birthday dessert ideas: appetizers

Showing posts with label appetizers. Show all posts

Guacamole

I can't believe I didn't used to like guacamole. I had only had guacamole from restaurants and it just wasn't every any good. So for many years, I thought I didn't like guacamole. Or even avocados. I avoided them for so, so many years. I use them so much now, I feel like I am making up for lost time. I love this guacamole and make it often. Sometimes I add red pepper, sometimes some cayenne for heat.

I am doing 30 days of vegan recipes this month. Elena from Vegalicious will be helping along the way. She has an awesome 30 day Body By Plans Boot Camp.

I figured guacamole would be a good way to start as I am sure that some of my recipes I'll be making will include guacamole.

I am eating healthy vegan. I once watched a documentary about 3 people who were going to eat vegan for 6 weeks and were thrilled that Oreos were vegan. Uh, there will be no Oreos this month. Low salt, no sugar, low oils, no processed foods. Healthy vegan.

I am fairly new to this so if you notice a mistake somewhere or a recipe that is NOT vegan, feel free to let me know.

Guacamole Recipe

2 large avocados, mashed
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 lime, juice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix everything and serve.
Or, what I like to do sometimes. I throw the avocado, garlic and jalapeno in the food processor and get it all smooth. Then I throw the rest of the ingredients and stir.

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Jalapeno Corn Fritters with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Salsa

Small, fried, finger food. Gluten free and delicious too? What's not to love?

I had a blast visiting Mariel and Mary Anne's blog Feast on the Cheap. They have amazing recipes and fantastic pictures of their recipes. I chose several to make but decided on the Jalapeno Corn Fritters to showcase this month.

The recipe called for Old Bay seasoning. I didn't have this but I have a whole cupboard full of spices so I set out to make my own. I looked online and there were several versions of Old Bay recipes. I sorta mixed a couple and made my own. It seemed to turn out pretty good.

I wasn't sure what the texture the corn mixture was supposed to be. It wasn't thick enough to make a patty but putting heaping tablespoon into the hot oil worked perfectly.

After my bacon grease accident last month, I quickly decided that my husband would help me make these. After this first batch, I handed him over the batter and he did a great job making them.

These turned out beautiful and were very quick to put together. The pineapple salsa was such a good addition to the Corn Fritters. The sweet and the freshness were a perfect match. I really couldn't stop eating these and ate way too many.

I'm so glad that The Secret Recipe Club introduced me to Feast on the Cheap. I know I will be back visiting often!

Jalapeno Corn Fritters with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Relish Recipe

Adapted form Feast on the Cheap

Sweet Pepper Pineapple Salsa

1/4 cup sweet onion, diced

1 20 oz. can pineapple, diced

1 small red pepper, or 1/2 large, diced

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. honey

Combine everything and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Corn Fritters

1 jalapeno, seeded

2 cans of corn or about 4 cups of frozen corn, divided

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning OR use spice recipe below

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/3 cup flour, I used gluten free

Salt and pepper to taste

Canola oil

In a food processor or blender, combine 2 cups of corn kernels and jalapeno, process until quite smooth, about a minute.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg and milk until smooth and stir in cornmeal, flour, garlic, Old Bay (or seasoning recipe below), salt and pepper. Mix in remaining whole corn kernels and pureed corn.

Pour about 1/2 inch oil in a deep skillet and heat oil until very hot. Using a spoon, scoop corn batter by tablespoons into hot oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides, it only takes about 2 minutes per side tops. Transfer to plate with paper towels on it and serve topped with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Salsa.

Old Bay Seasoning (copycat)

2 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 pinch EACH of dried mustard, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and ginger

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Bacon and Cheddar Deviled Eggs

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was excited to make something from Tina's blog. She has so, so, so many awesome recipes on her blog Mom's Crazy Cooking. I chose her Bacon and Cheese Deviled Eggs. I had just been talking to my MIL about deviled eggs and have been craving them. I saw Tina had several deviled egg recipes but this one jumped out at me. Yea, she pretty much had me at bacon.

Her recipe was also part of her Egg Crazy Cooking Challenge so there is a ton of egg recipes on this page as well. We love, love, love eggs so I appreciated looking at a lot of these!

These were everything I would want in a deviled egg. They were creamy, salty and so, so good. I already plan to make these again as an appetizer for my next gathering. Everybody loves deviled eggs. I cheat and buy the eggs already hard boiled so they are a snap to make!

