Tag Archives: appetizer

Chicken Sausage Puffs with Creamy Mustard Dipping Sauce

Have you ever used puff pastry? I haven’t and I’m left wondering how I can call myself a cook now. Not that puff pastry is something I made from scratch or anything. I simply pulled it out of the box and thawed it out. But why was I intimidated? It’s not like I have to puff it up by blowing into it or anything. These Chicken Sausage Puffs with Creamy Mustard Dipping Sauce were so, so simple. I’m now obsessed. I want to make everything with puff pastry. I may never eat regular bread again.

Frozen puff pastry is thawed until pliable and cut into squares before being cutely topped with a little button of chicken sausage. As the pastry cooks in the oven, it puffs up around the sausage and becomes light and buttery. What a perfect appetizer for the holidays or just as a tasty snack. Make this with pork sausage, turkey sausage or vegetarian sausage and I swear you won’t be disappointed.

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The ingredients:

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Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface; roll into 1 (8- x 12-inch) rectangle. Cut pastry into 24 (2-inch) squares.

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Place 1 sausage slice in center of each square, pressing down. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet and sausage.

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Arrange puffs on aluminum foil-lined baking sheets, and brush with egg. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.

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Meanwhile, stir together mustard and sour cream in a small bowl.

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Serve pastries warm, with dipping sauce.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • light sour cream

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Coastal Living Magazine

Spicy Apple-Glazed Meatballs

I met up with some friends on Monday night to watch a preseason NFL game and I couldn’t help but get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the entire evening.  Friends sporting their team apparel, the sound of the whistle blowing after each play, the sound of helmets banging against each other, the fact that both our favorite MLB and NFL teams were playing at the same time on TVs next to each other – All of these things get me right in the mood for football season, fall, and tailgating.  Not to mention that only a day before I had made these Spicy Apple-Glazed Meatballs which I immediately concluded would be perfect for game day.

Ground meat is mixed with garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper before being rolled into balls and cooked in a thin layer of oil.  Once browned, the meatballs are tossed in a glaze of apple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ground ginger and cayenne pepper.  Torn pieces of bread soaked in a combination of milk and egg are incorporated with the meat mixture which keep the meatballs from being dry.  The meatballs themselves are moist and garlicky while the sauce is sweet, salty and very spicy.  The addition of the chopped scallions adds a light onion bite which tops off these appetizers nicely.  I used ground chicken because I had it on hand so I made sure to cook the meatballs thoroughly before removing them from the heat.  Next time I make these, I think I’ll use ground turkey (the chicken was sticky and hard to shape into balls) and bake them in the oven to keep them nice and round.  While these meatballs make a great appetizer or snack for a game-day get-together or a tailgate, they would also be good as a meal tossed with a little pasta or rice.

Ah, fall and football – how I can’t wait for you.

The ingredients:

To make the meatballs, whisk together egg and milk in a large bowl.  Add bread pieces.  Let stand 10 minutes, just until bread is softened.

Add ground meat, garlic, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Mix thoroughly with hands or wooden spoon.  Shape meat mixture into meatballs.

Heat oil in skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Cook meatballs, half at a time, turning occasionally until brown and crusty on outside and no longer pink inside (for ground chicken or turkey, the internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees F).  Transfer meatballs to a dish and cover with a lid or foil to keep warm.

To make the glaze, combine apple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

In same skillet as meatballs were cooked, cook and stir juice mixture until thickened and bubbly (at full boil).  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.

Return meatballs to skillet to heat through and coat with sauce.

Transfer glazed meatballs to a serving dish.  Top with green onions.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Ground chicken

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

 

Peach and Brie Quesadillas with Lime-Honey Dipping Sauce

I took the day off yesterday and after going to the dentist in the morning, I spent the rest of the day reading and lounging around (a mental health day).  It felt wonderful.  The problem with me having time to myself is I come up with all of these crazy ideas of things to do that I spend a lot of time thinking about but never actually end up doing.  Like writing a novel or traveling across the country – both things that I plan to do one day, even if I’m old and gray when I do it.  In all of my reading and daydreaming, I paused to make myself a delightfully light summer lunch: Peach and Brie Quesadillas with Lime-Honey Dipping Sauce.

Thin slices of peaches are tossed with a touch of brown sugar and chopped chives before being folded into a tortilla with soft Brie cheese and toasted.  The buttery, nuttiness of the Brie complements the natural sweetness in the peaches making them a perfect pair and the slight onion flavor of the chives gives this quesadilla an overall savory bite.  I like the idea of using these ingredients in a panini or grilled cheese so go crazy and make this however you want.  The dipping sauce is a simple mixture of lime zest, lime juice and honey tops off each bite with a bright, sweet ending.  All of these flavors are terrific together.

The ingredients:

Combine peach slices, chives and brown sugar in a bowl, tossing gently to coat.

Spread Brie over half of one tortilla and top with peach mixture.  Fold in half and repeat with other tortillas.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, heated over medium-high heat.  Place folded quesadillas in the pan and cook 2 minutes on each side or until tortillas are lightly browned and crisp.

In a small bowl, combine honey, lime zest and lime juice with a whisk and set aside.

Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve with sauce. 

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Low-carb whole-wheat tortilla

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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