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Archive for the ‘Appetizers’ Category

Another year has passed and here we sit, 9 – 10 inches of snow and 21 degrees outside – BRRRRR!!!! I’ve decided that I’m turning into a wimpy woman, I absolutely hate the cold and being cold anymore. And the sad thing is that I remember a time when the cold didn’t bother me at all and we goofed around outside for hours! I did go out and take some pictures, just because the trees looked so pretty with the snow sitting on the pine needles along with the frost that clings to the needles.

Isn’t that pretty?

What are you doing to celebrate the ringing in of the New Year? Are you staying home with a nice glass of wine and a movie or are you going out to ring in the New Year with friends and/or family? No matter what you end up doing tonight, please be safe enjoy!

Since we usually stay at home and watch a few movies on New Years Eve each year, I decided to add a couple of dips and/or dressings to my collection. We really love veggies and dips around here so it just makes sense to do that. And I’ve included the dips from last year as well…..just for some variety!

One of the most yummy dips that we experienced last year was the Buffalo Chicken Dip, oh my goodness it just makes my mouth water thinking about it.

Then there was the Hot Corn Dip….hot as is in oven hot, but not really spicy hot!

This year, and just a few days ago we took a little road trip to Cabelas in Lehi……and of course we had to stop at the new Outlets while we were there, a girl must shop when there is shopping to be done ya know! But while we were at Cablela’s we sampled a few dips that they were demonstrating there……I had to buy some as they were super yummy and just fit the bill in terms of building a good dip for New Years Eve! The Roasted Red Pepper dip from Wind Willow was excellent…..think I’ll be placing an order here and there for some of the others as well! These are good folks, and as for ease…..it doesn’t get better than that!

And then there was this nifty recipe that I found for Blue Cheese salad dressing, but it’s really good used as a dip as well.

This stuff is really easy to make and it tastes super yummy. I’ve had in on a wedge salad with some bacon bits and cherry tomatoes and I’ve just dipped my veggies in it…..either way, it’s really good and a must have for dressing recipes. One thing that I found was a bit unique about this recipe is that it actually has you cut up a shallot and let it set in some red wine vinegar for awhile before adding the vinegar to the dressing. The flavor of the shallot infuses with the vinegar and just gives this dressing a really good flavor!

This is what we’ll be munching on tonight during our festivities…..Roasted Red Pepper dip and Blue Cheese Dressing

May you all have a very Happy New Year and many blessed days!

Blue Cheese Dressing
Adapted from Cook’s Country 2012 cookbook

Ingredients:
1 large shallot, sliced into thin rings
1/4 C red wine vinegar
3 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 C mayonnaise
1/4 C sour cream
3 Tbsp buttermilk
2 garlic clove, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine shallot and vinegar and set aside for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk blue cheese, garlic, mayo, sour cream, buttermilk and S&P together, then add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar from the shallots. Shallots can be used to top wedge salad or in just a typical green salad.

With the Super Bowl coming, I’ve been trying to come up with some appetizers that we different that the usual salsa and chips that we normally have. Well, after reading through the many posts from several others, I decided to put my own twist on this one. I’ve not had corn dip until today, but it sure looked super good and easy one other sites.

I decided that the cheesy flavors could be deepened by adding gruyere cheese, which is my all time favorite cheese on steamed broccoli…..so why not in this?

I started with some frozen corn, I put it into a collander and ran some hot water over it to thaw it out. Then when that was done, I set it aside and put a tablespoon of butter in a non-stick skillet.

Then I had a little bit of chopped onion that I cooked until it was opaque, then some chopped garlic, finally the corn along with some roasted red pepper and chopped green chilies. Makes such a nice colorful pan of corn and veggies.

Then came the a brick of cream cheese, I used the 1/3 less fat, and it worked great.

Once the cream cheese was melted, I added some medium cheddar and some Gruyere, it was smelling fabulous by the time all that cheese was melted.

Once the cheeses were melted, I added some chopped canned jalapeno peppers, really they could be added with the other peppers, but I was in rare form (not really). I gave that a stir and made sure all those wonderful little jalapeno pieces were mixed in really well.

Then the entire contents of the skillet were placed in a baking dish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top, then I popped it all in the oven on broil for a few minutes and whaala…….it was divine!!!!! I’ll be making this one again for sure!!!!

Hot Corn Dip with Gruyere

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C Frozen corn, thawed
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 C chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 C roasted red pepper, chopped
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 8 oz brick cream cheese, cut into squares
1/4 C gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 C medium cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp. finely chopped canned jalapeno peppers
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

Directions:
Saute chopped onions until soft, add garlic, corn, red pepper, and green chilies and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut cream cheese into squares and add to mixture, stirring until completely melted. Add Gruyere and cheddar cheese, stirring once again until melted. Add chopped jalapeno peppers. Pour into a small baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil until golden 10 – 15 minutes, serve warm with corn chips.

