Broccoli Chicken Roll Ups

This recipe came from my friend Kelly. She got the original from allrecipes.com. These are basically homemade Hot Pockets! Yum! They would work great as an appetizer or main dish.

(Kelly said she has made these with AND without the bell pepper and onion, and that it's good either way.)

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat

2 cups fresh chopped broccoli

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 400

Mix all ingredients, except for crescent rolls, in a large bowl

Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture onto each roll and fold up

Place on a non greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 min, until golden brown

Fried Ravioli

This dish works great as an appetizer or a main dish. Sometimes, my hubby and I will make it for dinner when we're having a low-key night watching movies or something. I always have him help me, because it can be time consuming to get all the raviolis dipped and cooked. It works much smoother when you have 2 sets of hands!

1 package fresh or frozen ravioli (We always use cheese ravioli)
italian bread crumbs
garlic powder (optional)
italian seasoning (optional)
shredded parmesan cheese (Not the kind in the green Kraft container. Make sure it's shredded)
1 egg
1 cup milk
vegetable oil, for frying
1 jar marinara or pizza sauce

Cook raviolis according to package directions
While ravioli is cooking, heat oil. There are a couple ways you can do this; I've tried both. You can take a small pot and pour a large amount of oil into it or you can take a skillet and use less oil. With the pot, you drop the ravioli in and don't have to worry about turning it, as long as there's enough oil. With the skillet, you have to turn the ravioli a couple times
Place milk into a small bowl and beat in egg
Place bread crumbs in a shallow pan. I always add garlic powder and italian seasoning for extra flavor. If you do this, make sure to mix the crumbs after you season them.
In small batches (5-6 at a time), dip the ravioli in the egg/milk, then the bread crumb mixture, then place in oil.
Fry until golden brown.
Once they're finished, put them on a paper towel to drain and sprinkle with shredded parm.
Serve with warm marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

Jalapeno Cheese Squares

There are a lot of variations for this recipe, but this is the one that I give out when people ask. Everyone who has tried it, loves it! I got the recipe from my sister.

2 eggs
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped white onion
3 tbsp chopped jalapenos (If you like it hotter, add more!)

Mix everything, but the eggs
Spray a small square baking pan with Pam and add ingredients
Crack and whisk eggs, then pour over cheese mixture in pan
Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until slightly brown
Allow to cool for 30 minutes, so mixture will easily cut into squares
Enjoy!

Pepperoni Pizza Crescents

I'm sure I'm not the first person to make these, but I kind of stumbled upon them by accident (read: made them up as I went along!) a few years ago when I was looking to try something new. They're sort of a branch off of biscuit pizzas that I learned to make a long time ago in middle school Home-Ec. Enjoy!

1 or 2 cans of crescent rolls (depending on how many you want to make)
1 jar pizza sauce
cheese ( you can use pizza blend, mild cheddar, mozzarella...whatever your little heart desires!)
pepperonis
garlic powder
crushed red pepper (optional-I use them because we like spicy foods!)

Tear apart your crescents into individual rolls.
Add a small amount of pizza sauce to each roll. (I use a kitchen tablespoon when I'm doing this.) Spread the sauce evenly over rolls.
Sprinkle with garlic salt and red pepper (if you're using it).
Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on each.
Cut your pepperonis in half and lay them on each crescent. I use 1 to 1 1/2 per roll. If you like a lot, add more!
Roll the crescents up and place on a baking sheet. (This part is kind of messy!)
Bake according to package directions.

If you're feeling extra Betty-Crocker-ish, you can brush the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle on extra garlic powder and maybe some oregano.

Meatballs

This meatball recipe comes from Jamie M. They would be delicious on their own, served with pasta, or as an appetizer at your next get together!

1 lb of ground turkey (i like em healthier like this. you can also do equal parts ground pork and ground beef to be more real.)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup parm ramono blend
1/2 tbsp italian blend season
1/2 tbsp garlic (chopped or powder.)
1/4 cup of whatever marinara sauce you're using

mix up. make balls. put sauce in a big pan and add 1/2 jar water. add the balls in when the sauce is hot and bubbly. put the lid on. cook at medium high heat for at least an hour. turn after half and add more water/sauce as needed.

soooo yummy and with the turkey its more protein and less fat. i always end up adding more parm and bread crumbs to the mix though just because i like it :)

Hooter's Wing Dip

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU DADS OUT THERE!

This is one of my husband's favorite things I make. It's a hot dip, so it's not very good once it gets cold and doesn't really do well with leftovers either. (However, you can always reheat it for a few minutes if you have to transport it somewhere) But if you take it to a gathering, there probably won't be leftovers! :)

1 large can and 1 small can chunk chicken breast in water (If you're better than I am, you can take the time to cook actual chicken breast and shred it)
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 jar Hooter's Hot Wing Sauce (You can usually find this at Walmart, and I think most Hooter's restaurants sell it as well. There has been a time when I couldn't find the Hooter's brand, and I just substituted with another brand. It's still good that way.)
1 8oz package shredded cheddar (You can do sharp or mild)
Celery
Chips or crackers

Drain both cans of chicken and place in a bowl. Break up large chunks.
Add 3/4 to whole jar of sauce. Your preference. Just make sure all the chicken is saturated with the sauce.
Spread cream cheese evenly over the bottom of a baking dish.
Spread dressing over cream cheese.
Spread chicken/hot sauce mixture over dressing.
Top with shredded cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve with celery and chips and/or crackers. For the celery, you can serve it in sticks, OR you can chop it into fine pieces and place it on top of the dip once it has slightly cooled. If you're transporting the dip, and plan on chopping the celery and putting it on the dip, don't do it until you get to your location. Otherwise, the celery gets gross and looks unappealing!

Cheese Ball

I've made this quite a few times for get-togethers and it's always a big hit. It feeds a crowd!
I got the original recipe from allrecipes.com. However, I added a couple things and tweaked some measurements for this final product.
It's easy to make, but it does get messy. You have to really get your hands in and mix it well so everything is distributed evenly.
It can also be molded into shapes other than a ball. The picture I'll post below is a football I created for Super Bowl a couple years ago (when the Indianapolis Colts were playing, of course!).
I always serve it with an assortment of crackers, both flavored and plain. The Melba rounds in Garlic flavor are excellent with this!

Ingredients
2-8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch DRESSING mix (Don't get the DIP mix. It's too salty for this)
1 green onion
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 cups chopped pecans

Directions
Finely chop the green onion. You don't even need to use the entire thing. About 1/2 will do, but you can add more or less.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. I usually go cream cheese, sharp cheddar, ranch, green onions, then worcestershire. You can use a spatula or large spoon at first, but then you need to use your hands to mix it well.
Form into desired shape, then roll in pecans.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours prior to serving.

Onion Souffle Dip

Our first appetizer of the blog comes from Sue C. It's for an Onion Souffle Dip and it sounds great. Take this to your next BBQ!

1 Cup finely chopped onions (approx 3/4 onions)
(you can use the frozen Ore Ida ones to make it easier)
3 Large Bricks of Cream Cheese
2 Cups shredded Parmesan cheese (Use kind in Deli section not from Can)
1/2 Cup Mayo


If using fresh onions Saute in a little butter till tender (approx 5 min) If using frozen no need to pre-cook


Mix everything together and put in a lightly buttered oven dish.  
Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.  You want the stuff to bubble and brown on the top
Serve with fresh bread pieces or crackers