Gather 'round, pull up a chair, and join family, friends, and your local community to swap some of the best reader-submitted recipes from American Profile. With more than 150 cherished recipes and dozens of beautiful photographs, Hometown Get-Togethers serves up the perfect dish for your next reunion, church event, potluck supper, tailgate party, family dinner, picnic, holiday celebration, or dinner party.

The editors of American Profile have compiled the nation's most savory, sweet, and all-around tasty recipes—straight from their readers and modeled after the magazine's most popular section, "Hometown Recipes." You'll find recipes that are perfect for sharing: from South-of-the-Border Breakfast Bake and Omelet in a Bag for a Crowd, to Monkey Bread and Mom's Magic Muffins; from Clam Chowder and Superb Red Pepper Soup, to Best-Ever Fried Potatoes and Cheesy Slow Cooker Corn. With Hometown Get-Togethers, friends and neighbors will be asking for your cooking secrets and your recipes when you bring one of these delectable dishes to your next gathering.

American Profile, one of America's most widely circulated magazines, celebrates hometown life, and in Hometown Get-Togethers editors Candace Floyd, Anne Gillem, Nancy S. Hughes, and Jill Melton do just that.

Hometown Get-Togethers

Memorable Meals for Great GatheringsBy Candace Floyd

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2008 Candace Floyd
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780061257902

Cheese Ring with Strawberry Preserves

Serves 18 to 20

Betty Key, Gardendale, Alabama

"My husband worked at a Chevrolet dealership in Birmingham, Alabama, for many years. The employees there loved this cheese ring and expected it for every occasion. Even after my husband retired, they called to ask if I would make it for them. I always sent two, and they were gone in no time."

Ingredients:

1 pound sharp Cheddar, finely shredded
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup pecan chips, toasted, if desired
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
2 cups strawberry preserves
Assorted crackers

Instructions:

1. Combine the Cheddar, cream cheese, mayonnaise, pecan chips, onion, garlic, and Tabasco in a large bowl; mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight.

2. Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and shape into a ring on a serving plate. Fill the center of the ring with the preserves. Serve with assorted crackers.

Olive Salsa

Serves 16

Mary Bilke, Eagle River, Wisconsin

"I have made this for many get-togethers and always have to double the recipe. I have also learned to bring copies of the recipe with me, because anyone new always asks for one. You can make it spicier by adding more jalapeños or leaving the seeds in."

Ingredients:

One 7-ounce jar pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained and coarsely chopped
One 6-ounce can pitted black olives, drained and coarsely chopped
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Corn scoops, tortilla chips, or bagel chips

Instructions:

1. Combine the olives, tomato, jalapeño, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl. Toss gently to blend. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2. At serving time, add the feta cheese and lightly toss. Serve with corn scoops, tortilla chips, or bagel chips.

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Excerpted from Hometown Get-Togethersby Candace Floyd Copyright © 2008 by Candace Floyd. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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