With the Extra Batter I Also Made Some Onion Rings, Yum!

Follow the same directions given for the fried green tomatoes here.
Add salt to taste after they are fried. Pin It

Cheater Chili Rellenos

My husband is Mexican and his family makes some of the greatest Mexican food and while I have picked up a few recipes here and there, I have not fully master the full depth of flavor that his family gets into their meals. One of my favorite Mexican dishe is chili rellenos, the real, authentic, full-bodied ones made with Anaheim chilis and homemade enchilada sauce. My aunt taught me to make these little cheater ones and I have to say they are really good and easy. Serve with a canned enchilada sauce and these make a great appetizer or with a side of rice and beans they can be a quick meal.

1 can whole green chilis

1 package of egg roll wrappers

1 small block of Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 2 1/2" x 1/2 thick sticks

oil for frying

1 small can enchilada sauce

1 - 2 tsp honey

heat oil to 350〫

Heat enchilada sauce and honey on the stove in a small pan until hot.

Open can of chili, drain and discard liquid. Gentle open the cut end of the green chili and stuff a stick of Jack cheese inside. Open egg roll wrappers and turn the wrappers so that one corner is facing you. Lay the stuffed green chili on the lower 1/3 of wrapper, take the corner closes to you and wrap around the chili until the wrapper is just covering the chili. Take both side corners of the egg roll wrapper and fold over the partially wrapped chili. It should look like you are making a burrito. Once three corners are in place, roll the chili in the rest of the egg roll wrapper. Seal corner with a touch of water. Carefully place in hot oil and fry for approximately 3 min or until egg roll wrapper is browned.

Remove carefully and drain on a wire rack placed over a sheet pan lined with newspaper or paper towels. Serve with a side of enchilada sauce mixed with the honey and warmed in the microwave for dipping.

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Layered Bean Dip

This recipe is my go to recipe when I need to bring an appetizer to a party. It's so easy to throw together and, in my opinion, tastes great. There are a lot of layered bean dip recipes out there. I don't even remember where I got this one. I think it was from my mom, but I have made a couple of changes to it. You can easily tweak this to fit your taste.

Ingredients:

Large can of refried beans

1/2 c salsa

Guacamole or guacamole dip(I use Dean's, the bigger of the 2 sizes)

16 oz sour cream

1 pkg of taco seasoning

Shredded cheese, cheddar or cheddar/jack mix

1/2 c olives, sliced

Green onions,sliced

Tomatoes, chopped(I left out)

Directions:

Mix beans with salsa. Spread in a 9X13 pan. Next spread the guacamole over the beans. Mix together the taco mix and the sour cream. Spread over guacamole. Sprinkle with olives (and tomatoes if using). Cover with shredded cheese. Lastly add onions. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

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Fiesta Pinwheels

It's that time of year when most of us will end up going to at least one holiday party. Whether it's a work, school, friend or family get-together, we almost always will bring an appetizer to share. While searching for some finger food ideas for my son's birthday party this weekend, I found this yummy and easy recipe on the Taste of Home website. They are served cold, so you do not have to worry about keeping and transporting them hot. If you have a long drive ahead of you, just stick them in the cooler.

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup picante sauce
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• Dash garlic powder
• 1 can (4-1/2 ounces) chopped ripe olives, drained
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1 cup (4 ounces) finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 8 flour tortillas (10 inches)
• Salsa

Directions

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, picante sauce, taco seasoning and garlic powder until smooth. Stir in olives, chilies, cheese and onions. Spread about 1/2 cup on each tortilla.
• Roll up jelly-roll style; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Slice into 1-in. pieces. Serve with salsa. Yield: about 5 dozen.
  
  Editor's Note: Pinwheels may be prepared ahead and frozen. Thaw in refrigerator.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home Pin It

Deviled Eggs

Another holiday favorite in our family are these deviled eggs. They are so simple to make, taste great, and make the perfect little appetizer for your Thanksgiving dinner. I made them last night with my son Nathan, when we were finished he laid them all out on a plate waiting for his daddy to come home and eat them (they are his favorite). But, daddy was running late and I guess Nathan just couldn't wait, so when I went to cover the eggs and put them in the refrigerator there were 5 empty eggs on the plate, nicely put back as if we wouldn't notice and would still want to eat them. Nathan had sucked the inside out of the egg whites, licked the whites clean and put them back on the plate. He is thoughtful like that sometimes.

