Cheesy bacon ranch ball

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese soften

1 1/2 cups cooked bacon, crumbled, divided

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 T Ranch dry dressing mix

1/4 cup green onions finely chopped

Combine cream cheese and cheddar cheese together in a large bowl.

Sprinkle in ranch dressing then fold in 3/4 cup bacon and green onions. Mix until everything is fully incorporated.

General Tao's Chicken Wings

Found in Paelo Happy Hour by KellyMilton

If you like General Tao's chicken from Chinese restaurants, you'll like this appetizer

Ingredients:

4 T coconut amigos

4T rice vinegar

1 T sesame seed oil

1-2 T chili paste

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 t. Ground ginger

1/8 cup honey

1/2 t arrowroot powder

2 pounds chicken wings

2 green onions sliced

1 t sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a small saucepan mix in first 7 ingredients and mix well. Bring mixture to a low boil over medium heat. Lightly sprinkle in the arrowroot powder while whisking continuosly to avoid clumping. Simmer for 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add a little more arrowroot powder if desired to,thicken the sauce further.

Rinse the chicken wings and pat them dry. Line a baking pan with foil. Place a wire rack on top of pan and oil with coconut oil.

Brush the sauce onto the wings and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the wings from the oven, turn them over, and brush on more sauce. Bake them for another 20-25 minutes or u tip skin is slightly crunchy. If necessary, broil them on high for 2 minutes to get skin crunchy.

Garnish the chicken wings with green onions and sesame seeds.

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce

Found in the book, Paelo Happy Hour by Kelly Milton 

Ingredients 

2/3 cup pork rinds

1/4 cup almond flour

1 T garlic powder

1 t arrowroot powder

1 t onion powder

1/4 t cayenne pepper

2 eggs

4 chicken breasts

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce 

Mayonnaise ( I use Hellmans)

2 T spicy brown mustard 

1 T honey 

1/2 t horseradish 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Using a food processor, grind pork rinds until they are crumbs 

In a bowl,,combine the pork rinds, almond flour, garlic powder, arrowroot powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with foil and coat light with coconut oil or spray with avocado oil.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs

Cut each chicken breast into 4-6 strips. Dip the chicken strips into the egg and then roll into the pork mixture and place them on the baking sheet. Bake the chicken for 25 minutes and then boil it on high for another 5-7 minutes until crispy. Watch the chicken carefully to make sure it doesn't burn while broiling.

Meanwhile make the dipping sauce. Combine dipping ingredients in a bowl and serve with chicken strips.

Mader's Reuben Rolls

Mader's Reuben Rolls
3/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
1/4 cup Dusseldorf mustard
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup minced onion (divided)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot pepper sauce
8 ounces corned beef (ground or shredded)
6 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
12 to 15 egg roll wrappers
Vegetable oil

Make dipping sauce by combining dressing, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon minced onion, the garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Set aside.

To make rolls: Combine corned beef, cheese, sauerkraut and remaining 1/4 cup onion and mix well. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the center of an egg roll wrapper. Roll up as directed on package, sealing edges with a little water.

Deep-fry rolls in 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil, heated to 325 to 350 degrees, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turning to brown evenly. When done, remove from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve with dipping sauce.
Makes 12 to 15 rolls.

Almond crackers with garlic and rosemary

Recipe Notes: I've used almond flour and almond meal to make these crackers.  Almond meal gives the crackers a more grainy taste.  The key to making sure the crackers bake well and come off the sheet pan correctly is to use parchment paper. Be careful on cooking time, the crackers burn easily.

• 2 cups almond flour/meal
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped, dried rosemary
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, butter, ghee, or coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using butter or coconut oil, grease baking sheet very liberally.
2. In a medium-sized bown stir together almond flour, salt, garlic powder and dried rosemary.
3. In a separate, small bowl, whisk egg until frothy. Add desired oil and mix. Pour egg-oil mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is well blended.
4. Make the crackers: Roll the dough out on parchment paper until desired thickness. Remove the top sheet of paper and cut the crackers into 1-2 inch squares. 
5. Bake for 10 minutes or so, until firm and lightly golden brown. Allow to cool before removing from baking sheet.

