Category: APPETIZERS

BUFFALO KISSES to CELEBRATE the BIG Nascar Championship Race

Life is settling down a bit for this leg of our journey and I’ve gotten organized enough to play with a few new recipes. We love appetizers for football and race days so I’m always on the lookout for new recipes.  LOL this recipe is SO NOT like the original Buffalo Wing Poppers  it really isn’t funny, but ironically they do look similar. 

So, like so many other recipes I will give you the original ingredients in black and my changes in red – you choose what you like.  This recipe makes a wonderful tailgate or party appetizer! 

NOTE: I had an unfortunate accident with jalapeno peppers 5 years or so ago so I ALWAYS use gloves when working with peppers.  The original recipe called for “piping” the cheese mixture into the peppers, but I find since I already have gloves on that they are easy to form with a spoon and my fingers.

BUFFALO KISSES
20 Jalapeno peppers, washed well 10 Jalapeno peppers, washed well
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 1 + 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (divided)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 cup diced cooked chicken 1 1/2 cups shredded/diced rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing  1/2 cup RiverHouse Parmesan Herb dressing*
Tortilla Chips

  • Preheat oven to 325-350 degrees.
  • Grease a 6 inch casserole dish and small cookie sheet.
  • Cut peppers in half lengthwise leaving stems in tact.  Remove seeds.
  • In a mixing bowl blend together the cream cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese.
  • Add hot sauce and dressing, blending well.
  • Fold in chicken until well blended.
  • Fill peppers and place on greased cookie sheet. 
  • Fill baking dish with remaining cheese mixture.
  • Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
  • Baked uncovered for 20-40 minutes depending on your desired level of spice.  The longer they cook, the milder they get.
  • Serve with Tortilla chips.

*LiteHouse makes a good one if you can’t find RiverHouse

PEPPERONI PIZZA DIP

Don’t forget football started this week! We have lots of games tomorrow and a double header on Monday night. You know what that means – FOOTBALL FOOD for TAILGATING TIME!  We’rein our 5th season of tailgating time and looking for more new recipes to feed the crowds.  Come join us to link up your favorite football foods.

PEPPERONI PIZZA DIP
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces pizza sauce
1 cup grated 4 cheese blend
1 cup diced pepperoni pieces
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Crostini

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Cream together the cream cheese, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning and most of the grated cheese.
  • Spread into a greased baking dish.
  • Top with pepperoni and remaining cheese.
  • Bake 20 minutes.
  • Serve hot with Crostini or your favorite crackers.

PARSNIP PUREE POTATO SKINS

Did you know that parsnips are from the carrot family? This vegetarian diet hubby requested is giving me room to try some new recipes and I’m losing weight though he says he isn’t.

PARSNIP PUREE POTATO SKINS
1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium potatoes, baked & scooped out
1 green onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons sour cream
3-4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter, melted
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add parsnips and boil 20-25 minutes until extremely tender.
  • Bake potatoes in oven or microwave. Halve them and scoop out the insides.
  • Puree the cooled parsnips and potato insides until smooth.
  • Add butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and heavy cream and blend well.
  • Fill potato shells with puree. This makes enough to also fill 2 compotes for another meal later in the week.
  • Top with grated cheese and green onion
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Increase to broil and brown tops for a minute or so.

LABOR DAY BBQ RECIPES – BLEU CHEESE BURGERS, CHEDDAR BACON BURGERS & COWGIRL KISSES

BLEU CHEESE BURGERS
1/3 pound ground chuck
2-3 tablespoons bleu cheese crumbles
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Mix together, form a patty and grill to taste.

BACON CHEDDAR BURGERS
1/3 pound ground chuck
2-3 tablespoons grated sharp cheddar
1 tablespoons bacon crumbles
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Mix together, form a patty and grill to taste.
  • Top with additional cheese and bacon if desired.

 

COWGIRL KISSES
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons Foothill Salad Seasoning
1 slice bacon per pepper
Jalapeno Peppers
Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (see below)

  • Mix cream cheese and Foothill Salad Seasoning until well blended.
  • Clean and remove seeds from peppers.
  • Fill peppers.
  • Wrap each pepper with a slice of bacon.
  • Bake or grill over low heat until bacon is crisp.
  • Serve with raspberry chipotle sauce. 

RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE 
1 cup Raspberry Jam 
2 tablespoons diced chipotle peppers
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider or rice wine vinegar 

  • Whisk all ingredients until well blended.
  • Chill until ready to serve.  
  • Warm before serving.

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FRITOS NACHOS

FRITOS NACHOS
Chili – I use Chicken, Black Bean or Black Bean “Kitchen Sink” Steak
Fritos
diced Jalapenos
Beer Cheese Dip (optional)
Shredded Jack and Cheddar Cheeses
Crispy Bacon
Diced tomato
Diced green onion
sour cream
*optional charred finely chopped hot dogs

  • Layer:
          FRITOS
          CHILI
          CHEESE
          BACON
         TOMATOES
         GREEN ONIONS
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
  • Plate and add a dollop of sour cream.
  • Enjoy.

 
 

CHILE VERDE CARNITAS FRIES

Don’t forget about our upcoming Tailgating Time Link Up for Football.  The season begins Thursday, September 4th, 2014.
 Links open at midnight September 4th!

This recipe I made up after having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants BJ’s Brewerhouse and saw something similar on their appetizer menu.  I knew immediately it would become a football favorite!

CHILE VERDE CARNITAS FRIES
crispy thin fries
Green Chile Verde Carnitas
minced jalapenos
finely shredded jack and cheddar cheese
finely chopped green onions
finely chopped cilantro
sour cream
Heinz Jalapeno ketchup

  • Assemble everything from the crispy thin fries through the cheese “Nacho” style.
  • Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes to heat through.
  • Top with green onions and cilantro.
  • Add a dollop of sour cream and Jalapeno ketchup.
  • Dig in and Enjoy!

Hubs likes his with pepper jack cheese.  That is the beauty of this recipe – you can build to suit.

    PICKLED EGGS

    I used to make these for our VFW and they were a favorite!

    PICKLED EGGS
    1 dozen JUMBO eggs
    1 1/2 cups vinegar
    1/2 cup water
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon ground cloves
    1 onion, sliced into thin rings
    1 whole dried chile pepper

    • Hard boil the eggs.
    • Drain and fill with cold water. Allow eggs to sit in cold water for 20 minutes.
    • Peel the eggs and place in a glass jar, alternating with the onion rings. Add the red pepper.
    • In a medium saucepan combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes.
    • Pour the hot vinegar solution over the eggs. Cover tightly and let stand in refrigerator for several days before serving.

    CAJUN SHRIMP COCKTAIL

    CAJUN SHRIMP COCKTAIL
    1 1/2 cups ketchup
    1/2 cup chili sauce
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons finely minced onion
    2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
    Juice of 1 lemon (save your rind to make the cute serving dish)
    2 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    1/4 teaspoon Frank’s red pepper hot sauce
    1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
    salt to taste
    plenty of fresh medium-large shrimp, cleaned and chilled
    • I use my mini food processor to mix it all in until well blended.
    • Chill for a day or so before needed to allow flavors to meld together.

    CHEESY BLT BITES

    CHEESY BLT BITES
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    juice of 1 lemon
    20 slices cocktail bread, flavor of choice
    8 slices bacon, browned and crumbled
    2 leaves roamine, washed and chopped small
    1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
    4 ounces sliced white cheddar cheese

    • Heat broiler. 
    • Combine mayonnaise, garlic and lemon juice. 
    • Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet. 
    • Place under broiler for 1 minute to toast bread slices. 
    • Turn bread slices over and spread with mayonnaise mixture. 
    • Top with cheese. 
    • Broil 1 minute until cheese begins to melt. 
    • Top with torn romaine, crumbled bacon and tomato pieces.

