Category Archives: appetizers

Soy Sauce Butter Popcorn

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  • 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
  1. Pop your popcorn however you like: My favorite method is to air-pop it in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add 3 kernels. Once the test kernels pop, add the rest of the kernels, reduce the heat to medium, and shake constantly until the kernels all pop (or until there are a few seconds between each pop).
  2. Melt together the butter and coconut oil, then whisk in the soy sauce. Whisk in any extra mix-ins, as I listed above (Sriracha, garlic salt, and Parmesan cheese). Another excellent topping is a few tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds.
  3. Pour the soy sauce butter over the popcorn and toss to coat.

 

Cranberry Rosemary Cheese Spread from 12tomatoes.com/

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  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon (2-3 sprigs) fresh rosemary, minced
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Ritz crackers, for serving
  1. In a large bowl or mixer, cream together cream cheese and goat cheese, then mix in honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  2. Fold in cranberries, apricots and rosemary, then refrigerate for 20 minutes, or until just chilled, but still soft.
  3. Serve with crackers or sliced baguette and enjoy!

 

Tuna Pâté from food & wine

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  • two 10-ounce cans solid albacore tuna packed in olive oil, drained
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 6 anchovy fillets, drained
  • 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons minced capers
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped celery rib
  • Toast or crackers, for servingLine a 7 1/2-by-3 1/2-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving plenty of overhang. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tuna, butter, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, cayenne, anchovies and the 3 tablespoons of capers. Season with salt and pepper and process until smooth. Scrape the puree into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Cover with the overhanging pieces of plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.In a small bowl, stir the 2 tablespoons of minced capers with the parsley and celery and set aside. Unwrap and unmold the pate; onto a serving dish and sprinkle the parsley mixture on top. Serve chilled with toast or crackers.

 

Creamy Mexican Street Corn Dip from 12tomatoes.com/

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  • 3 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen, then thawed)
  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled, garnish
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  1. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream, and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté corn and jalapeño for 6-8 minutes, or until softened and browned.
  3. Remove veggies from heat, then pour into cream cheese mixture, stirring to combine.
  4. Season with chili powder and cumin, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
  5. Fold in cilantro and green onions, then sprinkle with cotija cheese and serve with chips. Enjoy!

Oven Fried Pickles from www.delish.com/

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  • 1 c. Sliced pickles
  • 1 c. panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp. melted butter
  • 4 tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • Ranch dressing, for dipping
  1. Preheat oven to 450° and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat pickles dry with paper towels.
  2. In a medium shallow bowl, mix together panko, butter, dill, garlic powder and cayenne. Season mixture with salt and pepper.
  3. Working in batches, toss pickle coins in flour until lightly coated, then toss pickles in eggs. Dredge the pickles in the panko mixture until fully coated.
  4. Place pickles on prepared baking sheet and bake until the coating is golden and crispy, about 15 minutes.
  5. Serve warm with ranch dressing.

 

Pizza Pull-Apart Sliders

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for the sliders:
1 package (12) dinner rolls
1/2 cup pizza sauce
12 slices mozzarella cheese
Sliced and sauteed mushrooms
slice black olives

for the herb butter topping:
1/4 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper optional

Preheat oven to 350 f degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Slice the rolls horizontally (while still attached) to make a top and bottom bun.

Place bottom bun into prepared baking dish. Spread pizza sauce onto rolls.

sauté mushrooms in olive oil for 5 min to soften.

Next, add 6 slices of cheese (covering all of the pizza sauce.)

On top of the cheese layer, add mushrooms and black olives.

Add the remaining 6 slices of cheese on top.

Then cover all of it with the top bun.

Pizza Sliders (www.thecountrycook.net)

Now, make the seasoned buttery topping. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.

Then cover all of it with the top bun. Then, using a brush (or a spoon) spread topping all over the sliders. Be sure to get the sides too!

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes. You’ll want to see that the cheese is all nice and melty around the edges.

Shrimp Cocktail Dip

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  • 3/4 pound frozen cooked shrimp (thawed, tails removed, divided)
  • 1/2 pound cream cheese (softened)
  • 1/3 cup cocktail sauce
  • 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • 2 tablespoons chives (sliced, for garnish)
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • butter crackers (to serve)
  • Thaw shrimp as per package instructions and dry well.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, add half of the cooked shrimp, cream cheese, prepared horseradish, and cocktail sauce. Puree until completely smooth, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the remaining shrimp and pulse until chopped. Transfer dip into a serving bowl and garnish with chopped chives. Serve with butter crackers.
  • Tip: This dip is also great in a sandwich spread on a tea sandwich!

Baltimore-Style Crab Cakes

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  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat, picked over
  • 20 saltine crackers, finely crushed
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • Lemon wedges, for servingIn a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce until smooth.

MAKE AHEAD

The crab cakes can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated overnight.

 

Vivian Howard’s Party Magnet

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¼ cup high-quality blue cheese (I like Maytag)
⅓ cup (5½ tablespoons) butter
¼ cup fresh goat cheese
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cream cheese
¼ cup chopped dates
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (both white and green parts work here)
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Salt-and-Butter-Roasted Pecans (recipe below), roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

SALT-AND-BUTTER-ROASTED PECANS
2 cups pecan halves or pieces
2 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
For the cheese ball:
Take the blue cheese, butter, goat cheese, and cream cheese out of the refrigerator to soften 30 minutes before making your cheese-ball mixture.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all the ingredients except for the pecans and parsley. Paddle it up till homogenous. It will be loose and sticky and you’ll wonder how you’re ever going to form that mess into a ball. The answer is, you transfer the bowl to the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so. During that time the cheese mix will firm up enough for you to pat it into a sphere. Once it’s stiff enough to hold up, form the ball and roll that ball in the pecans, followed by parsley.
For the salt-and-butter-roasted pecans:Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Toss the pecans thoroughly with the melted butter and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and slide that sheet onto the middle rack of your oven. Roast the pecans for 11 minutes if using whole pecans and 10 minutes if you’re using pieces.

Bring the slightly darkened and toasty-smelling pecans out of the oven and hit them with the remaining salt. Let them cool 5 minutes before you eat them. These will keep for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

Soft Pretzel Recipe from fifteenspatulas.com

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FOR THE DOUGH:

  • 2.25 tsp instant quick rise yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 12.5 oz all purpose flour (2.5 cups)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp baking soda
  • vegetable oil for greasing the sheet pan
  • coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  1. Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. This indicates the yeast is alive and working. Add the flour and salt. Mix with the dough hook by hand for a few seconds to roughly combine, then fit the hook and bowl on the mixer and knead on medium low for 5 minutes. The dough should feel soft and smooth, not sticky to the touch.
  2. Cover the dough and let rise for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil. You could use parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  4. Place the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (just cut it with a knife).
  5. Whisk to combine the warm water and baking soda and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. FYI it’s not going to dissolve completely, and that’s okay.
  6. Roll each of the eight pieces into a long rope, and shape each one into a pretzel (see the step-by-step photos on the blog post to see how to do this). Dip each pretzel into the soda wash and place onto the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, then let them rest for 10 minutes.
  7. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until the pretzels are golden brown. Brush the pretzels with the melted butter while they are hot out of the oven. Enjoy while they are hot, and keep in mind these don’t taste as amazing the next day. Enjoy!