Cranberry-Turkey Quesadillas

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2007 cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 package burrito tortillas
• 3 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese (12 oz)
• 6 oz smoked cooked turkey, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 400 degrees. On ungreased large cookie sheet, place 4 of the tortillas. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over each tortilla. Top each evenly with turkey and cranberries. Sprinkle 1/4 cup remaining cheese over each. Top with remaining tortillas.

In small bowl, milk melted butter and parsley. Brush butter mixture over tops of filled tortillas. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges begin to turn light golden brown. Cut into wedges; serve warm.

Verdict: Thumbs up! Oh man... these were so tasty! What a great combination of flavors! What I did differently: Well, as I was typing this recipe up, I realized I never brushed the tops with the butter and parsley mixture! Hah! I'm sure that would have been good, but these were great anyway. I also made some of them with mozzarella cheese in case the Bible study girls didn't care for spicy foods.

Ranch Roll-Up Snacks

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2007 cookbook

Ingredients:

• 3oz cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz ranch sour cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 4 slices precooked bacon, chopped
• 5 burrito tortillas

In small bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Beat in dip until well blended. Stir in broccoli, carrot, onion and bacon.

Spread mixture evenly onto each tortilla to edges. Roll up each; wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours before serving

To serve, cut each roll into 8 pieces.

Verdict: Thumbs up! Easy to make and these were so yummy to snack on!

What I did differently and what I would do in the future: I couldn't find ranch sour cream, so I bought sour cream and mixed in a packet of ranch dip mix. I would use less onion next time. I love onion but it was a little overwhelming at times with the slices being so small. I did find that the mixture was a little thin at first, so I added more broccoli and carrot until it thickened up some. 

Southwestern Layered Dip

 From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2007 cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz can vegetarian refried beans
• 4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 11oz mexican corn in a can with red and green peppers, drained
• 8oz sour cream
• 1 1-oz package taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup shredded taco cheese
• tortilla chips

In the bottom of a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, spread refried beans. Sprinkle three tablespoons of the cilantro over beans. Spoon corn evenly over cilantro. In a small bowl mix sour cream and taco seasoning mix. Spread over corn. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining one tablespoon cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

Verdict: Thumbs up! I have bought similar dips at the store that I liked, and this was super easy to put together! The biggest flaw is that it did not taste very good leftover for some reason!

What I did differently: I left out the cilantro because I was making it for Bible study and I knew there would be people who don't like cilantro. 

Spinach Dip Crisps

  From: Pillsbury Annual Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach
• 24 wonton skins (from a 16-oz package)
• 1 can (7 oz) chopped green chiles
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup finely shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend

Verdict: Thumbs up! I really loved the flavor of these and the added texture of the crispy wontons!

What I did differently: I actually only used about half the can of chiles. I think that was plenty. There was a slight kick, but not too much! For my mayonnaise I used Chosen Foods mayo with avocado oil. It's completely sugar-free and is my favorite mayonnaise!

Baby Hot Browns

 From: Southern Living: All-time Favorites cookbook

Ingredients:

16 pumpernickel rye party bread slices

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 pounds thinly sliced turkey

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Arrange bread slices on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 500 degrees for 3-4 minutes.

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, whisking until cheese melts. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper. If desired, chill until ready to bake.

Top bread slices evenly with turkey. Top each with about 1 1/2 Tbsp cheese sauce. Sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese and bacon.

Bake at 500 degrees for 7 minutes or until parmesan is melted.

What I did differently: I used regular slices of pumpernickel/rye. I broiled them in the beginning instead of baking them at 500 degrees (basically the same thing, right?) My suggestion would be to add the milk BEFORE adding the cheese. That's how I make macaroni and cheese. I followed the recipe instructions against my better judgement and the cheese was super gooey and didn't melt as smoothly as I would have liked. Trust me. Pour your milk in gradually to the butter/flour mixture, keep whisking, let it thicken, and THEN add that cheese. And we only had to cook it for about 4 minutes in the oven for it to be done. Perfection!

Baked Cheddar-Broccoli Rice Cups

From: Daydream Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 10 – ounce thawed broccoli
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup white rice
• 1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (any of your favorite kind)
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper – to taste

1. Boil rice.
2. Move cooked rice to a bowl to cool for a minute.
3. Throw in all the ingredients, but only use 1/2 of the cheese.
4. Grease a 8 cup muffin tray and make balls accordingly, thereafter sprinkling the rest of cheese on top.
5. Put in the oven for 25 minutes and bake at 350 degrees – until golden and crisp.