Gluten-free pizza

In my quest to eat more healthy, I found this pizza recipe on comfybelly.com.  The crust is made from almond flour and Parmesan cheese. I didn't have a 11 x 7 inch tart pan that is called for in the recipe, instead I used a regular size pan and just made sure when I spread the dough out it was only 11 x 7 inches.   Make sure you cook the crust so it's golden color. If you under bake the crust, your pizza will be soggy. I added mushrooms, onions and ground turkey. This recipe will never replace a real tasting pizza made with flour and yeast, but it's a great substitute. (I used a picture from the comfybelly site until I can get my own picture posted).

Pizza Tart

Tart Crust Ingredients (used to fill an 11 inches x 7 inches tart pan)

• 1 cup of almond flour
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano

Tart Filling Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of thick pizza sauce (tomato sauce seasoned with herbs and olive oil)
• 3/4 cup of your favorite pizza cheese for the top (grated)
• about 1/4 teaspoon of dried basil, oregano, and garlic powder sprinkled on top
• I used some ground turkey, onions and mushrooms on the top

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Add the almond flour, cheese, basil, oregano and water to a food processor or blender, and process for several seconds, or until it starts to crumble or clump together a bit. It should be soft and sticky. If not, add a bit more water.
3. Cut out parchment paper to place on bottom of pan. 
4. Scoop or pour the crumble crust mixture into your tart pan.
5. Spread the mixture out evenly, and then use your fingers to press the tart into the shape of the pan.
6. Bake the tart for about 12 minutes, or until it is just starting to turn yellow on top and on the edges.
7. Take the tart out of the oven and spread the pizza sauce evenly across the crust. Then add the grated cheese, and finally sprinkle the oregano, basil and garlic powder on top.
8. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
9. Place the tart back in the oven, and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cheese is just starting to brown.
10. Cool, slice, and store any leftovers in the refrigerator for another day. Reheat slices at 350 degrees F for about 7 minutes.

Mr. B's Crab Cakes

I found this recipe in the Milwaukee's Lifestyle Magazine, January 2011 edition. I"m a big fan of all the Bartolotta restaurants in the Milwaukee area. Each restaurant is on the top 30 best restaurants in the metro Milwaukee area. So when I saw this recipe, I knew it had to be good, and it was.

The Bartolotta crab cake recipe didn't include a recipe for a sauce to dip the crab cakes into so we had to do some research and experiment with some sauces. Tim and I made 5 different sauces. Out of those 5, two we thought complimented the crab cakes better than the others. We've included those recipes in this posting.

Crab cakes can be served as an appetizer or as a main meal. When we tried this recipe, we used it as a main meal. We served it with a coleslaw, spicy baked sweet potato fries and a bowl of clam chowder.



Mr. B’s Crab Cakes
1 pound lump crab meat
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Place crab meat in medium bowl (check for shells). Combine the rest of the ingredients, except bread crumbs, in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour mixture over crab meat. Add bread crumbs by sprinkling over this mixture. Gently combine. Form into cakes. Dust with bread crumbs to help prevent sticking during cooking. Lightly sauté in olive oil or butter until golden brown and hot all the way through. Finish in the oven if necessary. Makes seven-to-eight 3-ounce cakes.

Mustard Sauce

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp butter or margarine
1 minced shallot
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 oz white wine
1/4 tsp kosher salt

In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic to the oil and fry till the shallots are tender. Add wine to the shallots and allow it to thicken for about 25-30 seconds. Add mustard and salt to the saucepan and bring to a boil for about 1/2 a minute. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter into the sauce. Serve with crab cakes.

Remoulade dipping sauce

1/4 cub mayonnaise
1/4 hot pepper sauce (Franks)
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk with a hand blender and serve with crab cakes. You can adjust the ingredients according to your own taste.

Crabmeat Spread

I love checking out old cookbooks for new recipes to try. I needed a new appetizer to try for an outdoor concert we were attending. I found this recipe in an old 1970's Las Vegas Cookbook and thought I'd try it. It was easy to make and got great reviews.

8 oz. cream cheese
1 T. mayo
1/4 t. garlic
1/2 t. chopped onion
1 bottle cocktail sauce
1 can flaked crabmeat
parsley

Mix first 4 ingredients well and spread on tray or plate. Pour cocktail sauce to cover. Drain crabmeat. Sprinkle crabmeat over sauce. Sprinkle parsley over top.

