So the Super Bowl is this weekend, and we don't really have any big plans this year. I've found that as I get older I like two things less and less- fish and football. Not sure why on the fish. I attribute the football to my lifetime love of the Chicago Bears. Why in the world I have to like teams that constantly lose is beyond me. I think maybe I'm just tired of watching my favorite team lose so I've developed an aversion to the entire sport. Whatever the reason, I'm not really into football this year. I will however, make an effort to watch the Super Bowl. Mostly for the fun appetizers that I get to make and the commercials. This recipe will ABSOLUTELY be on the menu. It can best be described as "cheesy warm deliciousness!!"
You bake this dip inside the loaf of bread. Such a great idea! The first time I tried it, it became one of my favorite all time dip recipes. It really is that good. If you haven't yet finalized your Super Bowl menu, add this one to the list. Its a crowd pleaser.
~Wendy
Cheesy Bread Dip
Recipe Type: Appetizer Dip
Author: Wendy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 15
Ingredients
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
16 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz chopped green chiles
1 c. chopped ham
1/2 lb. chopped bacon
1 round or oblong bread loaf, hollowed out
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix first six ingredients together, put into the hollowed bread loaf.
When I first discovered food blogs I inevitably stumbled upon The Pioneer Woman's blog. If you've been online researching recipes for any amount of time you've very likely been there yourself, she's hard to avoid. Ill admit that at first I found her blog a little busy and very annoying. Seriously? Who has time to home-school their kids, be a great photographer, an amazing cook and gardener AND blog about it all? That person has to be ridiculously annoying. So I moved on. A little petty I know, but I have my own self worth issues, I don't need to compare myself to Martha Stewart of the Central Plains.
Anyway, fast forward a few years. I went to a neighborhood bunco night and the host had made this AMAZING olive bread. Sorry for you olive haters. No way around it with this recipe. This stuff was SO good it almost made me forget about the snickers salad and Portillos chocolate cake she had for dessert. When I asked for the recipe she shared that it came from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. Oh Damn! That crazy lady again? She was all over the place!
Whatever... this stuff was SO good I didn't care who made it, I just needed the recipe! I borrowed the cookbook from a friend and started looking through it. It was one of those cookbooks that actually reads like a biography, and it was GREAT. I know, I hate to admit when I'm wrong. Turns out the Pioneer Woman actually has a name (Ree Drummond) and an amazingly interesting story. So like her kabillion other followers, I'm now hooked. I love her. She is awesome and has since taken over the Neely's #1 spot in my Food Network loving heart. Long story I know- but seriously this stuff is SO SO GOOD. Make it for Thanksgiving as an app, or a holiday party, or on a Sunday afternoon, or as a side for an Italian main course. Or do as Ree suggests and make the topping and spread it on crackers (tried that too, SO GOOD!) I actually add kalamata olives to the recipe and find it gives it even more flavor. Just cut back a little on the green and black ones. I hope you love it as much as I do!
~Wendy
Olive Cheese Bread
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
One 6-ounce can black olives, drained
One 6-ounce jar pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained
2 stalks green onions
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 loaf crusty French bread, sliced lengthwise
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Roughly chop both the black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice the green onions into thin pieces.
Combine the butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined.
Spread the mixture onto the French bread. Bake until the cheese is melted and browning, 20 to 25 minutes.
Notes
The mixture can also be refrigerated (up to 2 days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers!
I have great memories of visiting my extended family in south Louisiana. I realize it sounds like I no longer have the opportunity, and my Aunt Liz assures me this is not the case. She has said the kids and I are welcome anytime...but there's the whole "traveling with 3 under age 7" that exhausts me. Taking kids on vacation = a whole lot of work.
It used to be that visiting New Iberia, LA meant breakfast in bed, complete with a flower on the tray. I do believe that ship has sailed...for now at least. I'll go back when the kids are older, perhaps even leaving them at home with Dad. Now there's an idea! I'm telling you, there is no better place to relax and recharge. Especially with the kind of food I have come to expect from Aunt Liz's kitchen and Louisiana in general.
My aunt's recipe for caponata makes an amazing, sweet-and-sour vegetarian appetizer to serve with good crackers. It comes from Franklin, Louisiana and St. Mary's Episcopal church's cook book, A Cook's Tour of the Bayou Country, courtesy of Mrs. Maunette Risher. This recipe makes a lot, and the good news is it freezes beautifully. Makes a great appetizer to have on hand for last minute company. Caponata is also delicious on fish or chicken so plan to use it that way too. Enjoy!
