Okay, finally got my Thanksgiving pics downloaded.
Avocado Egg Rolls with Dipping Sauce (Cheesecake Factory knock off recipe)
1 Tbls. white vinegar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. tamarind pulp
1/2 cup honey
1 pinch ground saffron
1/2 cup chopped cashews
2/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
2 green onions
1 Tbls. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lrg. avocado - peeled, pitted, diced
2 Tbls. sun-dried tomatoes in oil - chopped
1 Tbls. minced red onion
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 pinch salt
3 egg roll wrappers
1 egg - beaten
-In a microwave-safe bowl, stir together vinegars, tamarind, honey, and saffron; microwave for 1 minute; stir until tamarind is dissolved.
-Puree tamarind mixture, cashews, 2/3 cup cilantro, garlic, onions, sugar, pepper, and cumin in a blender.
-Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in oil; refrigerate until ready to use.
-Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 tsp. cilantro, and salt.
-Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.
-Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling; brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg; roll up from side to side; fold top corner over all and press to seal; repeat with remaining wrappers.
-Deep-fry egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
-Drain on brown paper bags.
-Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and serve with prepared dipping sauce
Here they are:
Our review These were really yummy, and so easy! First time I've made eggrolls and I will def do them again. Super simple.
Spiced Nuts
Sugar and Spice Nuts
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons water
3 cups walnut halves
2 cups pecan halves
1 cup whole unblanched
almonds
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons grated orange
peel
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and water until frothy. Add nuts; stir gently to coat. Combine the remaining ingredients. Add to nut mixture and stir gently to coat. Spread into two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container.
My review This was the first time I have made these and they were so yummy and easy, but nuts are SO expensive! I only made them with cashews because they were (shockingly) the cheapest at the time. These would make a great gift!! People who stopped by Thanksgiving evening chowed down on them.
Spinach Artichoke Dip Knockoff from Houston's Restaurant
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 Tbls. minced onion
1/4 cup real butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup fresh-grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sour cream
(2) 10 oz. boxes frozen chopped spinach - thawed, squeezed dry through a fine sieve
12 oz. jar artichoke hearts - drained, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
-In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, sauté garlic and onion in butter until golden, about 3 - 5 minutes.
-Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
-Slowly whisk in cream and broth and continue cooking until boiling.
-Once boiling, stir in Romano, lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt; stir until cheese has melted; remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
-Stir sour cream into pan, then fold in dry spinach and artichoke hearts.
-Fold the mixture into a microwave-safe serving dish, or into several serving-size dishes.
-Sprinkle cheddar evenly over top(s).
-At this point, the dip can be refrigerated until ready to serve, if desired.
-Microwave dip on 50% power just until cheese has melted.
Our Review O.M.G. This was delicious. SO yummy, and just like the restaurants serve. Will def make it again - it makes a large amt.
Crab Cakes
I just mixed some bread crumbs, real mayo, dijon mustard, seasonings, and 1 beaten egg together then tossed with lump crab meat. Formed into patties like you would a hamburger. Put them on plastic wrap or wax paper, and let chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then fry in a mixture of olive oil and butter for about 4 or 5 minutes on each side
My review I was really scared to make these because I've never forked over the $$ for crab meat. I was really craving crab cakes that were full of meat - not filler - and these were just delicious. DH and I both ate all of them on Thanksgiving day.
Everything Chicken Tenders
3 tablespoons minced onion
3 tablespoons garlic flakes
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons coarse salt or sea salt
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) for drizzling
Wood skewers, soaked in water for 10-15 minutes
1 8-ounce cream cheese, softened
1 12-ounce sour cream
6 scallions, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the minced onion, garlic flakes, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, black pepper and coarse salt on a plate and mix it all together. Drizzle the chicken tenders with some EVOO, giving them a toss to make sure they are fully coated. Place skewers through each chicken tender lengthwise. Dip each skewered piece of chicken into the seed mixture and turn to coat.
Repeat until all the chicken has been coated then transfer skewers to a nonstick baking sheet and transfer to the oven for 20-25 minutes. Turn them over about halfway through the cooking time.
While the chicken is cooking make the dipping sauce: In a bowl, combine the soft cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in the chopped scallions and season with a little salt and pepper.
Remove the chicken tenders from the oven and serve with the scallion-cream cheese dipping sauce alongside.
My review If I had had all the ingredients like I thought I did, this would have been better. I was out of several things so what was thought to be an easy throw together recipe turned out to be too garlicy and not as good. We ate a couple but ended up tossing the rest. In theory, these would be delicious and I'll try them again WITH the right ingredients. They were fun!!
Chicken Quesedilla Pinwheels
4 large, 10 to 12-inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup chipotle salsa
3 cups rotisserie chicken meat, still warm from store or warmed in microwave, chopped
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a flour tortilla, blister it on one side then turn it over. Scatter cheese on top and cook 1 minute.
Remove to cutting board. Top the tortilla with 1/4 cup salsa, spreading it gently with the back of a spoon back to edges. Top with 1/2 cup chicken then roll tortilla into a log.
