Sugarcrafter » appetizers

Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

Tracy — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:17:49 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful and happy Christmas! We did indeed; it was great to catch up with family and play games, share food, and simply enjoy one another’s company. I think my favorite part of our Christmas gathering was making homemade pierogi for Christmas dinner – just about everyone had their hands in the dough at some point, so you know the pierogi were made with love! Though the fun is over now and we’re back home and settling into our normal routines, I’m also looking forward to the new year with anticipation. We’ll be having a small gathering with a few of our close friends on New Year’s Eve, and I’m really looking forward to it. Also, since I read that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity, I thought it would be fun to throw together this simple salsa, which is made even simpler by using canned black-eyed peas rather than dry. I hope you’ll give it a try for your New Year’s celebration, too!

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White Bean and Garlic Dip

Tracy — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:15:58 +0000

This past weekend was my brother in law’s bachelor party weekend as well as my future sister in law’s bridal shower, so hubby and I were more than a little busy. There was lots of traveling, cake baking and decorating, and one of my favorite parts, catching up with hubby’s family. We did get a little rain, but for the most part it was sunny and warm outside, so it was a really great weekend for all of it. When we got back home late last night though, it was like it had suddenly turned into summer…and while I certainly won’t complain about the warmth, it’s pretty humid out there. This kind of weather calls for light food, such as salads, fresh fruits, and snacks like this white bean and garlic dip. Other than the ingredients list, I don’t even really need to include directions – it’s as easy as throwing everything into your food processor. I hope you enjoy this light summer snack!

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Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball

Tracy — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:32:18 +0000

One of my favorite things to make for Super Bowl weekend is buffalo chicken dip. However, if hubby and I are going to a party somewhere else, sometimes I don’t feel like lugging along my 9×13″ baking dish. I decided that this year, I was going to take everything I love about that dip and put it into a cheese ball…much easier to transport, and you don’t have to worry about keeping it warm, either (although it tastes great warmed up, too!). You can make it several days ahead of time and the flavors will continue to meld together in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve, so it’s a great appetizer to have prepared beforehand if you don’t have a lot of time on game day. Make it today!

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Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Tracy — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:01:58 +0000

I hope you all had a great New Year’s! As for me, I’m still sick – as soon as I got over my virus from last week, I was bombarded with a nasty ear infection and a cold…not at all the way I was hoping to ring in the new year. Since I wasn’t feeling well, hubby and I played it low-key and stayed in on New Year’s eve and spent a quiet evening together. We ordered out for dinner, but I did manage to drag myself into the kitchen to make this pizza dip so that we’d have something fun to snack on. I didn’t have any crusty Italian bread on hand, which is what I thought would really go well with this dip…so we just used tortilla chips and it was just as good. It’s very easy to make, and you can also prepare it a few days ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. Don’t be afraid to change it up and add in your favorite pizza toppings – sausage, mushroom, pepper, pineapple – whatever your heart desires. Here’s to an extraordinary (and healthy!) 2011!

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Stuffed Zucchini Slices

Tracy — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:10:10 +0000

We’ve received a good amount of zucchini from our CSA this year, but I think they’ve finally been supplanted this week by fall squashes like butternut and acorn for the remainder of the season. I’ve enjoyed cooking with all the zucchini we received though, especially my lemon pasta with zucchini and feta (which is one of my new favorite dishes), and of course my late aunt’s zucchini bread. I wanted to do something different with the last few though, so I decided to try stuffing them. Once baked and stuffed, I cut them into slices and served them as an appetizer for hubby and I before dinner. Suffice it to say that we had a very small dinner that night, because we ended up polishing off almost the entire plate! But, since it is zucchini after all, we didn’t have to feel too guilty about it. If you still have some zucchini hanging around that you don’t know what to do with, give these a try!

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Leek and Prosciutto Puff Pastries

Tracy — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:03:13 +0000

In addition to all of the lovely goodies that everyone brought to the Big Summer Potluck, we were also given a few products to sample, including some amazingly creamy goat cheese. There happened to be some left over at the end of the day, so our hostesses generously gave it to us to take home…and even though I had to drive for several hours, I couldn’t pass it up! I made a makeshift refrigerator with some cold soda bottles, and it was totally worth it. When I got home, I baked up these savory puff pastries before I could devour the rest of the cheese on crackers. With store-bought puff pastry on hand, they were easy appetizers! I made these for me and the hubby, but you can easily double the recipe for company.

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Kale Chips

Tracy — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:07:12 +0000

When I got kale from our CSA a few weeks ago, I was pretty excited about it since I had never tried it before. I didn’t really know what to do with it though, so I asked one of the owners of our CSA. She said that she likes to make kale chips, so I decided to give them a try with the freshly picked kale as soon as I got home – and boy, was I surprised! I didn’t think they were going to be that good, but they were wonderfully crisp and crunchy. Plus, they’re a much healthier snack than potato chips. If you’ve never tried them before, you should definitely add them to your list. They’re simple, inexpensive, and best of all, healthy!

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Loaded Nachos

Tracy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:45:11 +0000

When I first saw these nachos on How Sweet It Is, I immediately bookmarked them to make at a sooner-rather-than-later date. You see, Jessica and I have a lot in common, with love of cheese and bacon and general aversion to vegetables at the top of the list (although the CSA hubby and I joined this year is quickly changing my mind about the vegetables!). I was especially intrigued about taking regular old corn tortillas and baking them, essentially making my own tortilla chips. I thought they would be bland and boring, but sprayed with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, they were delicious, and best of all, healthy! Stock up on corn tortillas for a quick and healthy snack that pulls together in no time at all!

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BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

Tracy — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:04:32 +0000

Hubby and I have been on vacation this week, and it has definitely been a much-needed break from the daily grind…I’m feeling refreshed and (almost) ready to get back into the routine already! The temperatures have been hot though, and the thought of turning on the oven still makes me want to stick my head in the freezer, so the grill has been our best friend. I used my George Foreman grill to make these quesadillas, but you can easily make them on a regular grill. They’re simple to throw together, and of course, you can customize them according to your taste!

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Tracy — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:31:44 +0000

I admit that until a few months ago, I had never even heard of lettuce wraps. I’m not a huge fan of vegetables (although I’m coming around, thanks to our CSA!), but I was out to dinner at P.F. Changs with a friend, and she ordered their lettuce wraps. I was skeptical, but when they were served, I knew I had to try making my own version at home. To my surprise, I absolutely loved them! And not only that, but they’re very easy to make. The only thing I’d do differently the next time is to use fresh lettuce leaves from our CSA. Give these a try if you need a quick weeknight meal, lunch, or even an appetizer!

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