Category: Appetizers

Kentucky Hot Brown Bites

In the 1920’s The Brown Hotel in Louisville drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. Chef Fred Schmidt created the Hot Brown open-faced sandwich for their late night snack. This is a scaled down version.

Mornay Ingredients:

  • 1 Tab unsalted butter
  • 1 Tab flour
  • 1 c milk
  • pinch of freshly ground pepper
  • freshly grated nutmeg to taste
  • ½ c coarsely grated Gruyère cheese

Mornay Directions:

  1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat.
  2. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. (Do not let mixture brown.)
  3. Add milk, whisking constantly.
  4. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes more.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
  6. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
  7. Allow to cool slightly.

Kentucky Hot Brown Bites Ingredients:

  • 1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
  • 1 c finely chopped turkey (or dark meat chicken)
  • 1 c Mornay sauce (See Page 1)
  • 2 slices bacon, chopped – microwave about 2 minutes
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • ¼ c grated Parmesan cheese

Kentucky Hot Brown Bites Directions:

  1. In a small bowl combine finely chopped turkey and Mornay sauce
  2. Lightly spray a mini muffin pans with non stick cooking spray.
  3. Unroll crescent rolls and press dough into one large rectangle.
  4. Cut rectangle into 24 squares.
  5. Press dough squares into muffin cups and shape up around the edges.\
  6. Fill each muffin cup with some of the turkey mixture.
  7. Top each bite with some diced tomato, bacon and Parmesan cheese.
  8. Bake at 350º for 13-15 minutes until lightly brown.

Serves: 24 bites

Source: www.plainchicken

Arizona Cardinals Chicken Quesadillas

Good for lunch too!

 Quesadillas Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 10 flour tortillas (7-8 inches)
  • 2 c Queso Fresco, shredded (½ lb)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Emerald Sauce
  • Vegetable oil

Quesadillas Instructions:

  1. Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper until less than 1/2-inch thick.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet and saute chicken breasts untilbrowned, about 3 minutes a side.
  4. Transfer to a heatproof dish and place in oven until cooked through and internaltemperature is 175 degrees, about 10 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and let rest on cutting board for 5 minutes.
  6. Shred chicken.
  7. On half of each tortilla place 2 tablespoons of the Queso Fresco.
  8. Top with some chicken.
  9. Drizzle with Emerald Sauce.
  10. Top with another tablespoon of Queso Fresco.
  11. Fold over the top of the tortilla.
  12. Brush each side with vegetable oil.
  13. Cook each tortilla in a skillet until lightly browned on each side and crispy.
  14. Place on a baking sheet.
  15. Reheat in 350° oven for 10 minutes.
  16. To serve: Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges and drizzle with Emerald Sauce.

Emerald Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1/4 c chopped fresh ginger
  • 3/4 c chopped green onion
  • 2 tap salt
  • 1 c vegetable oil

Emerald Sauce Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.

Serves: 40 piece

Source: sportsglutton.com

Pesto Puffs

Sometimes it phyllo, some time filo – it is all the same, flour, water and skill.  Count your blessings!  You can now buy these frozen. You can now skip steps 1 – 9. YEA!

Phyllo Shell Ingredients:

  • 8 sheets phyllo dough
  • 4-6 Tab melted butter
  • Or 2 packages of frozen miniature phyllo tart shells.

Phyllo Directions:

  1. Brush a sheet of phyllo with butter.
  2. Place another sheet on top.
  3. Brush with butter.
  4. Repeat with all 4 sheets.
  5. Cut into 12 pieces (3 cuts lengthwise and 4 crosswise).
  6. Spray mini muffin pan with non stick spray.
  7. Press each cut piece into a mini muffin tin.
  8. Repeat with 4 more sheets of phyllo dough
  9. Bake 350° until lightly brown.

