Category Archives: Appetizers

Pickle Dip

24 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by in Appetizers, Easy, Entertaining, Sauces

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Here we go,  a typical “pregnant lady” craving…Pickles. No, not with ice cream or anything bizarre, but transferred into a creamy dip to go with some salty chips. We’ve made this a few times and it’s always a winner, pregnant or not. For me, this rules over any onion dip I have ever tasted. And no one ever trash talks pickle breath, at least from my experience…

Pickle Dip

Recipe
Pickle Dip
Adapted from Smells Like Home
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup chopped dill pickles (any pickles you like will work, and in a pinch you can use relish)
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce (such as tabasco or sriracha, optional)
  • Pickle juice
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp (or more) fresh dill, chopped
  • chips, crackers, or veggies, for serving

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, pickles, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce together. Add a couple tablespoons of pickle juice if the dip is too thick and continue to add a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add some fresh dill. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with chips, crackers, veggies, whatever you like!

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Spanish Tapas Peppers

20 Saturday Dec 2014

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Spanish Tapas Peppers

 

Recipe
Spanish Tapas Peppers
adapted from Make It Ahead
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cream sherry
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 5 large bell peppers (red or yellow) OR use mini peppers (about 20, sliced in half)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
  • 3/4 cup chopped green pitted olives
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and diced (or 1 can rotel diced tomatoes)
  • 1 scant tsp saffron threads, crumbled
  • 2/3 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup olives oil
  • minced fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the sherry and raisins in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cut each pepper in half through the core and remove the ribs and seeds. Cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges and arrange them cut side up in a single layer in two large shallow oven to table baking dishes. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp salt and pepper. If using mini peppers, just cut them in half and remove the seeds and ribs.

In a medium bowl, combine the steeped raisins, garlic, olives, tomato, saffron, braed crumbs, olive oil, and about another tsp salt and pepper. Spread about a tbsp of the mixture on each pepper wedge. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the filling is a little crisp on top. Smaller peppers will likely take only 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Make It Ahead: Prepare the peppers with the filing, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake before serving.

Sparkling Cranberries

20 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by in Appetizers, Baking, Easy, Entertaining, Holidays, Thanksgiving

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Sparkling CranberriesWe love finding new traditions around here. We are on year 2 of making these Sparkling Cranberries from Southern Living. While they are perfect on their own, there are endless possibilities and ways to serve them around the holidays: Adorning baked brie, used on brownies or cakes, or in mini fillo cups…there are a lot of delicious possibilities!

These little jewels can be made ahead, we tend to make a big batch and they will chill in the fridge and we will bust them out whenever a festive urge hits…

Recipe
Sparkling Cranberries
adapted from Southern Living
makes a little over 2 cups of cranberries
Ingredients
  • 1 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar (can also use superfine sugar)
  • Parchment paper

Directions

  1. Cook maple syrup in a saucepan over medium-low heat 1 to 2 minutes. (Don’t let syrup get too hot or cranberries will pop.)
  2. Remove from heat; stir in cranberries. Cover and chill 8 to 12 hours. Place sugar in a large bowl or baking dish. Drain cranberries in a colander (about 15 minutes).  Feel free to save that syrup for later…don’t let it go to waste!
  3. Add 4 to 5 cranberries at a time to sugar; gently toss to coat. Repeat with remaining cranberries. Place cranberries in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; let stand until completely dry.

Smoked Salmon Spread

25 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in Appetizers, Bloggerific, Breads, Breakfast, Easy, Entertaining, Seafood

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Smoked Salmon SpreadA family friend gave us some AWESOME smoked salmon, and I’m pretty sure when most people think of smoked salmon, their brain immediately goes to…bagels…cream cheese…and Heaven.

The only thing about smoked salmon is you can never have enough. Have you ever been to party where there is just extra smoked salmon laying around? No. It’s always the first thing to go because it’s so. damn. good. When I saw Shutterbean’s post on this smoked salmon spread, I pretty much wanted to cry because I too have been late to the smoked salmon plate before. And then it was just…obvious…Smoked Salmon spread is so easy to make, and it solves the problem of all the salmon disappearing before the bagels and crackers do! And it’s super adaptable and easy, you can easily adjust to your taste!

