Need A Yummy Low-Cal Appetizer for the Game? Giveaway!

     When I think of Superbowl Sunday, the first thing I think of isn't football...it is the food! I am all about appetizers and desserts and could really care less about actual meals! I, like many of you, have been trying to make some healthy eating choices since the first of the year. My daughter sent me this recipe for a baked version of Crab Rangoon and it is really good. If I were serving it to guests, I might dress it up a little bit with a bit of green onion tops or paprika after baking. I put this recipe into a calorie calculator and each piece has 56 calories and 2 grams of fat. They are so easy to make! I used the leftover wonton wrappers with 1 T. of chocolate chips in the middle, folded in half and baked until brown for a 90 calories sweet treat. 

Baked Crab Rangoon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1 can (6 oz) white crabmeat, drained 

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese 

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

sprinkle of season salt

12 wonton wrappers (found in the produce section)

     Mix the drained crab, cream cheese, mayo and season salt together in a bowl until smooth. I just used a spatula. Spray a regular sized muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a wonton wrapper in each hole of the tin. Gently press them in to make a "cup" to hold the cheese mixture. Spoon a teaspoonful of filling into each wonton "cup". Bake about 18 minutes until edges of the wontons are slightly brown and filling is heated. I don't cook with onions, but for those that do, you could add some green onion to the mix and leave out the season salt. 

     These are really good. Do I wish they had more filling, of course...could I eat all 12 of them, absolutely. What I liked the most was that they taste like a real appetizer and you don't feel as if you are missing out on something. 

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I think I can...I think I can!

 

     It probably comes as no surprise that I am a Foodie. I like to try new things, particularly those things that are specific to an area. I eat fried green tomatoes in the South, beignets in New Orleans and crab legs when I'm at the ocean. I always say I don't like liver and lima beans...or wild game. I also didn't think I liked Sushi. I had only tried it once, from a grocery store and after one bite I swore I wouldn't eat it again.

     While in Orlando last month, my daughter really wanted me to go to her favorite little sushi restaurant. She knows me so well and she swore that there were things that I would like if I'd just give it a chance. I decided if she could eat it...I just might be wrong.

     When I thought of sushi, I thought "raw fish". I have found in conversations since coming home, most people who say they won't eat it think the same thing. I had no idea of the options available that weren't raw and many aren't even fish.

     The above first picture is the pretty platter my husband and I shared in Orlando. There is nothing raw on the plate. One roll is made with a tempura (fried) shrimp in the middle, one with avocado, one with cucumber and cream cheese and one (with the curly stuff on top) has the fried shrimp along with cream cheese and conch. All have sticky rice and Nori (seaweed) which doesn't really taste much in fresh sushi. We loved it all. I was really nervous to put one of those big bites in my mouth and so pleasantly surprised at how good it was!

     In the weeks since, we have had sushi at two other locations closer to home. We can't get it in our town, so I decided to attempt to make it...and it worked! I was able to buy the ingredients at Walmart and didn't buy any special equipment, although most would suggest buying a bamboo rolling mat to help roll the sushi. I used parchment paper with plastic wrap and it worked just fine. I didn't attempt to do any shrimp frying. I opted to make veggie sushi.

 

     The ingredients are few and inexpensive. I found them in the Asian section of the store. Sushi rice, Nori, rice vinegar, a little sugar,sesame seeds and whatever veggies you want to put in the middle. I used avocado, cucumber, carrot and cream cheese in various arrangements.

 

Step one: A sheet of parchment paper covered with plastic wrap.

 

     Step 2: Cook the rice. You can find many recipes online for preparing the rice. After it cooks, it is mixed with a small amount of the rice vinegar mixed with sugar (my recipe mixed the two and microwaved them for 30 seconds) and then it has to cool at room temperature. This is the step that takes a while but has no work involved.

 

     Some sushi has the rice on the inside and the Nori on the outside, some is reversed. I made both. The rice is very sticky, so you wet your hands and pat it on the nori. If you want the rice on the outside, simply place another sheet of plastic wrap over the top and flip it over. The rice will still stick.

 

Slice your veggies into long strips.

 

Cream cheese and avocado-rice on the outside.

 

Cucumber and carrot-rice on the inside.

 

Slicing the cream cheese.

 

     Using the plastic wrap to help, slowly roll the Nori into a tight roll. Take it slowly and press the roll together as you go along. When the roll is complete, dampen the edge of the Nori with a little water and seal it to itself. You can immediately slice the roll into slices, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with wasabi or soy sauce.

 

     Mine isn't nearly as beautiful as what we got in the restaurants, but it turned out pretty well for my first try. My husband said he thought it tasted very much like the restaurant sushi. I thought it was good. I was a little heavy handed with the rice and it was a bit too thick. I also think the Nori at the restauants had less of a taste than the dried I bought at the grocery store. It was actually fun to make!