Pesto Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 c tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • ½ c mayonnaise
  • ¾ c mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ¼ c Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 4 tsp pesto
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

Pesto Directions:

  1. Combine tomatoes, mayonnaise, cheeses, pesto and pepper in a bowl.
  2. Place a heaping teaspoon of mixture into each phyllo shell. ( I used a one oz scoop – fast and easy.)
  3. Bake at 350° until slightly brown and the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Serves: 24 Pieces

Source: North Dakota Living, The Voice of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, Bekki Fischer, Slope Electric Cooperative

Marvelous Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb ground bison
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ c Gorgonzola cheese
¼ c dried bread crumbs
2 Tab chopped onion
1 Tab grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ tsp ketchup
½ tsp Italian seasoning½ tsp dried basil
pepper
1 bottle dry white wine

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except the wine.
Shape into 1 inch balls.
Place balls in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 350° for 10 – 15 minutes.|
Drain and let stand.
Place meatballs in a chaffing dish on low setting.
Here comes the complicated part – pour half a bottle of dry white wine over the meatballs to keep them moist, and pour yourself a glass or two with the leftover wine.
Serve and look like a gourmet genius.

Serves: 4 dozen pieces

Source: Meatballs – Carmen Creek Gourmet Meats, Calgary, Canada, Sauce – Maddy Kelly, Domicile Interiors, Calgary

Villa Park Women’s League – GOURMET – March, 2013

Idaho Nachos with Granite City Dip

Not your abuela’s nachos!

Nachos Ingredients:

  • 1 bag waffle cut fries
  • 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 3-4 green onion, sliced.
  • Granite City Dip

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Spray large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  3. Layer the fries onto the baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the fries begin to turn golden brown.
  5. Remove from oven.
  6. Place on oven proof platter or tray.
  7. Top with cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and green onions.
  8. Place in 400° oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
  9. Serve on a tray with bowl of sauce.

Granite City Dip Ingredients:

  • 1 c sour cream
  • 2 Tab mayonnaise
  • 2 Tab dried parsley
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp curry powder
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl,.
  2. Stir until incorporated.
  3. Pour sauce into serving bowl and place on nachos tray

Serves: 10-12

Source: A Nickel’s Worth of News, Copycat Recipe by Mrs. Nick with reference to a post by Granite City Food and Brewery. (which has restaurants in Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and other states, but not Idaho!)

Okra Cornmeal Cakes with Chevre and Roasted Tomatoes

Here is an okra you can eat!  These look really pretty and you can make the corn cakes ahead of time and reheat in the oven.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 3 Tab Olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 c cornmeal
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 8 oz okra, 1/4″ slices
  • 1 jalapeño, cored, seeded, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 c vegetable oil (more if needed)
  • 4 oz chevre (goat cheese)
  • 2 Tab mild Parsley sprigs

Directions:

  1. Combine tomatoes, olive oil and kosher salt to taste in a bowl.
  2. Toss.
  3. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350° for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice.
  4. Let cool.
  5. Combine cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  6. Combine egg and water. Whisk lightly.
  7. Stir egg mixture into cornmeal mixture.
  8. Fold in okra, jalapeño and garlic.
  9. Let sit 5 minutes to absorb some of the water.
  10. Heat oil in a large skillet until warm.
  11. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into oil.
  12. Cook until browned, flipping once, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  13. Transfer to paper towel on a rack.
  14. Mash chevre with milk in a small bowl.
  15. To serve, place a dollop of chevre on each cake.
  16. Top with a couple of roasted tomatoes.
  17. Garnish with small sprig of parsley.

Serves: 3 dozen

Source: annies-eats.com, Adapted from Basic to Brilliant, y’all, Virginia Willis

Buffet Mushroom Hors d’oeuvres

These mushrooms are above and beyond!!

