Category: APPETIZERS

Crab Salad Nigiri Sushi

I first saw this crab salad nigiri sushi that my blogger friend Pikko had made on her blog Adventures in bento making . I thought I’d give it a try for a gathering at my husband’s work one evening. Pikko’s are much prettier, I’ll have to keep practicing. Her creation was a hit though. I put them in a deviled egg carrier to bring them in. Since we were all hanging outside behind the shop it didn’t have to be fancy.
First off my rice cooker died on me. How frustrating. It would turn on and keep warm, but the cook button wouldn’t work. I went to check it and there it sat, all that water still hanging out on top. I transferred it to a pan and cooked it on my stove top, forgot to time it, but it turned out fine! Once in the bowl I added the already prepared sushi vinegar while it’s still warm. I don’t add much sugar at all to my sushi rice (personal preference).

Using the stick version of the imitation crab. Chop up the crab and add mayo, I added a little wasabi powder to it, but not enough for it to be too much for those who don’t like it. I am a wasabi fan!
It took a little while to get used to handling the sticky sushi rice, having a bowl of water on hand to help. I hand made the rice balls (I am using a rice ball maker next time, sounds like a good investment). A little adjusting on what size to make them. With scissors cut the nori sheets into strips, being careful to cut them straight because it will show if you cut it crooked.
Wrap the strips around the rice, sealing it with water. With a tiny baby spoon I filled the cups with the crab salad. Those little spoons come in handy, good thing I saved them!
I topped some with srircha, some with wasabi and left some without, because I know Maranda would like it plain. I have to tell you this it was funny. A couple showed up later, they came riding in on their motorcycles all noisy, just to make an entrance. (The owner’s brother and his girlfriend). She is acting all tough in her leathers. Someone is telling them what we have to eat. Now for a few of them this was the first time they’ve tried sushi. He pointed out the sushi, she says “No I only like real sushi”. Okay, alright then, now I was good, and I only said “this is real sushi”. Then I let her do her thing. After eating some 7 layer taco dip, she did try a piece and loved it. No wasabi for her, she doesn’t “do ” wasabi. Then she ate another one, then said “I wish we were here earlier and didn’t miss most of the sushi” She ended up eating the last one too. I just smiled to myself. Maranda and Wade did bring it up later, and we laughed about it.
Thanks Pikko it was a hit.

You can check out more of my food trials and ethnic ventures at The Tiny Skillet . Or check out The Tiny Bento for my bento lunches that are so popular in Japan!
Have a great weekend!!

BBQ Cola Meatballs

Welcome to Healthy Meals on Our Krazy Kitchen.  I like to focus on real, everyday, satisfying meals that you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying!
I find meatballs adorable. They are like little mini meat loaves with a scrumptious sauce all around them. What’s not to love?  I’ve made meatballs different ways.  I’ve baked them, I’ve pan fried them. These, I did in the crockpot. (and the oven).  They were baked first, then I threw them in the crock pot.  
Then I made a delicious BBQ sauce with a unique sweetener. COKE! I thought that was awesome when I first saw it!!  I got this recipe from Kel from Between the Lines.  I’m always looking for new ways to prepare everyday food so when I saw this, I knew I had to try it!
Doesn’t that look awesome!!! They held together great so gently stirring wasn’t a problem. We ended up eating every last bit of the sauce!! They were made with ground turkey so they weren’t greasy at all.  I ate 7 of them and was quite full!! 
We ate this with a delicious Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese.  This was a fantastic meal!  Healthy and filling!

Barbecue Cola Meatballs

Adapted from Between the Lines

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1 1/4 cups bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 egg
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 (1 oz) package dry ranch style dressing mix

Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup cola
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green or red pepper, chopped
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a large bowl, mix together the meatball ingredients until well blended. Shape into meatball and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 turning them over half way.

Mix up the sauce ingredients in slow cooker. Remove meatballs from baking sheet and place in sauce in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, then remove lid and cook for an additional 15 – 30 minutes before serving. Mine made 40 meatballs.