Oh my goodness, you just have to make some of this for you New Years Eve party! This is truly the ultimate dip, and it can be served with just about anything imaginable, it’s creamy, it’s got a bit of kick – not too much and the chicken just finishes the package! We had it at a friend’s house the night before Christmas Eve, and it is just to die for. I can think of some pretty interesting things to do with this dip in the future, but for the sake of getting this posted before New Years Eve, I think I’ll stick with some of the basics.

To start with you’ll need cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing, 2 chicken breasts (shredded) and 1/2 bottle of Frank’s hot sauce. Shredded cheese was also included in the recipe, but what we had a few nights ago didn’t have any in it and it was fantastic, so I’m going to say that shredded cheese is optional.

I used a rotisserie chicken, just because they’re totally my favorite thing to eat in the whole world and they make anything taste awesome! You can also use canned chicken, totally up to you.

Then I cut up two cubes of cream cheese and warmed it up in the microwave, just to make the cream cheese easier to stir.

Then in went the sour cream…..

And the ranch dressing (I used Coyote ranch).

And finally the Frank’s hot sauce……YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!

Stir it all together, warm it a bit more and then pour the entire thing into a crock pot and turn to low just to keep it warmed. Serve with celery sticks, tortilla chips, crackers, or anything else you can think of……I personally broke down and just dipped my finger in there after having it on celery!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, shredded
2 bricks cream cheese, softened
1/2 16 oz tub sour cream
1 C ranch dressing
1 C shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 bottle of Frank’s hot sauce

Directions:
Shred chicken, cut cream cheese into smaller pieces and warm in the microwave, add sour cream, ranch dressing and hot sauce. Stir and warm if necessary. Pour contents into a crock pot on low and serve with celery, crackers, tortilla chips, etc.

Happy New Year everyone, I hope this is a great one for you!

Tracy

A couple of years ago, I had a chance to enter in a contest for fondue for Taste of Home, I really enjoy their recipes and to be quite honest, my family does too! I have too many magazines and hard bound cook books from Taste of Home to count. Anyway, I submitted my recipe for Swiss Cheese Fondue and it ended up with high ratings and a spot in the magazine and I received the issue of Cooking for Two where it appeared for free. I do submit from time to time and who knows, maybe another will be chosen some day.

When I was growing up, there were those occasions that I would spend the night at a friend’s house and her mom made this recipe for us a few times, it’s just one of those recipes that you just go back to from time to time and fall in love all over again. This is great served warm at parties, showers, or just for the heck of it. I would most certainly double or even tripe this one if serving more than a couple of people.

Swiss Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer
• 4 slices French bread (1 inch thick), cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the cheese, flour, mustard and nutmeg. In a small saucepan, heat cream and beer over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of saucepan. Stir in cheese mixture. Bring just to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until combined and smooth.
• Transfer to a small fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with bread cubes. Yield: 2/3 cup.

One of the things that this family is almost always in the mood for is mexican food, we just love it around here! The mexican fare is easy and quick to prepare, but it’s full of flavor and nutrition. I know that avacados are considered to be somewhat fattening, but it’s actually good fat that you’re eating. They’re loaded with mono unsaturated fatty acids or MUFAs which are so good for a person’s metabolism and their heart. Not to mention the fact that they’re just plain yummy!

This recipe is something that I saw made at our table side at the Sonora Grill right here in town. The only difference is that they put tomatoes in the guac that they made and I didn’t here – but feel free to do so if you choose.

Ultimate Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 firm yet pliable avacados halved, seeds removed and scooped out of the skins
1/4 C chopped cilantro
1/3 C white onion, chopped
1 small jalapeno, chopped
1 juicy lime, cut into quarters and squeezed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:
Using a fork, mash the avacados, add all the other ingredients and give it a stir. Serve immediatly with corn chips or on whatever your cookin up.

A couple of years ago, I had a chance to enter in a contest for fondue for Taste of Home, I really enjoy their recipes and to be quite honest, my family does too! I have too many magazines and hard bound cook books from Taste of Home to count. Anyway, I submitted my recipe for Swiss Cheese Fondue and it ended up with high ratings and a spot in the magazine and I received the issue of Cooking for Two where it appeared for free. I do submit from time to time and who knows, maybe another will be chosen some day.


When I was growing up, there were those occasions that I would spend the night at a friend’s house and her mom made this recipe for us a few times, it’s just one of those recipes that you just go back to from time to time and fall in love all over again. This is great served warm at parties, showers, or just for the heck of it. I would most certainly double or even tripe this one if serving more than a couple of people.
Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer
• 4 slices French bread (1 inch thick), cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the cheese, flour, mustard and nutmeg. In a small saucepan, heat cream and beer over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of saucepan. Stir in cheese mixture. Bring just to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until combined and smooth.
• Transfer to a small fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with bread cubes. Yield: 2/3 cup.