Recipe
Smoked Salmon Spread
adapted from Shutterbean
makes about 1 1/2 cups, serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, at room temperature
  • about 4 oz smoked salmon, roughly chopped and divided
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 tsp of capers (a little bit of juice from the jar is fine, I opted to do this instead of adding milk or greek yogurt to thin it out slightly).
  • dash of hot pepper sauce (such as tabasco or sriracha)
  • 1 tbsp. fresh or dried dill (you may want to scale it back to 1 tsp, we really like dill over here)
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

PRO TIP: Instead of cream cheese, try Neufchâtel cheese! It’s always right by the cream cheese at the store and often contains less fat and calories than regular cream cheese. And whoa – tastes almost the same.

Optional add-ins:

  • fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish, or you can mix a little in!
  • 1 tbsp milk or greek yogurt – if your cream cheese is too thick you may want to thin it out with another dairy product.
  • a few tbsp. red onion, mix it in or serve it on the side for the onion-o-phobes
  • want some kick? Add a dash of horseradish
  • Lemon slices always make a pretty garnish…

Directions

Combine the cream cheese, at least 2 oz of the salmon, lemon juice, capers, hot sauce, pepper, and dill to a small food processor and process until smooth. Want more salmon in there? Then add the rest. It’s a nice touch to keep a little bit of salmon set aside to garnish the dip, but you don’t need much.

Serve with crackers for a nice pre-dinner appetizer, or serve at brunch (who are we kidding, eat this whenever you want), with bagels, tomatoes, red onion and fresh slices of lemon.

Make Ahead: Dip can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Blackberry Goat Cheese Bites

30 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by in Appetizers, Easy, Entertaining

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Blackberry Goat Cheese BitesBlackberry season is hands down one of my favorite times of the year. Around here, you pretty much walk outside and it’s free berries EVERYWHERE! It’s hard not to get a little giddy when you think of how much a bucket o’ berries would cost you from the store or farmers market.Blackberries!Nothing feels more like summer to me than picking blackberries. It’s almost always August, it’s HOT out, but at the same time you know summer is coming to a close, and you have to relish in the last few weeks. My blackberry picking love is hard to explain, but it really is one of my favorite things. Continue reading →

Party Nuts!

24 Tuesday Jun 2014

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Party NutsThese mixed nuts are one of my favorite things to make when we are having guests over…they’ve always gotten rave reviews. A lot of recipes call for roasting nuts in the oven, but I like doing these in a large skillet on the stovetop, it gives me a little more control. Always make sure you start with raw, unsalted nuts. They are quick and easy to make even though you have to keep an eye on them, but they can be made days in advance before your guests come over.Party NutsI typically use almonds, cashews, and pecans because I can buy them in bulk and they lend themselves to many other recipes and snacking for later. Feel free to do walnuts, macadamias, or any other nut you prefer.Party NutsThese nuts usually turn out different every time, but they are always awesome! (as long as you don’t burn them or over-season them). I usually experiment with different hot sauces each time I make them. But for starters, Tabasco or sriracha (or both, in my case) work really well. But if you don’t like hot sauce, you can go for Worcestershire, or what about sweet chili sauce? Really, there are lots of possibilities!Nuts!

Recipe
Party Nuts!
by Baked Northwest
makes about 3 cups, enough for a small crowd

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup raw pecans
  • 3 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Tabasco
  • 2-3 sprigs rosemary and/or parsley (optional)
  • Optional moves – a dash of Sriracha or Worcestershire, sweet chili sauce, dijon, whatever you think sounds good!

Directions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to get it dissolved a little. Add a little salt to the mixture, then add all of the nuts at once. Roast for several minutes, turning up the heat if necessary. Toss the nuts around, making sure they aren’t burning! When they become nice and browned, remove from heat and add a few dashes of Tabasco or sriracha, any hot sauce works great! Be careful when you do this – the hot sauces may flare up and slap you in the face! I tend to add the hot sauce with the butter and brown sugar, just to get it all incorporated. Just be careful when you put hot sauce in a hot skillet! I like to add some chopped rosemary or parsley, when the nuts are done and off the heat, but it’s totally optional.