My review These really frustrated me, they were runny and really hard to roll up and cut through once the tortilla was blistered. They were good but not real pretty or easy. I think maybe a chunkier salsa, and not blistering the tortilla, would have helped it stay together easier. I didn't use rotisserie chicken but instead just cooked some seasoned chicken breast meat alongside the skewers.
Cheddar Bay Biscuits knock off from Red Lobster
2 cups Bisquick® baking mix
2/3 cup milk - low fat okay
1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese - low fat okay
1/4 cup butter OR margarine - melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
parsley flakes - as needed
-Combine Bisquick®, milk, and cheddar and beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds.
-Spoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
-Bake in 450 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.
-Combine butter and garlic powder and pour over hot biscuits; sprinkle with parsley
My Review My mom has made a version of these for years and they never quite tasted right - and I figured out why! She doesn't pour the butter/garlic over top at the end. It really makes a difference and they are SO yummy. Very easy, too!
Cheese and Spinach Puff Pastries
12 frozen puff pastry shells, unthawed
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/4 cups grated Fontina cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 to 5 green onions, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen pastry shells on the baking sheet and bake until they puff and become golden brown, about 20 minutes. Using a small knife, cut out the center of the pastry shells.
Meanwhile, stir the cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the spinach, Fontina cheese, Parmesan, and green onions. Spoon the spinach mixture into the baked pastry shells. Bake until the pastries are golden brown and the filling is hot, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pastries to a platter and serve.
My review I didn't buy the right kind of pastry - I bought sheets instead of shells, which made this very interesting. I ended up trying to roll the mixture and then slice it, which was a huge frustrating mess. I got some of them done but most of them were too watery. Oh well. Live and learn!
Crispy Olives stuffed with Sausage
1/4 pound (1 link) fresh Italian sausage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 jar (8 ounces) large pitted green olives
4 to 6 cups peanut oil, for deep-frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Remove the sausage meat from the casing and place it in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, a pinch of salt, and red pepper flakes, if using. Mix to evenly distribute the ingredients. Drain the olives and rinse them under cold water. Remove the pimentos, if necessary. Stuff each of the olives with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the sausage mixture.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer, or stock pot, to 375 degrees F.
Spread the flour on a dinner plate.
Break the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat lightly.
Spread the bread crumbs on another dinner plate and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Moisten the olives with the olive oil, stirring to evenly distribute the oil and seasoning.
Roll the olives in the flour, coating them all over and shaking off the excess. Then dip them in the egg, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Finally, coat the olives all over with the bread crumbs. As each olive is coated, place it on a tray. Cover the olives and refrigerate until you are ready to fry them.
Fry the olives until golden brown and the sausage in the middle is cooked through, about 3 minutes. The olives will bubble vigorously until they are nearly done, so watch for splatters. Drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
My Review I was really excited about these, but they were not as thrilling as I thought they'd be. You couldn't taste the sausage at all unless you bite the olive into 2-3 bites (and who does that?). I like green olives but after awhile it became a little too much. DH didn't like them at all.
Mulled Wine
1 Jug Cheap red wine
Whole cloves
1 orange
1 c Lemon Juice
1 part water to 1 part wine
Cinnamon Sticks
1 c sugar or sugar substitute
Put equal parts wine and water in a pot
Add sugar and lemon juice
Take the whole orange and stick stalks of cloves into the orange..Put lots of cloves in the orange..Place the orange in pot with wine
add 2-3 sticks of cinnamon
Mull(cook on low heat) for about 2 hours..Most of the alcohol will cook out and the wine will reduce.
Serve warm
My Review this was Jenny's recipe! I really liked it, but I was sadly alone. Everyone else who tasted it made a face and then said they don't like cider.
Not pictured:
Blue Cheese Goureges
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence, recipe follows
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 pound blue cheese, or other creamy blue cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, combine the milk, butter, salt, black pepper, and Essence over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add the flour, and stir constantly with a large wooden spoon to incorporate, about 1 minute. Return to medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after the addition of each. Add the cheese and beat until mixed well and a slightly soft dough forms.
Drop the dough by the spoonful on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
My Review Okay. I hope someone with better cooking skills than I have can tell me what the heck these were supposed to be. I love blue cheese, so I chose it. It's an Emeril recipe. Y'all - they had NO taste. It tasted like nothing unless you happened to hit a small piece of blue cheese. So disappointing to waste all that delicious cheese... after we all took a bite and agreed it tasted like air, it went in the trash.
I also made deviled eggs, brownies, and cocktail shrimp but didn't get pics of them or use a recipe. So, there you go! Our holiday feast! =)
Drew Lachey..... photoshop yourself out of it and post it!!!! I woulda peed my pants.... OMG....
. I very seldom make appetizers, I find them a lot of work, but Whoa Nellie! A whole menu based on appetizers is way beyond anything I am confident enough to attempt!
It's nice to "see" you here. Please post often and if you would, share some of your recipes. Lindsay keeps them updated on Page one so we all have an "index". We tend to chat a lot so feel free to jump in.
Only me. My throat is sore and it's got that "full" feeling.... does anyone know what I mean??
