Category: Appetizers

Pita Pizza Recipe

These cute little Pita Pizzas are so quick to make for a last minute dinner or anytime snack.

Ingredients:

1 small can tomato paste
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon pesto
1 teaspoon sugar
fresh ground pepper to taste

Pita bread

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza toppings of your coice. (Pepperoni, mushrooms, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a small bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients to make the pizza sauce.

Place pita bread on baking pan. Spread tops with a layer of pizza sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t overcook.

Experiment with different toppings for your pita pizzas.

One of my favorites is Barbeque Chicken Pita Pizzas. To make, use barbeque sauce instead of tomato sauce and top pizza with Monterey Jack cheese, shredded cooked chicken and bacon crumbles.

Hawaiian Pita Pizza:

Top pizza with tomato sauce, diced cooked ham,, pineapple tidbits and mozzarella cheese.

Have fun with this Pita Pizza Recipe. One year for my daughter’s birthday slumber party, I did custom pita pizzas for each girl and gave them a little menu card to check off what toppings they liked. It was a big hit! Everyone loves Pita Pizzas!

Pita Pizza Recipe

Sharon Springfield

Tags Appetizer, main dish, Pizza

Appetizers

Beer Candied Bacon

Ingredients:

1 lb thick-cut, high quality bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp beer

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine brown sugar and beer in a small bowl, whisking well to form a thin syrup. Set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top. Place the pieces of bacon on top of the rack, overlapping if necessary. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush one side of the bacon with the beer syrup. Flip, and coat the other side with the syrup as well. Return to oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and repeat process another time or two more, until bacon is crispy and browned, and you’ve used all the glaze.

Cool on wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

Sharon Springfield

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Tags appetizers, bacon

Appetizers

Crab Puffs

Crab Puffs are a delicious and easy appetizer to prepare and enjoy. Canned flaky biscuits make up the crust and the creamy filling is made of just 3 ingredients and whips up in just a minute. Wonton wrappers could be substituted for the biscuits and you’d have baked crab rangoon.

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Grands Flaky Biscuits
8 oz crabmeat, drained or fake crab (surimi)
8 oz onion & chive cream cheese
2 Tbs Ranch dressing mix

Preheat oven to 400° F. Prepare a regular sized muffin tin by brushing the insides with canola oil or spray with nonstick spray.

Divide each biscuit crosswise so you have two discs from each biscuit. Press into the muffin cups.

Place the remaining ingredients into a bowl and stir until well combined. I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer and the batter paddle.

Scoop about a tablespoon of filling into each lined muffin tin.

Bake for 10 minutes.

* You could make little crab turnovers instead by stretching out each biscuit half onto a greased baking sheet, placing the filling in the center and folding the biscuit dough over and pressing the edges down. Bake for 10 minutes.

These crab puff appetizers are excellent served with sweet chili sauce.

Crab Puffs

Pin It! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/280278776783419772/

Sharon Springfield

Tags Appetizer, crab

Appetizers

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Post author By Sharon
Post date December 31, 2013
No Comments on Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/4 small red onion, minced
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 egg white
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound 99% fat-free ground chicken breast
4 ounces block Feta cheese, cut into 24 ½-inch cubes (will have 6 leftover cubes)
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup buffalo wing sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Add red onion, garlic, egg white, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and seasonings to a large bowl then stir with a fork to combine. Add ground chicken then mix until combined – do not over mix or meatballs will be tough. Divide chicken mixture into quarters, then each quarter into 4 balls. Press a cube of Feta into the center of each ball then close mixture around cheese to seal. Place meatballs onto a buttered cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet, then bake for 20 minutes.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add buffalo wing sauce and stir to combine. Add cooked meatballs to skillet then use a spoon to coat in sauce. Place a lid on top and turn heat to low to keep warm.

This recipe was one of the top shared on Pinterest for 2013. Hope you enjoy these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs!

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Sharon Springfield

Tags Appetizer, Buffalo Chicken

Appetizers Dips

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Post author By Sharon
Post date December 30, 2013
No Comments on Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
8 oz sour cream
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Parmesan
3/4 cup Mozzarella, plus ½ cup mozzarella for top
1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
2/3 cup IPA beer
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs cornstarch
½ cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

In a food processor, add the sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, 3/4 cup mozzarella, Franks Red Hot, beer, garlic powder and cornstarch, process until well combined, about 5 minutes.

