Carrie's dish #1

Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
From Gourmet Today

Ingredients:

1/4 cup drained oil packed sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped drained bottled roasted red peppers
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup olive oil
salt


Directions:

Combine all ingredients except oil and salt in a food processor and puree until smooth. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream, blending until incorporated. Season with salt to taste.



Carrie's dish #2

Rich Crackers
From The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion


Ingredients:

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) cold butter
1 large egg
6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) cream (half & half, light, whipping, or heavy)
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted


Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Cut in the butter. In a separate bowl, use a fork to stir egg and cream together until smooth. Add to flour-butter mixture and stir until mixture forms a loose ball. Gather together in your hands and squeeze together. Pat into an oval about 1 inch thick, wrap in waxed paper, and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a circle between 1/16 and 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut dough into rounds with a 3 inch or smaller cutter. Repeat with remaining dough scraps. Unlike pie crust, this repeated rolling doesn't seem to toughen the final product. Transfer rounds to lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets and prick each round several times with a fork.
Bake crackers for 6 minutes. Remove pan from oven, turn crackers over, and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until crackers are lightly browned. Remove crackers from oven and brush with melted butter. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.