Here is a great way to use up your St. Patrick’s Day leftovers. Serve your leftover corned beef and cabbage as an appetizer! The only thing better than this classic pairing is the dollop of mustard sauce to go over the top. Tangy and bright, this mustard sauce will knock your socks off and is so easy to make – just two ingredients (plus salt and pepper).
Corned Beef and Cabbage Crackers (Serves 4):
12 0z cooked corned beef, chopped
1/2 c cooked cabbage, chopped
12 crackers
Mustard Sauce:
1/4 c fat free greek yogurt (or sour cream if you prefer)
2 1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard
dash of Salt
dash of Pepper
Mix mustard sauce in small bowl. Divide corned beef and cabbage evenly between the 12 crackers. Top each cracker with a teaspoon of mustard sauce. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
This is a great appetizer to throw together when you are feeding a crowd. These stuffed mushrooms are filling and delicious! I used chicken italian sausage in this recipe to cut down on the fat (turkey italian sausage would work great, too). If you can’t get the sausage to crumble into little pieces, give cooked pieces a whirl in the food processor for just a minute. You can make the filling ahead of time and fill the mushrooms when you are ready to bake. Also, I froze a batch of fully stuffed, unbaked mushrooms on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When the mushrooms are completely frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place appetizers into a freezer bag. Keep in the freezer and bake in oven for a great and easy last minute appetizer.
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (makes 20 mushrooms):
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
1 shallot, minced
3 links uncooked chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped finely
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
20 large white button stuffing mushrooms
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add in garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add crushed red pepper and anchovy paste to the pan. Stir until paste has melted into the oil. Add shallots, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until shallot become translucent. Add raw sausage and break up into little pieces with wooden spoon. Add balsamic vinegar, let cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer sausage mixture to medium mixing bowl. Add parsley, Parmesan cheese and remaining two tbsp of olive oil. Taste filling, salt and pepper accordingly. Clean and remove stems from 20 mushrooms. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray foil with cooking spray. Using a teaspoon, fill mushrooms (gently) with filling and place on baking sheet. Bake in over for approximately 15 minutes – remove when filling is bubbly and mushrooms are beginning to get brown around the tops (see picture). Serve warm or at room temperature.
Don’t you just love when a recipe comes together? I had seen the idea of making these little prosciutto cups in a magazine over the holidays and I knew I wanted to make them for this site. You could literally put anything in these delightful mini cups, but I was craving the classic pairing of prosciutto and melon and I added in a sprinkle of basil to liven up these incredibly tasty and bite-sized little appetizers. They are also a breeze to make, so you should definitely try this at home.
Prosciutto Melon Cups (Serves 4):
6 paper thin slices of prosciutto
1 cantelope
1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the six slices of prosciutto and cut in half to make 12 pieces. Spray mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. Arrange prosciutto slices in each muffin cup. Bake in oven for 7-8 minutes. Take prosciutto out of the oven and let cool for 2 minutes. While prosciutto is baking, cut cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop out flesh of cantaloupe. Chop basil. When cups are cool, remove from pan and fill with one melon ball each. Sprinkle top of cups with basil. Serve at room temperature.
For Thanksgiving I plan to serve this appetizer I created while making a delicious olive salad for baked cod one night. This olive salad was so tasty, I could have eaten the whole bowl! It reminded me very much of the spread that goes on a traditional muffaletta. Add some salami, provolone and some puff pastry and an appetizer is born. The best part about this recipe is that they are best served at room temperature or slightly warm. You can make them up to two days before and not occupy precious oven space on the day of your party!
Muffaletta Pinwheels (36 pieces)
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
18 thin slices of Genoa salami
6 slices of provolone cheese
Olive Salad (recipe below)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Working with one puff pastry sheet at a time, spread sheet out on cutting board. Lay 9 overlapping salami slices on pastry. Take 3 slices of provolone cheese, tear into pieces and randomly place over salami. Spread half of the Olive Salad over pastry. Carefully roll pastry up. Working with the seam facing down on the cutting board, cut into 18 slices (approx. 1/2 inch each). Use spatula to transfer slices from cutting board to greased baking sheet (otherwise filling may fall out during transfer – not that it happened to me or anything!). Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with second puff pastry sheet.
Olive Salad:
8 pitted black olives
8 green Spanish olives
4 marinated artichoke hearts
2 tsp capers
1 whole roasted red pepper
1 tbsp deli pepper rings (more or less, depending on how much kick you like)
1 tbsp olive oil
Place all ingredients into food processor. Pulse 10 times or until mixture is evenly chopped. See picture:
There are many, many different appetizer wings out there – and they are all delicious, are they not? These are the wings I grew up with and these are the wings that I crave the most. My mother made these wings for special occasions – cookouts, family get togethers, pot luck dinners – and the smell of these tasty appetizers cooking takes me right back to my childhood. When I asked my mother for this recipe, I was shocked at how few ingredients were involved. The taste is phenomenal and I hope you try these for your next party.
Asian Wings (Serves 4):
2 1/2 lbs frozen chicken wing sections, thawed (sometimes called Party Wings)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp garlic powder
Combine thawed chicken wings, soy sauce, orange juice and garlic powder. Marinate over night or for at least 8 hours, turning occasionally. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, turn wings over, bake another 45 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
You don’t have to go to New York to enjoy a tasty Reuben. I’ve created this bite sized version of my favorite sandwich. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Take the time to make your own dressing with this recipe – not only is it super easy, but it is so much better than store bought. Enjoy!
Mini Reubens (Serves 4):
6 mini whole wheat bagels, split in half (12 total pieces)
1/4 lb deli sliced corned beef
3/4 cup sauerkraut
1/2 cup dressing
6 slices swiss cheese
Dressing:
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 tsp sweet relish (optional)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
Preheat broiler. Spread bagels out on baking sheet. Divide dressing evenly among the 12 bagel pieces. Top with sauerkraut, then corned beef. Cut each cheese slice into six even squares and top each bagel half with 3 squares each. Place baking sheet under broiler and broil until cheese just melts (approx 6-8 mins).
Let’s face it – who doesn’t love “pigs in a blanket”? I spruced up the normal pigs in a blanket recipe and added a few touches of my own. Mainly, I just added chili and cheese to the recipe. But the chili and cheese make this recipe a gooey, yummy, hot mess! I was inspired by the beginning of football season. To me, these appetizers just scream ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!
Cheesy Chili Dog Bites
1 package refrigerated crescent rolls
12 cocktail wieners
1/4c chili (I used canned!)
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. Unroll package of crescent roll dough flat on cutting board. Pinch together pre-cut seams to create one sheet of dough. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut six even rows crosswise (refer to picture below) so you are left with 12 even rectangles of dough. Spread all rectangles with even amounts of chili and cheese. Add cocktail wieners to rectangles and roll up carefully. Place each roll onto baking sheet, seam side down. Bake in oven 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 3 minutes before serving.
