Artichoke and Asiago Poppers
You will need to make some dip for this yummy munchie. Here’s how:
Asiago and Artichoke Dip
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Cup good quality olive oil mayonnaise
1 Cup grated asiago cheese (this is a marvelous cheese, if you want to get a large quantity of it, CLICK HERE for the best price I’ve found)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts, chopped
paprika for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 350*F
In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. Pour into an oven proof dish and bake for 15 minutes
or until golden. Put on a platter with good bread or pita chips. You can eat it right away, but for this recipe you will want to store it overnight in the refrigerator, as it needs to be very firm.
Okay, now for the main recipe:
Organize a breading station of flour (about 1 cup), 1 beaten egg (maybe 2 if you have lots of dip) and about 2 cups of Panko crumbs.
Use Panko only, as it makes a great crumb for frying.
Roll artichoke dip into small, walnut size balls, then dip into flour, then egg, then the Panko crumbs.
Set on a cutting board or cookie sheet once done.
Heat a couple of inches of canola oil in a skillet or shallow pot over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, (it will sizzle around a bit of bread dropped in), drop the balls in a few at a time – I had about 8 in the first batch.
Don’t overcrowd the pot, or your oil will cool down quickly and you don’t want that. Cook until golden on one side, then flip and do the same for the other side.
Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve on a cute platter and pop them while warm!
Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 garlic gloves, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped coarsely
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and cubed
6 (or however many you want) 1/2-inch thick slices whole grain baguette, toasted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, oregano, and black pepper, mixing well.
- Very slowly, add the olive oil, whisking constantly, until well-emulsified.
- Stir in the cilantro.
- Very carefully, fold in the avocado cubes, tossing to thoroughly coat with the olive oil mixture.
- Spoon onto the toasted baguette slices and sprinkle with additional sea salt, if desired. Serve immediately.
Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
Ingredients:
1 pound Hickory Smoked sliced bacon, cut in half
1 pound dates, pitted (I prefer the organic, Made in Nature brand)
4 ounces Treasure Cave® Crumbled Blue Cheese (you really want this particular brand, trust me!)
Toothpicks
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Soak toothpicks in water for 15 minutes.
Slice dates in half lengthwise and open them. Fill each date with blue cheese. Close the halves of the dates and wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside. Secure each one with a toothpick. Arrange on a nonstick baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the dates over and bake for an additional 15−20 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Bites
Ingredients:
1 cup finely diced cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons Extra Sharp New York Cheddar Cheese, freshly shredded
1/4 cup Sriracha (hot chili) sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups of flour
Directions:
To make the buffalo chicken mixture, in a small bowl, combine the chicken, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, melted butter and hot sauce; set aside.
In a 1 cup measuring cup, heat the milk and then add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar; stir into warm milk until dissolved; place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Add 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast to the stand mixer and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour, a little at a time, if necessary.
Allow the dough to knead in the stand mixer for 5-7 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball.
Place dough into a clean bowl that’s been lightly oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and bubbles appear on surface, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces.
Lightly dust your hands with flour, then gently roll and stretch 1 piece of dough to form a 12-inch-long rope.
Flatten dough and arrange so a long side is nearest you, then roll out to a roughly 12- by 4-inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin.
Gently press one fourth of buffalo chicken mixture into lower third of rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border along bottom edge. Stretch bottom edge of dough up over filling and press tightly to seal, then roll up as tightly as possible to form a rope.
Cut rope into 12 pieces and transfer to a sheet pan. Make 3 more ropes with remaining dough, filling and cut into pieces, transferring to sheet pans. Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes (dough will rise slightly).
Bake buffalo chicken bites in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven (some cheese may have melted out.) and brush tops with melted butter before serving (optional).
Serve.
Homemade McChicken Nuggets
Definitely original to the USA is the now globally proliferated McDonald’s franchise. Their particular brand of “fast food” taste offerings caught on and spread like a wildfire all across America and by now all over the planet in almost every developed or developing country. Trying to capture that true “McTaste” is not easy to do. But this recipe nails it. Try it and see … they are just McYummy!
