Cowboy Queso
Cowboy Queso Dip ~ warm spicy dip loaded with two kinds of cheese, chorizo sausage, black beans, corn, tomatoes and fresh cilantro with a squeeze of lime for that extra burst of flavor. Easy to make; the ultimate appetizer. Serve with tortilla chips.
There are two words that really say indulgence when it comes to recipes: southern and cowboy. Southern ~ as in Southern Style Biscuits or Southern Fried Chicken. Cowboy ~ as in Cowboy Caviar, Cowboy Spaghetti or this recipe for Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies published by ~ who else? ~ Southern Living.
This recipe is the ultimate dip recipe for fans of anything cheesy . . . and spicy. It whips up quickly and because it contains Velveeta, the silky, creaminess of the dip holds up as long as there’s dip in the bowl.
Greek Layered Appetizer Dip
Greek Layered Appetizer ~ hummus, tzatziki, olives and feta layered for a simple, healthy dip. Add chicken for a light entrée.
A weekend in Northern Michigan for a girls’ wine weekend meant lots of laughs and good food. Everyone brought their favorite wine, dishes to share and . . . I did mention wine? There was plenty.
Chips and dip and sheet pans of pizza rolls with ranch dressing were brought out for late nights. We could have used a healthy appetizer like this Greek Layered Dip. I guess that’s why there’s “next time”.
Beef Enchilada Dip
Beef Enchilada Dip ~ spicy ground beef, cheese, black beans, tomatoes, green chilies and enchilada sauce, topped with more cheese and baked ’til bubbly.
The Super Bowl is almost here. Maybe that means you’ll be hosting a few friends and their appetites. Or maybe you got lucky and just need to bring a dish. Something other than your shining personality, though bring that too. Someone has to be the life of the party after all.
The fact is you should must bring something crowd-approved and usually that means bold spicy flavor, like this Beef Enchilada Dip.
Classic wings are probably already covered, so if you’re serious about bringing your A-Game, I highly recommend Beef Enchilada Dip . . . or a batch of Jalapeno Poppers. Or both.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Fresh Tomato Salsa ~ light, spicy fresh tomato salsa with a hint of lime and no cooking involved. Also called pico de gallo ~ it’s a delicious appetizer with tortilla chips or topping your favorite Mexican dish.
We planted our garden again this spring and watered and fertilized all the plants; probably watering more this year than I can ever remember because of the stretches of 90+ temps.
We lovingly cared for these little sprouts like they were our children, anxiously waiting for the first sign there would be a harvest and watching as some of the tomato plants grew as tall as me. Don’t be too impressed ~ I’m only 5’2″.
Our reward for all this tending is lots of tomatoes. I’m talking Lots.Of.Tomatoes. We’ve eaten them in pasta salad, sliced on BLT’s and even a goat cheese-tomato appetizer. Some have a future in marinara but for now, our favorite is this Fresh Tomato Salsa with a basket of tortilla chips and a couple of margaritas.
Tomato Caper Goat Cheese Appetizer
Tomato Caper Goat Cheese Appetizer ~ burst tomatoes, garlic and capers nestled around tangy goat cheese, broiled until golden and served with warm toasted bread.
Back in the winter of 2015 I posted a recipe for one of my favorite combinations, roasted tomatoes and goat cheese slathered thick on a lightly toasted baguette slices. Like women and good wine that recipe has improved with age and is now this Tomato Caper Goat Cheese Appetizer. If you made it before, you’ll notice a couple of subtle changes to the process that in my opinion make the dish even tastier.
It’s meant to be an appetizer but a nice glass of red or chilled Rosé, depending on the season along with some warm, crusty bread and for me, it’s dinner.
Blue Cheese Honey Appetizer
Blue Cheese Honey Appetizer ~ the bold flavor of blue cheese is paired with sweet, locally sourced honey and warm, lightly toasted artisan bread for a simple, 3-ingredient appetizer.
For the record, I can’t take credit for this Blue Cheese Honey Appetizer even though I ate it twice in just one weekend at Taste restaurant during a recent girls’ trip. The talented chef at Taste gets all the credit; I never imagined how outrageously good pairing these two flavors would be and I’m glad for the chance to share it with you.
Blue Cheese Honey Appetizer is hardly a recipe at all. It’s actually more of an idea, bordering on a recommendation (from me) and so easy I guarantee you can’t mess it up. Simple, understated, it packs serious wow factor and takes almost no time to assemble.
Mini Crab Cake Appetizer
This Mini Crab Cake Appetizer shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. #Chardonnation #SpringWine #CollectiveBias
How do you choose a bottle of wine? A cute label has caught my eye more than once, but I’ve gotten zapped on that method because cute doesn’t always translate into flavor.
Notable Wines launched this spring the first ~ and only ~ wines that highlight their flavor profiles on the front of the bottle so you know what’s inside even before the first sip.
I love a good white wine ~ especially going into the summer season so I was anxious to try both the California and Australia varieties. They didn’t disappoint and both paired really well with this Mini Crab Cake Appetizer ~ gently crisp outside, lumps of tasty crabmeat inside with a little dollop of horseradish mayo sauce on top. You might say everything hit just the right note.
Saganaki Fried Greek Cheese Appetizer
Saganaki Fried Greek Cheese Appetizer ~ creamy mild cheese pan seared to golden toasted outside, gooey melted cheese inside with light lemon flavor. Opa!
If you’ve wondered how simple an appetizer can be, how about three ingredients and under 10 minutes?
Until now maybe you’ve only had this dish in restaurants because you didn’t realize how simple it is to make at home. No flames are involved here so your eyebrows will remain intact, but feel free to shout a hearty Opa!
Reuben Wonton Cupcakes
Reuben Wonton Cupcakes ~ corned beef, kraut, 2 kinds of cheese and thousand island dressing baked in an easy bite size wonton cup.
It’s hard to believe but it’s been two years since I took a leap of faith and began this food blog journey. Last year I wrote a piece on the one year anniversary, still feeling my way through after reading articles like ‘How to Start a Blog’ in just a few ‘easy’ steps.
Contrary to much of what’s online, it’s not easy and it’s not free but I’m grateful to be here, still writing and still cooking. There’s no where else I’d rather be.
Last year in lieu of a celebratory blogiversary cake, I shared one of my favorite recipes. This year we’ll blow out a candle with these Reuben Wonton Cupcakes.
If the thought of a Reuben sandwich or Corned Beef and Cabbage excites you as much as it does me, you’ve come to the right place. They’ve become one of my top recipes as well as being a family favorite.
Taco Cupcakes
Hola! That’s pretty much the extent of my Spanish, even though Mexican food is one of my favorite things to eat pretty much any day of the week. I don’t need National Taco Day or Cinco De May to chow on 4 or 5 of these Taco Cupcakes. They’re really great all by themselves, but put out with a pitcher of margaritas and friends, you’re got yourselves a party.
