will help you.

Caffeine also helps constrict your blood vessels; it's also a stimulant, which will help you feel less tired (until it wears off...). Simultaneously, though, it also dehydrates you (like alcohol), so you'll still need to drink lots of water.

For the dry mouth, which, along with thirst, is a direct result of alcohol's dehydrating effects:

Water. Lots of it. Before you go to bed (as unpleasant as the thought might be) and all day the next day.

Sports drinks are great too; their salt and sugar content help to replace all the electrolytes you've been losing all night. To similar ends, bouillon, fruit juice or even pickle juice do a similar job.

The potassium in bananas works against the diuretic (that is, dehydrating) effect of alcohol as well.

For the nausea, caused when alcohol irritates your stomach lining, also generating extra stomach acid:

Every culture has their idea of which food helps. Northern Germans believe strongly in marinated fish (like herring), Mexicans have posole (a meat and hominy soup) and the Senegalese have yassa (chicken and lemon stew). When in Rome... (except maybe not, as the ancient Roman hangover cure was eel steeped in wine).

If you can handle food, your best bet is something like eggs, which are high in cysteine, which helps your body process the toxins in alcohol.

Tomatoes have lots of vitamin C (which alcohol saps your body of) - but make the Bloody Mary a Virgin Mary if you're trying to get better.

If you can't face a full plate, drink a smoothie (with lots of fruit) to up your blood sugar and replenish at least one or two nutrients you might have lost the previous night.

And don't bother with:

Hair of the dog. Drinking more in the morning doesn't make it better, it just prolongs the pain. And it's probably not a good call on a regular basis.



Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:

kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.

Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/