Category: Appetizers

Ingredients:
1 Package Mini Filo Shells (15 per package)
1 Wheel of Brie
1 Jar Red Pepper Jelly (Found in the jelly/jam section of your local grocery, or use Apricot Jam)
Note: The mini filo shells are already baked, so no need to pre-bake before adding the brie. You can find these in the freezer case at most grocery stores.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the filo shells on a baking sheet.
Cut the wheel of brie in half and trim the rind from the brie.
Cut the brie into small pieces, about 1 inch x 1 inch. Place a piece of brie in the center of each filo shell.
Scoop about half a teaspoon of pepper jelly on top of the brie pieces. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 2 minutes, then serve.

Or do it an even faster way by pouring jelly over a block of cream cheese. No baking required, but let block of cheese set out on a serving plate till soft enough to slice easily.

These are wonderful to serve to company as an appetizer, or just as a snack, these are delicious. To save even more time you can purchase the ready-made small tart shells. The recipe may be doubled if desired. These freeze well and can just be defrosted in the fridge overnight. Reheat covered in a medium hot oven if required, approx. 15 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 frozen 9-inch pie shells (thawed)
3 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (9 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and well drained (use your hands to squeeze out any extra moisture)

Directions:
1. Set the oven to 375 degrees.
2. On a lightly floured surface, with a 1-1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 12 rounds from the thawed pie crust.
3. Press each of the rounds into the bottom, and up the sides of ungreased mini muffin cups.
4. Repeat with the second pie crust.
5. In a skillet, cook the bacon until brown and very crisp; drain.
6. Add in the onions to the same skillet with the bacon drippings, cook for 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring constantly; drain.
7. Place the onions in a medium bowl.
8. Crumble the bacon into small pieces, and add in with the cooked green onion.
9. Add in the eggs to the bacon and onions; beat well.
10. Stir in the cream, salt, nutmeg and the Parmesan cheese.
11. Add in the squeezed spinach; mix well to combine.
12. Divide the mixture evenly into crust-lined cups.
13. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
14. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
15. Loosen quiches from pan with tip of knife.
16. Serve warm or cool.
17. Store in the refrigerator.

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cumin
½ medium onion, diced
1-2 Serrano chilies, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 Tb chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

Need more heat?
Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Directions
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher or fork, add the salt, cumin, and cayenne if using, and mash. Leave some large chunks. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

I originally received this recipe from Jan Nelson in 1977 in Colusa California . The last time I saw Jan I taught her how to use tole brushes and she gave me a couple of her favorite recipes. Unfortunately not long after that short vacation together, her husband, a forest ranger, was run off a cliff in his jeep and killed by deer poachers. His best friend, a beautiful black Labrador Retriever named Jake, survived the mountain plunge. Jake was a cousin to my black lab, Mandy, both were above average dogs (really). I have since lost track of Jan as we do sometimes from years and distance, but every time I make this dip I remember our time together.

2 7 ½ ounce cans chopped clams, drain saving a couple of tablespoons of the juice
1 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 large tub of sour cream
1 medium red onion, chopped small
1-3 capfuls Worchester sauce, taste test after 1Tb, I like a lot, as much as a tablespoon or more, but not everyone does.
1 Tb ¼ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt to taste

1/8 tsp Optional: crushed red pepper to taste, go easy here, just a pinch should do it.

Mix the cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of clam juice and 1 tsp. lemon juice together. Add the sour cream a little at a time until well blended. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. You may need to add another teaspoon of clam juice if the mixture is too stiff, but taste first to see if more Worchester sauce or lemon juice is desired. Let the dip set at least 2 hours, or overnight for best flavor. This is really good with fried and lightly salted, corn tortilla strips.

Adding any or all of the following adds a little more punch to the dip.

Garlic powder, Tabasco, parsley or finely chopped chives. Just go easy as you don’t want to overpower the clam flavor.

