Appetizers

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Put Crisco into a mixer bowl. Add cheese gradually, beating at medium speed until mixture is fairly smooth. Blend flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually add to cheese mixture, mixing at low speed. Stir in cereal with spoon. Shape into balls, using 1 tablespoon for each ball.
Arrange balls on ungreased cookie sheets. Lightly press with a fork to make a crisscross pattern. Dip fork in flour as needed to prevent sticking. Press a pecan half onto top of each, if desired.
Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool for 10 to 12 minutes on cookied sheet, then remove to a rack to cool.

Wash mushrooms and trim stems slightly. Set aside.
Mix flour, salt, mustard, paprika and pepper in large plastic food storage bag. Set aside. Place buttermilk in small bowl. Dip a few mushrooms at a time in buttermilk. Place in bag with flour mixture. Shake to coat.
Heat 2 to 3 inches Crisco Oil in deep-fryer or heavy saucepan to 375ºF. Fry a few mushrooms at a time 2 to 3 minutes, or until deep golden brown, turning over several times. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with catsup, if desired.

Drain clams, reserving 1/4 cup juice.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Stir in clams and chopped onion. Combine clam juice and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until well blended.
Heat Crisco to 365ºF in a deep saucepan or deep fryer. Drop level tablespoons of clam mixture into hot Crisco. (Do not use fryer basket.) Fry several fritters at a time for 3-1/2 minutes or until browned. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with lemon wedges and Tartar Sauce.

Cover fish with cold water to freshen. Let stand in cold water 4 hours, changing water 3 to 4 times (or follow directions on package). Drain fish and remove any pieces of bone. Flake and set aside.
Wash, pare, and cut potatoes into pieces. Combine fish, potatoes, and onion in a large saucepan. Add cold water to cover. Cover saucepan and bring to boiling. Cook until potatoes are tender.
For dill sauce, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate.
Thoroughly drain and mash potatoes, fish, and onion. Add eggs, paprika, and pepper; whip until mixture is fluffy. Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each, shape into balls.
Heat Crisco to 365ºF in a deep saucepan or deep fryer. Drop only as many fish balls at one time into hot Crisco as will float uncrowded one layer deep. Fry for 2 to 5 minutes or until golden brown, turning balls as they brown. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with Dill Sauce.

Cut hash into 4 equal slices. Place hash slices on a broiler rack; brush tops with 1-1/2 teaspoons melted Crisco.
Broil 3 inches from heat for 5 minutes or until browned. Turn and spread tops thinly with a mixture of horseradish and mustard. Broil for 3 minutes.
Remove from broiler. Cut tomato into 4 equal slices. Place 1 tomato slice on each hash slice. Brush tomato slices with remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons melted Crisco. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cheese.
Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Melt Crisco in a saucepan, add green pepper, and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Blend in flour and seasonings. Add tomato juice gradually while stirring. Cook and stirring until thickened.
add milk gradually while stirring. Add cheese. Cool over low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Stir in crab meat and heat thoroughly. Serve on toast..

In 2-quart saucepan melt Butter Flavor Crisco. Add green pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until tender. Stir in flour, salt and paprika. Blend in half-and-half. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Blend small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks. Return to hot mixture, stirring to combine. Add crab meat and pimiento. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Serve in patty shells or over toast points.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. In medium saucepan combine water and Butter Flavor Crisco. Heat to rolling boil. Add Pillsbury BESTflour and salt, stirring until mixture forms a ball. Continue to cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add eggs all at once, beating until smooth.
Drop by 1/2-teaspoonfuls at least 1-1/2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool away from draft. Meanwhile, prepare one of the fillings.
For shrimp filling, in medium mixing bowl blend cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in cocktail sauce, tarragon, pepper and garlic powder. Add shrimp, water chestnuts and scallions. Mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
For chicken filling, in medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
To fill, cut off tops of cooled cream puffs. Remove dough filaments from inside. Fill with desired filling. Replace tops.

In a medium saucepan, heat the Crisco Pure Canola Oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and a dash of salt; cook about 2 minutes. Add the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning and water. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
Cook for about 5 minutes; cool to room temperature. Place shrimp in a large non-reactive bowl; pour 1/2 the cooled sauce over. Toss to coat; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
Heat the grill. Grill the shrimp, about 5 minutes per side, until done. Place on a platter and pour the remaining heated sauce over; garnish with lemon wedges.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with Crisco No Stick Cooking Spray, set aside. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat just until sugar is melted; set aside.
Disjoint chicken wings; discard tips. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. In a large bowl, combine grainy mustard, Crisco Canola Oil, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper; add chicken wings and toss to coat. Place coated chicken wings on prepared sheet. Spray each wing thoroughly with Crisco No Stick Cooking Spray. Bake 25 minutes, turning once.
Remove from oven, increase oven temperature to broil. Brush chicken wings with Sweet and Sour Sauce; return to oven and broil about 2 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serve with remaining Sweet and Sour Sauce for dipping.

