Here we are again, planning another Super Bowl party, and searching for party food ideas.

Well, since you are reading this post, you’re already in the right place.  There is no better place than grandma’s kitchen, Suburbangrandma, that is!

All the recipes I post are either prepared by me personally, or I have sampled them elsewhere, loved them, and posted them for you to enjoy.

This time I decided to post a very simple recipe, but quite presentable, and very well liked by my family, for years .

These are open face sandwiches, canapes, also know to my family as “kanapky”.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbs butter, softened
• 1 Tbs Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
• 2 large loves of rye bread (40 slices)
• 3 tomatoes,  sliced thin
• 4 pickles, sliced thin
• 6 eggs, boiled and sliced thin (use an egg slicer, for best results)
• 1 Lbs of ham, cooked, smoked, or your your choice – sliced on a thinner side as well
• 20 slices of American cheese, white or yellow
• Chives or scallions, chopped (to sprinkle on top for a fresh look, and to enhance the aroma)

Directions:

1. Mix the cream cheese, butter and salad dressing mix.
2. Set aside.
3. Remove the smaller end from the loaf of bread, if you are using bakery loaf.  If you are using a prepackaged bread without the ends, then you are all set.
4. Cut the cheese slices in half diagonally (forming triangles)
5. Fold each slice of ham in half, or cut in half it you plan to use only that much on each sandwich.
6. Get ready all the sliced ingredients: eggs, tomatoes, pickles.
7. Spread the cheese/butter mixture on each piece of rye bread (rather sparingly)
8. Place a piece of ham on top of the spread
9. Place a piece of cheese on top of ham
10. Arrange nicely a slice of pickle, slice of an egg, and slice of a tomato on top of the cheese slice.
11. Sprinkle lightly with chopped chives or scallions.

If you are looking for additional ideas, and recipes, you may check these out:

• Jalapeño Corn Dip
  

• Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

• 7 Layer Guacamole Dip

• Swedish Meatballs

• Texas Caviar

• Mrs. Z’s Deviled Eggs

• Caramel Apple Dip

• Honey-Apple Brie Bites

• Turkey Taco Ring
  

What do you do with all those ripe tomatoes you have just picked off from your garden, or bought at a farmer’s market?  You can share them with your neighbors, if they don’t grow their own, and if you are certain that they like tomatoes and are not allergic to them.   If you decide to keep them, but you really do not want to spend lots of time in the kitchen, by making home made tomato sauce, you can turn them into a very fast and easy, yet very tasty tomato soup.

It really does not take much time, especially if you use ready made soup stock.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 8-10 medium/large tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. fresh Basil leaves, chopped
• 1 quart chicken, or vegetable broth
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste (if needed for added color/flavor)
• 1 Tbs. all purpose flour, or corn starch
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. sugar (optional)
• Dill weed, chopped (for garnish)
• Maggie Seasoning (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan, add chopped onions.
2. Saute until golden, add chopped celery, and shredded carrot, and sauté 3 minutes longer.
3. Heat the vegetable or chicken stock in a large pot, add the sauted vegetables to the stock.
4. Add the cored, and quartered tomatoes, and bring to boil.
5. Cook for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes and vegetables are tender.
6. Pour through a sieve, and mash,the vegetables with a spoon, for few minutes , applying pressure against the bottom and sides of the sieve.
7. Discard the remaining tomato skins and seeds left in the sieve.
8. Mix the tomato paste with some of the soup stock and return to pot.
9. Mix ½ of the heavy cream with 1 Tbs. of all purpose flour, into a smooth paste (no lumps).
10. Mix in a couple of Tbs. of the soup stock into this mixture, mix in the remaining heavy cream.
11. Pour into the soup pot, add a tsp. of sugar if the taste is too tangy, and bring to boil.
12. Add chopped basil.

You may serve it plain, garnished with chopped dill weed, or with rice or pasta.  Sometimes I make my own pasta, when I miss my mom’s home cooking.

Tip: You can peel the tomatoes before adding to the soup stock, by making a small ‘X’ on the bottom, and dunking them in boiling hot water for 15-30 seconds. The skin should slip off easily (it really works….I tried it).  You will still need to pour the soup through a sieve to remove any seeds and other chunky vegetables, or puree it in a blender and pour through a sieve, then bring to boil once more.

If you like a thicker, more textured  soup, you need more tomatoes.  I like my tomato soup on a thinner side, since I serve it with pasta.  My mom used to make her own chicken broth by cooking chicken wings and backs, and used more heavy cream, which made the soup much higher in calories, but real delicious and creamy.