Sorry, no picture. I made these for Christmas and forgot to snap a picture before they got eaten!

Verdict:
Thumbs up. Yummy snack food, and something I think you can't go wrong with! I'd love to make these again as a side dish or appetizer when I'm having people over!  

Cheesy Garlic Sticks

From: Jam Hands

Ingredients:

• 1 premade pizza dough from a pizzeria
• olive oil for brushing dough
• 1 ball of mozzarella (not the kind in water, the kind that is vacuum sealed), you will use about half of a ball, depending on the size of it
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, with flavored oil
• Italian spices

1. Prepare the crust: Transfer to a baking pizza pan. Brush dough lightly all over with olive oil.
2. Cut or pull apart the cheese with your fingers and spread all over the dough.
3. Drizzle the pizza with a little of the garlic flavored oil from the minced garlic, and sprinkle with minced garlic over the entire pizza. Add just a bit of Italian spices to the top, and bake. Bake according to what dough you have.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! The website I got this from actually got dough from Papa Murphy's, which sells their dough premade. I don't know of a place in town that does that around here. I used Pillsbury pizza crust dough. I would also recommend using Trader Joe's dough or making your own. Also, I didn't use a ball of mozzarella. I was making these on a whim. I sliced a chunk of mozzarella and it was perfect. I did slice it instead of shredding it, based on her directions. I am definitely going to make these again. They went fast! Much easier than I thought it was going to be, also.

Honey Chipotle Meatballs

From: Fast Paleo

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of ground beef

1/2 pound of ground pork

salt and pepper

2 T of coconut aminos

3 T of raw honey

1 T of finely mince chipotle in adobo peppers

Mix together beef and pork. Add salt and pepper. Make into Tablespoon-size meatballs. In large skillet over medium heat cook the meatballs until browned and cooked through. Remove meatballs and add in aminos, honey and chipotle. Bring to a bubble. Add back in the meatballs and toss till sauce is thickened and meatballs are well coated.

Verdict:

Thumbs up, although this isn't my favorite meatball recipe ever. I love sweet and spicy things, so I did like these. I couldn't find coconut aminos anywhere so I had to leave those out. I think a coconut flavor would be a great addition to this, though. I also didn't make my own meatballs, I used regular frozen meatballs. Very simple!

Cheesy Bean Dip

From: My Life As a Mrs

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) block of Cream Cheese, softened
1 (15.5 oz) Can of Bushes Chili Starter Beans
1 Jar of Salsa (8-12 oz)
1- 1 1/2 Cups Grated Cheese of Choice (Cheddar, Colby Jack, etc...)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9 inch pie plate (or any equal sized oven safe dish) with Non-Stick Cooking Spray. Spread the cream cheese evenly in the bottom of the dish. Next, using the lid of the can, gently drain of the liquid from the beans (do not rinse), and then evenly spread on top of the cream cheese. Pour salsa on top of the beans, using just enough to cover them (about 8-10 oz).
Place into preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes until the edges begin to bubble. Remove from oven, add the shredded cheese (enough to cover the salsa). Place back into oven just long enough to melt the cheese (about 5-8 more minutes). Remove from oven and serve with Tortilla Chips.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was such an easy and delicious bean dip recipe! I spread the whole 8 ounces of cream cheese on the bottom of the dish. I couldn't find this type of bean that was in the recipe, so I used refried beans and spread them on top. Then I put just a thin layer of salsa on top. Mine bubbled after 30 minutes and then I loaded it down with cheddar cheese. It took almost 10 minutes for my cheese to melt the way I wanted it to. It was definitely so good and I'll make this again!

Cowboy Baked Beans

From: Work It Mom

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
Chopped onion
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
Squirt of yellow mustard
Can of baked beans
Chopped bell pepper (optional)
Miscellaneous things from the cabinet - Worcestershire sauce, rib seasoning, seasoned salt
Bacon crumbles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook ground beef until brown, add onion and cook, drain excess grease. Mix the remaining ingredients in a casserole dish. Add the ground beef and onions and mix well. Top with bacon crumbles. Cook for 40-50 minutes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was super simple and really delicious. It was great for a large group. I'll definitely be making this again in the future. (I did leave out the bell pepper)

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

From: Lick the Bowl Good

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• pinch of salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes 
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cubed pepperoni
• 1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes (if using) ; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! Look, you really can't go wrong with these ingredients, right? This is a simple recipe that is great for parties, appetizers, or church dinners. I will definitely make it again and highly recommend it!

