Ham and Cheese Sliders

1 Pkg. (12) King’s Hawaiian Rolls

½ lb. Sliced Ham

¼ lb. Sliced Swiss Cheese

Make into sandwiches and arrange in baking dish.


Sauce:
1 Stick Melted Butter
2 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1 t. Poppy Seeds
¼ t. Garlic Salt

Pour sauce over sandwiches (dont worry, they wont be soggy). Bake at 350° until cheese melts (about 15-20 minutes



ARTICHOKE DIP!

I can't believe that I have not posted this recipe before!  This is a winner!  It is requested often by my hubby and friends.  Enjoy!!!

Artichoke Dip

1 - 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened (I usually microwave it until super soft)

1 cup mayo

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and diced

1 - 4 oz can of diced green chilies

8 oz of shredded parmesan, I put half into the mixture and the other half on top

 

Mix together all the ingredients and sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 min, then mix thru and bake another 10 min uncovered. Serve with chips and/or bread!!

Pizza Dip!!!!

This Dip has become a favorite among my friends for girls nights, baby showers, and parties!  Its so easy and is definately a crowd pleaser!

1 jar pizza sauce (not spaghetti sauce)

1 8oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 package pepperoni chopped

1 can chopped olives

2 cups mozzarella cheese

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• grease baking dish.
• mix all of the ingredients, leaving about 1/2 cup of mozzarella left for topping
• cover with foil and bake for 30 min.
• remove foil and add remaining mozzarella and BROIL for 5 min.
• Serve with french bread!!

***MAKE SURE TO SOFTEN THE CREAM CHEESE...I PUT IT IN THE MICROWAVE UNTIL EXTREMELY SOFT.

Cowboy Caviar

(pic from Little Birdie Secrets)

I saw this recipe on Little Birdie Secrets.  It was really good, Super easy to put together and a nice cool treat for these hot summer months!!!

Cowboy Caviar
1 can corn
1 can black beans, drained
3 large tomatoes, chopped
3 large avocados, chopped
2 Tbs chopped green onions
1 package dry Italian dressing
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tbs water

In a large bowl mix corn, peas, tomatoes, avocados and onions. In another bowl mix the dry Italian dressing, olive oil, vinegar and water. Pour the dressing over the vegetable mixture and toss until evenly coated. Serve with tortilla chips.

Avocado Bean Dip

I got this recipe from The Sisters Cafe.  I had all the ingredients on board and it was super yummy! My little ones loved it!

Avodaco Bean Dip


1 15 oz can of white (or black beans), drained
1 avocado-mashed
1/2 cup salsa 
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions 
2 Tb chopped diced green chilis (I use canned)
2 Tb chopped cilantro
1 Tb lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and serve with chips! 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Julie. It is super easy and addictive to eat- the more you eat- the more you want it!!! It also works just as well with low fat ingredients, so you can save a lot of calories!

2 10 oz cans of chicken (drained)
1/2 cup of Franks Red Hot (you can go up to 1 cup based on how hot you want it)
1/2 cup of Ranch Dressing
1 8 oz bar of cream cheese (softened so it will be easy to stir in)
1 cup of Mozzarella cheese

Use a fork to "fluff" the chicken in the can and put in a medium size bowl. Add the Red Hot and the Ranch dressing and mix. Stir in cream cheese and then mozzarella cheese. Pour into a small casserole/ oven safe dish and back at 325 deg. for 20 minutes. Or, it can be microwaved until heated well throughout.

Serve warm with Tostitos tortilla chips.

YUM!

pigs in a blanket

Okay, so most of you know how to do pigs in a blanket. This is just my new little twist on an old idea.

*1 pkg. lil' smokies

*buttermilk pillsbury biscuits

First I cut each biscuit in half. Then I wrap each half around a lil' smokie. Make sure the part where the two ends meet is on the pan. Bake as directed on the biscuit package. Simple right? So easy and yet, so so good.

Bacon-Cheddar Dip...

The first time I made this dip was for a Super Bowl Party and my hottie hubby loved it! I have made it a few times since for company, its a great and EASY dip!!

Bacon-Cheddar Dip
Kraft Magazine

1 container (16 oz.) Sour Cream
1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Bacon bits
Ritz Chips Orginal (I LOVE THESE)

Mix all ingredients (except chips); cover.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving

Serve with the chips

(Great substitute: use reduced fat or light sour cream and reduced fat cheddar cheese.)

