1 c Slivered almonds

1/4 c Butter

1 sm Onion, chopped

1 Clove garlic, minced or

-pressed 3/4 lb Mushrooms, sliced

3/4 ts Salt

1/2 ts Thyme

1/8 ts Pepper

2 tb Oil

Mushroom Almond Pate Spread almonds in a shallow pan and toast in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt, thyme and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and most of the pan juices have evaporated. In a food processor or blender, whirl almonds to form a paste, With motor tunning, add oil and whirl until creamy. Add mushroom mixture and whirl until pate is smooth. Chill until set. I used walnuts, because I had them on hand, and this turned out fine. I served it alongside thinly sliced toasted rounds of italian bread. Yum. Next to that, I had a wedge of brie surrounded by bite-sized hunks of carrots (cutting veggies to bite size saves the worry some people have about others who dip, bite, then stick something bitten back into the dip. . .) and a dip I make for veggies that is yummy, but not for the faint of heart. Spicy Yogurt Dip 1 c nonfat yogurt 1 1/2 Tbsp apricot honey (or 1 Tbsp honey plus 1/2 Tbsp

apricot preserves) 1 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper Mix all ingredients together and let sit for at least an hour. The flavor intensifies, but you may want to add curry and/or cayenne later. This tastes sweet, and you don't realize it's hot until it's too late.