Here’s an easy, meatless New Year’s Eve appetizer for you to offer your guests.  Although I haven’t prepared these yet… they look pretty tasty!

Ingredients

cocktail  rye, pumpernickel, or other deli style bread

1-1/2 c Hellman’s mayonnaise (DO NOT use Miracle Whip)

2/3 c finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 T finely minced onion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

oregano

Directions

Preheat oven to broil (450 to 500-degrees) and place parchment paper on baking sheets to prevent extra cleanup.

Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a bowl.  You can use a pastry bag with a fancy tip or just place a dollop on each round (or whatever shape you’ve cut).

Sprinkle oregano lightly on the tops and place under the broiler… (place your oven rack in the second slot from the top)…  for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes until lightly browned.

Note: I apologize for not giving you the quantities of bread rounds or the final yield.  What I recommend is to make up the mayonnaise mixture and make your bread cut-outs as you go… no left-over bread!

Always Enjoy!

Laura and Annie from the Happy Auer Show (pronounced happy hour) show us how to make the tiny little Bacon Tomato Cup Appetizers that they call “Slider BLT’s”!  If it has bacon in it, I love it!

Ingredients

can of biscuits
1/2 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
8 pieces of cooked and crumbled bacon
1 small chopped onion
1 tsp chopped basil
1 chopped tomato
3 oz shredded swiss cheese

You’ll need a mini muffin tin (24 cups).

Directions

Preheat oven to 450-degrees.

Separate each biscuit into 3 segments as shown in video.  (If you have 10 biscuits in the can, you’ll have 30 segments).

Place each segment into a muffin cup and if you don’t have a tool from Pampered Chef… like I don’t… just use the bottom of a shot glass or clean pill bottle to push the dough down.

Place all ingredients in bowl and mix as shown.

Fill the dough-lined muffin cups (even with pastry).  Bake for 8-11 minutes.

Cool a bit and serve.

Always Enjoy!

Out of all of the Enchilada recipe videos that I’ve seen lately, this one appears to be the easiest and tastiest.  The author of this recipe, Ray, says:

“My mother’s side of the family is from Mexico. My dad’s side is from England.
My mom and grandma taught me how to cook Mexican food. It’s not the fancy schmancy stuff you see in restaurants. It’s simple, yet amazingly delicious food
(chicken mole, sopa, enchiladas, flour tortillas, menudo, salsa).  Grandma was
always cooking and always smiling. She’d hand me a fresh homemade tortilla right
off the stove with a little butter on it. The smell and taste of the food is comforting
to me and brings a smile to my face. Thank you grandma! I love you. :)”

And if you’ve been following any of my recipe blogs for awhile, you’ll know that Mexican food has always been and probably will always be my first cuisine of choice.  I don’t know why except that I find it to be the ultimate comfort food.

I hope you enjoy!

Filling

1 lb ground beef or chicken
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
7 oz can green chilies
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tomato
1 avocado
sour cream
shredded lettuce
12 oz shredded cheddar

Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
2 1/4 cup water

Spanish Rice

2 T butter
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 cup uncooked rice
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup diced tomatoes
1-1/2  cups water
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 chicken bouillon
1 tsp cilantro

Follow directions on video.

NOTE: Recipe for refried beans follows.

Always Enjoy!

Here’s a quick and easy Apple Fries recipe from Chef Jason Hill that is a rare find.  The  cream cheese dipping sauce is a delicious accompaniment that will have you licking your fingers!

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce

1/4-cup whipped cream cheese
1/4-cup marshmallow creme
dash of pumpkin pie spice

Directions

Add ingredients to a mixing bowl and whip with a wire whisk until creamy.

Core and peel the apple (looks like Granny Smith in the video) and slice into your favorite french fry shapes.

Place about 1/2-cup cornstarch in another bowl and coat apple slices well.

Use a sieve to shake off excess cornstarch.

Place the apple fries into a deep-fryer pre-heated to 375°F for 3 minutes or until golden in color.

Remove fries and place into a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb any cooking oil.

Sprinkle fries with 1/4-cup granulated sugar mixed with 1/4-teaspoon cinnamon.

Place the apple fries in your favorite serving dish and enjoy.

Always Enjoy!

This simple and tasty Fish Taco Recipe by Chef Jason Hill would have been a bit strange to me about 5 years ago.  I was visiting my girlfriend in Florida and we stopped for lunch at a pretty popular Mexican restaurant since she knows that Mexican cuisine makes my mouth and tummy very, very happy!

So I had my eye and taste buds on beef enchiladas and was just about to order when she suggested that I try the fish tacos.  I said, “No thanks… that sounds fishy in addition to being disloyal to my favorite menu item.”

But she insisted that I try them and was immediately backed up by our server as to how delicious they were.  So since I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to sampling new recipes, I went ahead and ordered.

All I can say is that I was very pleasantly surprised.   I won’t say that I’d order fish tacos on a regular basis, but some folks swear by them.  Actually, I enjoy the shrimp or crabmeat tacos much better… but these are just fine for a quick meal.  Especially when you don’t feel like deveining shrimp or picking crab claws.

And here’s the Fish Taco White Sauce recipe, also by Chef Jason Hill,
mentioned in the above video.

Always Enjoy!

This recipe for delicious Parmesan Cheese & Sesame Sticks is quick, fun and easy!  They’re the perfect nibble for any party.  They are fabulous served alone but can be used to accompany dips or salsas.

Step 1

Your Ingredients

12 oz (350 g) ready-made puff pastry, thinly rolled out to 40mm**
3 tbsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
3 tbsp flour for dusting

Your Utensils

1 knife
1 oven tray
Greaseproof paper
1 brush

Step 2: Preheat the oven

To begin, allow the oven to heat up to 425ºF (220ºC) or gas mark 6.

Step 3: Coat the pastry with Parmesan cheese

Lightly dust a flat surface with flour and lay the pastry down on top.

Use the brush to evenly coat it with the egg mixture, then generously sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the surface and pat it down to make sure it sticks.

Step 4: Coat the pastry with sesame seeds

Now flip the pastry over and brush the other side with the egg mixture. Then coat the surface with the sesame seeds and pat them down to ensure they stick.

Step 5: Cut and twist the sticks

Cutting widthways, slice the pastry into thin sticks.

VIDEOJUG USEFUL TIP

If the dough is too warm it will be really difficult to slice, so if necessary, just pop it in the fridge for a while to chill.

Next, take each strip individually and roll one end away from you and the other towards you to create a ‘twisted’ stick.

Step 6: Bake

Sprinkle a little water over the oven tray to help the greaseproof paper stick, then lay the paper down on top. It should be big enough to cover the whole of the surface.

One by one, place the pastry sticks onto the paper and put them in the centre of oven to bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 7: Serve

When the pastry sticks are golden and crispy, remove them from the oven, transfer them onto a plate and allow them to cool.

**Note: I’ve tried to convert 40mm to inches and all of the conversion calculators that I’ve found on the Internet give me the following conversion:  40mm = 1.57″ Somehow I just can’t see the dough being rolled that thick so personally I would roll my dough out to about 1/8th to 1/4″ thickness.

Always Enjoy!