Shrimp dip

While living in Nevada, I came upon some old cookbooks from the 1970's. This recipe is from Theresa Hayes. This is a quick appetizer that taste really good.






2 (5oz) cans of baby shrimp
1/2 cup Mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 small onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse shrimp under cold water in a colander. Press out extra water. Place shrimp in bowl and break up with fingers. Separately mix remaining ingredients and add to shrimp. Chill 4-6 hours.

Italian pesto dip

Another great recipe that Kristin got while in Kentucky.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ cup Miracle Whip dressing
¼ cup basil pesto sauce
¼ cup chopped artichokes
1 cup chopped roasted peppers
1 cup finely shredded Italian style five cheese blend

Mix the cream cheese and dressing until well blended. Spread on dinner plate or serving platter. Layer toppings over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with crackers and fresh vegetables. Makes 24 servings.

Shrimp - Cheese Roll

Shrimp-Cheese Roll - serves 16

1 1/2 cups Muenster cheese
1 cup shrimp
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 eggs
1 package refrigerated crescent roll
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp water

In a large bowl, stir together muenster cheese, cooked shrimp, sliced green onion, salt, pepper and 2 eggs; set aside.
Unroll refrigerated crescent roll dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pinch together the perforations on both sides. Fold in half crosswise and with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out to a 14"x 9" rectangle. Brush with melted butter.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the cheese/shrimp mixture over surface leaving a 2" bare strip along the long edge of the dough, then roll up as a jelly roll. Firmly pinch the seam and ends together; moisten slightly with water, and smooth with a knife to seal well. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
In a small bowl beat 1 egg yolk with water. Brush on the roll.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool.

Red pepper hummus

I love the taste of fresh hummus. Did you know hummus is made from mashed garbanzo beans (chickpeas)? The other day my son bought a container of red pepper hummus from the store and was bragging on how good it was. So I decided to make some fresh, it goes very quickly with a food processor. We did a taste test, my fresh red pepper hummus versus his store bought. Mine clearly won. If you have never tried hummus this is a great recipe to taste. Serve with pita bread or fresh cut up vegetables. I also use it has a sandwich spread instead of butter.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In an electric blender or food processor, puree the chickpeas, red peppers, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne, cilantro and salt. Process, using long pulses, until the mixture is fairly smooth, and slightly fluffy. Make sure to scrape the mixture off the sides of the food processor or blender in between pulses. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The hummus can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before serving.)

Cucumber Sandwiches

This is a great appetizer given to me by my sister-in-law, Debbie over 20 years ago. Geez are we getting old! I have to admit this is the best recipe for cucumber sandwiches that I have tasted.

20 servings

1 pkg cream cheese
1 pkg Good Seasons salad dressing
1 cucumber, sliced
dill weed
1 pumpernickel or rye bread, cocktail size loaf

Mix cream cheese and salad dressing together. Spread on bread, add one slice cucumber, sprinkle with dill weed.

Individual Pita Pizzas

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com by Jeannette Derner. What I liked about this recipe is how quick I can make this pizza. I am not a big fan of pepperoni, but Tim loves it. So these little individual pizza can be made anyway you like. For me, I love green peppers, tomatoes, fresh basil and cheese, no meat. Tim loves pepperoni, sausage, onions and mushrooms. I modified the recipe a little. I rubbed a little olive oil on the pitas and precooked them in the oven for two minutes before applying the remaining ingredients.


The picture above has no sauce. Toppings are fresh basil, tomatoes and cheese. Sorry, looks like I took a bite out of pizza, but a little piece of the pita broke off when I took it out of the package.




This is Tim's favorite, pizza sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, onions and mushrooms




INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons pizza sauce
• 1 whole pita breads
• 6 slices pepperoni sausage
• 2 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Italian sausage (precooked)
• chopped onions
• tomatoes
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread pizza sauce over pita bread. Top with your favorite ingredients. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 4-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Fried mozzarella cheese sticks

On super bowl Sunday we tried this recipe. They were fantastic. If you've ever been to Saz's in Milwaukee or attended any of the festival's around the Milwaukee area during the summer, Mozzarella sticks are always a crowd favorite. This recipes tastes exactly like Saz's. I made a double batch of these and put them in the freezer for a quick weekend snack. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 quart oil for deep frying
• 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese sticks
• favorite brand of pizza sauce
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In the first bowl, mix the eggs and water. Mix the bread crumbs and garlic salt in a second medium bowl. In the third bowl, blend the flour and cornstarch. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 365 degrees. One at a time, coat each mozzarella stick in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs and finally into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Dip into warmed pizza sauce
   

Crab Appetizer

This little appetizer saved me many times at all the swim team dinners we attended. Easy to prepare and great tasting.

