Easy Feta Dip September 25, 2015

This Dip is so addicting , that it is dangerous.  And so easy – serve with a fresh baguette – and its literally all I want to eat!

Ingredients

• about ⅓ cup olive oil
• 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 4-5 green onions, sliced thinly
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (see Note)
• 2-3 teaspoons Penzey’s Greek seasoning
• fresh baguette, sliced thinly
• (optional) balsamic vinegar

• On a large platter drizzle olive oil until you have a thin layer on the entire platter. You may use more or less here depending on your preference.
• Add the tomatoes, green onions, and feta on top of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the Greek seasoning to taste.
• With a spoon carefully combine the ingredients. We found that we like a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar on top. If desired, drizzle a little balsamic on top.
• Serve with warm sliced baguettes for scooping up the dip.

Pineapple Salsa

I made this for the Buffett tailgate , and I could literally eat it by the spoon!!

1 small pineapple, peeled cored and very finely diced, about 2 1/2 cups
1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely minced, about 2 tablespoons, add more for a spicier bite
1 small lime, juiced, about 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 handful cilantro (leaves only), finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup red onion
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, adjust to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, adjust to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover with lid or transfer to an airtight container. Chill until ready to serve. This will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week.

Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dip

This has been my go to dip all summer, basically because you have NO clue you are eating greek yogurt!

1 container greek yogurt

1 container blue cheese

1 tbl chopped fresh parsley

2 tbl chopped fresh scallions

Mix together and chill for 2 hours – the longer the better !

Buffalo Quinoa “Meatballs” March 9, 2015

Wow – these just blew me away. I am obsessed with finding ways to substitute quinoa weekly, and this was just absolutely amazing! I made a dipping sauce of just blue cheese, greek yogurt, and fresh parsley – and wow – amazing!

Quinoa bites

2 cups cooked quinoa (you’ll need to cook about 1 cup of quinoa)
4 c eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
30 ½-inch cubes mozzarella

Sauce

½ stick / 4 oz / 113 gr butter
½ cup hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine quinoa, eggs, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper into a bowl.
Add breadcrumbs and stir in well. Let mixture sit for a couple of minutes so that the breadcrumbs can absorb the moisture.
Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of quinoa mixture and with dampened hands make quinoa balls – placing one cube of mozzarella into the middle of the ball and forming a smooth ball around the mozzarella. Repeat to form about all quinoa bites.
Place quinoa bites onto the lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
In the meantime make the sauce. Combine the hot sauce and butter in a small saucepan on medium heat (or place in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on high).
After 15 minutes, remove baking sheet from the oven, gently turn quinoa bites (they should have browned a little) and top with buffalo sauce.
Put back in the oven and bake for another 8 minutes.

Warm Bacon Cheese Dip January 23, 2015

I wanted a different dip to watch the AFC/NFC championship games this sunday – it was so good and so easy, assembled everything before we took Max to the science center for the day before the games started ! Delicious!

Here is a pic of max at the omnimax theater – ready to see the Titans of the Ice Age!

Ingredients

◦1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
◦1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream
◦2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
◦1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
◦ 3/4 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
◦ 1/2 cup chopped green onions
◦ Assorted crackers for dipping
◦
Instructions
1.Preheat the oven to 325°.
2.In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sour cream, cheddar cheese and Worcestershire sauce until blended; stir in bacon and onions.
3. Bake until bubbly!

Meatball Sub Cupcakes November 1, 2014

I needed an appetizer for a bbq, and these were just perfect. Who doesn’t love meatballs?

1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella
12 (1oz) frozen meatballs – i used fresh , but I am sure frozen would be fine!
1 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Spray 12 regular size muffin cups with cooking spray. Set aside.

Remove dough from can; press seams to seal and press into an 8×18 inch rectangle. Cut dough into 12 squares. Press squares into muffin pan cups.

Combine cream cheese, Italian seasoning and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Divide the cream cheese mixture in the bottom of each muffin cup. Place meatballs on top of cheese; top each meatball with 2 tablespoons spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Read more at http://www.plainchicken.com/2014/09/meatball-sub-cupcakes.html#XCZFV9IeIIDR5Rfp.99

Buffalo Chicken Waffle Fries March 30, 2014

Ok – these definitely do not count as low calorie ANYTHING, but these were so good to eat when having a few friends over on a saturday night! I pinned on pinterest just last week and knew they would be perfect for this weekend!

Ingredients:

Waffle Fries, enough for a single layer on a sheet pan
1 cup roasted chicken (rotisserie works great, so does this freezer shredded chicken)
1/2 cup Frank’s hot sauce (more to taste)
1 handful grated cheddar cheese
1 handful grated mozzarella cheese
ranch dressing, for drizzling
chives, for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or according to the package of your waffle fries).
Spread fries in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake about 20 minutes, or as directed on the package.
Add the chicken and buffalo sauce and toss to coat. Taste and add more hot sauce if desired.
When fries are finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and drop spoonfuls of the chicken over the fries. Top with both cheeses. Return to the oven for five minutes.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

BLT Tortilla Wraps February 6, 2014

I made these for the superbowl because I love anything in a tortilla! These will definitely be added to my go to appetizer recipes!

Ingredients:
1 block cream cheese
1/2 cup dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
8 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 large head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (optional)
16 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Combine cream cheese and tomatoes in a small bowl. Spread evenly over 1 side of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Layer lettuce, onions, and bacon evenly over tortillas; sprinkle with pepper.

Roll up tortillas; cut in half diagonally, and secure with wooden pick.

Parmesan Pinwheels December 28, 2013

More red and green appetizer ideas! These little things turned out so good! Perfect for our Christmas Day dinner at my parents!

Thank you Pinterest 🙂

Ingredients:
8 oz of cream cheese, softened, 1 c. grated paremsan cheese, divided, 2 (8 oz) cans of crescent rolls, 1 c. of chopped red pepper, 1/4 c. fresh parsley.
*You can substitute the fresh peppers for drained, roasted red peppers, pepperonni etc
Instructions:
1. Beat Cream cheese, and 3/4 c. of paremesan cheese.
2. Chop parsley and red pepper.
3. Roll out dough, break apart pairs of crescent traingles, and press seams to make a rectangle. Place three T of cheese mix, and sprinkle with peppers and parsley.

4. Fold and press edges together, and then slice into 4 equal pieces. Sprinkle with the last 1/4 of parmesan (I switched to the bottled kind at this point….I just like it better as a topping, but do whatever floats our cheese boat).

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes. 32 servings total.

Snowman Cheese Ball

How adorable is this cheese ball? Nicole made it for Christmas Day – it was just too cute!!

Ingredients

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces) 2 tablespoons basil pesto 1 tablespoon grated onion 1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard 2 drops red pepper sauce 1 container (4 ounces) whipped cream cheese, softened Decorations (see Success Hint), if desired Assorted crackers, if desired

1 Mix 3 packages cream cheese and the Cheddar cheese; divide into 3 equal parts. Combine 2 parts to equal two-thirds of mixture; mix in pesto. Mix onion, mustard and pepper sauce into remaining one-third mixture.

2Cover each cheese mixture and refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm enough to shape. Shape each cheese mixture into ball. Wrap each ball, label and freeze.
3About 12 hours before serving, remove balls from freezer. Thaw in wrappers in refrigerator.
4Arrange balls on serving plate with smaller ball on top for head of snowman. Frost snowman with whipped cream cheese before serving. Decorate as desired. Serve with crackers. Store covered in refrigerator.