    CARNE ASADA & FRESH GUACAMOLE

    According to Wikipedia Carne asada is a roasted beef dish, literally meaning “roasted meat”[1][2]. The dish mainly consists of pieces or thin cuts of beef (e.g. flank steak, skirt steak), sometimes marinated, sometimes lightly salted or rubbed with salt, pepper and/or spices, and then grilled. It can be eaten alone, with side dishes, chopped and eaten as tacos, or chopped and used as filler for tortas, burritos, etc. It is commonly accompanied with guacamole, salsa, beans, and grilled scallions and tortillas.
    The dish is commonly prepared in the northern parts of Mexico (in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas) as well as in the American Southwest (especially Texas and New Mexico). It can be found as the main ingredient in tacos, tortas, burritos and fajitas, or is simply served as a stand-alone. It is sold at Mexican meat markets called “carnicerias” in the American Southwest; especially those states with Mexican/Mexican-American enclaves.
    When purchasing carne asada from meat markets, consumers have two options available to them regarding the amount of preparation the steak has undergone pre-purchase: preparada, marinated meat as described above, serving as a time-saver for the home cook but typically at higher cost; and no preparada, unprepared meat, allowing for a home cook to create one’s own marinade. I buy unprepared meat and doctor my own.
    All my pictures are before as we’re having it for dinner tonight. I’ll add an after picture later.



    CARNE ASADA
    2-3 pounds flank or skirt steak, sliced THIN
    1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced thin
    2 lemons, 1 sliced thin, 1 wedged for squeezing
    1 lime, sliced thin
    1 orange, sliced thin
    1/3 cup champagne vinegar
    2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon FRESH ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon ground white pepper
    1 teaspoon garlic powder
    1 teaspoon chili powder
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
    • Soak the meat in the vinegar for an hour or so.
    • Remove meat from vinegar and dry on paper towels.
    • Sift together all the seasonings and rub into the meat on both sides.
    • Layer the meat into a container alternating with the slices of lemon, limes, oranges and onions squeezing lemon juice on each layer as you go.
    • Let marinate for overnight or a day or so.
    • Grill on a VERY hot grill to desired doneness.
    • Serve with warm tortillas, Fresh Guacamole and Fresh Garden Salsa.
    FRESH GUACAMOLE

    3 large avocados
    1 bunch green onions, chopped fine
    1 red chile pepper or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    1 tablespoon minced garlic, jar
    Juice of 1 lime
    1 small tomato, chopped fine seeds and all
    1/4 cup sour cream
    salt and pepper

    • Cut avocados in half. 
    • Remove seed. 
    • Scoop out avocado from the peel. 
    • Using a fork, mash the avocado. 
    • Add the chopped onion, garlic, lime, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. Add your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours. 
    • Add the tomatoes. 

    Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.

    PICKLED CARROTS

    Pickled Carrots

    (makes 2 cups)
    3/4 cup warm water
    1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
    4 tablespoons sugar
    2 tablespoons salt
    1 pound carrots (peeled and cut to match stick size)
    • Mix the water, vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolves.
    • Place the carrots in a container and cover with the pickling liquid.
    • Let pickle for at least and hour and store in the fridge for up to a week.

    13 Golden Rules for ALL Cooks & CREAMY FRENCH ONION ARTICHOKE DIP

    Recently I have been wrestling with a time crunch.  Trying to be everything to everyone takes sooooooooooooooo much out of you.  One of my coping mechanisms is to keep a notebook with me so I can jot down things as I think of them.  One of my newer tools is going to be NOT to stress about things as much and like today I’ll scan in my handwritten notes when necessary and save the typing time and make it a bit more personal too.
    CREAMY FRENCH ONION ARTICHOKE DIP
    The original recipe called for:
    4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
    15.5 ounce container of french dip
    15.5 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
    1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
    1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon scallions
    1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/4 teaspoon pepper

    • Whisk cream cheese until fluffy.
    • Stir in dip and artichoke hearts, cheese, 1/4 cup green onions, parsley, garlic powder and pepper.
    • Refrigerate until ready to serve.
    My version calls for:
    4 ounces cream cheese, softened
    16 ounces sour cream
    KNORR French onion soup mix
    1 1/2 cups artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
    1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
    1 large bunch green onions, chopped
    2 cloves garlic
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper

    • In a small food processor pulse artichoke hearts, garlic, green onions and Parmesan cheese until smooth.
    • In a small mixing bowl blend together the sour cream, Knorr mix and cream cheese until smooth.
    • Add artichoke mixture and blend well.
    • Refrigerate until ready to serve.