WELCOME,
It is so hard to believe, that it is now January, 2012. We stayed home, invited out neighbors over.
I fixed alot of appetizers, made some home made tortilla chips. Laura our neighbor brought over her
delicious dip. She asked what she could bring, truth is ..... We got just about everything since it was easy and simple, appetizers.
Here is what we had :D
fresh cranberry, orange Jello relish
home made salasa
lil sausage pig in the blanket
home made tortilla chips
meat / cheese tray ( eric bought lunch meat and cheese from the Deli and rolled it )
smoked gouda cut into cubes
I bought veggies for a veggie tray : cherry tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers,
black olives, celery.
For the celery I placed a bowl of peanut butter and a bowl of raisins on a plate for what they
call at the daycare :D ANTS ON A LOG :D if you have not tried it, it is really good and those that
try it are always suprised that they like it so well
2 cheese balls ...... 1 port wine , ...... 1 sharp cheddar.......
four different types of crackers and bagel bites.
for the
CRANBERRY ORANGE JELLO RELISH
1 - 6 oz raspberry, cherry or strawberry jello
1 bag of cranberries
1 large orange unpeeled
2 red or yellow delicious apples unpeeled
2 celery stalks
3/4 cup crushed walnuts
1 can crushed pineapple juices drained
1 cup of sugar
directions
dice,, apples, oranges, walnuts, celery, place in this in a food process, process until tiny bits, not smooth. you want some texture, when finely diced thru food processor, place in a bowl and add the sugar, mix well. Add the cranberries to the food processor, i set mine on high and process until
the cranberries are finely crushed. when these are done, place in bowl with the other mixture, blend well.
while this is blending, place jello in a seperate bowl, boil 2 cups of water, pour into the bowl with the jello, stir until blended, place in fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes, do not let the Jello set.
just as it is beginning to set, mix all the ingredients together and chill at least four hours, it tastes even better if you are able to make it a 2 to 3 days ahead of time.
notes and tips
i do not eat mine with anything special, i eat it as a side dish, on crackers, in my salad, :D any way you want it. any time you want it :D
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Salsa
ingredients
10 to 12 romas diced small
2 green bell peppers deseeded and diced
2 mangoes peeled and diced small
1 can of black beans rinsed well
3 garlic cloves minced
cilantro chopped to taste, ( eric prefers more than i do ) so add just to taste
2 teaspoons of cumin
dash of salt ( i use sea or kosher salt )
juice of one lime
zest of one lime ( do not use the pith it is very bitter )
directions
add all ingredients togehter, allow to blend. it taste better if you are able to make it at least a day ahead, chill at least two to three hours in advance.
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HOMEMADE Tortilla chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
cook for 5 to 7 minutes
ingredients
you can use any type of tortillas, sometimes i use the spinach, tomato, whole wheat
this time I bought a large bag of flour tortillas, 10 inch, lay them on cookies sheets and sprayboth sides with oil, I use walmart brand olive oil spray. I then placed about 8 to 10 on top of each
other, cut them in half then cut those in half so i have cut the tortillas into quarters. :D
lay these in single layer, sprinkle with any seasoning you want. I just use a little bit of sea salt or
kosher salt. options are chili powder, pepper, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, make a couple different ones and taste them to see if you like them :D
cook only for 5 to 7 minutes once they are in there for 5 minutes they cook extra fast. just as they begin to brown on the edges, watch and take them out immediately.
after I baked the salt tortillas, I decided to coat these with cinnamon sugar mixture. they were good, next time i will add a little more sugar. I purposely didnt wipe the salt off of the cookie sheets.
there was a touch of salt with it .......sweet and salty. :D
your discretion, and your taste :D i always say the great thing about recipes is you can make them anything you want it to be, change, add, take away, it becomes yours.
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PIG IN A BLANKET
1 package of lil sausages drained
3 cans of 10 biscuits ( i buy publix or walmart brand )
I place biscuits on a plate press the biscuit flat,
cheese ( option ) make sure it is a cheese that melts easy
directions
place 1 sausage in the biscuit, slice the sausage in the middle down lengthwise DO NOT CUT IN HALF :D
place a small piece of cheese down the center, wrap the biscuit completley around the sausage
and seal it. I then use soft butter to brush over the biscuit. bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
notes and tips
i dont always use the cheese :D it sure is good tho :D
When we fix these, some of our friends come in and head straight to these little bites :D they love them and very very rarely have anything left over. the key is to have fun with what you are making, cooking or baking. then is made with LOVE :D
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CELERY APPETIZERS
2 or 3 stalks of celery cut into pinky finger lengths
peanut butter
raisins
cream cheese
with a knife place cream cheese or peanut butter down the center to fill the
crease. :D on the peanut butter, place raisins on top. :D so very tastey,
enjoy kids love them too :D
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