~Erin
Caponata
Author: Erin
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Lots!
Ingredients
2 large eggplants
2 onions
2 bell peppers
3 stalks celery
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
5 gloves garlic
1 1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
oregano
salt
pepper
1 jar salad olives
Instructions
Steam and chop peeled eggplant.
Saute onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Add eggplant, spices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, and sugar. Blend well and cook for about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat, add olives, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
This recipe makes quite a bit. But good news is that it freezes wonderfully. Awesome to keep on hand for company.
Even with all of this goofy weather we've been having around here (6 inches in 24 hours?! Snow this morning?!) I've officially been in "summer mode" when it comes to recipes/cooking lately. I'm always excited to get back to recipes I haven't made in a few months when we go from summer to fall and winter to spring. When we first started discussing doing this blog last fall, I had a lot of recipes in mind that I wanted to use but many of them weren't fall/winter appropriate so I'm very excited that we're getting to begin to share a new season of recipes.
I'm kicking off my spring/summer recipes with this Taco Bean Dip. It's so easy and great to bring to summer parties. I like to serve it with tortilla chips, or Fritos, or veggies...or all three! If you have some leftover (like I did after our photo shoot), it's great to turn into a nacho platter or use as all of your toppings for tacos for dinner (thanks for that idea, Erin!)
~Leah
Taco Bean Layer Dip
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Leah
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
2 cans bean dip
2-3 soft avocados
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 c green onions, diced
1/2 c tomatoes, diced
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Mash the avocados in a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.
Mix the mayo, sour cream, and taco seasoning in a small bowl. Set aside.
Layer all of the ingredients, starting with the bean dip spread on the bottom, follow with the mashed avocado, olives, sour cream/taco mixture, onions, tomatoes, and ending with the cheese in an 8x11.5 (2 inch deep) baking dish or other dish or serving platter of similar proportions.
Here I go again with another recipe whose main ingredient people either tend to love or hate. I happen to love cilantro but I know plenty of people who don't care for it as much. I found this recipe many many years ago in a magazine and tore it out, but of course, it does not say anywhere on the half sheet what magazine it is -- I'm sure it was Good Housekeeping or Better Homes and Gardens or something along those lines. The recipe was in the magazine as a result of a reader writing in about it after having had it at East Bay Crab and Grille in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. I'm not quite sure why it's called "salsa" because it resembles a good oil bread dip more than a true salsa, but the former journalist in me is thinking it was simply a way to not use the word "dip" twice in the recipe title. Bread Dippin' Cilantro Dip would have been a no-no in the editorial world! :)
I first made it years ago for a get-together I was hosting for my mother-in-law's birthday because she LOVES cilantro. I remember wondering if I should make it since no one else in the family (besides her and me) are very fond of it. I decided that it was for HER birthday and that she'd probably love it so the rest of them could just not eat it.
Turns out, everybody liked it! Even the cilantro haters! I have no idea why because it is mostly all cilantro but I guess that fresh lemon juice, and olive oil and hint of a kick from the hot sauce are enough to change it for people's palates. And, seriously, you could put practically anything on fresh, warm, bread and people would like it.
~Leah
Bread Dippin' Cilantro Salsa
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Leah (from East Bay Crab and Grille)
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 large bunch (about 4 oz) cilantro, tough stems trimmed
2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or malt vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. water
1 loaf French or Italian bread, warmed
Instructions
Rinse cilantro. Drain, but do not spin dry. In food processor with knife blade attachment, pulse cilantro and green onions until coarsely chopped. Transfer mixture to small bowl.
Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, hot pepper sauce, salt, and water. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.
This is another recipe courtesy of my soon-to-be-famous (if we ever get famous from this blog) sister-in-law, Denise. It's one of those recipes that I remember her making waaay back when when I first met her (I can't even think about how long ago because it's depressing...let's just say that a person could vote if they were as old as how long ago this was). Back when we weren't as health-conscious...or I guess we were health conscious but we could afford to not care about it TOO much because we were in our 20s. Those glorious 20s when I had a metabolism and no stretch marks and everything was, let's say, perkier. I know I'm not one foot in the grave or anything, but man what a difference 18 years can make! :)
So, anyway, these artichoke appetizers are SOOO good that I used to get so excited when I knew she was making them for a get-together. It's been a while since she's made them but as I was thinking about recipes I'd like to put on our blog, this was one of the first ones that I knew I wanted to use. And when I made them recently, I thought WHY have we not made these in so long?! They're delicious! Hopefully we're getting these babies back into the rotation!
