Nicki's collection of recipes, open for all friends, family, and anyone who wishes to share from his/her own collection!

Category: Appetizers (Page 1 of 5)

Appetizers, finger foods, and the like.

Sugar and Spice Pecans

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: Daisy

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pecan halves
1 cup sugar
1//2 cup water
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

Heat nuts to 250 degrees for 15 minutes. Cook sugar, water, salt and spices to soft ball stage. Do not stir.

Stir in nuts until creamy and thoroughly coated. Immediately pour pecans on waxed paper and separate nuts as they cool.

The Dip That Makes You Dip

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: Debbie McIntyre

Ingredients:

2 bars of cream cheese
Pace Picante Salsa (whatever heat level you want) – but I do not use the chunky one I use the original one.
1- Chipotle Chile
1/2 -1 cup of shredded cheese
one bunch green onions, chopped
1 med tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
opt- 1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
opt-1 jalapeno, minced

Directions:

I put the cream cheese in the food processor ( it helps too if it is room temp) and blend till creamy. I add the salsa a bit at a time, I am more interested in consistency, but I will guess it is about a cup. You want it creamy and not too liquidy, although it does firm up a bit in the refrigerator so you don’t want it to be so firm that you wont be able to get a chip in there. With the processor running, add one chipotle chile and a little of the adobo sauce too( you find them in the hispanic food area called chipotle in adobo sauce). If you wanted to add a little more heat then you would add the jalapeno now too.Open your processor lid and toss in cheese, I either use the Sargento Lite Mexican Shredded cheese to lighten things up, or sometimes for a kick I use Shredded Pepper Jack and/or this Chipotle White Cheese (I have only seen this at Costco and it have a neat smoky taste without being too spicy) and the chopped green onions,. at this point you would also add the cilantro if you were using it. Place the lid back on and just pulse till mixed through. You don’t want to loose the texture of the onions and cheese. Take it out and place in your serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Doing this part early in the day is a good thing, gives it plenty of time to firm up and have all the flavors come together. When you are ready to serve, you can garnish with the chopped tomato and avocado. Serve with chips, cut veggies, crackers, anything dipable!

VARIATION –
Take extra large flour tortillas, spread the dip on the tortilla about 1/4 – 1/2 inch from the edge, top with the avo and tomato. Roll the tortilla fairly tightly. Get some sturdy paper towel and just dampen, you don’t want them wet, lightly dampened. Roll the paper towel around each tortilla roll and place in a sealable plastic storage bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Just before you plan to serve, unroll the paper towels and slice the tortilla rolls about 1 inch thick. Serve cut sides showing, and you can have some extra salsa on hand for dipping too if you want.

Cheesy Bacon Bites

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: Ganet, Hueytown Baptist Church / Hueytown, AL

Ingredients:

1 can flaky buttermilk biscuits
8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 jar real bacon bits
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Separate each biscuit into 3 layers. Press each layer into bottom of mini-muffin pans. Mix cheeses, bacon bits, milk, and onion; place a small amount on each biscuit. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Hummus Dip

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: FitSugar.com

Ingredients:

1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2 cloves of garlic, minced (you can always use more)
1 – 2 tbsp tahini (it’s made out of ground up sesame seeds)
Juice from 1/3 of a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender for a few minutes, or until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

Serve in a bowl with fresh vegetables and sliced pita bread. Or even better, try it with homemade pita chips. This would also be a great snack to have while watching the Super Bowl.

Fit’s Tips:

This is a basic recipe, so play around with it – add your own special ingredients like grated carrots or artichoke hearts.

Pig Candy

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: Modified recipe from The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner, by Jill Conner Browne, with tips from Marie in Ocala, FL

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon (cut into half or quarter slices if preferred)
3 pounds brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup chopped pecans (chopped VERY fine, or they won’t stick to the bacon!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll each slice in a mixture of sugar, chili powder and pecans. Lay each slice in a broiler pan, lined with heavy duty foil and bake for 30 minutes. Bacon will be limp when done, and will stiffen with cooling.

Suggestions:

If you’re feeling really adventurous marinade the bacon in Guinness for about an hour prior to preparation. Or, add some cayenne pepper to spice things up!

Bottega’s Charred Onion Dip

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: birminghamrestaurants.com

Ingredients:

2 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon mascarpone
1 scant tablespoon whole-grain mustard
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon finely sliced chives
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 red onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick and charred about 5 minutes per side (outer ring reserved for garnish and remaining charred onion finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine the sour cream, mascarpone, mustard, Tabasco, chives, lemon juice, and Worcestershire in a mixing bowl. Fold in the chopped onions then taste and adjust the seasonings. Place dip inside the reserved outer ring of the grilled red onion. The dip is great right away but the next day the flavors are even better. Serve with potato chips.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: cooks.com

Chicken:

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. corn oil
1/4 c. dry sherry
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch wide strips. Combine remaining ingredients, except peanut sauce, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Peanut Sauce:

4 teaspoons corn oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat oils in saucepan. Saute onions and garlic until they are softened. Add sugar and vinegar, cooking until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.

To serve:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thread chicken strips onto small skewers and arrange on baking sheets. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve hot with sauce which is at room temperature.

Benne Cookies/Wafers

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

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.)

Diabetic Lowfat Texas Bean Dip

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: thatsmyhome.com

Ingredients:

15 1/2 ounces black beans, canned – drained
15 1/2 ounces red beans – canned, drained
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 cup onion – chopped
1/2 cup tomato – diced
1/2 cup mild picante sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper – diced
1/4 cup reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese – coarsely grated
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

Place beans in a bowl; partially mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon until chunky. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add onion and garlic; saute for 4 minutes over medium heat. Add beans, tomato, picante sauce, cumin, chili powder and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and lime juice. Stir until well blended and cheese has melted. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Makes 40 (1-tablespoon) servings.

Sausage Balls

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Recipe Source: mom

Ingredients:

1 lb breakfast sausage (raw)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups Bisquick

Directions:

Preheat Oven: 375° F.

Mix all ingredients. Mixture will be very dry but will form a dough if you work it long enough. Roll into small balls (about a tablespoon of dough each). Press onto a cookie sheet to flatten bottom slightly. Bake at 375 till lightly golden brown.

Note:

This works best if you grate the cheese from a block rather than buying the pre-shredded cheese which is coated to keep it from sticking together. You can add a dash of Cayenne pepper or some Tabasco sauce if you like things especially hot or use extra hot sausage.

« Older posts

© 2024 Now We're Cookin'

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