Apple Berry Salsa

I made this recipe last weekend. I was pretty darn happy with the results and will surely make it again soon.

(Bottom left)


I didn't make the cinnamon chips. Instead we bought the Tostito's multigrain chips -I thought it was the perfect blend of salty and sweet. I'm sure you could modify this recipe and use any fruit you want. It doesn't tell you how finely to chop the fruit which bothered me...I just made everything about 1/2 inch.

Cinnamon Chips
4 (7") Flour tortillas
1 T granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


Salsa
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 small orange-before peeling, zest the peel
2 T packed brown sugar
2 T apple jelly


Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
For cinnamon chips, lightly spray tortillas with water.
Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over tortillas.
Using a pizza cutter, cut each tortilla into 8 wedges; Place in single layer On round baking stone.
Bake 8-10 min.
Or until lightly browned and crisp.
Remove and cool completely.
For salsa, peel, core, and slice apples.
Cut apples into quarters and chop with chopper.
Slice strawberries.
Chop kiwi.
Place fruit in bowl.
Zest orange and juice orange.
Add orange zest, orange juice, brown Sugar, and apple jelly to fruit mixture, stir gently.
Serve with cinnamon chips (or Tostino's multigrain chips!)

Southwestern Eggrolls

My friend, Kim, made these for a playgroup a few weeks ago. They were incredible! They tasted just like some I have had in restaurants, such as Chili's or Cheesecake factory. I made them tonight for the adults at my son's 5th birthday party and they ate them all gone! They are a bit spicy, so if you like spicy you will love them! The recipe is long, with lots of ingredients, but they are easy to put together- it really doesn't take much time. They do need to be frozen overnight. The recipe only makes 5 egg rolls (10 when cut in half) so it would be worth it to double or triple and keep in the freezer and take out a few at a time. (or make for a large group like I did-I tripled it and they were gone.) Also, if you do double or triple, you can still do a single recipe for the sauce- it doesn't take much dipping sauce.
Egg rolls:
1 chicken breast
1 Tbsp vegi oil
2 Tbsp minced parsley
2 Tbsp minced green onion
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans- rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp minced red bell pepper
2 Tbsp diced/ canned jalapeño peppers
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. frozen spinach thawed/drained
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded mont jack cheese
5 7-in. flour tortillas

Avocado dipping sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup smashed fresh avocado
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp buttermilk (see note below)**
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp onion powder
dash dried dill weed
dash garlic powder
dash pepper

1) dice chicken, coat in a small amount of vegi oil and cook in pan till no longer pink. Lightly salt & pepper while cooking. Set aside.
2) Heat 1 Tbsp oil in pan. Add red pepper and onion- saute a couple minutes until tender.
3) Add chicken back to pan and add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper to pan. Cook another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture. Remove from heat and add cheese- stir in until melted.
4) Wrap tortillas between two moist paper towels and microwave 45-60 sec. or until warm.
5) Spoon approx. 1/5 of mixture into tortillas. Fold ends in first and then wrap tightly. Secure with toothpicks to hold together ( I put on in each end.)
6) Arrange egg rolls on a plate (seam side down) and cover and freeze for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
7) Prepare dipping sauce by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
8) Preheat 4-6 cups oil to 375 deg. Deep fry egg rolls in the hot oil for approx. 10 min. (more or less depending on oil temp.) Remove to a paper towel or rack to drain for a couple minutes. Remove toothpicks and slice diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.

**a tip from Kim that I, too, found useful. If you are like me and don't use buttermilk for anything else, you can make your own by combining one cup regular milk with one TBSP vinegar and let it sit at least a few minutes. That way you are throwing away less than a cup of milk instead of the whole bottle of buttermilk that you aren't going to use.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

*from allrecipes.com

BEST SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP

1 pkg. frozen spinach thawed
1 jar marinated artichokes, chopped
8 oz. Philly cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
3/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 stick butter
red pepper flakes to taste

Sauté onions in butter, adding ingredients while mixing and blending well after each addition. Add ingredients in this order: Spinach, Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, Parmesan Cheese, Artichoke Hearts, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.
Remove from heat and put in crocks or microwave dish. Top with Monterey Jack Cheese and melt.

Serve hot with chips or bread.

May also add Mozzarella Cheese on top and lightly brown.