~Leah
Fried Artichoke Hearts
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Leah
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
1-2 cans halved artichoke hearts (if you can't find them halved, you can get the whole and cut them in half or get the quarters and they'll just be a little smaller)
Vegetable or canola oil
Ranch dressing
Batter for hearts:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Drain and rinse artichoke hearts. Squeeze out excess liquid by placing between multiple sheets of paper towels and pressing down with the palm of your hand.
Mix all of the ingredients for the batter in a medium to large bowl. Batter should be slightly thick.
Coat a frying pan with vegetable or canola oil and heat over medium-high to high heat.
Take an artichoke heart, swirl it around in the batter and place in the pan and let the extra batter drip over the heart. Repeat with as many hearts as can fit comfortably in the pan. Flip when golden brown on bottom. Place on paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat until all the hearts are used. You will likely have to add and heat more oil as you go.
Serve immediately with ranch dressing.
Notes
The yield (8-10 servings, 28 appetizers) I provided is based on using 1 can of hearts. You can use two cans if you are serving more people but you don't have to double the batter amount. It should be plenty as it's written. Also, if the method is too hands on for you, feel free to use a table/soup spoon to scoop the hearts out of the batter, drop into the oil, and then drip some more batter on top of the heart. There's no wrong way to do these. :)
I hope this "mini" food thing sticks around for awhile....cause it is a "thing" right? Food tastes better when all it's goodness is limited to a few square inches.
And as I'm a sucker for a good burger, I MUST order the sliders that have popped up on appetizer menus all over the place. The bonus? Portion control is now a cinch slightly easier undertaking.
I came across my inspiration for these on Pinterest. Another blogger had adapted her recipe from a pre-made Sabatino's chicken patty available at Costco. I changed a few things and ultimately decided on a slider format. Slider buns are increasingly easy to find in grocery stores, but these will also work as a larger patty on a standard size bun if need be. I'd also recommend making up a batch of carmelized onions for use in this recipe. Carmelizing onions is easy but not a process that can be hurried. It's best to have made them ahead of time. If this doesn't fit into your schedule feel free to substitute about 1/2 a small, raw onion, finely chopped.
White Cheddar and Spinach Chicken Sliders
Author: Erin
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 1/4 lb ground chicken breast
3 oz fresh baby spinach
1/4 c carmelized onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz aged white cheddar, shredded
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 c panko bread crumbs
8 slider buns
desired burger toppings
Instructions
Wilt spinach in a skillet with a few teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Stir them around constantly and remove from pan when softened and reduced in volume.
In food processor, pulse wilted spinach, onions, and garlic a few times until finely chopped, but not so much as to puree.
In a large bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, and salt.
Add ground chicken, spinach mixture, white cheddar, and panko to same large bowl and gently mix together (with your hands preferably!)
Shape mixture into 8 small patties and cook in skillet over medium high heat until cooked through, turning once. Approximately 4-5 minutes per side.
I suppose this would be called a "bonus recipe" this week! If you read the recipe posted yesterday you'll see a cranberry dipping sauce to be used with the Sausage Balls. Over Thanksgiving I had several parties and had to come up with several appetizers for each. Time is tight with two toddlers running around so I tried to be efficient. This Cranberry Crostini used the same cranberry sauce- but in a very different way. I'm always a fan of crostini recipes. Actually as a general rule, I eat any appetizer with bread on the ingredient list. :)
After tasting the cranberry sauce I thought that it would make a great topping for either a cheese ball or crostini. This recipe found a way to mix both. Its another super-simple recipe and perfect for a pre-dinner snack on Christmas to keep hungry tummies (temporarily) satisfied.
