Jalpeno Poppers

This is an amazing recipe!! What could be better Bacon, cream cheese and jalapenos, seriously this should be illegal!! It is delicious!  You can use the fresh Jalapenos from your garden, and if your plant looks like mine you could make it three or four times if your tummy can handle it!

18-20 Jalapenos
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1-2 green onions, chopped
9 slices of bacon cut in half.

Prehead the oven to 275 degrees.  Cut the Jalapenos in half, scoop out the seeds and membranes. (for a little kick leave some seeds in).  In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and green onion.  Fill the jalapenos with the cream cheese mixture.  Cut the bacon slices in half and wrap them around the jalapeno.  Secure with a toothpick.  Brush them with a little barbecue sauce and throw them in the over.  (I was in a hurry and cooked mine at 350 for 30 minutes and they were great).  Enjoy!!

Baked Cheese Sticks

Who doesn't love Mozzarella sticks?  I use to love to get these in High School when we would go to Denny's or Village in and just sit and snack on these.  Yummy!  Though making them baked instead of fried makes them not nearly as bad for you.  These are a fun treat that you will love, as will your sweet kids, who will think you are amazing when you make them!

 

Ingredients

4 C. Corn Flakes

or 1 cup Corn Flake Crumbs

1 garlic salt

1/2 oregano

1/4 all-purpose flour

2 egg whites

2 water

1 (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Combine CORN FLAKES cereal, garlic salt, and oregano in pie plate or shallow bowl. Place flour in second pie plate or bowl. In another bowl, beat egg whites and water with fork until thoroughly combined.

2. Cut cheese into 12 sticks approximately 2-3/4 inches long. Dip cheese in flour, then in egg mixture, then cereal mixture. Carefully repeat dipping in egg mixture and cereal mixture to double coat completely. Place on foil-lined shallow baking pan coated with cooking spray. Coat remaining cheese using same method. Lightly spray coated cheese sticks with cooking spray. Let stand about 30 minutes.

3. Bake at 400° F for 8 minutes or until cheese is soft and sticks are lightly browned. Serve hot with pizza sauce or salsa, if desired.

Stuffed Mushrooms

These are another holiday favorite of my husbands, his Mom makes them for Christmas or New Years. Even my boys who are not usually mushrooms eaters can't skip these.

24 mushrooms cleaned with stems removed
1 lb country sausage, browned and drained
1 pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Blend cream cheese and sausage. Fill mushrooms. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.

Cheese Ball

My mom is not a dairy lover. Cheese is low on her list and cheese balls with lots of different cheese in them are not her style. This recipe is simple but packed full with delicious flavors. We enjoy both of the cheese balls posted on Christmas Eve. You can use thinly sliced ham instead of budding chipped beef and it tastes just as good.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese-softened
1/4 c. mayo
1/4 tsp season salt
1 Tbsp. Worcester
1-2 drops Tabasco
1/4-1/2 tsp liquid smoke
3 green onions- minced
1 package chipped beef

Blend all ingredients together. Shape into a ball and refrigerate until serving.

Cheese Ball

This cheese-ball is my Grannie Williams Recipe. Every year around Christmas/New Years we enjoyed it growing up. We still devour one each year at my parents on Christmas Eve. I can't open a box of Wheat Thins without memories of this cheese-ball and my childhood enveloping me.

Ingredients

2 -8oz packages of Cream Cheese

1 jar Kraft American Cheese Spread

1 Jar Kraft Pimento Cheese Spread

1/3 Jar Kraft Blue Cheese Spread

3/4 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Soften cream cheese until room temperature, combine all ingredients except nuts until smooth. Chop nuts of your choice and line saran wrap in nuts. Place cheese mixture onto saran wrap and shape into a ball, refrigerate until firm. Serve with crackers.

Delicious Guacamole

Ummm, umm, um!
That says it all.

6 ripe avocados, diced
4 green onions, finely chopped
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 lime, juice only
1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
2 packets McCormick Guacamole Seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and serve with tortilla chips.

Deviled Eggs

Now that you have eggs in a rainbow array of colors, it's a great time to whip up some deviled eggs. The most time consuming part is done, the eggs are cooked. Here's the way my mom taught me to make them, and there's never leftovers when these are on the table.

1 dozen hard boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 to 3/4 cup Miracle Whip
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel eggs and pop yellow yolk out into a bowl. Mash yolks up until fine. Add mustard, some miracle whip, salt and pepper and mix until smooth and moist. You don't want a dry mixture so add more miracle whip if needed. Spoon mixture back into egg whites or pipe it in with a Ziploc baggie you've cut the tip off of. Enjoy.