Combine cornmeal, flour, cheese, salt and garlic powder on waxed paper.
Combine egg and milk in shallow dish or pie plate. Dip eggplant in mixture. Coat with cornmeal mixture.
Heat Crisco to 365ºF in electric skillet or on medium-high heat in large skillet. Fry, a few slices at a time, 1 or 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Turn once. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Prepare pastry, adding the cheese, paprika, and mustard to pastry mixture before water is added. Gently form pastry into a ball. Roll out on floured surface to a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. Cut into sticks about 1 inch wide and about 4 inches long. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425ºF about 10 minutes or till golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool.

For pimento-cheese sauce, melt Crisco in medium saucepan. Stir in flour. Add milk and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture thickens and comes to boil. Reduce heat; add cheese, pimentos and green chiles. Stir until cheese melts; keep warm.

Heat 2 or 3 inches Crisco Oil to 365ºF in deep fryer or deep saucepan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, combine egg, milk, chicken and onion; add to flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls, a few at a time, into melted shortening. Fry 3 or 4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn as needed for even browning. Remove with slotted metal spoon. Drain on paper towels. Serve with Chili-Cheese Sauce.

* Or your favorite Crisco Oil

In a bowl, combine the chopped chicken, chopped mushrooms, celery, soy sauce and curry powder. Spread some of the filling in strip across center of the egg roll skin. Fold up one corner of the egg roll skin; fold in corners from each side. Roll up, moistening underside of last corner with water to seal. Repeat with remaining skins. Fry in deep Crisco heated to 365ºF till egg rolls are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. To serve, cut each egg roll in thirds and serve with the bottled sweet-sour sauce.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Cut wings in pieces and use the meatier “drumstick” piece for appetizers. (Use remaining wing pieces for soups.) Combine cracker crumbs, sesame seed, paprika, and salt. Brush meatier end of “drumsticks” with melted Crisco. Roll in cracker mixture. Place in large shallow baking pan (don’t crowd). Bake at 375ºF for 40 to 45 minutes.

* If chicken tenders are not available, purchase chicken breasts and cut into strips.
Rinse chicken; pat dry. Place in 8-inch square glass baking dish.
Combine salt, parsley, sage and thyme. Sprinkle over chicken. Toss to coat.
Heat oil in deep skillet on medium heat.
Combine muffin mix, onion and basil in small bowl. Add milk. Stir until well blended. Coat chicken with batter.
Drop pieces, 4 at a time, into hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes. Turn. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until no longer pink in center. Place on paper-towel lined plate. Keep warm until all chicken is fried.
Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Preheat oven to 325ºF. In medium bowl combine flour and salt. Cut in Crisco to form coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with fork until particles are moistened and cling together. Form dough into ball. Roll into a 10-inch square on lightly floured board. Ease dough into 9 x 2-inch pan. Press excess up around edges of pan to form 1-inch rim. Bake at 325ºF for 10 minutes. Set aside.
For filling, in large bowl blend eggs, evaporated milk, flour, Worcestershire sauce, salt and garlic powder. Stir in shrimp, cheese, carrot and onion. Pour into partially-baked pastry. Bake at 325ºF for 30 to 35 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into 20 squares.

Preheat oven to 450ºF.
Put Crisco, water, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
Add flour all at one time. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms a smooth ball. Remove from heat.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating until mixture is thick and smooth.
Drop dough by teaspoonfuls 1-1/2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 450ºF for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and continue baking for 10 minutes. Cool.

For Chicken Salad Filling, combine all ingredients.
Cut off tops of puffs and pull out any soft moist dough. Spoon Chicken Salad Filling into puffs. Replace tops.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Brush bread slices with melted Crisco and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Cut artichoke hearts in half; drain on paper towels.
Place an artichoke piece cut-side-down on each bread slice.
Beat egg whites and salt until stiff, not dry, peaks form. Fold in cheeses and red pepper.
Spoon about 1 measuring teaspoonful of egg white mixture over each artichoke piece; sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 400ºF for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Heat Crisco Oil in 1-quart saucepan. Add onion. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. Add tomatoes, chilies and salt.
Stir to blend. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and cream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Garnish with minced cilantro. Serve with Baked Tortilla Chips.

