Category: Appetizers

Appetizers, Recipes

Baked Potato Skins

Sarah
munchie attack!

If there is one food that reminds me of college, potato skins would have to be it.  From the beginning of freshman year, especially after I joined Kappa Delta Sorority [yeah yeah!] I quickly learned that all the cool kids at college hit up Applebee’s for half priced appetizers for late night snack attacks and socializing. My attendance at half apps was very good when I didn’t have schoolwork to do [darn you classes for getting in the way of socializing!]. Baked potato skins were my favorite appetizer to order…

celebrating my 20th birthday!

There was just something about the combination of cheesy potatoes, crispy bacon, and smooth sour cream that got me every. single. time… except for those forays into the world of spinach artichoke dip or nachos. Oh, the nachos… Well, the good news for my wallet and my waist line is that now I can recreate the taste of college at home, in the form of these delicious baked potato skins. Just as crispy and flavorful as I remember, this appetizer takes me back to the good ‘ole days… hard to believe it’s been almost four years!

Baked Potato Skins

Ingredients:

  • 3 large baking potatoes
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion
  • 2 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • sour cream
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Pierce holes in each potato and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool for at least 15 minutes [important!].

After potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise. Use a steak knife to cut potato flesh away from the skin, leaving a thick layer of flesh next to skin so the skins do not fall apart. Use a spoon to scoop away about 65-70% of the potato. Save potato for mashed potatoes or a snack or breakfast…  🙂

Turn on the broiler in the oven. Place a cooling rack in a baking dish [or use a roaster with a rack].

Brush melted butter over the outside of the potato skin, season with salt and pepper and place on top of the rack. Broil for about 3-4 minutes or until outside skin is starting to get crispy. Remove from oven and use tongs to flip skins so that the flesh is visible. Brush inside with melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. Return to broiler for another 3-4 minutes, remove and then top with cheese and bacon pieces. Return [again!] to broiler for another 2-3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted, watching carefully so it does not burn.

Serve with sour cream and green onions, and allow to cool for a minute or two before enjoying so you don’t burn your mouth like I did! 🙂

Click here for the printable version: Baked Potato Skins

Question of the Day: What one food takes you back to college?

Appetizers, Recipes

Bacon-Wrapped Feta & Almond Stuffed Dates

Sarah

So, are you snowed or iced in today? Or were you yesterday? Something like 30+ states have been affected by this massive winter snow/ice storm. Indiana is one of them. As a precaution, I ran 8 miles on Monday knowing that I probably wouldn’t be able to get out and run for at least a couple days this week. Some people buy bread and milk, others run. What? 🙂 I am marathon-training after all…

As such… I’ve been sitting at home since Monday night relaxing, baking some delicious lemon-blueberry bread, and doing massive amounts of homework.Bacon-Wrapped Feta & Almond Stuffed Dates via thepajamachef.com Oh, and thinking about these delicious Bacon-Wrapped Feta & Almond Stuffed Dates and how great they would be on Super Bowl Sunday. Mmmm I can almost taste them already!

We all know that bacon makes everything better, but let’s be honest here–these stuffed dates would be just as good on their own. [Vegetarian friends, rejoice!] Salty almonds paired with tangy feta stuffed inside a sweet date… what’s not to love? Plus, they’re an appetizer you can make in 5 minutes flat then bake and serve… all while making your guests or your husband think you slaved away in the kitchen. Perfect-o! Now, if only the storm would break so I can get to the store…

Bacon-Wrapped Feta & Almond Stuffed Dates

  • Servings: 16
  • Print

from Kraft

Ingredients:

  • 16 large, dried, pitted dates
  • about 1 ounce crumbled feta cheese
  • 16 sea-salt & olive oil toasted almonds
  • 8 slices bacon, cut in half [I used turkey bacon]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place wire cooling rack on top of jelly roll pan [or any large baking dish/sheet with sides]. Then, cut a slit in the side of each date and stuff cheese and an almond inside. Wrap one slice of bacon around each date, sealing the cheese and almond inside. Place on wire rack and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. Cool for a few minutes on rack before transferring to a paper towel-lined plate to degrease. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

These can be made with fresh dates, but those will require pitting and likely more cheese and almonds to fill them.

Question of the Day: What’s the weather for you today?

