Currently browsing: Appetizers

Absolutely the Best Nacho Dip Ever

Recipe Source: Jeff Moore / allrecipes.com

Prep/Cooking Time: 2 Hrs 20 Min

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cocktail sauce
1 cup mild salsa
3/4 cup diced green onion
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, thoroughly mix cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise. Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of a medium serving dish.

In individual layers, top the mixture with cocktail sauce, mild salsa, diced green onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, shredded Cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce.

Arrange cucumber slices around the edge of the serving dish. Chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.

Apple Empanadas

Recipe Source: cooks.com

Filling:

8 c. sliced apples
2 c. sugar
2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. apples spice
3 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. butter

Dough:

6 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. apple pie spice
1 c. shortening
Warm water

Directions:

Filling: Bring all ingredients to boil for 45 minutes until apples are soft. Add cornstarch in 1/2 cup water to thicken. Add butter, cool before making empanadas.

Dough: Make dough like you would for flour tortillas. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Make balls, smaller than for tortillas, (smaller than a golf ball). Roll out to 4 inch diameter. Put filling in center, fold one side over. Press sides with fork to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until done.

Bacon Cheddar Chive Muffins

Recipe Source: Shelley Albeluhn / allrecipes.com

Prep/Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons dried chives
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, chives, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, cream of mushroom soup and vegetable oil. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Bacon Cheese Puffs

Recipe Source: Cooley Family, Rochester, NY / allrecipes.com

Prep/Cooking Time: Prep Time: 25 Minutes / Cook Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound sliced bacon
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pound sliced pumpernickel party bread

Directions:

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

Preheat oven to broil.

In a medium bowl combine the bacon, cheese, mustard and mayonnaise. Stir well. Arrange party bread on a cookie sheet. Spoon mixture onto each slice of bread.

Broil for 5 minutes, or until bubbly.

Bacon Wraps

Recipe Source: Teresa Hand

You’ll need:

Townhouse crackers
Cream cheese
Bacon
Toothpicks

Directions:

Let the cream cheese set out and soften. Spread a little on the crackers and make a sandwich out of it. Wrap a half of slice of bacon around it and poke a toothpick through it, keep going until all of the cream cheese and bacon is gone. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place each “sandwich” on a flat baking sheet. Cook for about 15 or 20 minutes rotating them about half way through.

Baked Tomatoes Oregano

Recipe Source: Michele O’Sullivan / allrecipes.com

Prep/Cooking Time: Prep Time: 15 Minutes / Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/8 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

Place tomato slices close together in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and oregano. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is lightly toasted.

Makes 4 servings.

Beef Empanadas

Recipe Source: cooks.com

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1/3 c. chopped raisins
1/4 c. chopped stuffed green olives
1 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. flour
1 3/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 (12 oz.) pkgs. Big Country buttermilk biscuits
2 egg yolks (for glaze)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add ground beef, green pepper, garlic and cook until beef is browned, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Add raisins, olives, vinegar, flour, allspice, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, and cook over medium heat until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat stir in the Monterey Jack cheese and the cilantro. Mix well and set aside to cool for at least 45 minutes.

Recipe to this point can be made up to 48 hours ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

Beat the 2 egg yolks until smooth (glaze).

One at a time, roll biscuits out on lightly floured bread board, to discs of about 4 1/2″ in diameter. Brush a 1/2″ strip of the glaze around one half of the edge of each disc. Put one heaping tablespoonful of filling in the middle of each disc. Fold unglazed half over to form half circle. Crimp edges together using dinner fork dipped in flour. Put empanadas on ungreased cookie sheet, brush tops lightly with remaining glaze.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown on top, about 12 minutes.

Makes 20 empanadas. (Or, use one package of 10 biscuits, and save half of the filling to make 10 more a few days later.)

Benne Cookies/Wafers

Recipe Source: www.co.beaufort.sc.us / Harriott Simons Marshall’s recipe in Charleston Receipts, collected by the Junior League of Charleston (1950), as adjusted by Paul W. Murphey of Richland Center, Wisconsin (September 1999) and web administrator Dennis Adams.

About:

Benne cakes are a food from West Africa introduced to this area by slaves. “Benne” means sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are eaten for good luck. Wafers and cookies made from benne are now a part of Kwanzaa (”first fruit” in Swahili), the African-American family festival that lasts from December 26 through January 1.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
(OPTIONAL: Add just a “jot” of sesame oil to the butter and sugar while creaming the mixture.)

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar together and mix with other ingredients in the order given. Drop with a teaspoon onto a well-greased cookie pan, far enough apart to allow spreading while baking. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 7-10 minutes. (Yield: 7 dozen.)

Big Cheeseburger Pizza

Recipe Source: Liagiba / allrecipes.com

Prep/Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 cup thousand island salad dressing, or to taste
1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt, or to taste
1 cup shredded American cheese
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
2 dill pickle slices

Directions:

Place the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until evenly browned. Season with seasoning salt, drain off grease, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spread salad dressing on the pizza crust. Top with a layer of ground beef and onion. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted. Allow pizza to cool for about 5 minutes, then slice into wedges and top with lettuce tomato and pickles, if desired.

BLT Pizza

Recipe Source: allrecipes.com

Prep/Cooking Time: Prep Time: 20 Min / Cook Time: 15 Min

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), or according to package directions for pizza dough.

Place bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and fry until browned, but not crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Stretch pizza dough out over a pizza stone, pan, or cookie sheet. Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread the shredded mozzarella over the crust, and arrange the tomatoes over the cheese. Chop bacon, and sprinkle evenly over the pizza.

Bake pizza for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the crust is golden and cheese is melted in the center. While the pizza is in the oven, toss the shredded lettuce with mayonnaise, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Top the finished pizza with the dressed lettuce, and serve immediately.

Nicki’s Note:

I substituted Ranch dressing for the mayo and it was delicious!

This is great for thin crust, you can slice it up and serve as an appetizer.

Next Page »