Try these party-ready recipes for Masters weekend hosting

Roasted Red Pepper Pimiento Cheese

1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, membrane removed

Olive oil

Sea salt to taste

1 (8-oz.) pkg. white cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. Creole seasoning

1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. garlic powder 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place pepper halves on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Roast until skin is blistered, about 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove peels, chop, and place in a small bowl. Set aside.

Stir together all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Fold in chopped roasted red peppers. Cover and store in refrigerator. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. 

Makes 6 servings.

Southern Sweet Lemonade

1 cup sugar

1 cup water (for simple syrup)

1 cup fresh lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)

3 to 4 cups cold water

Make a simple syrup by heating sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves completely.

While sugar is dissolving, juice lemons. Add lemon juice and simple syrup to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups cold water, more or less, to desired strength. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Note: For more intense lemon flavor and stronger color, zest 1 fresh lemon, and add to the simple syrup as you are making it. Once sugar is dissolved in the water, remove from heat, and let zest steep several minutes, then strain when you add the simple syrup to the lemon juice.

Makes 1½ quarts.

Crawfish Dip Stuffed Sweet Peppers

10 to 12 tri-color sweet peppers

1 lb. crawfish

10 oz. whipped cream cheese (or regular cream cheese, softened)

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse peppers and cut in half lengthwise, removing seeds.

Use a paper towel and pat crawfish meat dry. Do not skip this step as your dip will be too runny otherwise. Depending on size of crawfish, you may want to also chop.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy and stir in crawfish and remaining ingredients. Stuff pepper halves with crawfish dip. Sprinkle with additional Cajun seasoning. Serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Makes about 20 appetizers.

Loaded Spinach Madeleine & Shrimp Dip

1pkg. (8 oz.) frozen chopped spinach

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ cup chopped yellow onion

2 Tbsp. reserved liquor

½tsp. black pepper

¾ tsp. celery salt

¾tsp. garlic salt

6 oz. shredded jalapeno Jack cheese

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup sour cream

1 lb. small shrimp, gently cooked

½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and reserve 2 Tbsp. of liquor. Melt butter in a large nonstick pan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth but not brown. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add liquid slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook until smooth and thick. Add seasonings and cheeses. Stir until melted. Add sour cream and stir to combine. Add cooked spinach, shrimp and artichoke hearts and gently combine.

Transfer mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle a bit more mozzarella on top, if desired. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven to the broil setting and watch carefully, removing just as top of dip turns golden.

Serve warm with pita wedges or chips.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.