appetizers for men

[Uuaww]

I am usually in charge of appetizers for dinner nights with my friends. We are a few guys who are pretty good at cooking but we know what we like. So far I have two major hits, a Spinach and Artichoke dip and Armadillo Eggs (Jalepeno filled with cheese and wrapped in bacon). I need a few more go-to apps. Hoping to get up to 4 or so that I can make with ease.

1. Bacon is always a winner
2. So is cheese
3. We are willing to broaden our horizons, but you know... bacon and cheese exist still.

 

[wdwmom2]

I am usually in charge of appetizers for dinner nights with my friends. We are a few guys who are pretty good at cooking but we know what we like. So far I have two major hits, a Spinach and Artichoke dip and Armadillo Eggs (Jalepeno filled with cheese and wrapped in bacon). I need a few more go-to apps. Hoping to get up to 4 or so that I can make with ease.

1. Bacon is always a winner
2. So is cheese
3. We are willing to broaden our horizons, but you know... bacon and cheese exist still.

I've had these and they are always a hit! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-smokies/Detail.aspx


Oh, and here is another one I have made myself and it is wonderful. I substitute Bleu Cheese dressing for the ranch. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Buffalo-Chicken-Dip/Detail.aspx

That has your bacon and cheese pretty much covered!!!

 

[Uuaww]

That's a solid win right there.

 

[wdwmom2]

That's a solid win right there.

Glad to help you out!!!

What time are you serving?!?!

 

[Uuaww]

We are 3 guys who started out going out for dinner once a week. Once we hit every restaurant on the island we started adding a make dinner night once a week. We probably cook now 3-4 times a week plus go out once.

I really can only make breakfast well. My signature dishes are Banana Bread French Toast and an Italian Breakfast Sandwich; which recipe follows.

2 slices of toasted Whole Wheat or Sourdough Bread
4 slices Salami
2 slices Procuitto
1 slice red onion
Motzarella cheese
Basil leaves
1 egg

First toast the bread and soak the red onion slice in ice water (gets rid of the bite) next fire up the stove and grill the salami slices til the edges are crispy. take them out and place them on the bread, layer onions, basil leaves, procuitto and cheese on top next add a bit of butter to the pan with the salami grease still in it. Fry the egg sunny side up and spoon the hot grease/butter over the top of the egg to cook the top just a bit. Place egg on top of cheese and add final piece of bread... amazing.

 

[wdwmom2]

Sounds like a wonderful tradition you got goin on!

That sandwich does sound great. Next time I head to the grocery store I will have to pick a few of the ingredients that I don't have. It would be great as a quick dinner for DH and I!!

 

[barkley]

there's always 'little smokies' in bbq sauce (crock pot), but i prefer polish sausage (or andouii) sliced up and simmered in beer (again crock pot).

a friend gets those baby potatos at the store and bakes them until they are soft enough to use a melon baller to scoop out the contents. she stuffs them with a mixture of the potato, bacon bits and cheddar cheese-realy good.

potato skins are always a winner at our house-just the basic with cheese, chives and bacon. then we have condiment dishes with salsa and sour cream.

how about blt wraps? take a large lettuce leaf and use like a tortilla, put in bacon (bite sized peices) and thinly sliced tomato. drizzle with mayo (maybe even do a flavored mayo like chipolte if you like some heat).

 

[PatsGirl]

Four men that can cook and all live on St. Croix? Anyone have an extra room?

 

[ChrisFL]

1. Bacon
2. Cheese
3. Something Fried
4. A combination of any of the above

What else would we need?

 

[psammie1025]

I made these last weekend for football & they were a hit

Chicken Bacon Bites

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a tooth pick.
Dump brown sugar and chili powder in a large bowl. Toss chicken bites in bowl & coat them well. Dump it all into a large ziploc bag being careful not to poke the picks thru the bag, or leave in a big bowl & cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours. I love to make these the night before & let them really marinate.
Pre heat the oven to s 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with tinfoil & place a reck over the sheet & spray with Pam . Place chicken bites on rack. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp. If it's not crisp enough I turn to broil & broil a few minutes watching to make sure it doesn't burn.

Yesterday I made the Bufflalo Chicken dip & that too was a big hit. Another favorite is Tyler Florence's Chili Cheese Dogs

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
hot dos
hot dog rolls
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

To make the chili: Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil gets hazy, add the onion and cook, stirring, until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ketchup, chili powder, and mustard; simmer for 15 minutes until thick; season with salt and pepper.
To serve, top each hot dog with the chili and some Cheddar cheese

 

[barkley]

1. Bacon
2. Cheese
3. Something Fried
4. A combination of any of the above

What else would we need?

how about homemade mozzerala sticks deep fried in bacon fat?

 

[kacaju]

10 oz chedder cheese shredded
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
8 slices of bacon crumbled
1 bunch of scallions chooped
1/2 cup mayo
mix all together, serve with a light cracker, water crackers go good with this!

 

[Uuaww]

alright, I have 2 bacon recipes now, so lets try different stuff. I don't like the cooking chicken one b/c my app. starts to require the work of a dish.

 

[TimeforMe]

This recipe couldn't be easier and everyone always loves it. It's the first thing to go on the table.

Artichoke Dip
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. grated cheese
1 tsp. lemon juice
dash garlic powder
Bake @ 350 for 25-30 minutes and serve with pita chips or crackers.

 

[luvmy3]

Homemade quacamole
nachos
buffalo chicken dip (can us perdue pre-cooked chicken)
party meatballs (using frozen meatballs, cranberry sauce and chili sauce)

 

[Ohiodislover]

Teriyaki beef kabobs


1/2 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. apple juice concentrate, thawed
3 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated (1/2 tsp. dry ginger)
3 tbsp. sherry (opt.)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
a little onion powder
1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced (easier to slice if almost frozen)


Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl Place steak in a shallow glass dish and pour marinade over meat (You could also use a Zip-Lock bag). Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Place the marinated meat on skewers and broil for around 10 minutes. Turn and baste w/ marinade during cooking.


You can also use onions and peppers on the kabobs, but I usually don't when I'm making them as appetizers, and have vegies/dips on the table.

I will second the bacon/chicken/brown sugar thingys. They are awesome!

 

[Ohiodislover]

Barbeque Pulled pork Sliders. I usually just buy the BBQ pork from Sams. It is in the frozen section. I'm sure other groceries have something similar.

Then just make the sandwiches on King's Hawaiian rolls, with a piece of a pineapple ring.

I did this for a carryin at work at Christmas...They went fast

 

[jen0610]

Here is a link to The Pioneer Womans appetizers page. I have yet to find anything she makes, not to be a hit with friends and family.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/category/appetizers/

She also started a website - Tasty Kitchen - that a lot of her readers contribute their recipes to.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/categories/appetizers-and-snacks/

 

[java]

The hit with the men in my life are these little beauties

Sweet Chicken Bacon Bites(a paula deen recipe with surprisingly no butter)
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar and chili powder. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

I usually cut them a little larger as I find it takes longer for the bacon to crisp up than 30 mintues and I don't want the chicken to dry out.
They disappear everytime. I tripled the recipe last time and they still disappeared!

 

[Uuaww]

Barbeque Pulled pork Sliders. I usually just buy the BBQ pork from Sams. It is in the frozen section. I'm sure other groceries have something similar.

Then just make the sandwiches on King's Hawaiian rolls, with a piece of a pineapple ring.

I did this for a carryin at work at Christmas...They went fast

I don't have Sams, or the rolls... we are pretty limited on store front here.