Sloppy Joe Biscuit Cups

 recipe from plainchicken.com

I have been having such great success baking with my muffin tin lately. I have of course been making muffins but have used my tin for less traditional finger foods much more. I think I have used that tin more this last year in my baking than in the last 10 years combined.

I find a lot of great ideas at Plain Chicken and she has never let me down. Here is another great idea for an appetizer or snack. Quick and easy that kids and adults alike will love.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup ketchup

4 tsp. sugar

4 tsp. mustard

4 tsp. vinegar

4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 TBLS dried minced onion flakes

1 can 10 count regular refrigerated biscuits (not Grand's)

1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slowly cook beef in a large skillet. Drain. Add ketchup, sugar, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and minced onion flakes. Simmer over low heat for 1 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend.

Separate biscuits and place each in an ungreased standard size muffin tin. Firmly press the biscuit dough into the bottom and up the sides of the tins.

Evenly divide the meat mixture between the cups. Top each with the grated cheese.

Bake 18 - 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before removing them from the tin. Use a knife to separate the cups from the tin if needed. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Roll-Ups

Crescent rolls. I use them a lot these days. They are so versatile and easy, not to mention delicious. We had these for a weeknight easy dinner but they would make great appetizers too. I wouldn't recommend adding any extra spicing as the bacon bits and ranch add enough on their own. 

Ingredients:

rotisserie chicken (only because they are so tender but chicken breasts would work fine)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

crescent rolls (original or butter 8 count)

1 pkg. real bacon bits

1 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese

1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix

Shred cooked chicken with 2 forks. Mix all ingredients together except of course the crescent rolls.

Unroll crescent rolls and equally divide the chicken mixture between them, scooping spoonfuls onto the wider edge. Roll up crescent rolls and seal the edges so the chicken mixture is completely covered.

Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until crescents are golden brown.

Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Hot Bean Dip

This has fast become one of our favorite dips. Simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand and simple to throw together. Wisconsin nights are becoming quite cold again. My oven is being used more often and comfort foods are making it back into my menu. 

We have this dip often when watching t.v.or for game nights. The smaller portion is perfect for the two of us. If you are looking at serving this to a larger group, double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 inch pan. It won't last long!

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can refried beans
1 small jar salsa
1 1/2 cups medium cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Spray 9 inch baking dish. Spread softened cream cheese evenly on bottom of dish. Spread refried beans evenly over the cream cheese. Pour just enough salsa over the beans to lightly cover them. 

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until edges begin to bubble. Remove from oven and spread the cheese over the top evenly. 

Place back in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

Serve with tortilla chips.

French Bread Pizza

Talk about a quick, delicious lunch idea. These totally tasty little pizzas are it. Or again, it's football season. You can make everyone happy with some finger food and not spend all day in the kitchen. 

Ingredients:
1 loaf french bread
1 small jar pizza sauce
sliced pepperoni
Colby jack shredded cheese blend

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Slice french bread with 1/2 inch cuts. Lay out on lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Top each bread slice with pizza sauce. Not too much or they will be soggy! Top each slice with desired amount of pepperoni (or none at all if your not a fan of pepperoni). Top each with a layer of Colby jack cheese. Don't be stingy!

Bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Chewy cheesy goodness...mmmmmm.

French Onion Meatball Sliders

recipe from sixsistersstuff.com

Most of the time when something looks/sounds too good to be true, it is. This is not the case with this recipe. I only tried this recipe because John loves meatballs and I wasn't feeling terribly ambitious. I am not normally fond of frozen meatballs but do love french onions. 

These are way easy and beyond delicious. You can put them on small buns or use toothpicks and serve them as appetizers. Or both! Great for get togethers or game day. Everyone will love them and think you spent hours making them!

Ingredients:

24 oz. pkg of frozen meatballs

2 (10.5 oz.) cans condensed French Onion Soup

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Add meatballs. Pour soup over the top. 

Cook on low for 4 hours, high for 2 hours.

