Terri Brisbin: An Entire Month of Celebrating!

Well, it’s not only Cheryl who’s celebrating an anniversary (or two??) this month. In our extended families, July is an insane month of anniversaries and birthdays. Nary a day goes by without some brother/in law, sister/in law, niece, nephew, son, husband’s name on the date’s block on my large kitchen calendar.  July 3(x 2!), 4, 9, 11, 14, 22(x 2!), 23, 25, 26, 27 and 29 all are celebrating days for one reason or another.

Since it’s the summer, many of the above-mentioned celebrations involved cook-outs or BBQs and I have a few tried-and-true recipes that I make to take and enjoy at those get-togethers. So, I thought I’d share one of my favorite ones with you in case you’re looking for a new dish to make and take. It’s called Hoagie Dip and it’s everything you would put on a hoagie but it’s a dip. It can be served by itself, on slices of Italian bread, or (my favorite) stuffed in a pita! And, the best part? It is SOOOOO easy to make. Oh, and it’s good!

Hoagie Dip 

Ingredients: 

½ pound of 3-5 lunchmeats and 1 cheese – sliced ‘regular’ thickness and diced into little pieces:

American Mix: Ham, Hamocola, Beef Bologna, Cooked Salami, Turkey Breast,  American Cheese

Italian Mix: Ham, Capocola, Bologna, Genoa Salami, Provolone Cheese

Other: Roast Beef, Turkey Breast, Swiss Cheese

1 8-16 oz. bottled Italian Salad Dressing or Hoagie Dressing

Tomatoes, Lettuce, Onions(optional, of course!) – shredded or chopped finely

Directions:

Mix chopped meats and cheeses in large bowl and add salad dressing until moistened and bring along a bit more dressing to add if needed. Just before serving,  add chopped veggies and mix together. Serve on slices of Italian bread or in pita halves or by itself!  

***This can be made ‘healthy’ by using low-fat/salt luncheon meats and low-fat or fat-free dressing – that’s what I do. I switched to fat-free Kraft Zesty Italian dressing or Aunt Fanny’s Light dressing and my family never noticed! I do use low salt/fat luncheon meats whenever I can, too. This recipe can be increased or decreased depending on how much you need – the amounts above serve a whole bunch of people!

The other favorite recipe is for an adult beverage called a “French Martini” – fancy name when it’s really a lovely mixed drink that includes vodka, Chambord raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice.  It’s refreshing and dangerous at the same time…here’s my recipe with my preferred brands:

French Martinis

Ingredients:

One shot or one ounce or one measure of Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

Slightly less than one shot or ounce or measure of Vodka – Ciroc if you can – mmmmmmm!

Two shots or ounces or measures of pineapple juice

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and shake (or stir) with ice. Strain into glasses and add any fruit garnish you like – pineapple wedge or lemon/lime/orange peel, etc.  Most times I just use the pineapple juice cans as my measure…two little cans of juice, one can of Chambord, a little less than one can of vodka makes a nice little pitcher of martinis!

With those two recipes, you can have lots of fun….and I hope you do! I didn’t mention the big thing that I’m celebrating this month – hubby and I just had our 35^th wedding anniversary! It’s hard to believe that 35 years have passed us by but they have….we did the dinner out thing with our family but our real celebration will be in the Fall when we go to Hawaii!

So, how about you? Are you celebrating anything this month? Cheryl will choose one person who posts a comment to receive a copy of my upcoming Harlequin Historical release – THE HIGHLANDER’S STOLEN TOUCH or a copy of one of my backlist books!

Leave your email address in a blog comment to be entered in the drawing.

Terri was obviously a child bride but she’ll also be marking her 30^th book published this year! Visit her website ( www.terribrisbin.com ) for more info about Terri, her books and upcoming events and news. 

Order your copy from amazon now!