Pour into an oven safe dish. Stir in chicken pieces, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Bake until warm and cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with blue cheese and serve warm with chips.

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Sharon Springfield

Tags Appetizer, Buffalo Chicken, Cheese, Dip

Appetizers

Meatball Bubble Biscuits

This was one of the most Pinned recipes of 2013

1 can (12 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Jr. Golden Layers® refrigerated buttermilk or flaky biscuits
10 frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs (about 5 oz), thawed, each cut in half
2 sticks (1 oz each) string cheese, each cut into 10 pieces
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup marinara sauce, heated

Heat oven to 375°F. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Separate each biscuit into 2 layers. Press each biscuit layer into 3-inch round.

Place 1 meatball half, cut side up, and 1 string cheese piece in center of each dough round. Wrap dough around meatball and cheese, pressing edges to seal. In ungreased 8- or 9-inch round cake pan, place seam side down in single layer.

Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and biscuits are no longer doughy in center. Serve warm biscuits with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Meatball Bubble Biscuits

Sharon Springfield

Tags Appetizer, biscuits, meatball

Appetizers Potatoes Side Dishes

Individual Hash Brown Cups

Post author By Sharon
Post date December 27, 2013
No Comments on Individual Hash Brown Cups

Individual Hash Brown Cups

Ingredients

1 (20 oz) bag Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns; OR 3-1/2 cups shredded russet potatoes, rinsed and squeezed dry in a towel
3 green onions, chopped (approx. 1/3 cup), both white and green parts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 12 muffin tins with cooking spray; set aside. In large bowl, combine potatoes, onions, cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss lightly with a fork. Drizzle on olive oil. Toss with fork again until mixture is well combined. Spoon mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups. With the back of the spoon, apply gentle pressure to pack mixture into each cup. Bake for 60-75 minutes in lower third of oven. Let rest for 5 minutes, run a small knife or spatula around the edge of each cup, making sure the edges are loosened. Gently lift each potato cup out, invert it, place on serving plate bottom side up. Good served warm or room temperature.

MAKE AHEAD FOR COOKING LATER: Combine mixture, spoon it into muffin tins, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking time. May be made the night before to cook and serve for breakfast the next day.

MAKE AND COOK AHEAD FOR REHEATING LATER: These are best when eaten freshly baked. However, they can be baked ahead of time, refrigerated or frozen, and reheated before serving. They lose some of their crispiness when reheated, but the texture and taste is still good.

FOR BITE-SIZE TATER TOTS – make them in mini muffin pans.

Thanks for visiting my cooking blog. Lets connect!

Individual Hash Brown Cups

Sharon Springfield

Tags Appetizer, potatoes

Appetizers Main Dish Rice Seafood

Seafood Balls

1/2 lb cleaned and peeled cooked shrimp

1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat

1 (6 ounce) can salmon, bones removed

1 (7 ounce) can corn kernels, drained

1 cup cooked white rice, leftover is fine

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1/2 cup prepared tartar sauce, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs, beaten, divided

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

peanut oil, for frying

lemon wedge, for serving

Pulse the shrimp in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer the shrimp into a large mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except 1 of the beaten eggs and the bread crumbs, and fold together gently but thoroughly. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and dip into the beaten egg and then dredge in the bread crumbs. Deep-fry in 350º degree F oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges and more tartar or remoulade sauce for dipping.

4 Servings

Appetizers Main Dish Seafood

Crab, Salmon and Scallop Cakes

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 24, 2011
No Comments on Crab, Salmon and Scallop Cakes

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:4]

Appetizers Main Dish Seafood

Crab Cakes – Rainforest Cafe’

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 24, 2011
No Comments on Crab Cakes – Rainforest Cafe’

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 lemon, juiced

3 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 pinch Old Bay seasoning

1 pinch salt

3 ounces mayonnaise

1 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 pound lump crab meat

Olive oil for sautéing

Combine the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, egg yolks, mustard, peppers, Old Bay seasoning, salt and mayonnaise in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and parsley and mix well. Gently sift through crab meat to remove any shells. Add to the mixture and fold in gently. Do not break up the crab meat. Make into patties and sauté in olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

4 Servings