This would make a fantastic egg salad sandwich too. I can't wait to try it!

Bacon & Cheddar Deviled Eggs (or Egg Salad Sandwiches)
Adapted from Mom's Crazy Cooking

6 hard boiled eggs
1/3 cup of mayonnaise (or maybe a little more if needed)
1-1/2 tsp mustard
3 or 4 strips bacon, finely chopped
¼ cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded
a few sprinkles of green onions, finely chopped
paprika

Hard Boil Eggs first, and let cool. Or cheat like I do and buy your eggs already hard boiled. Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Mix together egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, cheese, bacon and green onion into a bowl. Fill egg whites with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle the eggs with a little paprika.

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Pineapple Meatballs

I like to make my own meatballs but when they are on sale, I will pick them up. They do make for a quick meal. Sweet and sour meatballs are my favorite. This sauce is awesome! We ate thse with brown rice and steamed broccoli. These would be a fantastic appetizer for football parties.

Pineapple Meatballs Recipe

40 frozen meatballs
1/2 of a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice or water

Put the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker. In a food processor or blender, process the rest of the items and pour over meatballs. Cook 4 - 6 hours on low until meatballs are warm and done.

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Stuffed Devilled Eggs - Eggs Jeanette

This month I was thrilled to be assigned the blog Rhubarb & Honey for The Secret Recipe Club. I don't seem to have as much time to peruse blogs these days so I love to have the opportunity to scroll through Kimberly's awesome recipes. I found out that she participated in Foodie Penpals as well. I just started this month and got my first package! Much fun.

I found a wonderful recipe for devilled eggs. Check out her blog for the cool story about these and the story behind the name, Eggs Jeanette.

While I love eating devilled eggs, I don't particularly like making them. I don't like making and peeling hard boiled eggs. I've used many different methods and just haven't found one that consistently works. I think it's just me. Well, I was pleased as punch to find these ready-made hard boiled eggs at the store. I'd heard that they existed, I just never knew where they were.

These made this recipe so fast. This is a fantastic way to whip up an unbelievable appetizer in a very short time.

You know what is different about these eggs? They are cooked. Pan fried. A bit anyways. I've never done that with devilled eggs before and I thought it intriguing.

They just needed to be in the pan for a minute or two. They turned out beautifully. Golden brown and super tasty! I was skeptical about the dressing but ended up absolutely loving it and everyone else did too! This for sure is a keeper!

Eggs Jeanette Recipe
Adapted from Rhubarb & Honey

Eggs:

6 large hard boiled eggs, peeled

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1 teaspoon finely minced onion

1 teaspoon dried parsley

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Dressing:

2 tablespoons leftover egg stuffing (from above)

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard (I would add a bit less)

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 to 2 teaspoons milk

Salt and black pepper

Directions:
Gently cut each hard boiled egg in half, then carefully remove yolks, placing yolks in a bowl and setting the whites aside.

To the yolks, add the garlic, onion, parsley, milk, salt, and pepper. Mash with a fork to combine. Carefully spoon the yolk mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites, reserving 2 tablespoons of the filling to use in the dressing.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the eggs, stuffing side down, in the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the eggs are browned on the stuffed side. Remove from skillet and place on a platter, stuffed side up.

In a small bowl, combine reserved egg stuffing, mustard, and sour cream. Whisk to combine, adding milk as necessary to get a smooth, creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the dressing over the warm eggs and serve.

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Buffalo Chicken Bites

I fell in love with this recipe as soon as I saw it. I almost always have cooked chicken around and of course, Franks buffalo sauce is always in the refrigerator. I just needed to come up with a gluten free breading. I wasn't sure about the Honey Nut Chex but it turned out wonderfully!

My own complaint was that I didn't know how much chicken to put in them. The recipe called for 4 chicken breasts. No idea what the means so I just kept adding chicken until it looked fine. The mixture was pretty thin while breading them but they firmed up fine in the oven.

They were a bit spicy but were perfect dipped in ranch dressing.

Buffalo Chicken Bites
Adapted from Skinny Mom

16 oz. cooked, finely shredded chicken
1 cup hot sauce, I used Franks buffalo sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing, light
4 oz. cream cheese, light, softened
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 cups Chex cereal, I used honey nut Chex
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

In a large mixing bowl, mix hot sauce, cream cheese and ranch with an electric mixer. Add shredded chicken, cheese and scallions to hot sauce mixture.