Total calories = 1922 calories
40 meatballs = 48 calories per meatball with sauce

7 BBQ Cola Meatballs + Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese = 582 calorie dinner
Check out the spaghetti squash mac and cheese and more healthy recipes at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy! 

Deep Fried Asparagus Throwdown

I’ll be honest. I have no clue how this post ties in with my theme of Fire Day Friday. But it is too *$&# good to pass up.
The best restaurant appetizer and best restaurant main course I have ever eaten are from the same place, Puleo’s Grille in Knoxville. Their shrimp and grits are comfort food times infinity. But their deep fried asparagus should be illegal. No vegetable should be this delectable. These asparagus spears are crispy on the outside, tender when you bite into them, and have just a little kick.
We bought a deep fryer and the first thing we wanted to make in it is deep fried asparagus.

Stockton Fried Asparagus
Source: Stockton Asparagus Festival Cookbook

1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 egg whites
2/3 cup cold flat beer
3 pounds (2 cups) raw, whole asparagus, cleaned and cut above white end

Mix all ingredients except asparagus in a bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. Dip asparagus spears individually in the batter and deep fry them in at least 2 inches of peanut oil for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Dust generously with grated Parmesan cheese.

I mixed it up as directed but it was too thick, almost a dough instead of a batter. I added more beer to thin it out, maybe too thin. They were still very good they just looked a little funny.
Puleo’s serves theirs with two dips, a honey mustard and a spicy avocado ranch. Here is a quick and easy knock off of the avocado ranch. We have used this as a dip several times.

Spicy Avocado Ranch Dip
source: NibbleMeThis.com

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Cruise Farms Buttermilk
3 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 avocado, seeded and peeled
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Use 1/2 tsp of cayenne if you prefer mild over spicy. Use 1 tsp if you lean more toward the spicy side.
Stop by my blog to enter my August giveaway, it’s my best one yet. I’m giving away a brand new Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse smoker!!!!

Mexican ‘Fondue’ with Chorizo & Tomatillo Salsa

When you are grilling for guests, people are always hungry before the food is ready so I’m always on the prowl for good appetizers to keep the wolves at bay while I’m finishing on the grill.
I had some Mexican chorizo sausage that I needed to use tonight and wanted to try something I had not made before. I decided to try this dish that I saw on Serious Eats a while back.

Mexican ‘Fondue’ with Chorizo & Tomatillo Salsa
adapted from Serious Eats
4 ea flour or corn tortillas
1 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup queso Cotija, aneejo, or manchego, grated
1/2 lb Mexican chorizo
tomatillo salsa
1 avocado, sliced
Cut each tortilla into 6ths with a pizza cutter. Spray or brush lightly with olive oil and bake 7 minutes in a 400f oven until crisp.

Crumble and brown the chorizo in a hot skillet. Drain.
Reduce oven heat to 375f. In a small oven proof dish, spread half the cheese and bake until the cheese begins melting, about 5 minutes.
For the manchego, I used Cumberland cheese from local Locust Grove Farm. It is their manchego cheese base with green peppercorns, sweet red chili’s, onion, garlic, and ginger. Yeah, how awesome is that?

Top with the cooked and drained chorizo. Top that with the rest of the cheese mix. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until the top layer of cheese is melted.
Finish for a minute under a broiler but we forgot that part.
Serve with the tomatillo salsa, chips, and avocado.

While the flavor was very good, I would have liked for the texture to be a little more “saucy”. Next time I’d probably take half of the cheese and melt it into a white sauce to make a cheese sauce to pour over the chorizo and cheese.

ASPARAGUS WRAPS

ASPARAGUS WRAPS
12 asparagus spears
6 slices bacon
1 can Pillsbury breadsticks

  • Snap off bottoms of asparagus spears.
  • Wash and dry 12 spears of asparagus.
  • Wrap bacon around bottom of each stem and place on cookie sheet.
  • Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees until bacon is cooked through.
  • Wrap 1 breadstick around each stalk.
  • Bake according to package directions.


Snap off bottoms of asparagus spears.
Wash and dry 12 spears of asparagus.

Wrap bacon around bottom of each stem and place on cookie sheet.
Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees until bacon is cooked through.

