Wing Ding Chicken Wings

This is a favorite and easy wing recipe from quite a while ago that I decided to make recently. I needed to update the recipe because the original recipe called for apricot baby food which I can no longer find. It is surprisingly yummy for having so few ingredients. 
 

Ingredients

3 to 5 pounds chicken wings

1 cup soy sauce

1 jar mango baby food

1 to 2 Tbls. apricot jam

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions

Combine ingredients to make the sauce. Marinate chicken wings in sauce for at least 3 hours, but best if overnight. Place wings on cookie sheet singly lined on parchment paper and reserve marinade. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes. Simmer marinade for 10 minutes and baste wings every 15 minutes. Pour marinade over finished wings. Serve thoroughly heated from crock pot or heating tray. Can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. ( I used drumettes and flats, so I removed the flats about 15 minutes earlier than the drumettes so that they wouldn't be over cooked.)

Olive Dip aka Botox Dip

This is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Jean, who refers to it as Botox Dip because of the salt content.  I don’t use as much salt but keep to her recipe. Jean always served it with Fritos, which is also my chip of choice for this dip. You could serve it with crackers, pretzels, or any other chip of your choice. I find this dip highly addictive, so beware!

Ingredients

Cream Cheese 8 oz (softened)

Pimento Stuffed Green Olives 5 oz (I use either Lindsay Manzanilla or Trader Joe's Manzanilla olives)

Whipping Cream 4oz

Mayonnaise 1 TBLS

Worcestershire Sauce 1 TSP

Garlic Salt 1/2 TSP

Kosher Salt 1/4 tsp (about)

Garlic Powder (to taste) 

Directions

Chop jar of drained olives and set aside on paper toweling. Place softened cream cheese in a bowl along with a few drops of whipping cream, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, and Kosher salt. Use a hand mixer to whip until creamy. In another bowl whip the remaining 4 oz of whipping cream until stiff. Add half of the whipped cream to cream cheese mixture and whip together. Fold in remaining whipped cream and TBLS of mayo. Fold in green olives. Add garlic powder in sprinkles to taste.

 

 

Three Cheese Fondue

I absolutely love this fondue and it's a family favorite! It's a variation on a Melting Pot Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue

 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Cup shredded Butterkase cheese
• 1 1/2 Cup shredded Fontina cheese
• 3 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 Cup white wine
• 1/4 Cup dry sherry
• 2 Teaspoon chopped shallots
• 1Teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 Cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup whipping cream 
• 2 Tablespoon chopped scallions  

Directions

 Toss the Butterkase and Fontina cheese with the flour in a bowl. Place a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water. You may also use a conventional double boiler. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and pour the white wine and sherry into the bowl. Stir in the shallots using a fork. Bring to a simmering boil and cook for 3 minutes. Add half the cheese blend and cook until the cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add the remaining cheese blend in a small amount at a time, stirring constantly in a circular motion after each addition until the cheese is melted. Fold in the pepper and Blue cheese. Add whipping cream to thin down the fondue to desired consistency. Pour into a warm fondue pot and keep warm over low heat. Garnish with the scallions.
Serve with carrots, bread, cauliflower or any of your favorite cheese fondue dippers. My favorite is honey crisp apples.

Happy Birthday Jesus Cupcakes and Manger Food Tray

 I was looking for some ideas for a dessert and food tray for our Birthday Party for Jesus. I wasn't able to find anything on Pinterest, so it forced me to come up with something. It was pretty fun!

What You Need For Cupcakes
Cupcakes of any kind with white frosting. Here is the recipe that I used, http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/09/17/red-velvet-cupcakes/ .

Circus Peanuts (I got mine from The Dollar Store)
Shoestring Potatoes
Butterscotch Chips
Black Food Decorating Pen
Waxed Paper

To assemble the baby Jesus start by melting the butterscotch chips in a mini crockpot or in a small pot on the stove. Be sure to spray the crockpot with Pam before melting the chips. Put a dab of butterscotch on waxed paper and start laying the potato sticks out as the bed of hay.

Add the circus peanut and more of the potato sticks while the butterscotch is still warm, then add the little eyes and mouth.

Place "baby Jesus" on top of frosted cupcake and add the frosting swaddling clothes  .

 

I wasn't able to make my cupcakes the day of the party and found that the shoestring potatoes lost their crispness after sitting for a day and a half. So in the future I would make them the day of.

I added an updated version of the tray now that I have a star cookie cutter. I stacked the cheese angels and star 4 slices deep so they were even with the blueberries.

Lamb Meatballs

Wolfgang Puck's Lamb Meatballs

 I served these lamb meatballs along with lentil soup for my nephew's wedding shower because he loves lamb. I decided to use the extra meatballs as an appetizer at Easter. I put them in a store bought vodka pasta sauce and heated them in a mini crock-pot. They would also work well as a spaghetti and meatball dish.