With a food processor, pulse Chex cereal finely. Add to a shallow bowl and mix with salt and pepper.

Form buffalo chicken mixture into small bite size balls, roll gently in the cereal mixture and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in oven for 25 - 35 minutes or until ourside is somewhat crispy. Time may vary depending on size of balls.

One Year Ago...

Green Chile Cheddar Eggs

This is linked with:
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helens Country Cottage

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Homemade Larabars - Laraballs

I have to admit; I've never had a Larabar. I've heard they're delicious and I've been meaning to try them.

Now, I'm not sure I will try them.

Now that I've made these bars or balls, I see no need to spend money on the real thing. These were super easy and everyone loved them! Even my pickiest eater thought they were awesome and I think he ended up eating most of them. Good thing I bought a giant package of dates and pecans at Costco!

Very Cherry Bars - Balls Recipe
Enlightened Cooking

6 oz. whole pitted dates, rough chopped
6 oz. dried cherries
9 oz. pecans
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)

Place the dates and cherries in a food processor. Pulse until processed to a paste. Transfer paste to a large bowl. Don't clean processor. Add the nuts to the processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the nuts, along with the cinnamon to the bowl with the fruit paste. Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste. This brings back memories of playdough.

Shape into bars on wax paper or do what I did and roll them into balls.

One Year Ago...

Lemon Chicken Pasta

This is linked with:
My Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory
Just another Meatless Monday at Hey, What's for Dinner Mom?

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Island Chocolate Oat Bars

Confession; I have never been to Starbucks. I'm not a coffee drinker so it doesn't occur to me to go there. I even won a Starbucks gift card (thanks Biz) but ended up giving it away to some full time preaching pioneers. I know I could have gone and gotten some hot chocolate but I knew they would appreciate it more being outside in the cold winter so much. Anyways, I haven't been to a Starbucks so I clearly haven't eaten their Island Oat Bars. Katie says that they might only be in Canada so you perhaps haven't had them either.

I love bars with oats. So I knew that these would be a good bet to make for The Secret Recipe Club post this month. This month my Secret Recipe Club blog is Betcha Can't Eat Just One. I found another recipe that I can't wait to make when I have a large group and won't be tempted to eat the entire pan myself. Her Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Knock your socks off Brownie Bars are completely drool worthy and my kids can't wait for me to make them.

The Island Oat Bars were great, I'm not sure where the "Island" part comes from. I would have thrown some coconut in the food processor with the oats if I had had some. They turned out great though and they held together nicely but I did cook them longer than the original recipe called. Oh - I added chocolate chips too. You can never go wrong with chocolate chips! The kids completely loved them. Thanks Katie for a tasty recipe that I'll for sure make again.

Island Oat Bars
Adapted from Betcha Can't Eat Just One

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 x 8 in. pan with cooking spray.

Using a blender or a food processor, pulse 2 cups of the oats until they resemble a coarse meal. Mix together with the remaining oats.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the brown sugar, agave syrup and salt. Stir until all of the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and milk.

Add all of the oats to the pot and stir until everything is well combined.

Gently press the 1/2 of the oat mixture into the prepared pan, sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Press remaining oat batter over chips and press gently. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, the oat bars should be a very light golden brown. Keep an eye on them not to burn or overcook.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing into bars.

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Orange Pecan Granola Bars

I have a problem with granola bars. I will buy them from the store to keep on hand for those mornings that I need something quick. I usually buy the ones that are somewhat healthy but have quite a bit of sugar. However, late at night, on the weekends, they call to me and I tend to eat them. Too many of them. I love them. They are like my candy bars. I will rationalize they are healthy but they really aren't THAT healthy.

Actually, I no longer have a problem with them because I don't buy them. I can't keep temptations in the house anymore.

Imagine my delight when I found a truly healthy granola bar that is free from refined sugar. These are delicious and satisfying but they don't invoke the uncontrollable desire to eat 4 of them in one sitting.

I've made these twice now and I truly love them. I plan to play around with them a bit to try to make some different versions. No more sugary, unhealthy, store bought bars for me. These are my go-to bars now!