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

From: The back of a Nabisco cracker box

Ingredients:
1 8-oz tub of cream cheese
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded pizza or mozzarella cheese blend
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/3 cup chopped red peppers
1/3 cup chopped green peppers

Crackers for dipping (I used Nabisco round saltines and Ritz crackers)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix cream cheese and pizza sauce until well blended; spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

Top with next four ingredients.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until heated through and shredded cheese is melted. Serve with crackers.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Well, I say thumbs up, but I literally got to fill up about half a cracker with this dip. It was GONE and all I got was a scoop of what was left on the bottom of the plate! That tasted good, at least, and everyone was raving about it. I didn't put the peppers on this because I forgot I was going to make it until about 20 minutes before people were going to start arriving for Hunter's birthday party. So I just threw it all together really quickly which did NOT include chopping peppers! I think the peppers would be delicious though - I'll throw them on next time! Highly recommend this easy and yummy dip!

Cheese and Bacon Potato Rounds

From: Here

Ingredients:
4 baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup melted butter
8 slices bacon - cooked and crumbled
8 oz shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Brush both side of potato slices with butter; place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once. When potatoes are ready, top with bacon, cheese, and green onion; continue baking until the cheese has melted.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Okay, people, this is one of Stephen's new obsession. I've been making these for a few months now and they are super easy. We always have all of these ingredients in the house, so I can whip them up whenever he gets a craving for them. I strongly urge you to butter both sides of the potato like the recipe states. Stephen tried to make these on his own one time and didn't think that was a big deal... it is. It helps with cooking the potatoes, and anyway, why would you want LESS butter!?!? A huge thumbs up from our family! 

Slow Cooker Little Smokies

From: Here

Ingredients:

1 pound Little Smokies sausage

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Dump it all in! Stir well and cook on low for 4 hours, or high for about 2. Make sure the smokies are hot throughout and serve out of the crock with toothpicks.

  

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I will make this again and again - perfect for appetizers, potlucks, and parties! These were really delicious and I highly recommend them! 

Eggplant Tomato Bake

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 tomato, sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Arrange eggplant rounds on the cookie sheet and sprinkle Parmesan over the eggplant. Layer one slice of tomato on top of each eggplant round. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese again. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

What I did differently from this recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh, yummy goodness. I had an eggplant that was about to go bad and I have enough in the freezer so I really wanted to try a new recipe. This was so good and simple! Only my 18-month old would eat them with me but I kind of assumed that would be the case with my picky eaters! :)  

Asian Sugar Snap Peas

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 lb sugar snap peas, trimmed
3 Tbsp garlic flavored olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
2 drops chili oil
1/4 tsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven broiler, and move oven rack into the top position.  Place the snap peas onto a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Spread the snap peas out into a single layer. Broil the snap peas in the preheated oven until tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, brown sugar, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. When the snap peas come out of the oven, toss them immediately with the sauce. 

What I did differently from the recipe:
I just got a very small amount of snap peas from our food co-op box last week. We had stir-fry for dinner one night, so I wanted to use these snap peas before they went bad. I adjusted all the quantities of ingredients based on how many peas I had. I didn't have garlic flavored olive oil (and I've never even heard of that!) so I put in olive oil and juice from minced garlic. I left out the chili oil because I don't have that on hand, and I left out the sesame seeds because I don't really enjoy too much of the sesame flavor.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! The stir-fry was delicious and being able to heap these onto my plate just made it even better. Stephen didn't like the flavor because of the sesame oil - if you don't like peanut butter you won't like these! But I thought it was a delicious addition to the meal!!
 

Glazed BBQ Meatballs

From: ??

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Barbecue sauce
1/2 cup grape jelly
36 frozen meatballs, unthawed

Combine barbecue sauce and jelly in large saucepan. Heat until jelly melts.

Stir in meatballs. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes until meatballs are heated through.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I have made these with all kinds of barbecue sauce - original, honey, tangy, etc. but I have never used anything other than plain grape jelly. I almost stepped out and used muscadine grape jelly tonight when I made them but I was scared what flavor it would be. Also, it always takes my meatballs closer to 10 minutes to really heat all the way through. I just use the plain frozen meatballs.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This is such an easy, go-to favorite of mine! I've been making this recipe for years and can't believe I didn't have it on this blog. It's the type of recipe that you can make at the last minute and you pretty much always have at least the BBQ sauce and jelly on hand anyway. Definitely recommend this one for parties and appetizers!