A nice thing to remember about deviled eggs is that you don't have to put the yolk in a piping bag to put back into their whites, a spoon works just fine. Now if you want them to look professional or more elegant then you will need at least a plastic zipperbag, cut the corner off, to pipe the filling into the egg whites.

Deviled Eggs

8 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise

¼ cup Mayonnaise

1-2 Tbl prepared mustard (like Heinz)

1/8 teaspoon salt (optional) if you salted the water you may not want to add salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Paprika for garnish

Dill for garnish (optional)

Pop out (remove) the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika and for a little color, dill looks beautiful too

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving

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Chip Beef Dip

This recipe is another holiday favorite of our house. I am not sure where my mom got the recipe but we make it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is easy, people love it, and you can prepare it up to one day before your event. It presents itself in a Hawaiian bread bowl and what can be better than bringing your dish in a bowl that can be eaten.

Ingredients:Preheat oven to 325〫

1 large jar dried beef, chopped

1 16 ounce Sour Cream

2 Blocks of Cream Cheese, softened

1 bunch of green onions, sliced thin

1 large Kings Hawaiian bowl, top removed (set aside), hollow out bread filling (leave on the foil bottom)*

Wheat Thins or cracker of your choosing

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a mixer.

If you are making the day before then transfer the mixture to covered bowl and refrigerate.

If you are making to eat immediately then spoon mixture straight into the prepared bread bowl and cover with removed bread top. Cover bread with foil to keep from browning too quickly, place in center rack in oven and cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hour or until hot, stirring every thirty minutes and recovering with foil cover.

If you make this the day before, remove from refrigerator and bring to room temp before putting mixture into prepared bowl. You may go straight from refrigerator to bread bowl** but the cooking time does increase. In that case, scoop mixture from covered bowl to prepared bread bowl

Remove from oven when hot, serve immediately with Wheat thins, crackers, or veggies.

* Best way to remove to is to cut off the top of the bread bowl as you would do a pumpkin/jackolatern - cut top middle out and at an angle

** If you are not going to immediately add mixture to the bread bowl do not prepare the bread bowl until you are ready to use it.

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Spinach Balls ala Rosemary

One of the most wonderful things about the holiday season is the sharing of family recipes. As a child there is a sense of peace and happiness watching someone create what will become a family tradition, especially when it has to do with food. I love to ask my friends (or better yet taste/eat) what foods remind them most of the holidays. I have a friend that makes the best dill sauce on homemade dumplings and pork. I have begged and pleaded and offered my first born in a futile attempt to get that recipe. And while she will not share it, I thought in the coming weeks I would share some of our family recipes and give you a taste of the foods that make our holidays special. This recipe was handed down from my grandma, on a recipe card, and is written in her own handwriting. Isn't that such a wonderful gift to give someone? When she is gone I will still have her beautiful writings to remind me of her.

Spinach Balls ala Rosemary

These are the perfect, quick appetizer for when a friend just drops by to say hi. They go from freezer to oven and are ready in about 20 min (less preheat time).

Ingredients

• 1 box favorite seasoned stuffing mix
• 2 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed,squeeze out excess moisture
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 6 egg, beaten
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 bunch chopped green onions
• 1 tsp salt (optional)
• Directions
• In a large bowl add thawed, drained spinach, eggs, stuffing, melted butter, cheese, green onions and salt. The mixture will be loose, form into 1" balls and place on a plate that will fit into the freezer. Freeze balls until solid. You can transfer balls once they are frozen to a large freezer bag for use later.
• To Cook:
• Preheat oven to 400〬 Remove from freezer, place on a cookie sheet (DO NOT THAW). Bake for 20 min or until light brown.

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