My nephew the "lamb lover" and his future bride

 Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (see link below for instructions on how to make your own)
1/4 cup milk
1 pound ground lamb
1 cup blanched almonds, toasted and ground (I used sliced almonds, and more like 3/4 cup. Methods for toasting almonds listed below.)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup raisins, coarsely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. salt (recipe says to taste...how can you taste raw meat???)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Fresh Breadcrumbs
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/BreadCrumbs.htm

Toasting Almonds                                                                             

1. Saucepan method:
2. Place almonds in a heavy, ungreased skillet.                                
3. Stir often over medium heat until golden brown.
4. Oven method:
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Spread nuts in one layer on ungreased shallow baking pan.
7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. 

 I combined the methods for toasting the almonds, along with drying out my bread for the bread crumbs, in order to save time.

Directions
Prepare toasted almonds and fresh bread crumbs. 

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F
In a small bowl, soak bread crumbs in milk. In a mixing bowl, combine the lamb, almonds, soaked bread crumbs, onion, raisins, egg, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and chili pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle olive oil on the cookie sheet you will place the meatballs on and rub oil into the palm of both hands as needed to form the meatballs. Form meat mixture into 40 golf ball-sized meatballs, each approximately 1-inch in diameter.

 

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Arrange the meatballs in 1 layer in the pan, quickly sear meatballs over high heat, and then place in the oven. Cook until the meatballs are well browned and firm to the touch. (10 to 15 minutes)

Hand made paper tulips arranged with fresh Gerber daisies

The wedding venue is a barn, so I decided to go with a barn type theme for the shower. The print-outs and instructions on how to make the flowers and pinwheel stars are from the link below under "freebies".

 

 

Congratulations Jake and Kathryn! May God bless you with many years of wedded bliss!










http://www.elli.com/blog/fabulous-freebies/

Holiday Appetizers/Spinach Balls & Almond Cheddar Appetizer

 The thing I love about both of these appetizers is that they are fairly easy to make, taste really good, and can be made ahead and frozen to use whenever you'd like. I also added a couple of Sam's Club garlic olives...yum, and one of my favorite cheeses.

Link for recipe below

http://recipefirst.blogspot.com/2012/10/spinach-balls.html

All Ready For The Freezer!

The Almond Cheddar Appetizer calls for 1 cup of mayonnaise, but I only use 3/4 cup to cut back on the richness. I'm surprised they don't include bacon in the title because that is a main ingredient, and really makes it extra good. Just click on the link below for the recipe.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Almond-Cheddar-Appetizers

Guacamole/Pica de Gallo/Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad

Appetizers for the grad. party. There is just nothing like some good guacamole! Combined with pica de gallo, it's a match made in heaven!

guacamole

Ingredients                               

2 ripe avocados

1 clove of garlic minced

Juice from 1/2 of lemon

About 1/3 to 1/2 cup salsa

About 1/4 cup chopped onion

A dab of sour cream

Salt to taste

Peel and mash avocados and add the rest of the ingredients. To store before serving place plastic wrap on bowl so that it is actually touching the dip to keep the air from turning the dip brown.

Ingredients

Pica de Gallo

5 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped                                      

2 cloves of minced garlic

Juice from 1/2 lemon or lime

Chopped cilantro to taste (about 1/4 cup)

About 1/2 cup chopped onion

Sprinkle on a little "Fiesta Party Dip Mix" by Tastefully Simple

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together, chill and serve

Also served a quinoa "salad" that I got tons of compliments on, but used it as a chip dip.  Recipe revised from  thediva-dish.com

Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 C. dry quinoa

2 C. vegetable broth or chicken broth

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 avocados diced

5 oz. pkg. of baby spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 C. onion

2 small cloves garlic

For the dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons

zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. to 1 1/2 tbsp. agave nectar

1/2 tsp. cumin

dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make your quinoa first. Soak the quinoa in a pot in the veggie broth for about 15 minutes. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium/low and let quinoa simmer. Stir every so often, and cook quinoa for about 20-25 minutes just until the liquid absorbs. You don’t want it completely dried out, so when there is just a TINY amount of liquid left in the pot, remove it from heat and put a lid on it. Set it aside, and make the rest of the salad.

 2. In a food processor, add your spinach and cilantro. Make sure to wash you greens.

 3. Process the greens until they are finely diced. You can do this by hand as well if you don’t have a food processor.

4. Add the greens to a bowl, and set aside. Next take your onion and garlic and finely dice those (I do this in the food processor to), and add to the greens mixture. Next add your chickpeas and stir until everything is combined and coated. If the quinoa is cooled, you can add it to the chickpea mixture next.