 

Mr. Food Helps With My Super Bowl Snacks!

     I'm sure many of you did exactly what I did yesterday...I ate too much! We went to a lovely Super Bowl party, where everyone brought something yummy to eat! Every day on our local noon news, Mr. Food has a recipe at the end of the show. Sometimes they look good, sometimes not so much. I never try the recipes. I decided for the party to finally give two of them a try. The first was a bar cookie-Lime Margarita Bars (click here for recipe).

     They were very easy to make and I really liked the combination of the salty pretzel crust and the almost cheesecake type filling. Mr. Food showed them with a little whipped cream on top, but I didn't think that would hold up during the party. I dusted them with powdered sugar and sprinkled a few of the remaining crumbs from the pan on top of the bars.

     The second recipe I tried was an appetizer-Border Biscuit Bake (click here for the recipe). This was also very simple to make. Refrigerator biscuits are cut into pieces, tossed with a jar of salsa and covered with cheese, peppers and olives. After baking you end up with a pull apart "bread" with a Mexican flavor. I used 4 cups of cheese rather than the 3 cups in the recipe. I found this to be very good, but just a little dry for my taste. I baked mine 40 minutes and I would reduce that by a few minutes when I do it again. I also would probably serve sour cream and/or guacamole on the side to garnish it with. The flavor was very good and hot from the oven it was gooey and delicious, it needed a bit of sauce or something after it cooled. I did read in the Mr. Food comments that some people added cooked meat before baking which would certainly be delicious. So-did you eat too much? I'm back to eating a bit healthier today!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizers & Zoe Update

What is this stuff?

     Our beagle baby Zoe is 4 months old today and she is growing so quickly you can almost watch it happen. She is a purebred beagle, but I keep asking my husband if they mixed her up at birth because she doesn't look like the other 2 beagles I've had. She has long legs and I'm sure she will grow into them, but at this point, her legs are growing faster than she is filling out. She still only has on and off. Sometimes, she is completely wild and running so fast we can't catch her, grabbing everything she can find along the way. She pulls throws off couches, laundry from the basket, rugs, boots and shoes and loves her toys! When she winds down, she snuggles into your neck and sleeps for as long as you will let her. She would love to spend no time in her kennel, but she is simply too playful and rough for our old beagle to deal with. They do have "conversations" around feeding time. Nike will do her low single bark and Zoe responds with her newly learned high-pitched beagle howl. It is funny to watch and stops after they get fed. We love her!

The sun feels good on old bones!

I'm much quieter than my sister!

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizer

     We love appetizers in our family. If you give us appetizers and desserts, we don't need a "regular meal". I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicicous appetizers. I found this one in an ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and tweeked it a little. I took it to my sister's home for Thanksgiving at it was a hit. I also put some in the freezer and had them for light lunches.

Ingredients:

2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used actual cheese, not the green can/powdery stuff)

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

pinch garlic powder

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts (not in oil) drained, chopped

6 T. chopped black olives

bag of plain mini bagels, split

Heat oven to 375 degrees

     Mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in large bowl.

Stir in chopped artichokes and olives.

     Spread mixture on bagel halves and place on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden and bubbly. Cool a few minutes and cut in half for appetizers. It will take a little longer to bake them if they are frozen. Leave them whole for a nice light lunch.

I forgot to take a picture of them after they

were cooked since we were at my sister's house. Sorry!

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

Please visit our wonderful hostess!

 

Crab Bites-Foodie Friday

     I had several people ask me for my Crab Bite recipe after I served them for both my sister's birthday party and a recent gathering of friends. It is a recipe my mom and I have had for many years. It is very easy and they can be made ahead and frozen unbaked.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:
1 5 oz jar Old English Cheese Spread
1 stick butter, softened
1 6 oz can crabmeat, drained
1 T. Mayonaise
pinch garlic powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
I package (6) English Muffins

Mix the Old English, butter, crab, mayo, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce until well blended. Separate English muffins into halves, then cut into quarters. Spread crab spread onto muffins and bake approx. 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

These are pre-baked. Of course I forgot to

take a picture of them when they were done!

They should be melty and lightly browned.

I am linking today with Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

It is the best place to look for wonderful recipes!

Party Mix-Foodie Friday

      A few days before the Super Bowl I was talking to a friend on the phone and mentioned I was making Party Mix for game day. She commented on how good it sounded. When I told her she should just make a batch, she said she "couldn't do that"! When I told her how simple it was, she decided to give it a try. I decided that maybe there were other people who didn't realize just how easy it was to make a batch of this yummy goodness. There are many variations. This is how I make mine.

Ingredients:

6 cups rice chex cereal

6 cups corn chex cereal

3 cups wheat chex cereal

3 cups Cheerios

2 cups mixed nuts

3 cups pretzels

1 cup vegetable oil

1 T. season salt

1 T.Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

In very large bowl or pan (I use a large soup pot) put all of the cereals, the nuts and the pretzels. In a measuring cup, pour the 1 cup of oil. Add the season salt, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder and whisk (or use a fork) until well blended.