Serve on small rolls or toothpicks as appetizers.

I used non seasoned meatballs so the flavors would not be mixed. I also spooned a little of the gravy over the top of the meatballs when I served them on buns. YUM!

Jalapeno Ranch Dip

A cool, refreshing summer dip that will help you get in your servings of vegetables also. Packed full of flavor and smooth despite the addition of jalapeno. The seeds of a jalapeno are really what make it hot, so make sure to seed yours well. 


Mix up and add your favorite veggies. Great for a crowd!


Ingredients:
1 packet dry ranch dressing
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 tomatillos
1 jalapeno, seeded
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 TBLS. lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced


In a medium sized bowl, combine ranch packet, mayo, sour cream and milk until well blended and smooth.


In a blender, combine tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and garlic. Pulse in short spurts until veggies are finely distributed. 


Add two mixtures together, blending them well. Chill for a couple of hours before serving with your favorite vegetables.

South of the Border Egg Rolls

I have no idea why I am calling these South of the Border. It sounds kind of catchy, so I am sticking with it. They aren't your typical egg rolls. They are more of a hybrid. They are also baked and fun to make up!


These can be a fun snack or appetizer. You could also pair them with rice and call it a meal. 


Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups shredded Mexican or taco cheese blend
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
1 lightly beaten egg
salsa


In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Lay out the egg roll wrappers so one of the corners is pointing towards you. Place 1/4 cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you over the filling, roll a bit, then take the point pointing outward and fold it toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until just a small tip is still showing. 


Dip a finger in the beaten egg and lightly brush the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal. Repeat for each egg roll until either all filling or egg wrappers are used.

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Place egg rolls seam side down and spray tops with more cooking spray.


Bake about 15 minutes or until lightly brown, turning rolls once halfway through baking.


Serve with salsa, if desired.

Pretzel S'mores

 recipe slightly adapted from lovefromtheoven.com

When I was a kid, we spent at least a month of our summer camping. I have so many good memories from those summers. Of course some of them involve the food. Something about the open fire that made every meal delicious no matter what it was. 

S'mores were and still are an all time favorite.While this version of s'mores is a bit more advanced, the concept is there. You make this in your kitchen instead of over an open fire and they are fantastic the next day too.

Ingredients:
pretzels
jumbo marshmallows (I used vanilla/caramel)
chocolate bars
melting chocolate
chocolate sprinkles

Cut jumbo marshmallows into 3 equal portions. Sit them on top of a pretzel, then set some chocolate bar pieces on top of the marshmallow. Microwave for a few seconds. Take them out and put a second pretzel on top. Let set, putting them in the freezer while you melt some melting chocolate.


After melting the chocolate, remove pretzel stacks from the freezer and dip them in the melting chocolate, completely coating them on all sides. 


Place on wax paper and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles, if desired. Let set completely.


Store in an airtight container in or out if the refrigerator. I kept mine overnight on the counter. Simply delicious!

Baked Spinach & Artichoke Dip

There are many recipes out there for artichoke dip. This is one of my favorites for the warm version. I love the chilled version too and hope to post my recipe for that soon, now that summer and all it's fun activities are here. This is a big hit, even for those who turn up their nose at the words "spinach" and "artichoke". 


You can serve this warmed right out of the oven or at room temperature. I usually pair it with crackers or tortilla chips and it's gone before it even cools down.


Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped spinach
2 cans/jars non-marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
garlic salt
chili powder
handful of shredded mozzarella cheese


Warm cream cheese in microwave for 2 minutes with your microwave setting at 50%.


Mix all ingredients (including warmed cream cheese) together well in a large bowl. 


Put in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and top with additional shredded mozzarella.


Broil until top starts to turn brown. 

Ham & Cheese Sliders with Poppy Seed Sauce

recipe from the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

These just might be the absolute best sliders I have ever devoured, I mean eaten. No, really. I originally made these with my leftover Easter ham. After our Easter meal, we had a lot more ham than I had anticipated left over. Even after a few of the late night ham sandwiches that are amazing with just mayo and bread. I wanted to try something new and I haven't worked with sliders much, so the timing was perfect.