Appetizers, Recipes

Caramelized Onion Dip

Sarah

caramelized onion dipSo, yesterday I was thinking of things I love. Things like my husband, and my kitty, and running, and Diet Coke. And the Titanic. Yes, the Titanic. I’ve always been fascinated with the tragedy of the story and the mystery of all that lies beneath the surface of the ocean [and yes, Blue House roomies, of the happy memories of the movie]. On Sunday, as a last fun excursion before the semester begins, my husband took me to see the Titanic Artifact Exhibit in Indianapolis. It was really interesting to see all the artifacts and to read snippets of passenger and crew experiences on the ship/their journey that led them to Titanic. If you have the chance to go see this exhibit sometime [it travels worldwide!], go see it–it is so worthwhile. I highly recommend it. Anyhoo… when thinking of things I love, this Caramelized Onion Dip instantly came to mind, and I found myself craving its smooth, creamy sweet and spicy taste. I can’t believe I haven’t shared this recipe here yet! It’s one of my new favorites. I made this Caramelized Onion Dip back in early December for our church’s leadership meeting, and I’ve been dreaming of it ever since… it is so good!! It’s one of those dishes that is so simple, yet so flavorful and versatile. Sweet caramelized onions with a dash of spice in a creamy dip… heavenly! We scooped up this dip with pita chips and crackers, but when I was prepping it, I may or may not have eaten it by the spoonful. Even my onion-hater of a husband loved it! I think I might be making it again soon… and may even be so daring as to spread it on a turkey sandwich. Yum! Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Sorry that the pic is not the best… bad lighting in the convention center where we have church.

Caramelized Onion Dip [from A Dash of Sass]

Ingredients:

  • 3 large sweet onions, sliced in thin strips
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • a generous 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup fat free sour cream
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Melt butter and oil in a  large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to pan and saute for about 10-12 minutes or until softened. Turn heat down to medium-low and allow onions to cook for another 30-40 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat when onions are browned, caramelized, and sweet. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise with a stand mixer, food processor, or your own strength. 🙂 Stir in onions and serve with pita chips.

Click here for the printable: Caramelized Onion Dip

Question of the Day: What was the best part of your weekend?

Appetizers, Recipes

Sweet-Spicy Pretzel Mix

Sarah

pretzel mixI love snack food. Especially at the holidays or times when I have long breaks. Sometimes it’s more fun to eat little bits of a wide variety of many things… or is it a lot of a wide variety of many things? I’m not sure. Anyways… I was home a few weeks ago visiting my family while my husband was hanging out with his brothers for the weekend, and as usual, my mom, sister, and I spent some time cooking. My sis and I whipped up this quick, easy, and tasty snack mix… and I have to admit that I probably ate more of the mixture before it was baked than after, but that’s beside the point. What IS the point is how delicious this [appropriately named] sweet and spicy snack mix is, and how easy it was to make. The crunch is so satisfying too. This would be a great addition to your Christmas meal or party spread… but I know I’ll be making it other times of the year too! Deeelicious!

Sweet-Spicy Pretzel Mix [from Everyday Food, September 2008]

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups thin pretzel sticks
  • 1 cup whole almonds
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix pretzels and almonds. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and cayenne pepper over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over pretzels and almonds. Stir to coat. Spread on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until mixture caramelizes; flipping every 3-5 minutes to prevent burning. Recipe can be doubled.

Click here for the printable: Sweet-Spicy Pretzel Mix

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite snack mix?

Appetizers, Recipes

Layered Taco Dip

Sarah

It’s no secret that I love Mexican-inspired dishes. Consequently, last weekend, when faced with the choice of what snack to bring to a girls’ night with some friends from church, I instantly thought of Layered Taco Dip. Let me just say that this version is amazing. I’ve never made a taco dip without refried beans and oodles of cheese, and while I won’t go so far to say this is a healthy version of taco dip, it’s certainly not as bad for you as it could be. Anyways…

There are six reasons I love this dip.

layered taco dip
all ready for dipping!
  1. Black beans. So tasty, so flavorful and a little bit of texture.
  2. Guacamole. Enough said.
  3. Cheese! [I never said it wasn’t there…]
  4. Sour cream. Infused with spices and onions. Ummm wow.
  5. Lettuce. Gotta make it healthy somehow 😉
  6. Tomatoes. Topped with spices and onions. Ahhmmazing!

All layered up, served with crunchy chips, naturally. Need I say more? Oh yeah… I think it’s pretty 🙂

Layered Taco Dip [adapted from The Food Network]

Ingredients:

  • olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • hot sauce
  • ~2 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese [shred your own! it’s better!]
  • 1 large avocado
  • garlic powder
  • cayenne pepper
  • kosher salt
  • ~1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 4 green onions, diced
  • slightly under 1 cup sour cream
  • dried cilantro [or fresh]
  • 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 large tomato, diced

Directions:

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, black beans, and hot sauce to the pan and heat for about 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove from heat, add about 2 tablespoons of water and mash with a fork or potato masher. Don’t worry about getting them completely smooth, just mostly. Spread in the bottom of a 1 quart bowl and top with cheese.

Then, halve and pit the avocado and use a spoon to scoop out the meat. Place in a bowl, and add the lime juice and a sprinkle of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt to taste. Use a fork to mash and combine ingredients, then spread over the cheese.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, 3/4 of the green onion, a few dashes of dried cilantro, and a dash of hot sauce. Whip together with a spatula, then spoon out over the avocado. Place lettuce and tomatoes on top, and sprinkle with remaining onion and a pinch of cilantro, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.

Serve with tortilla chips. Since this dish includes avocados [which turn brown when exposed to oxygen], it’s best eaten the day it’s made, at least for presentation’s sake.

Click here for the printable version: Layered Taco Dip

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite party snack?