To cool, spread nuts out on a plate or sheet pan to in the thinnest layer possible. We don’t want the nuts sticking together! Cool via a quick blast in the freezer, about 20 minutes. Break any big nut chunks apart before serving. These can be made days (even weeks) in advance and stored in an airtight container in the freezer. I usually make them a few days before having people over and store them in the pantry. However, sometimes they disappear before the party even starts…

Semi-Homemade Poutine

27 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by in Appetizers, Main Dish, Side Dish

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Poutine
So…poutine. Have you ever had it? It’s one of those dishes that many would refuse to order because it’s not very good for you…Fries + Gravy + Cheese Curds + whatever other ridiculous thing you may want to add (bacon? pulled pork? fried egg? we’re already being sinful, may as well go all out)!
Poutine
Poutine is a Canadian concoction that has made its way onto menus around the northwest. I have had a few different versions…one was lobster poutine on a trip to BC, and it was an awesome decision. There have also been many reviews that Canadian Burger King’s have really good poutine. In my opinion – poutine is something you have to try at least once.

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Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

06 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Events, Holidays

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Stuffed MushroomsThere are so many stuffed mushroom recipes out there it was hard to pick one for our Thanksgiving appetizers! I thought this recipe from Ina Garten was the closest to the other stuffed mushroom recipes I have tried that I enjoyed so much. Getting a good picture of your food on Thanksgiving Day, well, that’s a different story…

Recipe
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
adapted from Ina Garten
makes 25 mushrooms

Ingredients
25 extra-large white mushrooms
5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine, medium sherry, or white wine
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup panko or bread crumbs
5 – 6 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala (or sherry or wine). Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. If you are finding not very much stuffing is fitting into your mushroom, you may want to take a melon baller or similar kitchen tool to hollow out the mushrooms more. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Add another dusting of parmesan cheese on top, if you wish. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

NOTE: You may have some leftover stuffing, I know I did! You can save the stuffing and make an instantly delicious egg scramble the next morning. Bonus!

Meatless Monday | Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Grilling, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

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Oh Hey. Sooo I know Green Tomatoes are kind of a “Summer” thing…But here in the Northwest…I still have tons of Green Tomatoes on my plants. I did get some ripe ones out of my summer…but some didn’t quite mature. But that’s okay…Because!!!Green Tomato CapreseFun times with Green Tomatoes! A recipe that is a bit healthier than Fried Green Tomatoes…These Grilled Green Tomatoes made into a Caprese Salad!Grilled Green TomatoesI like this recipe because it is waaay easier than Fried Green Tomatoes. Just marinade them in a little saucy sauce, throw em on the grill…and add mozzarella and basil! We took the extra step to melt the mozz under the broiler, but this recipe is great with fresh cold mozzarella as well!Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

Recipe
Grilled Green Tomato Caprese
serves 8 as an appetizer or side
adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (we used regular, it was still delish)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 lb.)
  • 1 (16-oz.) package fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl or baking dish, stir. Add tomatoes and cover, letting chill for at least 1 hour.
  2. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Remove tomatoes from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill tomatoes, covered with grill lid, 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until tender and grill marks appear.
  3. Arrange alternating slices of warm grilled tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on a large, shallow platter. We put our dish under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese a little bit, it’s great both ways! Drizzle with reserved marinade; season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with basil.

Game Day: Pizza Puffs

01 Friday Feb 2013

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Pizza Puffs

I think the only thing I like about football games is the opportunity to make awesome finger foods and appetizers to drink with copious amounts of tasty beer. Unfortunately, we tend to do things like go skiing on football days, so I haven’t made as many delicious things as I would like…

When I saw this quickie recipe in Southern Living I had to make it right away since:
A.) Pizza is probably my favorite food
B.) This recipe is super easy to make
C.) They come out as cute tiny minis!

Pizza Puffs

Recipe
Pizza Puffs
Adapted from Southern Living
Makes 24 Puffs

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup sauteed mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/2 cup mini pepperoni
  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • Jarred pizza sauce, warmed

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and garlic salt in a large bowl. Whisk in milk and egg. Stir in cheese, mushrooms, olives, and pepperoni. Let batter stand 10 minutes, and stir until blended. Coat cups of a 24-cup mini muffin pan well with cooking spray. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve with warm pizza sauce.