Wow, just wow. I will definitely be making these every Easter from now on, but they are also perfect for any get together. Easy to make and not only are they amazing right out of the oven, but just as tasty at room temp. or chilled. 

I used Hawaiian rolls as they are a favorite for us.

Ingredients:

24 white dinner rolls

24 pieces of ham

24 small slices Swiss cheese

1/3 cup mayo

1/3 cup Miracle Whip

Poppy Seed Sauce:

1 TBLS. poppy seeds

1 1/2 TBLS yellow mustard

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 TBLS. minced onion

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together mayo and Miracle Whip. Spread onto both sides of center of rolls. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss cheese on each roll. Close rolls and place them on a large cookie sheet (lightly sprayed). Place them very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over the sandwiches. You don't have to use all of the sauce. 

Let sit 10 minutes or until the butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Enjoy!

Pepperoni Cheese Bread

photo and recipe from singforyoursupperblog.com

I found this recipe on pinterest awhile back and thought it would be a great, easy appetizer/snack for my family. Unfortunately I am doing something I don't normally do and that is using the original blogger's photo in place of my own. Yes, I am giving her full credit and her photo is fantastic but part of my own blogging etiquette involves always using my own, original content. However this is another case where among my too many to count photos, I can't find my photo!  I had to share this anyway as it is so easy, family friendly and kind of cute, don't you think? 

So please forgive me this time...

Ingredients:

1 can Italian or French bread (roll)

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

pepperoni slices

marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the bread dough into a large rectangle. Top with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.

Roll up jelly roll style into a loaf. Place seam side down on a foil lined baking sheet. 

Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. 

Remove from oven and let cool down a few minutes. Slice into 1 1/2 inch pieces and serve with warmed marinara sauce.

See? Super easy and very yummy.

Bacon Parmesan Potato Wedges

It's no secret how much we love our bacon in this household. I always have some on hand and incorporate it into any recipe I can. Bacon often makes a recipe that much better or in this case, makes the whole thing. I paired these wedges with The World's Greatest Sandwich. After trying them, I deemed they might be the world's greatest bacon wedges? I think the key is using fresh potatoes instead of frozen fries and cooking the bacon just until it is crisp, leaving it a little soft but yet able to be crumbled. All I know is after making these, I will forever be biased against all other potato wedges.


Ingredients:
1 lb. potatoes
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
3 TBLS. olive oil
6 slices bacon
2 TBLS. cornstarch
2 TBLS. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
cayenne pepper
black pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Scrub potatoes and cut into wedges. Place in a large bowl. Chop onion and add to the potatoes.


Mince garlic clove and mix with olive oil. Pour over the wedges, mixing until the oil, garlic and onion are well distributed throughout.


Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave about 8 minutes. While potatoes are in the microwave, fry up the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel.


Combine cornstarch, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper in a bowl with the thyme and Parmesan.


Crumble the bacon. Mix bacon and cornstarch mixture and toss well to distribute everything as evenly as possible. 


Your wedges should be done by now. Transfer them to a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle seasoning mixture over the top of them and then use a spatula to flip and mix (gently) the seasoning all over the wedges. You can sprinkle a little extra Parmesan on top after mixing, if you want. 


Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until they are lightly browned and the edges are crispy.


To take these a step further (even though the flavor is amazing alone), add your favorite dipping sauce. I am partial to dipping them in ranch dressing. 

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls

If you are looking for an appetizer, something fairly quick and easy to put together, and something absolutely delicious, you need not look any further. WOW! Are these good. I mean like really really really good. 

I originally saw this recipe in a Bisquick book, one of those great little books at the checkout in the grocery store. I have seen quite a lot of variations across the internet of it since. plainchicken.com did it best and her recipe is the one below. 