1 stick butter 1 jar Old English cheese spread 1 1/2 tsp. mayonnaise 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. onion powder Pinch of sugar 7 oz. canned crabmeat 6 English muffins, split in halves Paprika Blend the first 7 ingredients. Spread on muffin halves. Sprinkle with paprika. Freeze them on a cookie sheet until hard, then store in a plastic bag until ready to use. To serve, take out as many as needed. Cut into fourths while frozen. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pizza Swirl Appetizer

This recipe I found on allrecipes.com We tried it on Christmas Eve and was surprise on how good it taste.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
• 1/4 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
• 1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, sliced
• 1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. Roll pizza crust dough into an approximately 10x14 inch rectangle on the baking sheet. Layer with Genoa salami, pepperoni and provolone cheese. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese to within 1/2 inch from edges of the dough. Roll jelly roll style. Seal the edge with a fork.
3. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Slice into 1 inch pieces to serve.

Taco dip - my speciality

I don't think any two people make a taco dip the same. Each one I've tasted, tastes a little different. This is my special recipe, a family favorite for a number of years. Let me know what you think.

1 (8-ounce) packages low-fat cream cheese, softened

1 C sour cream

1/2 pound ground hamburger

1 package taco seasoning mix (your favorite brand)

1 can mild green chili

1 jar extra chunky salsa (about 2 cups) use more if needed

2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce

2 cups shredded taco or mexican cheese

1 tomato chopped

1 cup chopped green onions

2 (2-ounce) cans sliced black olives

large bag of dipper taco chips

1. Brown ground beef until well done. Drain fat. Stir in taco seasoning and following directions on package.

2. Put green chili and 2-3 cups of salsa in a strainer to get rid of excess juices.

3. In a bowl combine soften cream cheese, sour cream and drained salsa/green chili mixture . Stir until well blended.

4. Spread cream cheese mixture on a large flat dish. I use a round glass plate that is around 17 inches across.

5. Spread lettuce all over the top; followed by cheese. Then top with taco meat, olives, tomatoes and green onions.

6. Chill before serving

Jake's famous onion rings.

Jake's is a famous restaurant in the Milwaukee area that has been around for over 47 years. In today's Milwaukee Journal, the food section printed the recipe for Jakes famous onion rings. The recipe was provided by the owner, Jake Replogle.


Makes 6 to 10 appetizer servings

Vegetable oil for frying

10 large white Spanish onions, cored

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup eggs, beaten

3 cups flour for dusting

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a home deep-fryer to 375 degrees. If you do not have a home fryer, use a large pot and a fry basket. Fry onions in multiple batches. Use a thermometer to make sure temperature returns to 375 degrees between batches.

Slice onions as thin as possible using a mandoline or cut with a knife.

Make an egg wash by combining milk and eggs. Put onions in colander set over a bowl. Pour egg wash over onions. Allow the wash to drip out. Onions should be completely covered, but not too wet. Use egg wash that seeps into bowl if needed or discard.

Dredge in flour so onions are lightly covered.

Fry according to manufacturer's instructions on home fryer. If using a pot, place a few cups of prepared onions into fryer basket and slowly lower into pot.

Onions will make the oil bubble and foam up considerably; lowering the basket slowly will prevent oil from dangerously spilling over the sides of the pot. Fry onions until golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, moving constantly so they brown evenly. Remove from oil and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Chicken Enchilada Dip

This spicy baked chicken and cheese dip is a real crowd pleaser, and tastes great with chips or crackers."

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (4 ounce) jar mayonnaise
• 1 (4 ounce) sour cream
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place chicken breast halves on a medium baking sheet.
2. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove from heat, cool and shred.
3. Place shredded chicken in a medium bowl, and mix in cream cheese, mayonnaise, Cheddar cheese, green chile peppers and jalapeno pepper. Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium baking dish.
4. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.