Wrap 1 breadstick around each stalk.
Bake according to package directions.

aprons 3

PICKLED BEET MARBLED DEVILED EGGS

Somewhere during the past few months I saw an article on Chinese Tea eggs. They were so beautiful and intrigued me enough that I wanted to make some. Well I never quite got around to it, but then hubby asked for some deviled eggs and my brain went into overdrive. I decided to create the same affect with pickled beets.

1 dozen eggs, hard boiled
1 jar pickled beets
1/8 + cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Sweet Hungarian paprika

  • Boil eggs as normal. Rinse under cool water.
  • Drain beets, retaining juice.
  • Gently crack eggs all over.
  • In a medium skillet heat water and beet juice together.
  • Add eggs and simmer 20 minutes, gently rolling eggs periodically.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Remove eggs from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • Remove shells.
  • Slice open eggs and scoop out yolks.
  • Mash yolks with salt and pepper.
  • Add mayonnaise, vinegar and horseradish and blend well.
  • Fill eggs.
  • Sprinkle with paprika and serve.

I save the pickled beets to use with 1000 Island dressing on my Crab salad.

Hot Wings & Bleu Cheese

It doesn’t matter who you were rooting for, you CAN’T, I repeat CAN’T watch the SUPER BOWL unless you have hot wings and bLEU cheese dip!

HOT WINGS
  • 2-3 dozen+ chicken wings ~ We prefer drumettes (with a little meat on them) to actual wings, but it’s your choice. Today I used what was in the freezer for picture sake, but next week it’ll be drumettes for sure!
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • hidden valley ranch dressing mix (DRY) OR Good Seasons Italian dressing mix (DRY)
  • 2 sticks butter+
  • Frank’s Hot Sauce
  • PURE
I also prefer to use an old cast iron frying pan (our is at least 3rd generation, dating back to hubby’s grandfather that we know for sure). I still believe this gives you the most even browning.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
  • Mix together the flour and seasonings in a plastic ziploc bag. Using a ziploc bag makes it easy to throw away the whole mess after dredging all the chicken pieces and it helps you coat every possible spot of the chicken pieces.
  • Add chicken a few pieces at a time and coat them well. Set chicken pieces aside.
  • While you’re doing this, have the butter melting in the pan. Start with 1 stick and add as necessary, but make sure you don’t run out dry.
  • Once all the chicken has been dredged start frying. After you have the pan full pepper the pieces again. Don’t turn the chicken until you can see blood. You only need to turn the chicken one time. Brown evenly and then set aside on paper towels until all pieces have been fried.
  • As the last batch is frying melt the other stick of butter in a 4 cup measure cup. To that add 1 cup of Frank’s hot sauce per stick of butter. Whisk them together well.
  • Spray a cookie sheet with PURE.
  • Dip each piece of chicken into the hot sauce mixture and put on cookie sheet.
  • After you’re all done and if you have hot sauce & butter mixture left, pour a little over the top of each wing.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Serve hot with my homemade Bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks if you’d like.

Home made “BLEU” CHEESE DRESSING

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup large curd cottage cheese
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 ounces bleu cheese crumbles (sometimes I use Gorgonzola for a bit of change or when I accidentally pick up the wrong container at the grocery store and we like it just as well)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • I put it all in my food processor and pulse until it’s well mixed. Chill for 24-48 hours before serving.

NACHO BLEU CHEESE DIP

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup bleu cheese dressing **
1/2 cup Frank’s hot sauce
1 can Rotel Original tomatoes & chiles (drained)
1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat cream cheese in mixing bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften it. Whisk in the bleu cheese dressing, hot sauce, tomatoes and bleu cheese crumbles until smooth. Pour into a 9 inch stoneware casserole. Bake 20-30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately with Hot wings.

