Category: Appetizers

Olive Cheese Bread

Some of you…. you know who you are, I know who you are, need to hide your eyes for this one. Ha! I will not comment on how this bread might just make you into an olive lover. I will refuse to say that it is really unreal that you all will miss out on this wonderful olivey, pleasure in this adventure called life. I will not expand upon the fact that olives are just nature’s wonderful way of naturally adding salt to your gooey, cheesey bread. Are you all hiding your eyes and ears now??….. One of my favorite ways to fix up a loaf of french bread is with this yummy recipe from Ree Drummond!! There, it’s over. It’s all ok now…. Now gather these ingredients.

1 loaf French bread
8 ounces pimento stuffed green olives, chopped
8 ounces pitted, black olives, chopped
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 stick butter, room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 pound Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto a loaf of French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to turn brown.

Ree says the mixture can be refrigerated up to two days and used as a dip with crackers as well!

I say, make it to go alongside Italian food, a steak dinner, cut into squares as an appetizer, or cut into thick strips as lunch or supper!

Campers’ Favorite Dip

This chili cheese dip is absolutely perfect for when you need something yummy and you need it fast! It’s great for a night of grilling outdoors or even for a cozy night indoors, just bake it in the oven! Serve with Fritos. Valorie Ebie from Bel Aire, KS shared this recipe with Taste of Home. This is so delicious.

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1 (15 oz) can chili, I use Hormel brand chili with no beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, I shred my own and use colby cheese
2 thinly sliced green onions or diced jalapeños for garnish
Tortilla chip scoops or Fritos

Prepare campfire or grill for medium-low heat. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a 9 inch disposable foil pie pan. Top with chili; sprinkle with cheese.

Place pan on a grill grate over a campfire or on grill until cheese is melted, 5-8 minutes. If desired, garnish with green onions or diced jalapeños. Serve with corn chips.

This can easily be baked in the oven at 350 degrees until bubbly and melty! Enjoy!

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Black Bean-Corn Salsa

This dip is out of my 2004 Southern Living Annual Recipes Cookbook, and it is a definite keeper! Super bowl is coming up and this would be perfect for snacking on during the big game. Fallon loves this. Creed is more quiet regarding this. I think 1 out of 2 kids is pretty good, don’t you? For green and healthy looking things… Serve with tortilla chips or fritos and watch it disappear!

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11 oz.) cans sweet whole kernel corn, drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 T. minced fresh jalapeño, I used an entire large jalapeño and left the seeds (it wasn’t too spicy, but follow your gut on this depending on how much heat you like.)
3 T. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 avocado, chopped
Tortilla chips

Combine first 10 ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Add avocado just before serving. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Cucumber Sandwiches

I cannot express how delicious these little sandwiches are! They are the perfect comfort food after heartbreak, the perfect food to celebrate with, such as baby showers or wedding showers, and they are just the perfect light and tasty bite on any day of the week, and for any reason whatsoever! This is a recipe from Southern Living’s Comfort Food Cookbook.

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 T. mayonnaise
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1 (16 oz.) loaf sandwich bread
Garnish: cucumber slices

Drain cucumber well, pressing between layers of paper towels.

Stir together cucumber and next 4 ingredients. Spread mixture over half of bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices.

Trim crusts from sandwiches, and cut in half diagonally. Garnish, if desired. Store sandwiches in an airtight container in refrigerator.
Yield: 16 sandwiches

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Fried Zucchini Sticks

Soooo, I’m working on being healthier…..fried zucchini sticks should help me ease into things quite nicely. I certainly am proud to be including some green veggies into my diet! Yay, Me! And these are delicious, by the way, and would go great with any of your Italian meals or, of course, would be a terrific appetizer or snack. Easy and super yummy. Serve with your favorite warmed marinara sauce. Now, let’s get those veggies in! This recipe is from Mandy River’s cookbook, South Your Mouth Some More!

1 cup grated Asiago cheese, Parmesan cheese will work too
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for finishing
2-3 whole zucchini
2 T. cornstarch
2 eggs, well beaten
Vegetable oil

Combine grated cheese, bead crumbs, and salt in a shallow bowl; mix well. Set aside

Wash zucchini; dry well. Cut ends off zucchini; cut each in half or thirds, depending on how long it is (Mandy says, you want sections that are about 3 inches long). Cut each section lengthwise into 8 sticks.

Add zucchini and cornstarch to a zip-top bag; seal, then shake to coat. Place coated zucchini on a plate, shaking off excess cornstarch.

Dip each zucchini stick in beaten eggs; shake off excess. Dredge each in bread crumb mixture, taking care to thoroughly coat zucchini; shake off excess.

Add 1 inch of vegetable oil to a medium or large pot. (I used my large skillet.) Heat oil over medium heat until temperature reaches 325 degrees. Fry slowly, so zucchini has time to get tender without the cheese burning. Fry until golden brown.

