Appetizers for New Years

For New Years, why not party with a bunch of appetizers.  Here are some of my favorite appetizer recipes:

Fiesta Spinach Dip:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 pkg fiesta ranch-style dip mix
• 1 - 13 oz can of artichoke hearts
• 1 - 10 oz pkg of chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 - 8 oz can of water chestnuts

1. Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, and fiesta ranch mix and set aside
2. Drain the artichoke hearts and chop finely
3. Drain and rinse the water chestnuts, chop finely and add into a large mixing bowl with the  artichoke hearts
4. Drain well the spinach and mix with the artichoke hearts
5. Mix the mayonnaise/sour cream mixture with the water chestnuts, artichoke hearts, and spinach
6. Serve with your choice of bread, crackers or chips
7. ENJOY!

Orange-Glazed Smokies:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 pkg of little smokies

1. In a sauce pan, combine sugar, flour, orange juice, mustard, and vinegar and cook until thickened
2. Add smokies and heat until fully heated
3. Serve with toothpicks and enjoy!

Bean Dip

• 1 cup refried beans
• 1 cup spicy hummus
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Heat beans until soft, then mix in hummus, sour cream, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and taco seasoning and mix until combined
2. Top with chopped cilantro
3. Serve with chips and enjoy!

Happy New Year Everyone!

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

These potatoes are overstuffed with BBQ chicken and cheese!

Yield: 4 stuffed potato halves

• 2 large baking potatoes
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup salsa con queso
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream and chives to top

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees
2. Clean potatoes and pierce several times
3. Cover the skin with olive oil and bake for 1 hour in the oven
4. Remove potatoes from the oven and make sure they are soft all the way through (they may need a little more time in the oven)
5. After potatoes are cooked, shredded chicken and cook in a frying pan with a little chicken broth or water, salt and pepper.
6. When chicken is cooked, mix in BBQ sauce and cook another minute or so
7. Cut potatoes in 1/2 lengthwise and scoop potato into a bowl
8. Mix butter, sour cream, salsa con queso, and salt and pepper with the potato
9. Combine chicken and potato and spoon into the potato skins
10. Top with a generous amount of shredded cheese and bake for 20 minutes
11. Top with sour cream and chives and enjoy!

Dreamsicle Pudding

Here is a recipe that is absolutely amazing.  It tastes just like a dreamsicle popsicle.  Take this recipe to a potluck for an instant hit but make sure to bring copies of the recipe.  Every time I take this anywhere, I am bombarded with requests for the recipe.  It is delicious and easy to make.

• 3 oz box of cooked vanilla pudding (do NOT buy the instant pudding, it does not work)
• 3 oz box orange jello
• 3 oz box of cooked tapioca pudding (do NOT buy the instant pudding, it does not work)
• 11 oz can of mandarin oranges
• 12 oz cool whip
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 cups milk

1. Cook together in a sauce pan on medium heat the orange juice, milk, orange jello mix, and both pudding mixes
2. Cook until the mixture is thick
3. Pour into a mixing bowl and refrigerate at least 1 1/2 hours
4. Mix in cool whip and mandarin oranges and ENJOY!

Tip: I like to make cooked mixture the night before and then mix in the oranges and cool whip before taking to a party or serving at home

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

These brownies are amazing and festive for the holidays! I took a basic homemade brownie recipe and added a twist of dark chocolate, white chocolate, and candy canes. You can make this recipe without the candy canes for a Triple Chocolate treat! These were a huge hit at my office for a birthday celebration. Take them to a Holiday party, they will be a big hit! 

• 1 cup butter, melted 
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar 
• 1 tbsp vanilla 
• 4 eggs 
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 
• 2 candy canes, crushed into small pieces 

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees 
2. Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla until well blended 
3. Add eggs and mix well 
4. Mix together flour, cocoa powder and salt and then mix with the butter/sugar mixture 
5. Fold in chocolate chips and candy canes pieces 
6. Bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 40 minutes 
7. Let cool on a wire rack 
8. Serve and enjoy! 

Candy Bark

One of my holiday favorites is Peppermint Bark.  Candy bark is easy and fun to make and you can make your own flavor varieties.