I doubled the recipe so John could take it in to work and the only thing I wish I had done differently is to save myself some because the few I snuck before he took them just weren't enough. No sauce or dip required as these babies hold their own. The cream cheese makes them most and the flavor beats all other meatball appetizers I have ever had. 

I made these the night before and threw them in the crockpot on warm the next day. As long as you keep the top of the crockpot on, they won't dry out. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. hot sausage

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 1/8 cups Bisquick

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (I used medium cheddar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Roll into 1" balls. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until brown. 

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a variation from a variation from a recipe I saw floating around Pinterest. I had forgotten about a potluck we put together at work. I made this last minute the morning of said potluck having no idea it would turn out to be such a hit. Co-workers asked for the recipe and have mentioned it since (many times) that they were making it...again. 


This goes a long way. You can bring the hot factor up or down depending on your tastes. I used Red Hot sauce and thought it perfect. 


Ingredients:
5 oz. hot sauce of your choice (I used Frank's Red Hot sauce)
2 pkg. cream cheese
8 oz. Ranch dressing
2 - 10 oz. cans chicken, drained well
medium cheddar cheese, shredded


Melt hot sauce, cream cheese and ranch dressing either over the stove top or in your microwave, stirring frequently. About half way through, throw in a large handful of shredded cheese.


Stir in chicken, mixing well.


Pour into crockpot. If desired, add some more shredded cheese on top. 


Serve with chips, crackers or veggies. Celery and cauliflower work great!


Can be kept on warm for 4 - 6 hours.

Snicker Salad

Snickers. If there are any in the house, I will find them, eat them and leave not one crumb behind. They taunt me, they call my name...my favorite candy bar ever. 


This completely satisfied my sweet tooth without being overwhelming. Something about the combo of the creamy whipping with the crunchy apples and gooey snickers. Go ahead and lick your screen now, no one is looking.


Ingredients:
16 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1 pkg. (small) instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
8 - 10 green apples
frozen snickers (2 bags of minis)


Mix package of instant pudding with one cup of milk. Let chill while chopping snickers.


Chop frozen snickers into bite size pieces. I cut the minis into fourths.


Chop green apples into bite size pieces.


Fold 8 oz. of Cool Whip into pudding. Taste and add additional amounts (up to 8 oz. more).


Add apples and snickers into pudding mixture.


Serve cold.

Spicy Sausage & Salsa Crockpot Dip

Good morning, friends! Hope everyone's Monday is going well so far.

I can't take any credit for this completely awesome (and easy) dip. A co-worker of John's makes it often and he was kind enough to share the recipe with me. It is so delicious! You can make it as mild or spicy as you like. We like it somewhere in the middle. 

You can make is quite spicy by using hot sausage and cayenne pepper or very mild by using original sausage and no pepper whatsoever. My version is somewhere in between so pick your flavor.

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean's)

1 package Velveeta cheese

1 jar salsa (I use salsa from the ethnic section in the grocery store)

1 small can of green chiles, drained

cayenne pepper

Brown pork sausage and drain. Add sausage to crockpot. Dice up Velveeta cheese and add to the sausage in the crockpot. Pour entire jar of salsa and drained can of chiles over the top of sausage and cheese. Sprinkle entire top with desired amount of cayenne pepper.  Mix well.

Heat in crockpot on lowest setting, stirring occasionally until Velveeta cheese is completely melted. Serve with your choice of chips. Tortilla or corn chips are really best with this but I like Doritos so I used those.

You can also make this the night before and refrigerate. After following directions above, remove crockpot bowl and allow to cool down before refrigerating.  Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm on the counter a bit before heating on lowest setting of crockpot the next day. 

Edible Koi Ponds ~ Fun Snack for Kids

Good morning! Spencer's special needs class had a Chinese New Year's lunch at school this year. For the life of me, I couldn't come up with an idea on what to send and I had to send something. His teachers always do such fun things to interact the kids and anytime I can be a part of that, I am. Being that they are special needs kids of all ages, I wanted something visually fun for them, plus somewhat healthy. I can be so cheesy at times and this is one of those times. I mean come on, rice cakes, Chinese New Year? 


