Bruschetta Dip

I had this at a birthday party not to long ago. I've also been told Trader Joe's has sampled this recipe in their stores. It is amazing!! I could eat the whole thing in one day. So far I've only tried it on pita chips, wheat thins and baguette bread. I think it be really good on top of grilled chicken as well!!

This is a semi-homemade recipe since I don't actually "make" any of it. You do need to have a Trader Joes near you to make this. All I do is get 3 ingredients (all found in fridge section near hummas at TJs) and mix them all together!! Great for a party or just made and store in your fridge and it's a good quick snack to eat over the next week! It's not the prettiest dish in the world and when I first went to try it I was hesitant. But after that first dip, you can't stop!

Trader Joe's Products (pictures of each below)

*2 Tubs of the Bruschetta Sauce
*1 Tub of Crumbled Ricotta Salata (Cheese)
*1 Packate of Steamed (precooked) Lentils

Mix all three together in a big bowl breaking apart the lentils and let the cheese crumble into small pieces. Serve with your favorite cracker or bread... or try it on Chicken! Let me know if you try it any new way! I love this stuff!!

2 Tubs of Bruschetta Sauce

1 Tub Ricotta Salata

1 pkg (box) lentils

Mix in bowl and serve!

Brie and Apple Tarts

I found this recipe on pinterest from a blog called bloghungry. I made them and brought them to a girls night pot luck. We all loved them! I cut them in half after baking to make more smaller pieces. These were fairly simple to make but looked impressive:)

 Ingredients:

1 box (2 sheets) of puff pastry, thawed
1 green apple- thinly sliced
1 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
1 Tbsp butter, divided
1/4 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 medium wedge of brie- cut into slices
1 egg
flour (for rolling)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a good-sized slice of brie and 3 or 4 this slices of apple the middle of each of the 4 squares. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and brown sugar and top with a pat of butter. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

Pizza Bites

I found this recipe on pinterest and made a double batch for a super bowl party we went to. I doubled this recipe and I made one batch plain cheese and one batch pepperoni and cheese. These went SO fast I barely even got any! And we loved them so much my husband made them the next day for us for lunch! This recipe came from "Kristine's Kitchen" blog.

Ingredients:
* 1 pizza dough (I used Pillsbury pizza crust)
* 4 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed (I used a pinch of shredded instead)
* Sliced pepperoni (I made some with and some without)

For Topping:
* Olive oil
* Italian seasoning and garlic salt
* Grated Parmesan Cheese

For Dipping:
* Jar of Pizza sauce (I used Ragu Pizza Sauce)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease 9-inch pie plate or cake pan.

2. Divide dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Top each dough piece with a slice or two of pepperoni and some of the cheese. Pull edges of dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with each square.

3. Lightly brush tops of dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings and parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Serve warm with dipping sauce as desired. (I poured half my jar of Ragu into a glass bowl, placed a paper towel over the top, and microwaved 1-2 minutes until sauce is warm to hot. Serve on the side for dipping or people can spoon the sauce over theirs.)

Sorry for how sloppy this looks... I had the hubby helping me out in the kitchen today and he doesn't cook very pretty:) JUST KIDDING HONEY... You are great! Thanks for the help!
So... pictured here are about 6 of the squares topped with pepperoni and cheese. Pull them apart and then start folding sides up around topping...

Pinch sides of dough around topping

Make sure you pinch together good to close

Place balls in buttered (or use Pam) baking dish, seam side down

Here are my two batches... one with cheese only in the middle

I used a brush and brushed olive oil over the tops of them, Then I sprinkled with seasonings and generously sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan cheese. 

They are ready to pop in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden.

My husband made this batch for the kids and decided to get creative and put cheddar cheese on the top of half... 

Salsa for a Crowd

I've made this a few time for parties and it's pretty good! It makes a TON so either bring it to a big party or cut the recipe in half! I love the beans, cilantro, lime juice and jalapeno in it... creates some GREAT flavor! Everyone seems to really enjoy it and it's not to hard to make! Just serve it with a side of tortilla chips!

2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) diced tomatoes

4-5 large fresh tomatoes, chopped

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup lime juice

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 T cider vinegar

2 T hot pepper sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T coriander seeds, crushed

1 T ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp coarsely ground pepper

1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)

corn or tortilla chips

*place one UNdrained can of tomatoes in large bowl. Drain the remaining can and add tomatoes to bowl.

*stir in the rest of the ingredients

*cover and refrigerate until serving. (I don't like to make this TOO much in advance... a couple hours is fine.)

Add all your ingredients in a large bowl

Mix and taste... season more if needed. Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge till ready to serve. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I used to make this EVERY sunday during football season! It got to the point that I had to stop making it for a few months because I ate it WAY too much! I'm usually asked to bring this to parties. It's super easy and is typically gone in less than 5 minutes of pulling it out of the oven... which is good because this isn't that great once it sits for awhile. It's MUCH better hot and gooey! I've doubled this recipe for bigger parties as well.

Ingredients:

*1 brick cream cheese- let sit out 5 minutes to soften

*1 lg can chunck chicken (I've used swanson. Typically I boil 1 lg or 2 thin chicken breasts in boiling water with seasoning till cooked through. Then I shred with two forks

*1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce (you can use original or wing sauce... both are great)

*1/4 cup Ranch

*1-1.5 cups shredded cheese (colby-jack blend or cheddar)

*Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 350 (If making to bring to a party, I prepare it that morning and cover with tinfoil and put in the fridge. I bring to the party and bake there)

Spread the cream cheese in a 9x9 pan (or similar in size)

Evenly distribute shredded chicken over the cream cheese

Evenly drizzle both the hot sauce and the ranch over the chicken

Top with the shredded cheese. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until bubbly. 

Serve with tortilla chips. You could also serve with celery and carrot sticks.

Spread cream cheese in even layer 

Sprinkle shredded chicken over cream cheese

Add your hot sauce evenly

drizzle on your ranch

Top with a layer of shredded cheese. Bake

Ooey Gooey Goodness! 

Chili con Queso Dip

I made this last night for girls night and it was almost gone before I remembered to take a picture... so next time I make it I will be sure to attach a picture. This is a SUPER simple recipe that is great for a party. You can either make it in a small (16 oz or so) crock pot or over the stove top on a low setting.

*1 can of your favorite Hormel Chili (I almost always use HOT, no beans. Sometimes I do the one with beans as well. Both are good depending on your preference.)
*1 8oz package of Cream Cheese
*1 cup shredded cheese (either cheddar or a colby jack mix)
*Bag of tortilla chips

Place first three ingredients on low in either crock pot or sauce pan over stove top. Stir frequently. Should take about 10 mins for cream cheese and cheese to melt. Mix well and serve with tortilla chips.

Great for football parties!!