Archive for APPETIZERS

Cheeseburger Biscuits

DSC_0011Cheese…seasoned ground beef…bacon…all baked in a fluffy biscuit (did I mention there was BACON?). 🙂

These little pillows of delight are delicious as a snack, appetizer, or served with your favorite soup or meal.

Give my recipe a try.  I think you’ll like it.

 

Cheeseburger Biscuits
 
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Fluffy biscuits loaded with cheese, seasoned ground beef and BACON!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons beef flavored Dashida
  • 10 slices bacon
  • 4 cups Bisquick mix
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (YES, mayo)
  • 1 cup Sprite (YES, sprite)
Instructions
  1. Brown the ground beef with the Dashida seasoning; set aside to cool.
  2. Cook the bacon until crisp. Crumble the bacon into small bits; set aside. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cooked ground beef, bacon bits, Bisquick mix, baking powder, and cheese.
  4. Fold in the reserved bacon fat, mayo, and sprite. Mix GENTLY, just until all ingredients are incorporated (do not overwork the dough).
  5. Using a large ice cream scoop (I used one that holds ¼ cup), scoop out balls of dough, placing them on a baking sheet 1 inch apart.
  6. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Note: The cooked biscuit will feel slightly soft when the baking time is finished; do not be tempted to cook them longer, however. You are most likely feeling how soft the biscuits are because of the melted cheese.
  7. Immediately remove the biscuits to a wire cooling rack.
  8. Serve warm.
Enjoy as a snack or with your favorite soup or meal.

 

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These chicken lettuce wraps are a good choice if you’re looking for a quick dish to make for an appetizer or a light meal.  I created this recipe when I was craving the popular appetizer served at a famous Chinese Restaurant chain.  It’s quite easy to make.  It only takes a few minutes to chop up the chicken and vegetables; you can have this on your table in about 30 minutes.

This is also a great dish if you have picky eaters like I do.  My youngest daughter opted to eat the filling with rice instead of the “yucky green lettuce”, but boy did she devour the savory, saucy chicken and VEGETABLE-laden filling! 😉  (Shhhh….don’t tell her.)

My complete recipe is located at the bottom of this post.  Give it a try.  I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Make the stir fry sauce.

In a small bowl, mix all of the sauce ingredients together EXCEPT for the water and cornstarch mixture.

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Heat a large pan or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the sesame oil and chicken.

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Pour the sauce into the pan with the chicken.

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Stir occasionally, cooking until the chicken is no longer pink.

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Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms, onion and Thai basil leaves.

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Cook the chicken and vegetable mixture for a couple of minutes.

Stir the cornstarch-water mixture then pour into the pan, stirring the chicken mixture as you pour.  Cook for a couple more minutes, stirring constantly.  The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Stir in half of the green onions.  Cook for a minute longer then remove from the heat.

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Fill the lettuce leaves with the chicken mixture.  Top with more green onions and hot pepper flakes.

ENJOY!

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
 
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Crispy lettuce filled with a savory mixture of chicken, water chestnuts, ginger, garlic and hoisin sauce that make a delicious appetizer or a light lunch or dinner meal.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Chinese
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Chicken Stir Fry
  • 4 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced (or 1 pound ground chicken)
  • 2 cans water chestnuts, drained and diced
  • 1 package fresh mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 8 Thai basil leaves, optional
  • 8 stalks green onions, sliced
Stir Fry Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ soy sauce
  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons corn starch
Lettuce Wraps
  • 1 large head butter or iceberg lettuce, wash, dried and leaves separated
  • Red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
Make the stir fry sauce:
  1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and rice wine vinegar.
  2. Set aside the cornstarch and water mixture for now.
Cook the chicken:
  1. Heat a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil and chicken.
  2. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms, onion, and Thai basil leaves to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Stir the cornstarch-water mixture the pour into the pan, stirring as you pour. Cook for another couple of minutes until the sauce thickens.
  5. Stir in half of the green onions. Cook for a minute longer then remove from the heat.
Assemble the chicken wraps:
  1. Scoop some filling into the lettuce leaves.
  2. Top with some sliced green onions and pepper flakes.
ENJOY!

 

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Mango Salsa

This is a delicious and nutritious snack that is perfect with chips or crackers.  I actually made this salsa to go with my delicious fish tacos (find my recipe here). 😉

Give my recipe a try. I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe mangoes
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • the juice of 1 lime
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Optional: 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

 Directions:

Cut the skin off the mango. Dice the mango into 1/4-inch cubes. Place into a small mixing bowl.

Add the red onions and the optional jalapeño to the bowl.

Add the cilantro.

Stir to combine the ingredients. Serve with your favorite chips, crackers, or as a condiment for fish, chicken or steak tacos.  ENJOY!

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Caramel Apple Dip

I love caramel apples, don’t you? What I don’t love is having to bite into it, so I usually end up cutting the apple into slices so I don’t make a huge mess.

This recipe makes it so much easier to enjoy this delicious treat.

I used toffee bits in this recipe, but you can also use miniature chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or even crushed jolly rancher candies.  The possibilities are endless to how versatile you can make this.

Give this recipe a try.  I know you love it! 🙂

Caramel Apple Dip

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Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup caramel sauce (you can use ice cream topping), plus more for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits
  • Sliced apples (I like Rome apples for this)

Directions:

Place the cream cheese into a small mixing bowl.  Using a hand mixer, mix until creamy.  Add the 1/4 cup of caramel sauce and brown sugar to the bowl; mix until you don’t see any large lumps of brown sugar.  Next, mix in the marshmallow cream.  Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Place the dip into a serving dish.  Sprinkle toffee bits or your favorite caramel apple topping all over the top.  Drizzle with more caramel sauce (as much as you like).

Serve with sliced apples and ENJOY!

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Hannah’s Guacamole

My daughter previously shared her guacamole recipe with her Carne Asada Tacos recipe.

This recipe goes great as an appetizer, snack, or to go along with your favorite Mexican dish (try them with her Carne Asada Tacos).

Give her recipe a try.  I think you’ll like them. 🙂

Hannah’s Guacamole

carne asada tacos

Ingredients:

  • 3 large avocados, peeled, seeded, and cut into small pieces
  • 1 small red onion, finely minced
  • The juice of 3-4 limes
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • Optional: 1 medium tomato, diced (the guac pictured here doesn’t have any tomatoes since I made pico de gallo)
  • Optional: diced hot peppers, like jalapenos

Directions:

Mix all the guacamole ingredients together. I like to gently stir my guacamole so that you still have chunks of avocado. If you prefer, you can mash the avocados with a fork for a smooth texture. Serve with your carne asada tacos or with chips.

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