Pour over dry mix and gently toss with 2 large spoons. Pour the mixture onto 2 edged cookie sheets. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cool and store in Ziploc bags or airtight containers.

     Hints: I generally make 2 batches of this (4 cookie sheets). It fills 4 large Ziploc bags. Party Mix freezes very well. These are the ingredients I use when I plan ahead. You can also use other cereals (non-sugared) if you have them.

     Michael is having some wonderful giveaways to celebrate a year of Foodie Fridays!

Very Easy Appetizer #3

     Once again I'm doing a recipe that has no real name. We call them Pickle Roll Ups at our house. My kids love these. They did when they were young and they do now. My daughter takes these to all her potlucks. They are so simple to make, obviously require almost no ingredients and if you take them somewhere, they will disappear very quickly.

Ingredients:

1 jar of medium sized dill pickles, drained on paper towels

1 package thin sliced ham (you can get yours at the deli or use any of the packaged varieties-we started making these when there was only Buddig)

8 oz. cream cheese softened (I used low fat when I made them for this post because we were going to eat them. They didn't turn out as "pretty" because the lite cream cheese is softer-I suggest you stick with the regular cream cheese for guests).

Spread a layer of cream cheese on a slice of ham and top with a pickle. The cheese needs to be softened and you need to spread carefully to not tear the meat.

Roll up the meat around the pickle and slice. The ends might need to be folded in (or fed to the children and husband that are standing over your shoulder).

As you can see, the cream cheese was a bit "sloppy" in this batch and my pickles were a little larger than I like to use. If you use regular cream cheese and soften it in the microwave or let it sit out to get soft, it will firm back up after you slice and chill them. If you are trying to keep the calories low, they do taste just fine with the low fat cheese. Enjoy!

Very Easy Appetizer #2

This is the time of year when people drop in, families sit around the tree and often we find ourselves in need of a quick appetizer. This is the second of three family favorites that are so simple anyone can do them...quickly and easily. The first was the Pitty Pat recipe you can find here. Today's recipe is even easier and the best part is you can keep the ingredients at home and make a batch quickly in a "food emergency"! I don't even have a name for these. We call them "those Triscuit things" around here. I guess we could call them Triscuit Treats or Cheesy Crackers...if we must name them.

Preheat the broiler

Ingredients:

For a larger group, you may want to double this recipe

8 oz. shredded cheese. I prefer the white/yellow mix, but if you have cheddar it works fine.

1/2 cup real mayo (I think you could do this with lite mayo, it might change the taste slightly)

1/2 cup olives (green or black) sliced or chopped.

1 box Triscuits

Mix the first 3 ingredients together.

Top Triscuits with generous spoonful of the cheese mixture.

Place under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes until cheese melts and slightly bubbles. Don't walk away from your oven, these cook quickly. Remove from oven and let cool a few moments. Serve warm. They also taste fine after they cool...but, they won't last that long! How simple is that? I promise you will be surprised at how good these are.

My Most Requested Appetizer Recipe (Very Easy)

     It is Friday and that means it is time to see all those great recipes once again. Please visit Michael at Designs by Gollum for links to some of the best food you will ever see.

     I have discovered something since I started this blog. I've tried to post the recipes that are family favorites, requested by my kids and asked for when I offer to bring a dish somewhere. Believe it or not, I really can cook. I can cook the fancy stuff, with crab, brie cheese and desserts that require several steps. What I realize as I write the blog is that people really like my simple recipes. My most requested things are the easiest and don't necessarily include the fancy ingredients. The following recipe is definitely one of the easy ones.

At our house we call them Pitty-Pats, although I think they have various names in different locations. Men really love this appetizer, but so do their wives. You only need 4 ingredients and the recipe is so simple you will have it memorized. A pound, a pound and a pound.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 pound of sausage (I use mild, if you like spice go for the medium or hot)

1 pound of ground beef

1 pound of Velveeta Cheese (I never buy Velveeta except for this and 2 other recipes)

1 loaf of the small cocktail bread (we like the rye, you can use the sour dough if you want) 

In a large saucepan, brown the sausage and the ground beef together until done. Drain.

Cut the Velveeta into chunks and add to the drained meat, put back on the heat on low. Stir occasionally until the cheese melts.

     I do realize it looks like the dog got sick, but it does taste really good. On a cookie sheet, place rows of the small bread slices and top each slice with a generous portion of the meat mixture.

     Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until the cheese mixture bubbles and the bread is turning lightly brown on the edges. I have been known to stick these under the broiler to cook them faster...watch them closely. The meat/cheese mixture freezes beautifully. Sometimes we make this and use it on regular bread and call it dinner. Enjoy!