Category: Appetizers

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

 

Buffalo-Chicken-Nachos

 

Typically, I would have topped these nachos with some green onions, maybe a few jalapeños or black olives. The truth is, these Buffalo Chicken Nachos are perfect just the way they are pictured! Chips with buffalo chicken, cheese, lettuce and drizzled with Ranch dressing.  Another Savannah recipe that happens to be one of my favorites!

I’m still relying on the family a lot these days. I recently came out of the boot and I can get around pretty good.  If I do too much in the mornings my surgery foot is swollen and in pain by mid afternoon.  That makes dinnertime difficult so thank God for an understanding family!

Last week I cooked chicken in the crockpot with no particular use in mind.  Savannah had a plan though.  She shredded the chicken, added buffalo sauce and proceeded to whip up these amazingly delicious nachos. We were hooked on them, eating nachos every day until all of the chicken was gone. I believe I mentioned that she’s buffalo crazy, but she’s also really good at pulling together a delicious dish!  Thanks Savannah!!

Buffalo Chicken Nachos
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • Salt and pepper
  • Frank's buffalo sauce, to taste
  • Tortilla chips
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Ranch dressing
  • Optional toppings: jalapeños, black olives, chopped scallions, sour cream, tomatoes
Instructions
  1. Salt and pepper the chicken breast and place in a crockpot. Cook on low several hours, until tender and done. Remove from crockpot and cool to touch. Shred chicken and mix with buffalo sauce, to taste, set aside.
  2. Arrange chips on serving dish. Top with shredded buffalo chicken and cheese (or other toppings of your choice). Heat in the microwave to melt cheese. Remove from microwave and drizzle with Ranch dressing. Serve.

 

 

Guacamole

Guacamole

Mexican food has always been one of my favorite cuisines to prepare and eat. When I was a young, not-so-good cook, I got my hands on a Mexican cookbook that helped fuel my love for cooking. As a result, I had several favorite Mexican dishes that were part of my regular line-up.

Homemade guacamole is about as good as it gets when you want an appetizer that everyone will love. Of course, the fresh taste is always a plus, but the health benefits are also impressive. They are heart-healthy, and they may even help prevent cancer.

Homemade guacamole is super simple, and fresh is always best! You can customize the recipe by adding additional onions or tomatoes, cayenne pepper, or Tabasco for a bit of heat. Serve as a side with all your favorite Mexican dishes, add to avocado toast, or, even better, top a toasted hashbrown patty with this fresh guacamole! Top that off with a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning, fried bacon, and an overlight egg for the perfect breakfast!

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Guacamole
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
  • ¼ c. chopped onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 to 3 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
  • 2 to 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Place avocado in a medium bowl and mash a little. When you mix all of the ingredients together it will break up even more, so if you like chunky guacamole don't mash it up too much to begin with.
  2. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, lime, salt and pepper and stir. Taste for seasoning.
  3. Let stand in the refrigerator, or at room temperature, for 1 hour.

 

Dill Pickle Dip

Dill-Pickle-Dip

 

I love dill pickles. When I think of going to a movie, I think of pickles. I know, it sounds strange, but when I was a kid the local movie theater had a big jar of those huge pickles right by the popcorn. I went for the pickles every time! Wes eats pickles the way I do. We keep a gallon of them in the refrigerator at all times.

If you love dill pickles as much as I do, you will want to make this dill pickle dip immediately. I found this recipe over at noblepig.com. I was a little skeptical AND captivated all at the same time. I took a screenshot of the recipes on my iPad months ago. I scrolled by the screenshot daily, and would stop to look at it all of the time. When I finally decided to try the dip I could have made it in my sleep because I had studied it SO many times.

Why did I wait so long? Oh my, it was delish! Love at first bite as a matter of fact. Dill pickle dip would be great at your next cookout. The pretzel chips were perfect with this dip!

Dill Pickle Dip
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
  • ⅓ c. diced red onion
  • ¼ c. pickle juice
  • 2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 c. diced pickles
Instructions
  1. With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, red onion, pickle juice, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, and pepper. When mixed well, stir in the pickles and mix to combine. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

 

Philly Cheesesteak Queso Dip

philly-cheesesteak-queso-dip

FRIENDS week continues with Sherri.  I met Sherri when I was five or six years old. We met at a church my dad pastored of at the time. We stood next to each other in a Christmas play and held up one of the letters in CHRISTMAS. We may have said something like “C stands for…”, but I can’t remember that part. We grew up in the same small town but went to different schools until we were in high school. Still, I knew who she was. When you live in a small town, you are familiar with who everybody is. Even when we got to high school, she was a grade ahead of me and we never actually became friends.

