Archive for the ‘APPETIZERS / SNACKS’ Category
Dilly Cheese Ball
This sounds really good, I got this recipe from my Mom and she got it out of a magazine in 2016. I prepare this on 22 Mar 2020 and we the family, tasted it on 23 Mar, and this is really good, excellent flavor. Highly recommended.
Ingredients
- 1 package Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz / 250 g)
- 1 cup dill pickle relish, drained
- 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except the parsley.
- Use an electric mixer and beat until smooth.
- Shape mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. I also wrapped this in foil to help keep the shape. Place in the fridge to chill and firm up for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
- When ready to serve, unwrap and place on a serving tray or plate.
- Sprinkle with the parsley and arrange crackers. For this I used regular and wheat butter crackers.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from a recipe in a magazine.
Classic Cheese Ball
Cheese balls make a great appetizer, I look forward to making this and tasting it as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 packages Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz / 250 g each package)
- 1/4 cup spring onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix, Shortcut
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Add all ingredients, except the pecans, to a mixing bowl.
- Use an electric mixer and beat until the mixture is smooth.
- Shape mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or longer, even overnight, allows the flavors to blend more.
- When you are ready to serve, place the chopped pecans on a plate. Unwrap the cheese ball, roll in the pecans to fully coat.
- Serve with assorted crackers, enjoy.
Notes
Ranch Deviled Eggs
Another tasty deviled egg recipe. Measurements are approximate, basic rule is more Ranch dressing than mayo.
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs, chicken or duck
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, yellow works just as well
- 2-3 tablespoons Ranch dressing, as needed
- BBQ sauce, as needed
- spring onion, sliced, as needed
Instructions
- Cut the eggs in half, removing the yolk to a bowl and placing the whites, cut side up, on a serving tray.
- Mash the yolks with a fork, mix in the mayo, mustard, and Ranch dressing, start with 1 tablespoon of Ranch and add more as desired for a creamy consistency. Spoon the yolk mixture evenly into the whites.
- Place a drop or two of BBQ sauce on top of each egg then sprinkle on some sliced spring onion.
- Chill until serving.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Cheese Cracker Chicken Bites
These sound delicious, bite size pieces of chicken tenders and cheese crackers, perfect. On my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 750 grams chicken breasts, (1 1/2 lbs)
- 2 cups Cheez-It crackers
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and get out a baking sheet. Line the sheet with foil (easy clean up) and spray with non stick spray, or just line the sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces then season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Crush the crackers but not into powder, and place in a shallow dish.
- Add the eggs and cream to a bowl and whisk to mix.
- Dip chicken pieces in the egg mixture then roll in the cracker crumbs until evenly coated and place on the prepared sheet, leaving a little space between each piece.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Fried Green Tomatoes II
This is another version of fried tomatoes and it sounds delicious. Perfect as a side dish, snack, or appetizer. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 medium green tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, Shortcut
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus an additional 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- cooking oil, for frying, as needed
Instructions
- Rinse and slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices.
- In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 2 tablespoons. Mix together.
- Add the tomato slices to the buttermilk mixture and let them soak while you continue.
- In another mixing bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Mix together.
- Heat a nonstick pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, oil should be 180-190 C (350-375 F). When hot, coat tomato slices in the flour mixture and carefully add to the hot oil in a single layer, working in batches, don't overcrowd the slices.
- Fry until the bottom is golden brown, then using tongs, turn the slices over and fry the other side until gold brown, remove to paper towels to drain. Repeat adding and heating the oil until all slices are cooked.
- Serve as is or with a dipping sauce of your choice. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Buttermilk.
Provided by Heather Haddo of Just A Pinch Recipe Club and her recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Fried Green Tomatoes I
This is the basic way to prepare fried green tomatoes and is the method I grew up with. No quantities stated as this is a make as much as you want guide.
Ingredients
- green tomatoes, as desired
- all purpose flour, as needed
- salt and pepper, as desired
- cooking oil, for frying, as desired
Instructions
- Rinse the tomatoes and slice thinly, less than 1/4 inch thick.
- Place some flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper as desired and mix into the flour. Coat the tomato slices in the flour.
- Heat a non stick pan with cooking oil to just cover the bottom of the pan, when hot, add a layer of tomato slices, don't overlap.
- Fry until golden brown on the bottom, then use tongs and turn the slices over and fry the other side until golden brown.
- Remove to paper towels to drain. Continue with remaining slices, adding and heating additional oil as needed.
- Serve and enjoy. Serve as a side dish or as a snack or appetizer.
Notes
Low cost.
Family recipe I have used for many years. Lee Thayer.
United States.
United States.
Tuna Salad Deviled Eggs
I like deviled eggs and I like tuna salad, this sounds like a win win to me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs, Shortcut
- 1 can tuna in water or brine, drained and flaked
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Peel and slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks to a mixing bowl and place the whites, flat side up, on a plate.
- Mash the yolks with a fork, then add the mixing bowl, add the drained tuna, may, mustard, lime juice, garlic, and dill and mix together with the yolks.
- Spoon the filling into the egg whites. Chill if desired.
- Just before serving, garnish with dill. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Steamed Eggs (Rice Cooker), Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Thai Fried Potatoes
I just thought this was kind of unique so I am adding it as a recipe. Thais love french fries, you can see this is any grocery store, there will be 2-3 refer units with nothing but different brands of french fries, shoe string cut, crinkle cut, wedges, American fries, etc, really odd since most Thais normally eat regular potatoes just boiled, unless there is fries. This recipe is what my wife made, basically fried potatoes that taste like french fries. She made these on a whim to use up some potatoes I had on hand before they spoiled, and here is her creation.