Very Cheesy Bean Dip

2 cans refried beans
1 can black beans
1 lb hamburger
1 small can green chilies
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 small bottle cheese whiz

Brown hamburger. Mix all ingredients in large pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. I usually cook mine in my crock pot on low for about an hour or 2. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cheese Ball

This is not a picture of my cheese ball, but I love the concept and am going to make mine this way for a holiday party we are attending this month. With a few peppercorns and a baby carrot this cheese ball has some real character. We enjoy this cheese ball recipe below every year over the holidays, it's a tried and true favorite.

Ingredients:

1 Package Philidelphia Cream Cheese

1 Jar Kraft Roca Cheese Spread

1 1/2 Cups Finely Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Green Onion Finely Diced

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Directions:

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. With mixer combine all ingredients (reserving 1/2 cup grated cheese). Spread remaining cheese on a piece of saran wrap. Form cream cheese mixture into a ball and roll in remaining cheese to form a coating around the ball. Refrigerate for at least an hour, allowing the cheese ball to get firm. Serve with crackers and fresh veggies.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
8 oz. cream cheese
2 T sour cream
2 T mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmesan
Garlic salt - to taste
cayenne pepper - to taste

Heat cream cheese in microwave for about a minute to soften. Add spinach, artichokes, sour cream, mayo, and parmesan. Mix all together then add garlic salt and cayenne to taste. You can either heat throughout in the microwave, place in a small crockpot, or place in an oven safe dish and cook in the oven at 400 degrees until the top is toasty.

Serve with slightly toasted bread slices or Tostitos Flour Tortilla chips.

Apple Caramel Dips

Apple Caramel Dips
#1- 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup caramel sauce
1 tsp. vanilla
mix together and chill... you could mold this into a ball and then roll in broken Heath pieces.

#2 1 jar of Carmel sauce ( I like to use Mrs. Richardson's)
1/2 cup of Sour Cream
Heath Bar pieces

** Serve both recipes with apples slices!

Fresh Salsa

Last night I made up a batch of Fresh Salsa. YUMMO!
I actually made it a bit spicier than usual, but still enjoyed it.

6 ripe beef stake tomatoes diced
1 green pepper diced
1 medium onion diced
2 Tbsp Cilantro chopped
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/4 of Jalapeño pepper diced (you can always add more later)
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

I just throw everything in my food processor, taste, add more of whatever it needs, then serve it up with chips. Enjoy!!

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

1 can of black beans drained
16 oz. of corn (canned, frozen, even fresh)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled & chopped

fresh cilantro (as much as you want), chopped
1 small bottle of kraft zesty! italian dressing

*

Mix it all together, cover & let it chill in the fridge for about a 1/2 hour or so.

*
Serve with chips or all by itself!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
8 oz. cream cheese
2 T sour cream
2 T mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmesan
Lawrys garlic salt - to taste
cayenne pepper - to taste

Heat cream cheese in microwave for about a minute to soften. Add spinach, artichokes, sour cream, mayo, and parmesan. Mix all together and add garlic salt and cayenne to taste. You can either heat throughout in the microwave or place in an oven safe dish and cook in the oven at 400 degrees until the top is toasty.

Serve with slightly toasted bread slices or Tortilla chips.

This is an easy crowd pleaser.

Stuffed Strawberries

Stuffed Strawberries

INGREDIENTS
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste
1 TB vanilla



DIRECTIONS
Cut the tops off of the strawberries and stand upright on the cut side. Make a cut 3/4 of the way down from the tip of the strawberry towards the bottom.
Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth in a mixer or a food processor. Place into a piping bag with a star tip( or put in a ziploc and cut off abit of the end). Pipe into each strawberry and arrange on a serving platter.

Carmel Apple Dip

1 Package Cream Cheese

3/4 C. Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

Chopped Walnuts - optional

Beat all ingredients either by hand or in mixer until smooth. Serve with Apple slices.

Seven Layer Bean Dip

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
* 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
* 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
* 1 large tomato, chopped
* 1 green bell pepper, chopped
* 1 bunch chopped green onions
* 1 avocado mashed (salt & pepper, lemon juice to taste about 1 teas.)
* 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
* 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS

1. Spread refried beans onto a large serving platter or glass bowl. Add avocado layer.
2. Mix the sour cream, cream cheese and taco seasoning mix in a medium bowl. Spread over avocado.
3. Top with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

Guacamole

1 Onion Chopped fine
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped fine
2 small tomatoes, chopped fine
4-5 avocados, mashed
juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients, add 1 tsp of salt just before serving.

(I used my food processor to chop the onions, tomatoes and puree the avocado and it turned out great.)

Fresh Pico De Gallo

4 Fresh Tomatoes, chopped
1 White Onion, Chopped
1/4 bunch of Cilantro, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Lime Juice
1/2 tsp. Pepper

Mix together all ingredients and chill.