appetizers

Texas Trash Warm Bean Dip

November 21, 2013 by Julie 2 Comments

What a name for a recipe, huh??

Texas Trash Warm Bean Dip

My aunt made this dip for a Labor Day get-together and we gobbled it up!! And I made it for a Halloween get-together too and everyone enjoyed it.

It’s a winner. My photo was not. But trust me, my food tastes better than my pictures look. 🙂

Texas Trash Warm Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 can (16 ounces, each) refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix together the cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl. Mix in refried beans until combined. Stir in the taco seasoning.

Spread the mixture evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with both cheeses.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

**After baking, I prefer to stir the cheese into the bean mixture so all the goodness is combined.

Serve with tortilla chips.

**If you have leftovers, you can use the mixture in flour tortillas too to make bean burritos.

Jalapeno Peanut Butter Hummus

March 5, 2013 by Julie 5 Comments

Have you seen the before & after pictures of ~~Bert Macklin~~ Chris Pratt?

The “before” is when he had to get in great shape for Zero Dark Thirty. But then he immediately had to pack on the pounds for another movie, hence the “after” photo.

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Yeah, those kind of “afters” are a lot easier to attain!!

Whether you’re in before or after shape, hummus is always a yummus choice!

Jalapeno Peanut Butter Hummus

Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light–Dec 2012

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons creamy jalapeno peanut butter hummus**
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons EVOO
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 minced garlic clove
7 tablespoons water

Instructions:

Microwave the peanut on high for 20 seconds. Combine the peanut and all the ingredients (except the water) into a food processor. While the food processor is running, drizzle in the water slowly. Process until smooth.

**I found this spicy peanut hummus at a local gourmet store. But you can also find it online here.

Mini Shepherd’s Pies for the Downton Abbey season 3 premiere

January 6, 2013 by Julie 8 Comments

Tonight is the season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey. I’m excited to see how things are going for the Grantham family.

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I’m not really a fan of Lady Mary and Matthew. Lady Mary’s a tad whiny for me. My favorite Grantham sister is Lady Sybil.

Branson & Lady Sybil
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And I’m especially Team Bates & Anna. Oh Mr. Bates! Swoon!

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If you’re looking for an English classic with a twist to enjoy during the show tonight, might I suggest Mini Shepherd’s Pies.

The Countess Dowager may not approve of finger foods, but I’ll never tell her.

Mini Shepherd’s Pies

Recipe from LHJ Feb 2013, adapted

Makes about 36 bite-sized pies

Ingredients:

1 17 ounce package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 pound of ground beef
2 tablespoons minced tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup corn, canned
1/2 cup peas, canned
salt & pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (I used Simply Potatoes, but you can certainly make your own too!)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Unroll your puff pastry sheets on the counter. Cut into 2 inch rounds. (I don’t have a pastry cutter, so I just used a shot glass to cut the pastry into circles.) Press the rounds into your muffin pan. Prick the bottoms of the pastry with a fork. Place the muffin tin into the freezer while preparing the filling.

Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef. Stir in the tarragon, chives, cumin, and garlic powder. Transfer the meat into a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO to the skillet along with the diced onions and carrots. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the corn and cook for about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the skillet and stir together. Add in the peas to the mixture along with salt & pepper to taste. Stir.

Scoop a small amount of filling into each puff pastry cup. Bake for about 16-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for just a few minutes. Remove from the muffin and pipe a dollop of heated mashed potatoes onto each pie.

Enjoy immediately while still hot!

*** If you’re looking for a recap of Downton Abbey to prep for tonight, my friend, Kristin, wrote a great one here!

Artichoke & Tomato Salsa

July 10, 2012 by Julie 1 Comment

I remember trying artichokes for the first time about 12 years ago. It was at a restaurant in a pasta dish. I immediately hated it.

Thank goodness I’m always a believer in trying things again! Except for olives…olives will always be disgusting.

But artichokes…love!

This artichoke & tomato salsa is obviously very different from traditional salsa. It’s also very versatile!

I enjoyed this salsa:

–with preztels
–on salad, in lieu of dressing
–on top of fish
–in a veggie wrap

Artichoke & Tomato Salsa

Recipe slightly adapted from Oxygen Magazine, May 2012

Ingredients:

2 cups marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
3 Roma or plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
sea salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together into a bowl.