Ingredients
- 5 medium potatoes, whole, skin on
- cooking oil, as needed
- sea salt, as desired
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potatoes, place potatoes in a large pot and cover with about 2 inches of water. Turn on the heat to high. When the water is boiling, let boil for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow to cool to room temp, about 2 hours or so.
- Once the pot has cooled to room temp, remove the potatoes from the water, discard the water. Cut the potatoes into large dice, nice bite size pieces.
- In a large non stick pan (we use a wok pan) add about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of cooking oil and heat until hot but not smoking, you are going to shallow fry the potatoes. When the oil is hot, add all the potatoes, stir them around a bit and fry, stirring often, goal is golden brown without burning or charring the potatoes.
- When all the potatoes are golden brown, remove to a strainer to drain oil.
- Place on paper towels to absorb oil as well. Season with sea salt, serve as a snack or side dish as you would french fries. And there you go, fried potatoes that taste very much like french fries. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
My wife's creation for the method. Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Prawn & Cheddar Spring Rolls
In my never ending search for ways to prepare spring rolls, I found this recipe on a friend's website, and these sound very tasty. Spring roll wrappers generally come in 2 sizes, 8.5 x 8.5 inch and 5.5 x 5.5 inch, it is recommended to use the smaller 5.5 inch ones. When I get prawn for this I will measure them with and without the heads so you can estimate the size. This recipe is in no way considered Chinese.
Ingredients
- 50 medium prawn, peeled, deveined, leave tails on
- 50 spring roll wrappers, 5.5 x 5.5 inch preferred
- Cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
- cooking oil, as needed
For the Marinade
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
Instructions
- For the cheese, you can use sliced or block. For sliced, stack 3-4 slices and cut into strips. For block cheese, cut slices about 1/4 inch wide, then slice those into strips. Goal for the cheese is to insert it the prawn where you deveined them.
- If your spring roll wrappers are frozen, take them out of the freezer and place on the counter about an hour before you start so they are completely thawed.
- Prep the prawn by rinsing, removing the head, peel off the shell but leave the last segment of the shell and tail attached, devein but slice a little bit deeper than what you would normally do, this is where the cheese will go, and rinse again.
- Spread the prawn out on some paper towels and pat them dry.
- Mix together the Marinade ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add the prawn and toss together with the marinade. Let the prawn marinate for 15 minutes.
- Now we are going to roll them and this is slightly different from regular spring rolls as both ends are open, with the tail sticking out from one end. First thing to do is mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl, this is your glue to seal the edge, keep that right near where you are rolling. Open the package of spring roll wrappers and if working by yourself, cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. Highly recommended to have two people do this, one to pull the wrappers apart, and one to do the rolling.
- Spring roll wrappers have have different textures on each side, one side is smooth, the other is rough, when using these, smooth side always goes down on your work surface. Carefully pull off a wrapper from the pack, if you have not done this before, you will get the hang of it very quickly and will know how hard you can pull without tearing a sheet. Place the wrapper, smooth side down in front of you with one corner towards you.
- Pick up a prawn and stuff the back where you deveined it with a strip or two of cheese, place the prawn on the wrapper on the corner nearest you. Keep the tail end on the same side for each roll you make.
- Fold the corner nearest you up over the prawn, leaving part of the last shell segment visible.
- Fold the left and right sides in towards the center.
- Roll the prawn away from you until you almost get to the end, now dip two fingers in the corn starch slurry and rub along the two edges of the exposed corner pointing away from you.
- Continue to roll to seal the corner.
- Repeat for all remaining shrimp.
- To fry them, heat about 1/2 inch of cooking oil in a pan to 180 C (350 F), when the oil is hot but not smoking, place 4-5 rolls in the hot oil, a pair of chop sticks will be quite handy to prevent burnt fingers.
- Turn the rolls over when golden brown on the edges and fry the other side until golden, remove to paper towels to drain.
- To serve, have sweet chili sauce, mayo (think Kewpie), or even marinara sauce available. Enjoy.
Notes
I will figure pricing on these when I get some prawn and determine how much cheese I will need. For now, I will say Fair cost.
This recipe for Shrimp and Cheese Spring Rolls is courtesy of Rasa Malaysia.
United States.
United States.
Fried Crab Sticks aka Fish Fingers
In my never ending quest to find recipes that use crab sticks (imitation crab, which is just fish), I came across this one, and it is very good! Easy to prepare, these can be shallow fried in a pan or deep fried. I made these on 31 Jan 2022 and the family loved them! Serve as an appetizer or main dish.
Equipment
- Deep Fryer
Ingredients
- imitation crab sticks
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- cooking oil, as needed
- dipping sauce, of your choice
Instructions
- For the crab sticks, estimate 1-2 sticks per serving as appetizers, or 6-8 sticks per serving as a main dish.
- Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a bowl, and the panko in another bowl. Place a sheet of foil or parchment paper on the counter then unwrap the crab sticks and place on the foil. (And you can see I already had 4 sticks coated already when I took the photo.)
- For pan frying: Heat about ½ inch of oil in a pan, you want it hot but not smoking. For deep frying, set the dial to 180° C (350°).
- Roll a crab stick in flour to evenly coat, then coat evenly with egg mixture, then coat with panko, and place the crab stick back on the foil. (The coating is not thick, but the panko and egg give a nice texture and flavor.)
- When you have 4-6 sticks completed, and the oil is hot, add the sticks to the oil and fry until browned, turn to brown other side, this only takes 2 minutes or so and do not overcook or the crab sticks will fall apart. When using a deep fryer, place sticks in the basket so they are not touching, then deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Repeat for remaining crab sticks.
- Enjoy with a dipping sauce of your choice, such as sweet chili sauce, ketchup, or Japanese mayo (Kewpie). Figure 1-2 sticks per serving as an appetizer and 6-8 sticks per serving as a main dish.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