~Wendy
Cranberry Crositini
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
Cranberry Dipping Sauce-
12 oz bag fresh cranberries
3/4 c. brown sugar
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (about 1/2 of normal size can)
1 tsp cornstarch
Chopped Nuts-
2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
Assembly-
1 loaf of italian or french bread (narrow is better)
4-6oz cream cheese (low fat can be used)
Instructions
Cranberry Sauce- In a medium sized saucepan combine the cranberries, orange juice concentrate and brown sugar. Warm over medium heat stirring frequently until the cranberries pop open. Add in the cornstarch and stir sauce until thickened, usually 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before serving.
Chopped Walnuts/Pecans- In a separate skillet add chopped walnuts or pecans. Heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until nuts are lightly browned. Turn the heat down to low and add butter and brown sugar. Continuously stir until butter is melted and brown sugar is fully mixed in. Remove from heat.
Crostini- Cut the loaf of bread into 1/4 inch slices. Lay out onto a cookie sheet. Broil in the oven for 2-4 minutes watching closely until bread is browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes.
Assembly- Once bread is cooled, spread 1 tsp of cream cheese on each slice. Top cream cheese with 1 tsp of cranberry sauce and sprinkle each with chopped nuts. Best served immediately.
Oh how I wish there was a better name for these. I even tried to think of one, but at the end of the day these are, in fact, sausage balls. So there you go. Regardless of their name- they are great. They are also perfect for any holiday party. Easy to make in advance and season-appropriate if you make the cranberry sauce for dipping!
This recipe came to be during one of my "clean living" phases. About every six months I decide that I should be a better mother and limit my kids' exposure to all evil in the world, starting in my kitchen. So I start madly researching chemical-free, hormone-free, antibiotic-free... you get the idea. It usually begins with a large purchase from Trader Joes or Whole Foods and ends when I see the cost. My last round of clean living mania resulted in a meat share membership through a local farmer, and has actually stuck. Every month they deliver to members in our local area and we meet them in a predetermined location to pick up our portion. Its usually 18-20lbs of pork, beef, chicken and eggs; all hormone and antibiotic free. The farm name is Walnut Family Farms. If you're in Illinois look them up- its very reasonable and the meat/egg quality is fantastic. My favorite part of the membership is that each month you don't know what cuts of meat you'll receive. As I mentioned in my last post I like to be creative with my cooking. So when I get my shipment its like Christmas! I love to unpack the bag and think about what I can make in the upcoming weeks. I'm a food dork, I know.
One of our last shipments included a pound of pork sausage. After searching online, through cookbooks and on Pinterest I settled on making sausage balls. There are literally hundreds of Sausage Ball recipes out there. So as usual I took a little something from each one and came up with my own. And since cranberries were on sale at Aldi that week I decided to add a cranberry dipping sauce. You can make each one small for an appetizer dish or make them a bit larger and serve them as a main course with a side of veggies and mashed potatoes. Try them out and let me know if you like them!
~Wendy
Sausage Balls w/ Cranberry Dipping Sauce
Recipe Type: Dinner or Appetizer
Author: Wendy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
Sausage Balls
1 lb pork sausage
1 stalk of celery, diced
1/4 c. diced green onion
1 1/2 c. bisquick
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp sage
salt & pepper to taste
Cranberry Dipping Sauce
12 oz bag fresh cranberries
3/4 c. brown sugar
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (about 1/2 of normal size can)
1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
Sausage Balls
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Remove from the pan almost immediately to avoid sticking.
Cranberry Sauce
In a medium sized saucepan combine the cranberries, orange juice concentrate and brown sugar. Warm over medium heat stirring frequently until the cranberries pop open. Add in the cornstarch and stir sauce until thickened, usually 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before serving.
Notes
Other options for dipping sauce could be BBQ sauce or a mix of equal parts mayonnaise and mustard. I much prefer the cranberry sauce! If you intend on serving these as a main course, I would recommend making the sausage balls into 2 inch balls before cooking. Increase baking time by 3-4 minutes to insure they are cooked through the center.
Do you have one of those friends or relatives that is the consummate host/hostess and is always serving something new and delicious? I have a few but definitely tops on my list is my friend/sister-in-law, Denise. She is always trying new recipes and I would say a good portion of the recipes I'll post will have come from her (sorry, we don't have the funds to provide finder's fees Denise!)