My peppermint bark:

• 1 bag of milk chocolate chips
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips
• 2 candy canes, broken up into small pieces
• Parchment

1. Melt on a double boiler the milk chocolate and pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
2. Melt the white chocolate on the double boiler and pour over the milk chocolate
3. Swirl the 2 chocolates together on the top layer
4. Sprinkle broken candy cane pieces over the chocolate
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
6. When chocolate is solid, break up into smaller pieces and enjoy.
7. This makes a great homemade present too!

Other candy bark varieties:

• Chocolate and peanut butter with cookie crumbles
• Dark and white chocolate peppermint
• Fruit and nut - top chocolate with your favorite nuts and dried fruit
• Confetti bark - top with your favorite holiday sprinkles (the kids love it!)
• Smores bark - top milk chocolate with graham cracker crumbles and mini marshmallows

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes

These potatoes are overstuffed with BBQ chicken and cheese!

Yield: 4 stuffed potato halves

• 2 large baking potatoes
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce
• 1/4 cup salsa con queso
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream and chives to top

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees
2. Clean potatoes and pierce several times
3. Cover the skin with olive oil and bake for 1 hour in the oven
4. Remove potatoes from the oven and make sure they are soft all the way through (they may need a little more time in the oven)
5. After potatoes are cooked, shredded chicken and cook in a frying pan with a little chicken broth or water, salt and pepper.
6. When chicken is cooked, mix in BBQ sauce and cook another minute or so
7. Cut potatoes in 1/2 lengthwise and scoop potato into a bowl
8. Mix butter, sour cream, salsa con queso, and salt and pepper with the potato
9. Combine chicken and potato and spoon into the potato skins
10. Top with a generous amount of shredded cheese and bake for 20 minutes
11. Top with sour cream and chives and enjoy!

Homemade Spiked Hot Cocoa

Here is a delicious recipe my husband came up with for a spiked hot cocoa. You can make this minus the alcohol for the kiddies!

Servings: 4

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder 
• 3/4 sugar 
• pinch of salt 
• 1/3 cup water 
• 4 cups milk 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 
• Dash of nutmeg 
• 1 shot of rum 
• 1/4 cup Bailey's 

1. Make a chocolate sauce by mixing the cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and water and bring to a boil for a few minutes, but make sure not to burn it 
2. Add in milk, rum, Bailey's, and vanilla and bring liquid to a hot temperature without boiling it 
3. Serve and Enjoy! 
4. This cocoa is delicious topped with homemade whipped cream! 

Homemade Whipped Cream:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

1. Beat heavy whipping cream with an electric whisk until it starts to thicken
2. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and continuing whipping until soft peaks form

Cream of Chicken and Potato Soup

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 large celery stalked, chopped
• 1/2 cup of carrot matchsticks
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 medium red potatoes chopped
• 3/4 cup flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 of the meat from a 2 lb roasted chicken
• 2 cups milk or half and half (I used soy milk)

1. Melt butter in a large pot, that is large enough to make the soup in
2. Add onions, celery, carrots, jalapeno, and mushrooms and saute 2-3 mins
3. Slowly mix in flour until mixture is thick
4. Slowly stir in chicken broth so that the broth and flour/veggie mixture is mixed well
5. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, oregano, marjoram, ground mustard, and rosemary and cook on low heat, covered for 15 - 20 minutes until potatoes are almost cooked
6. Add chicken meat and milk and continue to simmer for 1 hour
7. Serve and enjoy!

Gooey Grilled Cheese

Who doesn't love a perfect grilled cheese sandwich?  The bread is perfectly browned and the cheese inside is melted all the way through.  I know that I have made grilled cheese where the bread is burned and the cheese isn't melted.  Here is a way to make it amazing:

• 2 pieces of bread per sandwich
• Butter
• Cheese of your choice (I used 2 slices of cheddar per sandwich and then cut some thin slices of colby jack)

1. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat that you have a lid for
2. Butter 1 piece of bread for each sandwich and put into pan butter side down.
3. Layer cheese on top of bread, cover the pan and let cook while you butter the remaining bread
4. Put the top layer on the bread and flip to check the bottom bread piece.
5. Continue to cook with the lid on so that the entire sandwich is heated and all of the cheese melts
6. Check every few minutes to make sure the bread doesn't burn
7. Enjoy!