Spencer's teacher said the class loved them and there were no leftovers. Yay!


Super easy and the kids can make their own too.


Ingredients:
4 rice cakes (your choice of flavor)
1/4 cup whipped cream cheese (I used strawberry flavored)
blue food coloring
Goldfish


Put whipped cream cheese into a small bowl and add the blue food coloring a little at a time until you get the desired color for your water. Mix well after each addition before adding more.


Spread 1 TBLS. of cream cheese on each rice cake.


Top with goldfish. 


I think these are so cute!

Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts

recipe from kevinandamanda.com

Have I mentioned my passion for cheeseburgers? Ever since my very first one, I have loved them above and beyond most anything. Nothing fancy either. Some lean beef and Wisconsin cheese...yeah baby!

Now these don't replace cheeseburgers. More of a fun way to try something new. Perfect finger food snacks or add your favorite side dish to them for lunch or dinner. Either way, everyone wins.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. lean ground beef, browned and drained

1/4 cup water

1/2 TBLS. apple cider vinegar

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1/4 cup ketchup

1 TBLS. mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

2 TBLS. canola or vegetable oil

11 oz. thin crust pizza dough

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown and drain ground beef. Add water, vinegar, onion soup mix, ketchup, mustard and garlic. Stir to combine and simmer over low heat. Meanwhile, heat canola oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Divide the pizza dough into six equal portions and roll into a tortilla like shape. Fry the dough for 1 minute on each side until golden brown and bubbly. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Top with beef mixture and shredded cheese. 

Slow Cooker Meatballs ~ Appetizers

I love trying new appetizer recipes. Who am I kidding, I love trying any new recipe. Even better if I can use my slow cooker! A couple of weeks ago when I went to clean mine out, I realized it had a huge crack down one side. I seriously felt like crying. Sure it is just a slow cooker but I had had it since I moved out of my mom's house when I was 18. It had brought many great meals to my table and traveled with me during my many moves. I was sad to see it go, really.

John bought me a shiny new black one I have yet to try out. Can't wait though!

This meatball recipe requires a little more effort than my past meatball recipes. More prep time and ingredients. While they are meant to be appetizers, with the thick, hearty sauce they produce while cooking, they can also be used over potatoes or pasta. Might also work in small buns as sliders. 

Meatballs:

3 lbs. lean ground beef

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

1 1/2 cups tomato juice

2 small onions, minced

4 tsp. salt

4 tsp. prepared horseradish

pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine all ingredients and shape into 1" balls. Place in deep baking dish and brown in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and drain. 

Sauce:

1/4 cup butter

2 Tbls. lemon juice

2 small onions, chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp. salt

3 cups beef broth

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup red cooking wine

pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onions and saute until golden brown. Blend in flour. Add broth, stirring until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add meatballs. Simmer about 5 minutes more.

Pour into slow cooker. Heat on low. Use toothpicks to serve.

Pepperoni Crescent Roll Calzones

 recipe from themenumom.com

We have come to love crescent roll recipes in this house. Since we are already pizza lovers, these pockets of pepperoni and cheese were a nice change to our menu.

Easy to make, you can serve these for lunch or dinner with a side dish or alone as a snack or appetizer. Either way, you can't go wrong!

Ingredients:

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

pepperoni slices

shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup pizza sauce, plus more for dipping

garlic powder

dried oregano

dried basil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray cookie sheet.

Unroll dough on cookie sheet and separate into 4 rectangles. Press each into a 7 x 4 inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Spread 1 TBLS. sauce on each triangle. Place 4 pepperoni slices on top of each sauced triangle. Sprinkle 2 TBLS. cheese over each triangle. 

Fold dough over filling; firmly pressing edges with a fork to seal. Sprinkle the top of each calzone with garlic powder, dried oregano and dried basil.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove immediately from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Little pockets of goodness!