Ingredients:

  • 20 large, fresh mushrooms
  • ¼ c butter
  • 6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
  • ½ c bread crumbs or stuffing mix
  • ¼ c parsley, chopped
  • ¼ c green onions sliced thin
  • ¼ tsp thyme, crumbled
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c Tillamook extra sharp cheddar, shredded (4 oz)
  • parsley and cherry tomatoes for garnish

Directions:

  1. Remove stems from mushrooms, reserving stems.
  2. Brush mushroom caps with butter.
  3. Brush cookie sheet lightly with butter.
  4. Arrange mushrooms on cookie sheet.
  5. Chop stems.
  6. Brown bacon and drain on paper towels. Crumble.
  7. Saute mushroom stems, bread crumbs, parsley, onion & thyme in bacon drippings.
  8. Beat cream cheese until smooth.
  9. Stir in cheddar cheese.
  10. Stir in bacon and mushroom mixture until blended.
  11. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps.
  12. Broil 4 inches from heat, 3 to 5 minutes.
  13. Arrange on platter.
  14. Garnish with parsley and cherry tomatoes.

Serves: 20 pieces

Source: The Tillamook Cookbook

Cold Shrimp Roquefort

These are pretty impressive.  You could serve them on lettuce for a first course.

Ingredients:

  • 20 large shrimp
  • 5 oz Roquefort cheese
  • 4 oz cream, cheese
  • 1 tsp scallions, chopped very fine (or green onions)
  • 1 Tab Cognac or brandy
  • parsley chopped

Directions:

  1. Steam shrimp until just pink.
  2. Shell and devein.
  3. Starting at the tail, cut a deep slit down the back but not all the way through to make a pocket to hold the Roquefort mixture.
  4. Mix the Roquefort cheese, cream cheese, scallions and Cognac or brandy (a small food processor does this easily.)
  5. Stuff the slit in each shrimp, using a large frosting tip.
  6. Sprinkle the chopped parsley on the stuffed portion of the shrimp
  7. Chill.

Can be prepared ahead. Will keep overnight refrigerated.

Serves: 20 Pieces

Source: Sunsational, Junior League of Orlando-Winter Park, Florida

Comments:  You can use (Costco) cooked shrimp 20-15/pound shelled with tail on.  Remove tail and follow directions starting with second instruction.

Angels on Horseback

Alas, we never tasted these.  With the Angels all prepared, resting on the counter to be cooked, the cooks went to take a quick shower before the dinner.  Well . . .  upon entering the kitchen, they discovered the dog amid a pile of toothpicks on the floor, with a large grin on his face.  They did not bring the toast rounds.

Ingredients:

  • 12 medium sized raw oysters, shucked and drained
  • ¼ c dry white wine
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • coarse salt
  • fresh ground pepper
  • hot sauce or Tobasco to taste
  • 6 slices lean, thin cut bacon, cut in half
  • 12 toothpicks soaked in water about 10 minutes
  • 12 buttered toast rounds (optional)
  • lemon wedges

Directions:

  1. Preheat broiler.
  2. Drain oysters.
  3. In a bowl, mix the wine, garlic, salt, pepper and hot sauce together.
  4. Add drained oysters and toss to coat.
  5. Let marinate 20 minutes.
  6. Cut bacon in half and cook in a microwave for approximately 1 minute or pan fry until the edges begin to curl but the bacon is still flexible (do not completely cook bacon).
  7. Drain well.
  8. Remove oysters from marinade.
  9. Wrap each oyster in a bacon strip and secure with a damp toothpick, overlapping the bacon approximately 1 inch.
  10. Place the bacon wrapped oysters on a broiler pan.
  11. Cook the oyster and crisp the bacon approximately 5-6 minutes on the first side.
  12. Turn them over and broil another 2-4 minutes.
  13. You may need to turn them once or twice to get a good crispness on all sides.
  14. Serve with the pick or remove the pick and place on toast round.
  15. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves: 12 pieces

Source: whatscookingamerica.net

Cheddar Appetizer Spritz

The couple that made these for Gourmet said they thought they were too much work for what they were.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c Tillamook sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz) shredded (room temperature)
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 1 Tbs milk
  • ½ c + 1 Tbs flour
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

  1. Thoroughly blend cheese, butter and milk.
  2. Add flour, salt cayenne pepper.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Force dough through a cookie press onto a greased cookie sheet.
  5. Bake 375° 10 – 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Serves: 32

Source: The Tillamook Cookbook