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts (that’s 4 breast fillets)
3/4 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 teaspoon of dried Parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon of dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon of Onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of Pepper
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup of Flour
1 Cup finely ground Panko breadcrumbs (do not substitute – only Panko crumbs get this recipe right)
1/4 Cup Canola oil (for frying)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cube chicken and place in a food processor. Blend chicken until it has all been taken apart and is well ground. Add the spices and blend a little more.
Pour out flour on a plate and have your beaten eggs in a small bowl ready to work with.
Roll the chicken paste mixture into small “nugget” balls (smaller than a golf ball). You should coat your hands with a little flour during this step because the ground chicken will be sticky.
Roll the nugget in flour, then in egg, and then in the Panko. Then, press the ball down to make it more of a nugget shape. Set nuggets aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy duty skillet until it becomes very hot. Place as many nuggets as possible in the oil, and fry for just 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden, turn and fry until the other side is golden. Remove and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake nuggets for approximately 10-12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked through. Remove to a towel-lined plate (to catch any excess oil).
Red Hot Baked Wings
Ingredients (Makes 16-18 wings):
• 16-18 chicken wings
• cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup Franks Original Red-hot Sauce
• 1/3rd cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Directions:
1. Sprinkle cayenne (or chili powder) directly on uncooked wings. Bake/roast wings, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 45-55 min, until they’re cooked through and golden brown. (My wings were frozen… and I just stuck them in frozen at 400 for about an hour and 10 min, it’s variable). Mix together 1/2 cup Franks Original Red hot Sauce, 1/3rd cup melted butter, and about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Pour over hot wings and coat evenly. Stick back in the 400 degree oven for 10 more minutes, turning often. About half way through, sprinkle a little more brown sugar on top, and mix in. Cook until the sauce gets gooey. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes, sauce will continue to goo up a little. Enjoy, preferably with celery, blue cheese dressing, and of course, beer.
Pull-Apart Party Bread
Ingredients:
*2 (14 oz.) cans of Pillsbury pizza dough
*2 cups Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
*1/2 tbsp. dried basil leaves
*1/2 tsp. dried oregano
*1/2 tsp. fresh minced garlic
*1/3 cup olive oil
*8 oz. of pepperoni roll (cut into quarters)
*1 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Bundt Pan well.
- Cut pizza dough or biscuits into quarters.
- Add all the ingredients in a bowl & toss so that the oil is spread evenly on each piece of dough.
- Put the blended mix into the Bundt Pan, spreading evenly. Make sure to allow room for the dough to rise.
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes (or until the top is & and center is cooked) If the middle is still not cooked thoroughly, leave it in oven for another 5 minutes at a time until it’s done.
- Remove from oven & let rest for 5 minutes.
Smoky Deviled Eggs with Greek Yogurt
Deviled Eggs are not original to America, in fact they date back to Ancient Rome when the Roman Empire flourished. But this recipe is a unique American version of the age-old delicacy. Make sure and eat them fresh-made!
Ingredients:
(Makes 12 deviled eggs)
6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
1/2 to 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for the shallots
1-2 fresh shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pure peanut oil
Directions:
Slice the eggs in half and scoop the yolks into a bowl. Set the whites aside on a plate.
Smash the yolks with the back of a fork. Add 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and stir until well combined. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes, smoked paprika and salt.
Taste and, if you wish, add the remaining yogurt 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Adding the entire cup of yogurt will make quite a lot of filling and it will be thin. I prefer my eggs very creamy, so I do add the whole cup.
In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Test the oil with a slice of shallot – when it instantly sizzles, it’s ready. Add the shallot slices to the pan and cook until they turn golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the pan and place on a paper towel. While they’re still hot, sprinkle lightly with salt.
Using a small spoon, fill each egg white with a generous amount of filling.
If serving immediately, top each one with a frizzled shallot. Or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, and top with shallots just before serving. Best eaten within a few hours.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Appetizer
Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks or wings
8 oz. bottle Catalina salad dressing
1 pkg. of dry onion soup mix
10-12 oz. jar apricot preserves (or you can substitute peach preserves)
Methods/steps:
Mix ingredients together. Heat and then blend the mixture. Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours or until tender.