Orange Pecan Granola Bars
Adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen

3 cups quick oats
3/4 cups chopped pecans (3 oz)
Juice from one orange
1 tbsp. orange zest
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. honey
2 oz. chopped dates
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350. Spray an 8 x 8 in. pan with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Press mixture in the pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until top is brown. Cool completely. Cut into 12 servings.

Total calories = 2060 calories
12 servings = 172 per bar

One Year Ago...

Mini Pizza Burgers

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Cranberry Salsa

Cranberry sauce has never been one of my favorites. Although, my vision of cranberry sauce was the gel in the can. Now, I know that some swear by that and love it but I never got into it. So even when presented with a homemade cranberry sauce, I would pass.

My tastes have expanded and I have used cranberries in a number of recipes. After seeing a number of sauces and salsa's, I decided to make one.

This homemade cranberry salsa turned out wonderful. I used it for several things. The family ate it with ham. I ate it over my eggs the next morning. I used it in a chicken salad that was fantastic! It would be fantastic over cream cheese and used as an appetizer.

I am incredibly glad I tried this and I know it will be made again.

Cranberry Salsa
Adapted from The Teenage Taste

12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
3 tbsp. orange juice
1/2 cup sugar (I used splenda)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine cranberries and about 4 cups of water in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 - 3 minutes. Drain.

In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, onion and cranberries. Mix by hand, squeezing some of the berries to a pulp and leaving some whole.

Add the orange juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

One Year Ago...

Sweet and Savory Roast

This is linked with:
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory

Works for me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Best Recipe at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.

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Pumpkin Butter and Pumpkin Latte Recipe

This was my first time making pumpkin butter! I think it's been on my to-do list for about 3 years now. It's incredibly easy and of course it tastes so wonderful.

I'm not a coffee drinker but I love warm drinks in the morning. So this homemade pumpkin butter mixed with the milk for a pumpkin latte was perfect!

Then of course just eating it on some homemade gluten free bread is superb as well! This recipe made a lot but it stores in the refrigerator for a long time. Not that ours lasted very long though!

Pumpkin Butter Recipe
Adapted from Gluten Free Easily

2 - 15 oz. cans pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup honey
pinch of sea salt

Mix ingredients together well in a heavy pot and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thick-ish. Let cool and store in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Latte Recipe

1 1/2 cups milk (or almond milk)
3 tbsp. pumpkin butter

Heat milk and pumpkin butter slowly while stirring constantly until warm. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

One Year Ago...

40 Clove Garlic Chicken in the Slow Cooker

This is linked with:
Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
Hearth and Soul at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Tasty Tuesday at Permanant Posies
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
What's on the Menu at Dining with Debbie
Best Recipes at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesdays at Gluten Free Homemaker
Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Recipe of the Week at Family Fresh Meals

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Sweet Potato Hummus

Source: bettycrocker.com via Debbi on Pinterest

This sweet potato hummus just made my list of things to make. Soon. I just bought a huge case of sweet potatoes and hummus just makes me happy! Don't be surprised if you hear about me eating 1/2 batch of this for dinner one night.
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Here are some more adorable, fun recipes given to me from Betty Crocker through BlogSpark. The pictures are fantastic and I would make these anytime of the year. No need to only make them around the holidays!

Betty 10: Red Hot Holiday Trends: http://bit.ly/BCHolidayTrend
Pumpkin Pie Cookies: http://bit.ly/bcppcookies
Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes: http://bit.ly/bcboozycupcakes
Cake Batter Cookie Stackers: http://bit.ly/bcstackers
Mantastic Fried Chicken ‘n’ Waffle Sandwich: http://bit.ly/bcmansandwich
Skinny Clementine Martini: http://bit.ly/bcmartini
Cajeta Caramel Fudge: http://bit.ly/bcfudge
Sweet Potato Hummus: http://bit.ly/bchummus
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread: http://bit.ly/bcgfbread
Dog Bark: http://bit.ly/bcdogbark
Chocolate Coal Lumps: http://bit.ly/bccoallumps

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Cookies, Desserts and Appetizers Oh My!!

Source: debbidoesdinnerhealthy.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

Everyone seems to be having winter parties and gatherings this time of year. I love to have appetizer parties where everyone brings an appetizer or dessert. Whether you'd having a big party or just a small gathering, Sam's Club is a great place to pick up strawberries, pretzels, chocolate chips, pecans or whatever you need.

I thought I'd share some of my favorite desserts and appetizers!

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