Baked Tortilla Chips

CRISCO No-Stick Cooking Spray
8 6-inch corn tortillas
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet and both sides of the corn tortillas with Crisco No Stick Cooking Spray. Slice each tortilla into 8 wedges; sprinkle lightly with salt. Place on baking sheet; bake for 12-15 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with Crisco No Stick Cooking Spray; set aside.
For Filling, heat Crisco Oil in medium skillet. Add mushrooms, celery and garlic. Sauté until celery is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in artichoke hearts, green onion, marjoram, oregano and cayenne. Add Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and eggs. Mix well. Set aside.
For pastry, combine flour and salt in medium mixing bowl. Blend Crisco Oil and milk in small mixing bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir with fork until mixture forms a ball. Press dough in bottom and slightly up the side of the prepared pan.
Spread cheese mixture on crust; bake 30 minutes, or until center is set. Cool slightly. Cut into 24 squares. Serve warm.

Rinse chicken; pat dry. Cut each breast half into 4 pieces. Make slit in each piece to form pocket. Stuff about 1 tablespoon cheese into each pocket, pressing closed with fingers.
Spray 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with CRISCO Butter Flavor No-Stick Cooking Spray.
Place flour in medium bowl or on waxed paper. Combine eggs and water in small bowl. Beat well.
Place crushed chips in pie plate or on waxed paper. Dip chicken pieces in flour, then in egg mixture and then in chips, pressing to coat well. Place on jelly roll pan. Spray tops with cooking spray.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Do not overbake. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

In mixing bowl, combine the flour, cheese, salt, and garlic powder. Stir in the water, melted Crisco, and egg; beat till smooth. Pat the mushrooms dry. Dip mushrooms into batter. Fry, a few mushrooms at a time, in deep Crisco heated to 365ºF. Fry till mushrooms are golden, about 3 minutes, turning once. Drain on paper toweling. Salt lightly and serve immediately.

For meat filling, cook ground beef and onion in a skillet until meat is cooked and union is tender. Drain off excess fat; stir in remaining ingredients.
For pastry, combine Crisco mix and sauerkraut in a bowl. Add sauerkraut liquid, a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Shape into a ball.
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a floured 2-3/4-inch round cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Spoon 1 teaspoon Meat Filling onto each round. Moisten half the edge of each round with water. Fold pastry in half and press edges together with fork to seal. Prick top of each pastry with fork.
Bake at 400ºF for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Rub inside of fondue pot with cut sides of garlic. Discard garlic. Heat 2 inches Crisco Oil in fondue pot to 375ºF. Place pot over flame to keep warm.
Spear beef cubes on fondue forks. Fry beef in hot Crisco Oil about 1 minute for medium-rare doneness. Dip beef in Mustard Sauce or Oriental Sauce, if desired.

Wash zucchini; trim ends. Cut in half crosswise; then cut each half into eight lengthwise strips.
Combine flour, salt and pepper in plastic bag. Shake a few strips at a time in flour mixture, dip in beaten egg, then shake in crumbs.
Fry in hot Butter Flavor Crisco about 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired.

Note: If electric skillet is used, set at 275ºF to 300ºF.

Combine eggs, flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium mixing bowl. Stir until smooth. Blend in milk and club soda. Set aside.
Heat Crisco Oil in large skillet. Add cabbage. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt, sugar and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until tender. Cool slightly. Stir into batter.
Lightly oil 6-inch skillet with Crisco Oil. Heat skillet. Pour 1/4 cup batter in center of skillet. Cook over moderate heat, about 2 minutes, or until light brown, turning over once. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep warm in 175ºF oven. Repeat with remaining batter. Garnish with fresh parsley sprigs, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix rye flour, all-purpose flour, caraway seed, sugar, baking soda, garlic salt and onion salt in medium mixing bowl. Add Crisco Oil. Stir with fork until moistened. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until mixture forms a ball.
Divide dough in half. Place one half between 2 large sheets waxed paper. Roll dough 1/16 inch thick. Remove top sheet waxed paper. Cut dough into 1-1/2-inch shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Place crackers on ungreased baking sheet. Prick each cracker 2 or 3 times with fork. Bake at 350ºF, 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Remove to wire rack.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Blend flour, salt, and red pepper in a mixer bowl. Add Crisco and cheese; beat until light and fluffy. Mix in cereal.
Shape into balls, flatten slightly, and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350ºF for about 12 minutes.

Combine flour, pepper and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender (or 2 knives) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cheese.
Beat egg yolks with water. Add to flour mixture. Toss to combine until dough forms ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Heat oven to 375 F. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cheese straws.
Spread 1 tablespoon of flour on large sheet of waxed paper. Cut into strips 1/2-inch wide. Twist strips. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet with large pancake turner. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Roll out remaining dough.
Bake 1 baking sheet at a time at 375 F for 7 to 9 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cheese straws to foil to cool completely.

*Butter Flavor Crisco is artificially flavored.

4-6 servings8 ounces whole fresh mushrooms 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon paprika Dash pepper 1/2 cup buttermilk CRISCO Oil, for frying Wash…