Serve!

Tortilla Pinwheels

January 28, 2012 by Julie 5 Comments

One of my former bosses at work (hi Cherisse!) used to make tortilla pinwheels for every work food day.

And I would devour them every work food day. I’d also ask her every time…..how do you make these?

But I never followed through. Until I saw these on Julie’s blog! It was a blast from the past.

I IMMEDIATELY made them the next day for a family lunch. I brought them to my parents and put them in the refrigerator. My brother eye-spyed them and asked, “Are these okay to eat NOW or do we have to wait?”

I said, “Sure, go for it!” And brought them out for my brothers, nephews, and sister-in-law to munch on.

Cut to about 15 minutes later, I came back into the dining room and there were only THREE lonely pinwheels left.

I freaked out! “You guys ate them all and our aunts and uncles aren’t even here yet!!! You have to eat these 3 pinwheels right now before they get here, so they don’t know about it! I can’t leave 3 pinwheels on the plate, that’s weird!”

They happily obliged and said that I should be happy that they loved them so much. And um….make a double batch next time.

Tortilla Pinwheels

Recipe adapted from Julie’s Eats and Treats

Ingredients:

8 ounces light sour cream
8 ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
4 ounces can diced green chilies, drained (I added several more ounces.)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
garlic powder, to taste
seasoned salt, to taste
5 10″ flour tortillas

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the tortillas. Mix well.

Divide your mixed filling onto your tortilla. Spread evenly. Roll up tortillas.

Roll each tortilla in plastic wrap to secure the shape. Place prepared tortillas into the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning (or several hours later), remove tortillas from plastic wrap. Cut into slices and serve.

Yields about 30-50 slices depending on the thickness of the slices. Just make a double batch; you won’t regret it!

Creamy Bacon Dip

January 17, 2012 by Julie 9 Comments

I took my nephew, Noah, to see Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked yesterday.

That movie is too cute!!

The songs are so fun and peppy too. I seriously want to buy the soundtrack. But I won’t. I mean…can a 32 year old single lady buy an album with songs sung by the Chipmunks? The answer is NO. Believe me, I’ve tried to justify it in my head all day.

So, instead I’ve just spent the day listening to previews of each song over & over on iTunes.

It’s a fun mix to listen to while in the kitchen too.

Creamy Bacon Dip

Recipe from Daisy

Ingredients:

8 ounces softened cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped green onion

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Place prepared ingredients to a 1 quart baking dish. Spread evenly. Cover with foil and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Garnish top of dip with more green onions and crumbled bacon, if desired.

Serve with pita chips or whatever you desire!

Dip can served warm or cold. I preferred the dip cold the next day!

Deviled Eggs

December 28, 2011 by Julie 11 Comments

I realize that deviled eggs are not an earth shattering recipe, folks. I also realize that you probably already know how to make deviled eggs.

You probably already have one of those cute deviled eggs trays too. Maybe I can borrow it from you next time? I just let my eggs slip and slide all over the platter.

My point is…deviled eggs recipe on a food blog! It’s really for my own benefit! One of the reasons that I started this food blog is to have a central place for my recipe collection.

So next time, I won’t have to google “how long to boil eggs”. Yep that happened. I seriously had no clue!! I’ve only scrambled, fried, or soft-boiled eggs.

Deviled Eggs

Recipe from Simply Recipes & Food.com

Ingredients:

12 hard boiled eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons Miracle Whip
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
4 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
salt & pepper, to taste
paprika, to sprinkle on top of prepared deviled eggs

Instructions:

Tips: For easier to peel eggs, use eggs that are a few days old. You can also leave the boiled eggs in the refrigerator for a few days to get them easier to peel.

Place eggs in a saucepan. Cover eggs with 1-2 inches of cold water. The cold water to start will help keep the eggs from cracking as they boil. Add a half teaspoon of salt to the water. Place your saucepan on a stovetop burner. Put the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and keep saucepan on burner for a minute.

After a minute, remove the saucepan from the burner. Cover the saucepan with a lid and let the eggs sit for 12-15 minutes. The residual heat from the pan keeps the eggs cooking, but they don’t get overcooked with this method.

Once eggs are cooled, peel the shells off. Slice eggs lengthwise into halves. Remove the yolks with a spoon and place them in a bowl.