Cook in batches so as not to overcrowd pan. Sprinkle with additional salt right when you remove zucchini sticks from hot oil. Serve with marinara sauce.

Makes 6-8 servings.

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Corn Dip

Ross Ann Hill was a fun teacher I taught with, my first year of teaching in Idalou,TX, so many, many years ago! Did you catch that? I was trying to see how many times I could use a form of teach in a sentence back there….I’m quite talented! Yeppers. Any who…. she brought this to the hospitality room for a UIL meet that year. 20 years later, this is still my “go to” dip! It works for all occasions, all year long. Thanks, Ross Ann! And if you need it for Christmas, garnish it with diced red and green bell peppers, like I did. Works like a charm.

1 can of Mexi corn
1 small white onion, chopped finely
1/2 stick of Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. mayonaise

Mix well and serve with Fritos.

Spicy Pretzels

This recipe comes from Great Aunt Ann on my husband’s side of the family. She seems to always come up with delicious treats to share as gifts during the holiday season. I really like this recipe because it’s super easy and super yummy! They are perfect to take to parties, to pack up for road trips, or to make for bake sales!

2 (16 oz.) Rold Gold Tiny Twist pretzels, or the pretzel of your choice
1 (16 oz.) bottle Orville Redenbacher popcorn oil
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing or Ranch dressing
1 T. crushed red pepper flakes

Whisk popcorn oil and spices together in a large bowl. Add the pretzels and toss to coat. Leave out 6 to 8 hours until the seasoning is absorbed, stirring occasionally. This is also great for saltines or oyster crackers.

Bean and Cheese Dip

With the holidays upon us, it’s always a good idea to have quick snacks on hand just in case unexpected company shows up or you need to take something to a last minute gathering, or you have a houseful of kiddos spending the night with you. Whatever the case may be, this is so yummy and will cure the munchies for sure! What’s better than something hot and cheesy coming out of the oven to dip tortilla chips in?…..Ya, I can’t think of anything either.

4 (15 oz.) cans refried beans
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 (4.5 oz.) can chopped green chiles
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Diced, fresh jalapeños
Tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the beans, salsa, and green chiles.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle the top with the cheese.

Bake until warmed throughout and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Garnish with jalapeños, if desired, and serve immediately with tortilla chips.
Makes 8-12 servings

*I use Taco Bell brand refried beans, Herdez Salsa Casera “hot” for the salsa, and I like to shred my own longhorn style cheese for this.

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1-2-3 Mexican Dip

My sister-in-law, Laurel, is one of the best cooks that I know. She introduced me to this fabulous dip as well as the cookbook that it came from. I am forever indebted! Not only is this one of the best and most unique Mexican layer dips that I’ve come across, it is also an amazing book! I highly recommend it for the newly weds in your life or anyone for that matter! This comes from Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford’s Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook.

1 can (16 oz.) refried beans – I prefer Taco Bell’s brand
1 1/2 cups medium salsa – Santa Fe chunky is my pick for the salsa
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. onion powder
1 small red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and chopped
1 cup (2 oz.) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 fresh jalapeño chile, cut into rounds (about 20)
Tortilla chips for serving

Combine the refried beans, 1/4 cup of the salsa, the chili powder, cumin, and oregano in a medium bowl. (I have substituted 3 tsp. taco seasoning for the seasonings in this step and it turns out great.) Spread evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch round ceramic casserole dish (at least 2 inches deep) or an 8 by 8 glass baking dish.

Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, red onion, cilantro, and onion powder in a small bowl. Spread over the top of the beans mixture.

Combine the bell pepper and the remaining 1 1/4 cups salsa in a small bowl. Gently spread over the sour cream mixture, being careful to not mix the layers.

Top with the cheese and jalapeño and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips
Serves: 10 to 12

The dip can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

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Chihuahuas

The good folks at the Sky-Vue Drive-In, in Lamesa, TX, came up with the brilliant concept of Chihuahuas. They are pure nostalgia and are legendary around here and they bring so many great memories to mind for many families who spent lots of fun summer nights out at the Sky-Vue! Sadly, the Drive-In is closed now, but luckily, these unique little sandwiches are easy to throw together. Have a movie night at home and make Chihuahuas! You’ll be glad you did!

What you need:

Corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for frying
Kosher salt
Prepared, seasoned taco meat
Price’s Pimento cheese spread
Fresh cabbage, shredded
Canned, whole jalapeños

Fry your tortillas in hot oil until they begin to stop sizzling in the grease and turn a pretty golden color. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Spread a thin layer of pimento cheese on one side of each fried corn tortilla. To each tortilla, add some taco meat, fresh cabbage, and top with another corn tortilla, pimento cheese side first. You are essentially making a sandwich!

Serve with hot peppers and lots of napkins! ….And prepare for greatness.

Make toy chihuahuas…..use a small circle cookie cutter and make little ones as appetizers. Set them out on a pretty platter at Christmas time. I bet you can’t make enough for the masses!