» appetizerMy Site

Bread, Butter, and flavored Salts

My favorite new appetizer and snack which was perfect for a girlfriends lunch. Who can say no to good bread and butter? Baguette, sliced Unsalted Butter Flavored Salt of your liking

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

My friend’s BBQ today is not going to know what hit it!! Rotisserie Chicken 2 bags Pita Chips HOT SAUCE 4 tablespoons butter 1 jalapeño or green chili, minced 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 1/2 cups buffalo wing hot sauce 1 chicken broth 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice CHICKEN SPICE 1 tspCayenne 1 tsp Celery Salt 1 tsp Paprika S&P BLUE CHEESE SAUCE 1/2 cup milk 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons sliced chives Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper TOPPINGS 2 C shredded mozzarella Shredded Carrots Celery, chopped Sauté butter, jalapeno, and garlic for about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce, chicken broth, lime juice and bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/2. Season with salt and pepper. For the chicken rub: Combine the smoked paprika, cayenne, celery salt and pepper in a small bowl. Shred rotisserie chicken and sprinkle rub throughout the chicken. Add 1/2 of buffalo sauce to chicken. Let sit or put in oven to warm through. For the blue cheese topping: Add milk and…

Citrus Ceviche

Last night’s ceviche was perfection. Here is my ceviche recipe with an added idea from last night, grapefruit and orange segments! My ceviche is cooked so you don’t have to worry about raw shrimp and scallops. 1 lb. Sea Scallops 1 lb. Shrimp Juice from: 1 lime, 1 lemon, and 1 orange Zest from 1 lime 1 tsp. Garlic Powder 1 tsp. Onion Powder 2 tsp. Salt ½ tsp Pepper 1 Avocado, diced ½ Red Onion, minced 1 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper 1 Tbsp. Canola Oil Grapefruit segments Orange segments In a bowl combine the shrimp, scallops and canola oil. When ready to cook, arrange the shrimp and scallops on the grill, Traeger, or broiler for just a few minutes. (Under cook, don’t over cook) Prepare all the other ingredients, and place in a large mixing bowl. Let scallops and shrimp cool, then cut in half width-wise, and combine them with the ingredients in the bowl. Refrigerate Ceviche for at least 2-3 hours to let the flavors combine. Serve with sweet potato chips or corn chips….

Pear, Goat Cheese, and Pancetta Appetizer

A perfect fall appetizer for a ladies lunch! Layer: Sliced pears Thinly sliced pancetta rounds on the Traeger until they get nice and crispy Crumble goat cheese Honey Ground black pepper

Ahi Tuna Stack

I’m up to my eyeballs in Turkey, green bean casseroles, and Apple Pie, so tonight I needed a break. I devoured this in 3 minutes flat, and it’s so easy! Layer: brown rice (I love TJ frozen microwaveable bags) Avocado – with kosher salt and ground pepper Hawaiian Ahi Tuna- add sesame oil, green onion, soy sauce glaze, s&p Drizzle soy sauce glaze, you’ll want a lot! Soy sauce glaze- boil then simmer low sodium soy sauce and sugar until it’s reduced by 3/4

Shishito Peppers

Next time you’re in an Asian market, do yourself a favor and pick up a bag of shishito peppers. Spicy, salty, and a delicious little snack. Blister the peppers in a little evoo (extra virgin olive oil) on a medium hot pan. Take your time, it may take 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle just a dash of lemon juice and kosher salt. Most aren’t very spicy but you could run into one that knocks your socks off.

Citrus Butter Scallops

8 tablespoons salted butter, melted 1 clove garlic, finely minced Zest from 1/2 small orange Juice from 1/2 small orange 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or tarragon 1-1/2 to 2 pounds large dry-packed scallops Freshly ground black pepper Salt to taste Put a cooling rack or wire grid on a rimmed baking sheet. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and arrange them on the rack on baking sheet. Put the baking sheet with the scallops on the grill grate and smoke for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and set aside. In the meantime, increase the temperature of the Traeger to 400 degrees F. Preheat for 15 minutes. Return the baking sheet with the scallops to the grill grate and roast the scallops until just opaque and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. The time will depend on how thick the scallops are. Do not overcook. In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, orange zest, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes. Keep warm….

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Preheat your Traeger or oven to 350 degrees F. For the Buffalo sauce: Sauté butter, jalapeno, and garlic for about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce, chicken broth, lime juice and bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/2. Season with salt and pepper. For the dry rub: Combine the smoked paprika, cayenne, onion salt, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Shred rotisserie chicken and sprinkle rub throughout the chicken. Add 1/2 of buffalo sauce to chicken. Let sit or put in oven to warm through. For the blue cheese topping: Add milk and 1/2 cup of the blue cheese in a sauce pan. Allow the cheese to melt into the milk, then transfer the mixture to a bowl along with the remaining blue cheese and the mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onion. To assemble: In a large roasting pan, spread out half of the pita chips in an even layer. Top with half of the shredded chicken, half of the remaining Buffalo sauce, half of the blue cheese topping and 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Repeat,…

French Onion Soup Cups

Greeting your guests with these individual French Onion Soup cups, will warm them right up on a chilly fall night. Ingredients 5 Tb butter 4 sweet yellow onions, sliced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 bay leaves 2 fresh thyme sprigs Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3/4 apple cider 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 quarts beef broth 1 baguette, sliced 1 block grated Gruyere Cheese Directions Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and s&p and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, ~25 minutes. Add 1/2 carton of broth and apple cider, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer about 5 minutes and get all bits of onion off the bottom of the pan. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10-15…

Brie, Pesto, and Tomato Crostini

I turned my favorite Holiday dip into delicious crostinis for a party the other night. Slice a baguette into thin slices. Layer: Pesto (store bought is fine) Brie cheese Diced tomatoes Toasted pine nuts Broil until cheese starts melting and tomatoes blister. If you prefer a dip- throw all ingredients into an oven proof dish and cook at 350 for 20-30 minutes. *chunk the Brie cheese so it melts throughout. You won’t go through another holiday season without this appetizer…Trust me!