More Apps and Picks

'Tis the season for parties so I am doing another installment of appetizer recipes.  I LOVE to do apps on Sundays while we watch football.  Lots of times, we won't even have a real dinner...we just fill up on little stuff.  I think it's a great way to spend a Sunday and I have found some great new recipes.

This first recipe I got out of a magazine.  It comes from Stacy's Pita Chips and it's so simple and SO good on crackers.  If you click on the hyperlink, you can find it under "Classic Dips."

Classic Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup sour cream (I use Light)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Light)
1/4 cup cream cheese (I use reduced fat)
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (I use Parmesan)
1/4 teaspoon garlic gloves, minced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a small baking dish, mix together artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, Romano cheese and garlic.  Cover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.  Serve warm, hot or cool.

My notes:  I serve it hot and I also uncover it for the last 10 minutes of baking.

This next recipe was one I remembered from my childhood and I was excited to find it.  When I made them, it brought me right back to my family's Christmas Eve get togethers.

Spinach-Cheese Balls

1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1 egg                                           
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic salt                                           
1 cup tomato pasta sauce, if desired

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix all ingredients, except pasta sauce. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place on cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve with pasta sauce.

These next two recipes I tried this past weekend after seeing them on an episode of "Down Home With The Neelys"  Oh my God...they were both SOOO good.  On the second one, I have NOT tried the dip yet but I can't wait to!

BBQ Pot Stickers

1/2 pound ground pork

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Neely's BBQ sauce, plus an additional 1/4 cup

1 teaspoon Neely's BBQ seasoning, recipe follows

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Dash hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

25 to 30 small square wonton wrappers

Canola oil, for frying

1 cup chicken stock

In a medium bowl, add the ground pork, green onions, garlic, BBQ sauce, BBQ seasoning, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Mix together with a wooden spoon until incorporated

Lay 3 wonton wrappers at a time out on your work surface. Cover the others with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. Dip your finger in a small ramekin of water and brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Drop a teaspoon of the filling into the center of the wonton, add a drop of BBQ sauce, approximately a teaspoon, on top of the filling. Bring 2 opposite points together and seal, then bring the next 2 points together and pleat the top, making a little purse. As you go, set the filled dumplings on a sheet tray and cover with another damp paper towel. Repeat until all the filling is used.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough canola oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the dumplings to the pan. Make sure they are not touching or crowded together. Let the dumplings cook, for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of the chicken stock and cover. Reduce the heat to low, and allow the dumplings to finish cooking by steaming, another 2 to 3 minutes. Once done, gently remove the dumplings from the pan.

Repeat with the remaining dumplings. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Neely BBQ Seasoning:

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups paprika

3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

Shrimp Hushpuppies With Vidalia Onion Dip

Onion Dip:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 Vidalia onions, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Dash hot sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/4 cup finely chopped chives

Shrimp Hushpuppies, for serving, recipe follows

Add the olive oil and butter to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until caramelized, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from the heat and allow the onions to cool.

Blend the sour cream, mayonnaise, hot sauce, garlic powder, and chives together in a medium bowl. Add the onions and stir well to blend. Taste for seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Cook's Note: This dip is best made the night before, so the flavors have time to meld.

Shrimp Hushpuppies:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup self-rising flour ( I didn't have any so I Googled a substitute recipe...easy peasy!)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 small onion, grated

1/4 cup chives, chopped

1/2 pound cooked shrimp, cleaned and tails removed, chopped

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Peanut oil, for frying

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.

Now, I will admit I haven't tried the next recipe  but I plan to make it on Christmas Day.  It looked so good, I just had to share.

White Beans and Rosemary Crostini

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 ounces pancetta, diced
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thickly sliced
Two 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Squeeze of lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Baguette, sliced

Heat a fireplace to medium heat. Adjust the grill racks over the flame and heat a heavy Dutch oven over the rack. Alternatively, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Once hot, add the oil to the saucepan. Add the pancetta and render some of its fat. Add the rosemary and garlic, and saute until fragrant. Stir in the beans, lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Mash the beans with the back of a wooden spoon. Don't mash them all smooth, you want some texture.

Toast the baguette slices. Serve the beans on top of the toasted baguette. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.

If you love apps like I do, definitely give these a try.  I guarantee they'll become staples.

Better Late Than Never

I had hoped to be able to get an appetizer post in before the Super Bowl. But as it usually happens in life with little kids, things got hectic and time got away from me. But, I figured better late than never. Maybe you all can use them next year. I know lots of appetizers are bad for you so I am trying to balance things out by throwing a few healthier options in.

This first one is a family favorite. I got the recipe from my MIL who I think got it from my SIL so I have no idea where the original recipe came from.