Hot Wings & Bleu Cheese

HOT WINGS

  • 2-3 dozen+ chicken wings ~ We prefer drumettes (with a little meat on them) to actual wings, but it’s your choice. Today I used what was in the freezer for picture sake, but next week it’ll be drumettes for sure!
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • hidden valley ranch dressing mix (DRY) OR Good Seasons Italian dressing mix (DRY)
  • 2 sticks butter+
  • Frank’s Hot Sauce
  • PURE
I also prefer to use an old cast iron frying pan (our is at least 3rd generation, dating back to hubby’s grandfather that we know for sure). I still believe this gives you the most even browning.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
  • Mix together the flour and seasonings in a plastic ziploc bag. Using a ziploc bag makes it easy to throw away the whole mess after dredging all the chicken pieces and it helps you coat every possible spot of the chicken pieces.
  • Add chicken a few pieces at a time and coat them well. Set chicken pieces aside.
  • While you’re doing this, have the butter melting in the pan. Start with 1 stick and add as necessary, but make sure you don’t run out dry.
  • Once all the chicken has been dredged start frying. After you have the pan full pepper the pieces again. Don’t turn the chicken until you can see blood. You only need to turn the chicken one time. Brown evenly and then set aside on paper towels until all pieces have been fried.
  • As the last batch is frying melt the other stick of butter in a 4 cup measure cup. To that add 1 cup of Frank’s hot sauce per stick of butter. Whisk them together well.
  • Spray a cookie sheet with PURE.
  • Dip each piece of chicken into the hot sauce mixture and put on cookie sheet.
  • After you’re all done and if you have hot sauce & butter mixture left, pour a little over the top of each wing.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Serve hot with my homemade Bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks if you’d like.

Home made “BLEU” CHEESE DRESSING

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup large curd cottage cheese
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 ounces Bleu cheese crumbles (sometimes I use Gorgonzola for a bit of change or when I accidentally pick up the wrong container at the grocery store and we like it just as well)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • I put it all in my food processor and pulse until it’s well mixed. Chill for 24-48 hours before serving.

Crispy Potato Cakes

I just had to share these here because they are crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside and are a delightful treat for the taste buds. They are also easy to make and can be used as a side dish or an appetizer.

Ingredients:
Five medium potatoes
1 cup cornmeal
1 egg beater
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of black pepper or more to taste
salt to taste
Canola oil for frying

Method:

Peel and cut potatoes into small pieces.

Boil potatoes until soft enough to be mashed.
Shred cheese.
Cut scallions into small pieces.
In a large bowl, mash potatoes.
Add cornmeal, egg, cheese, seasonings and sour cream. Continue mashing until they are mixed together.

Add cornmeal.

Add cheese & scallions.

Add sour cream.
Form patties. I made them a few sizes until I found that the two inch size was good for my purpose. I also did not flatten them very much. I was tempted to make them in muffin tins and I am going to do so, in the future. I wanted little potato cakes and not patties. I got both.
In a large skillet, in oil that has been heated, drop in the shaped patties and cook on medium heat until browned.
Flip them over and cook other side until browned and crispy. (Not too dark.) (A few minutes on each side)
I served them plain since they had enough calories but they would be a delicious with some sour cream, on the side.

Leftovers Pizza – Monday Munchies

I do a lot of meal stretching. I spend a lot less time in the kitchen during the busy weekdays that way, and it saves a lot of money in the grocery store as well. When I think of stretching out meals I usually think in terms of cooking extra so there are always leftovers – enough for a different meal created from the main dish a second night, and sometimes even a bit of extra for a third meal or appetizer. When it comes to those small amounts of leftovers I think soups, salads, appetizers, strata, and pizza toppings. Cooking like this makes life easier during the busy holiday months too!

Here’s an example of using up just a tiny bit of leftovers to create a quick yummy meal or for the appetizer buffet for game days. This time I used store bought pizza crusts (I like the Mama Mary brand, thin crust), add sauce, shredded cheese and toppings. Bake until cheese is bubbly and just barely starting to brown.

Toppings shown here are a teeny bit of leftover steak (not enough to do much of anything else with), a little bit of leftover roasted asparagus, cherry tomato halves and sliced portabella mushrooms. It’s a bit different, but I promise it’s great! Almost anything can go on a pizza – GET CREATIVE! 🙂

*Originally posted at Menagerie