This is one that she used to make way back when and I would look forward to having them at her get-togethers. It's a recipe from Pampered Chef that was originally named "North Stars" because they wanted you to use their star bread pan to make the little breads for the toast. Well, I do not have that pan, and sometimes I just want to be able to make an appetizer that is stupid easy but tasty and using the little cocktail breads from the grocery store makes these completely fit the bill. Don't get me wrong, Denise's with the fresh baked breads was delicious and if you either have a little tube bread pan like that or feel the urge to bake some fresh bread, cut it into thin slices, and then cut it into stars or some other shape to use for these, then more power to ya!
~Leah
Pepper Cheese Toasts
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Leah (from Pampered Chef)
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
1 package sourdough cocktail bread (usually near the deli)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (0.7 ounce) package dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Lay out bread slices (start with about 20-24 and see where you end up with the cheese mixure) on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Mix together the cheese, mayo, sour cream, and dressing mix and spread evenly onto each piece of bread (about 1 Tbsp. per toast) and top with the peppers.
So as I was trying to formulate in my head what I would write about these, I was thinking of saying something along the lines of, "even if you don't like asparagus, you'll like these" and I realized I have a theme going. Of the four recipes I am posting this month, three of them qualify under this "even if you don't like it, try it" mantra. (See Pumpkin Squares and the as yet to come Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta.)
I don't know why this is. It isn't like I planned to post things that people may not like. It's actually a horrible idea the more I think about it. "Let's start a food blog! OK! I'm gonna pick recipes that a lot of people will take one look at and say, 'Ew. No thank you!'" Genius.
I guess when I was weeding through my ridiculous amount of recipe options trying to pick which ones I wanted to start with, I was (subconsciously or consciously) choosing ones that are so fabulously delicious despite what they may be made out of. They have that little bit of a surprise factor that takes something you've probably had before and may not have liked (asparagus {canned no less}, pumpkin, or brussels sprouts) and turns it into this great recipe that you will make over and over again. In fact, this and the pumpkin squares are recipes my mom got from friends of hers when I was little (which was a LOOOONG time ago) and we still make them.
Now, don't balk at the high-class, fancy ingredients here... I'm totally joking...these are about as WT as you can get – white bread, canned asparagus... But they are SOOOO good and can be made ahead of time (always a plus in my book). I swear this is another one of those recipes that I take somewhere and people say, "Oh, no thanks...I don't like asparagus" and then someone will encourage them to try it (usually a spouse since we're the only ones who will HOUND the other enough to get them to try something – and then they only really eat it to get us to shut up with plans to spit it into their cocktail napkin) and they ALWAYS like it. I've never had anyone spit them out into their cocktail napkin (that I know of).
And there's bacon in them – that's really probably all I needed to write. Bacon. ~Leah
Asparagus Roll-Ups with Bacon
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Leah
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-12
Ingredients
12 slices white bread
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp
8 slices bacon
1 can of asparagus spears, drained
1/2 stick of butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook, drain, and crumble the bacon.
Stir the bacon into the softened cream cheese until well distributed. Set aside.
Trim the crusts from the bread and flatten each slice with a rolling pin (they will get pretty thin and flat).
Spread the cream cheese and bacon mixture evenly onto each of the 12 slices of bread.
Lay one asparagus spear in the center of each slice of bread, trimming the ends if necessary so that they are even with the top and bottom of the bread.
Roll the bread lengthwise so that the asparagus spear runs through the center of the entire roll from end to end.
Cut each of the 12 rolls of bread into thirds.
Place seam side down on a foil-lined cookie sheet and brush with the melted butter.
Bake 12-14 minutes until warmed through then Broil for 2-4 minutes to toast/brown the bread...keep a close watch so you don't burn your bread!
Serve warm.
Notes
I like to prepare bacon 1 of 2 ways for crumbling. Either put it in a cold oven on a rack over a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or I like to stack the raw slices and cut them up as small as I can and then cook/brown them in a pan and scoop out with a slotted spoon to drain.
If you're having a hard time mixing the bacon in with the cream cheese, you can try using a hand mixer or microwaving the cream cheese for just a few seconds at a time until you can work with it...you don't want to completely melt it though!
These are great to prepare the day before or to bring to a party and then bake. If you do prepare them beforehand, don't brush them with the melted butter and you will need to store them in the fridge. Take them out for at least a half hour before baking and then brush with the melted butter. Also be aware that your baking time will probably be longer if you're using them from the fridge.