Dill Dip in a Bread Bowl

1 ½ tbs. Beau Monde Spice Blend (this is made by Spice Island but it can be hard to find. If you can’t find it, celery salt works fine as a substitute. This should be more of a “to taste” addition.)
2 tbs. dried onion flakes
2 tbs. dill weed
½ C mayo
1 ½ C sour cream (I used reduced fat for both the mayo and the sour cream)
1 round loaf of bread with the center removed and chunks reserved

Combine the herbs and spices with the pay and sour cream. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Spoon into the hollowed out out bread and serve with the reserved bread chunks for sipping.

My note: The original recipe called for a cup each of mayo and sour cream but I thought that was too much mayo so this recipe reflects my modification.

The next recipe I believe came from Stacy’s Pita Chips.

Classic Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 (14 oz. can) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
½ (10 oz. package) frozen spinach, thawed
½ C reduced fat sour cream
¼ C reduced fat mayo
¼ C reduced fat cream cheese
¼ C grated Romano cheese (you could also use parmesan)
¼ tsp. minced garlic

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. In a small baking dish, mix all the ingredients together. Cover dish and bake until heated through and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Serve hot warm or cool.

This is slightly healthier and is served with apple slices.

Toffee Apple Dip

¾ C brown sugar
½ C powdered sugar
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ package of Skor (or Heath) toffee bits
Sliced apples

Mix sugars, cream cheese and vanilla. When smooth, add toffee bits. Serve with apple slices for dipping.

Tip: If you dip apple slices in pineapple juice, it keeps them from turning brown and brings out their natural sweetness.

Another Healthy favorite of mine is tzatziki. I like to use this recipe from Ina Garten and serve it with veggies for dipping.

Easy Tzatziki

2 (7-ounce) containers Greek yogurt (recommended: Fage Total)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Grate the cucumber on a box grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove some of the liquid. Add it to the yogurt along with the sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Serve with toasted pita crisps.

And last but not least, this is my favorite during grilling season. It’s by Bobby Flay and it can be found online here.

Tomato Bread with Prosciutto

8 ripe plum tomatoes
1/2 cup Spanish olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
16 (1/2-inch thick) slices Ciabatta or crusty country-style bread
16 thin slices prosciutto

Preheat grill to high. Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and grill until charred on all sides. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and then place in a food process with the garlic, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and the pine nuts. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the thyme, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Brush each slice of bread with the remaining oil on both sides, season with salt and pepper, and grill until lightly golden brown, about 30 seconds on each side. Remove the bread from the grill, brush 1 side of each slice with the pureed tomato mixture, and top each with a slice of prosciutto. Serve.

Happy Snacking!

Welcome Food Lovers!

*Addendum to the Brie appetizer*

I am making these for New Year's Eve and I found premade phyllo dough cups at our SuperTarget. They're made by Athens and here they were around $2 for 15 of them. I know my recipe says puff pastry but hey, these will work and make it much easier. I am making homemade cranberry sauce though.

I am very willing to admit that I am a recipe junkie. I collect recipes and cookbooks like some people collect stamps. And I am sad to say that many recipes and even whole books remain untouched. I am hoping that starting this blog will motivate me to crack open some of those books and try more recipes. I have been making the same things for a while now and I think it's time to start shaking things up.

I'm going to start, since we're so close to Christmas, with some holiday recipes that I have already tried. When we still lived in Connecticut, Christmas Eve was spent with either my husband's family or at my mother's and at both places just appetizers and desserts were served. The last 2 years we spent up there I made the same thing. I'm not sure it has a name...I got the recipe from my next door neighbor. You need a sheet of puff pastry, some brie and some whole cranberry sauce. Cut small rounds out of the pastry using a small round cookie cutter. Place the rounds in a mini muffin tin, add a small chunk of brie and top with the cranberry sauce. Bake according to the directions on the pastry until they are golden and the brie is melted. Voila...a very simple yet yummy appetizer.

When it comes to holiday dinners, I have tried a couple things. I made braciole a couple years in a row but last year I made a roasted beef tenderloin served with horseradish mustard sauce and bacon and Brussels sprout hash. I am making tenderloin again this year but my husband requested I make Lighthouse Potatoes which we first had a few years ago at my cousin's house. They don't seem to go with tenderloin to me but since he asked for them, I'll make them. Here's the recipe:

Lighthouse Potatoes

32 oz. bag of frozen hash browns
16 oz. light sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can of cream of chicken soup (I use the low fat, low sodium kind)
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups of shredded cheddar (I've also used shredded Mexican Cheese).

Thaw the hash browns in the fridge overnight. In a large bowl, mix together everything except half the cheese.. Spread the mixture into a pan (I use 9x13, I think) and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I'll also be serving a roasted beet and spinach salad but I kind of wing that.

For Christmas morning I make an Overnight Sausage and Egg Bake that cooks while we're opening presents.

I think I'll make the Brussels Spouts for New Year's to go with our prime rib although Guy Fieri made these the other day and they looked good too and then I can just roast some fingerling potatoesa with some rosemary. Yummy!

Happy Holidays everyone!