Mash yolks into fine pieces with a fork. Add Miracle Whip, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish, and salt & pepper to yolks.

Stir mixture until creamy. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag with tip. Squeeze mixture into egg white halves.

Sprinkle the tops of the eggs with paprika. Place prepared deviled eggs into the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

Devour!!!

Deviled eggs are generally gone in 2.6 seconds at a party.

Sour Cream and Bacon Stuffed Tomatoes

September 10, 2011 by Julie 15 Comments

**Updated 7/9/12:

Come share in the tomato love at the Tomato Love Recipe Exchange, hosted by Gimme Some Oven & Bake Your Day, sponsored this week by KitchenAid. Also visit Recipe for Change to learn more about how to support tomato farmers.

Fall and weekends mean…..Soccer Saturdays!!

Three of my nephews are playing soccer this season. Eight AM games aren’t ideal for a Saturday, but nothing that can’t be made better with a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Too bad you don’t tailgate at soccer. I could have brought these tomatoes.

Sour Cream and Bacon Stuffed Tomatoes

Recipe from Buns In My Oven

Ingredients:

About 25 cherry tomatoes
4 slices cooked bacon, cooked
8 ounces light sour cream
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
green onions, to garnish
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Wash your cherry tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half.

Scrape out the insides/seeds of the tomatoes. (I just used my fingers to scoop out the seed guts.) Sprinkle your tomatoes with Kosher salt.

Cook your slices of bacon and then crumble it into small pieces.

In a bowl, mix together the bacon crumbles, light sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and dried parsley flakes. Add your black pepper to taste.

Spoon your sour cream and bacon filling into each tomato. (I tried to pipe it, but none of my pastry tips were large enough to work with the bacon crumbles.) Dice up some green onions and sprinkle on top.

These sour cream and bacon stuffed tomatoes are a super easy appetizer! They’ll be a crowd pleaser too.

After making these, I was craving more bacon. I served some tomatoes up with a bacon, egg, and cheddar cheese sandwich.

Salty goodness! 🙂

Baked Mozzarella Bites

August 2, 2011 by Julie 11 Comments

What’s your favorite appetizer to get at a restaurant?

For me, it’s either:

chips & salsa
spinach artichoke dip
or
CHEESE STICKS!

When I saw a healthier version in the August 2011 Cooking Light magazine, I was sold! I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that it could be easier to make cheese sticks–or bites–at home. Super easy! It takes less than 30 minutes and that includes the time I had to wait for the oven to preheat.

Baked Mozzarella Bites

Recipe from Cooking Light–August 2011, slightly adapted

Ingredients:

1/3 cup panko
3 part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks
1 egg, whisked, with salt & pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Heat a small skillet on medium heat. Add panko to the skillet and stir frequently. Cook for 2 minutes until brown and toasty. Remove panko from skillet and add to a small bowl.

Cut your cheese sticks into 1 inch pieces.

Now dip your cheese into the egg. Then take your eggy cheese piece and dredge into the panko.

Place the panko cheese pieces onto your baking sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is hot and softened.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, such as marinara sauce or ranch dressing.

Serves 3, estimated calories 116

Zucchini Squares

July 18, 2011 by Julie 3 Comments

Hello zucchini. Meet my friend, Bisquick. I think you two will hit it off.

I made zucchini squares for the 4th of July. I wasn’t feeling them that day. They just didn’t mesh well with the other items on the menu.

But I froze some of the leftovers. And on Saturday, I heated a couple of zucchini squares up to go with my lunch of Lentil & Vegetable soup. OH!! That’s why you make zucchini squares!

They are great to go with soup!! I think they’ll be even better with chili. Now if I could only get a break from the 100+ degree temperatures to be able to make chili!

Zucchini Squares

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

5 eggs, beaten slightly
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup grated cheese—I used a combination of Parmesan, Romano, & Asiago
2 tbl fresh parsley, chopped
1/ tsp salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped finely
2 cups Bisquick
3 cups thinly sliced zucchini

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together eggs, oil, cheeses, chopped parsley, salt, seasoned salt, oregano and garlic powder in a large bowl. Whisk in your chopped onion. Then whisk in your Bisquick. Stir in the sliced zucchini gently.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Smooth the top. Bake about 30-35 minutes. The top will be golden brown.