Fast forward about five years, when I took a job with a dermatologist in Atlanta. Sherri happened to work there, and we hit it off from the start. She was married (to my first boyfriend), and I married Greg while working there. Neither of us cooked very much in those days, but we would have them over for spaghetti, and they would have us over for lasagna. We gave each other baby showers and talked every day during the early years of our kids lives. A lot of things have changed over the years, but our friendship remains. There was a time in our lives that we would go months without talking. We can chalk that up to raising our kids, one bad marriage, and a few moves. Still, when we did talk, we would pick up right where we left off. That’s a sign of true friendship.

A few years ago Sherri’s second husband, Dale, was diagnosed with cancer. Our talks started to become more frequent, funny how difficult times will do that. Dale lost his battle almost a year ago. Sherri’s example of faith, love, and resilience has been an inspiration to me.

Sherri is another friend that does not cook a lot. She occasionally hosts Bunco at her house and will cook for then but other than that she is just not into it. Some of my favorite recipes have come from her, though. My apple dumpling recipe, her grandma’s chewy chocolate pies, a delicious oriental dip, and this amazing Philly cheesesteak cheese dip!

This recipe is very simple to make and can be heated in a crock pot. An iron skillet makes a lovely presentation though. After heating in the crock pot, transfer to an iron skillet. Top with shredded Provolone cheese and stick under the broiler. Watch carefully and remove when melted. I prefer this recipe made with leftover roast beef. I finely chop and freeze in 1 cup portions for convenience.

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Philly Cheesesteak Queso Dip
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • ½ c. diced green bell pepper
  • ¼ c. diced onions
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 c. finely chopped leftover roast beef or deli roast beef
  • 4-oz. can diced green chiles
  • 1 lb. white Velveeta Queso cheese, cubed
  • ¼ c. milk
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • baguette, slices or cubed and very lightly toasted
Instructions
  1. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat; saute the bell pepper, onions, and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Add to the crock pot on low heat. Add the roast beef, green chiles, Velveeta, milk, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Cover, stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth and creamy and the cheese has melted. Serve with very lightly toasted baguette slices or cubes.

philly-cheesesteak-queso-dip

Asparagus Roll Ups

 

asparagus-roll-ups

It’s July, and my mind has been on Christmas. So much so, that I started my Christmas shopping list last week. In recent years, it has become very short which makes it even more important that the gifts I buy are perfect. Because it’s “Christmas in July” at my house, I am sharing an excellent recipe that I tried for the first time at my families First Annual Bolton Ladies Ugly Christmas Sweater party back in December. My cousin, Nancy, brought these fabulous asparagus roll-ups to our afternoon tea menu and they were the hit of the party.

Nancy’s recipe was like so many that has been handed down through the years, no measurements. This recipe has the measurements that I used but feel free to adjust, as you like. I prefer using freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Also, roasting the asparagus was not part of the original recipe so you would be okay skipping this step if you like. I ran out of wheat bread and used a few pieces of white bread pieces, which also tasted good.

 

Asparagus Roll Ups
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 bunch fresh small asparagus spears
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
  • 4-oz. crumbled blue cheese
  • 2 - 3 tbsp. Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon (original)
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
  • 16 slices whole wheat bread or honey wheat bread
  • ¼ c. unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Trim tough ends of asparagus and discard. Place asparagus on baking sheet and drizzle with a small olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place in oven and roast until bring green and crisp-tender. (about 7 minutes) Remove from oven and cool completely. When cool, blot with a paper towel to remove most of olive oil. Lower oven temperature to 400°F.
  2. With an electric mixer blend cream cheese and blue cheese together. Stir in dill and bacon, set aside.
  3. Stack about 4 pieces of bread and remove crust with a serrated knife. Repeat with remaining slices of bread. With a rolling pin, flatten each slice of bread.
  4. Spread bread with a small amount of the cream cheese mixture, to cover one side. Place 3 to 4 asparagus spears, tips pointed out on the same end, on the cream cheese mixture, close to one edge. Roll up, starting with the asparagus side of the bread. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Notes
Freeze unbaked roll-ups in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator, and bake as directed.