5. Make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and mix until combined. Add in tomatoes and avocado and mix. Set in fridge for about 10-15 minutes before serving so the flavors set.

The honored graduate, congratulations Chantelle!!!

Baked Vidalia Onion Dip

This is the first of a few appetizers I made for the party. The recipe called for it to be baked, but I didn't have access to an oven, so I put it in a crockpot.

2 tbls. butter

3 large vidalia onions, coarsely chopped                           

8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese (I used closer to 10 oz.)

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 (8oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

5 cloves of  garlic, minced

1 tsp. hot sauce

salt to taste

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and saute' 10 minutes or until tender.

2. Stir together shredded Swiss cheese and next 5 ingredients, stir in onion, blending well. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish.

3. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, and let stand 10 min. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers. Makes 18 to 20 appetizer servings.

Happy 4th of July!

SL (with many revisions)

Chicken Meatballs in White Wine Cheese Sauce

Excellent dish and easy to make for a large group. Serve it with the wine you used to make the dish.

This is the second dish I made to serve at my niece's grad. party. I LOVE this entree! It's the kind of dish that makes you want to lick the sauce off your plate...yes that's what I said!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast ( you can grind your own in a food processor if you cut it into chunks first)

1 large clove of garlic

1 large egg

10 saltine crackers, finely crushed

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ( I use 1 1/2 tsp. of chopped fresh oregano and 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh basil)
1 (8 oz.) package of spaghetti or the pasta of your choice 
1 (8oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbls. olive oil
1 large clove of garlic minced
2 tbls. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use Sauvignon Blanc or Vermouth)
3 cups chicken broth (use low-sodium fat-free broth for a healthy option)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (I use 1/3-less-fat)
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
garnish with a sprig of parsley

1. Process chunks of chicken breasts with 1 clove of garlic if you are making your own ground chicken. Otherwise take your ground chicken breast and mix with minced garlic, egg, cracker crumbs, and herbs. Cover and chill 20 minutes.
2. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Arrange meatballs on cookie sheet and spray meatballs with cooking spray. ( I find it much more efficient to dip my fingers in olive oil occasionally as I form the meatballs. It makes it much easier to form the meatballs and coats the meatballs with the oil.)

I was making 6 batches (180 meatballs) so it might look like a bit much.

  
3. Bake at 375 for 13 minutes or until golden and thoroughly cooked.
4. Saute' mushrooms and nutmeg in hot oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 to 10 min. or until mushrooms are tender.
5. Add minced garlic; saute' 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned particles from bottom of pan. Whisk in broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add cream cheese, whisking until smooth and sauce is thickened. 
6. Add meatballs, red pepper, and parsley to sauce; simmer 10 minutes. Serve sauce with meatballs over pasta. Garnish if desired. Makes 6 servings

This can easily serve as an appetizer, especially if you put a small chunk of mozzarella in the center of each meatball and prepare half the recommended sauce.

SL

  

Caprese Appetizer

Simple, Beautiful, and Delicious!

Caprese appetizers: Skewer grape tomatoes, basil leaves, and fresh mozzarella cheese onto mini skewers and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Such a delicious and refreshing appetizer for a summer party!  What could be simpler!!!

Goat Cheese Spread

One of my favorite appetizers from my favorite cookbook (Southern Living All-Time Favorites). It only takes a few ingredients to make a great appetizer...

Ingredients

1- 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)

4 oz. goat cheese

1 garlic clove minced
2 tsp. chopped fresh or 1 ¼ tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
***

¼ cup basil pesto  (I usually use more
than a 1/4 cup) 
***
¼ cup dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
***

Garnishes: sun dried tomato slivers, fresh oregano sprigs.                                       

1. Process first 5 ingredients in a food processor (or blend with hand beater) until smooth. Spread one-third of cheese mixture- divided evenly in the bottom of 2- 8oz. ramekins lined with plastic wrap. Top each with 1/4 cup pesto, divided evenly between the two ramekins. Spread one-third of cheese mixture (divided between the 2 ramekins) over pesto. Add a layer of  1/4 cup sun dried tomato slivers divided evenly between the two ramekins , and top each ramekin with remaining 1/3 cup cheese mixture, divided evenly. Cover and chill 8 hrs..  

The original recipe doubled the ingredients and used one 8 x 4 inch loaf pan, layering the ingredients. I found this to be way too much so I cut the recipe in half and use 2-8oz. ramekins to make a much smaller appetizer. I usually use the one ramekin and freeze the other for another time.
 

2. Invert spread onto a serving plate, 

discard plastic wrap and garnish if desired.

      Serve with French bread slices or crackers.