Here is a tip that you probably won’t find anyone other than restaurants using, but it certainly is a thought when avocados are way too expensive and you have a crowd to feed. I tried it on a party of young adults, for my son Jeff’s 22nd birthday, and they had not a clue as to what was in the recipe. I got compliments even!.
The ingredients are kind of a secret, (and it probably should be, it’s so weird), so don’t spread it around too much. This recipe could conceivably raise the price of avocados further than they are, as the consumer would not need so many of them for a bowl of delicious guacamole. I should have named this tip “how to embarrass your avocados”, I know I am. I would never let a guest see me do this. Just remember if you do this right no one, not even your worst food critic, will know you cheated on the recipe. Try it! It works! I use 8-10 avocados for this dish. In a large bowl, using a fork, smash up 6-8 peeled and seeded avocados, leaving lots of good avocado lumps. Use as many large ripe avocados as you think you will need for a crowd. This will depend on whether or not you are using the mixture for guacamole or just as a garnish. Be sure to leave at least 2-3 avocados for the secret ingredient. Mash avocados with a fork so that there are lots of large lumps left.
Add:
Diced tomatoes, drain off any tomato liquid, 1 for every 5-6 avocados
Diced onions, 1 med for every 5 – 6 avocados
Serrano chile pepper, diced very small. Go easy on this if you don’t know anything about peppers. I suggest, 1 seeded chile with spines removed for every 5-6 avocados
Lemon or Lime juice, just a little, maybe 3 Tb per every 5-6 avocados
salt to taste
Make some mashed potatoes, yes this is not a misprint or tequila induced hallucination. Make a cup or two for a big batch of guacamole, about 1 cup for every 6-7 avocados to start with until you get this down to a science.
Try instant potatoes for this process, it is easier to gage the amount of potatoes and no lumps.
Use the mixer or blender to be certain all lumps are beaten out of the potatoes. The potatoes must be smooth, but use as little liquid as possible (I use a little hot sauce or salsa for the liquid).
REMEMBER SMOOTH, NOT RUNNY, is the key to this.
Restaurants use green food coloring, (yes really), to make it green. I haven’t had to go that far yet. I put the mashed potatoes into a blender and add pealed, seeded avocado halves, and blend until the mixture looks like guacamole. I keep adding avocados until I can taste the avocadoes not the potatoes. The color was fine without using food coloring. Add a little hot sauce if you need liquid.

Now for the tricky part!

By hand, start mixing the mashed potato mixture into the bowl of smashed up avocados. Mix gently but well, leaving lots of lumps. At the same time start adding all the other good things that go into your guacamole, such as onions, chilies, lemon and drained, chopped, tomatoes.
Remember not to do this in front of any of your guests or it may kill the whole guacamole thing for them.

OPTIONAL:
Mix in a little hot salsa to taste, be careful or your guacamole will be runny
Add a little cilantro, about 1 Tb for every 5-6 avocados
Crumble a little queso añejo (Mexican cheese) into the mix ( ¼ cup per 6 avocados) or just sprinkle it on top.

TIPS;
Placing a few of the avocado pits back into the guacamole after the dish is ready, is a time honored way of hopefully keeping the avocados from turning dark. I have much better luck using waxed paper or plastic wrap to cover the dish, and gently pressing it right onto the guacamole. This way there is no air between the guacamole and the wrap, and it doesn’t turn so fast. You can always fluff up the guacamole right before serving.

I know this recipe sounds a little on the bizarre side, but you really must try it
before you discount it. Believe me it is a good guacamole, and I think it is much better than most restaurant fare.

I use (partially thawed) frozen readymade meat balls, sautéed in hot skillet with a small amount of oil till browned, toss meatballs along with pre-simmered sauce into a Crockpot, cook on low until meatballs are done inside, and your good to go. Easy way to make 40 – 50 appetizers. Need them cooked faster? Simmer meatballs in the sauce on top of the stove until done in the middle, then keep warm  in a Crockpot. Little Smokies links are great with any of these sauces. I prefer a less sweet sauce so I use the least sugar flavored jelly I can find. I have replaced some of the jelly with a teaspoon of jalapeño apple jelly and loved it. If you decide to use jalapeño jelly start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste test. It may be a little too hot for your taste if you don’t use it sparingly.

 Easy & Delicious Sauce:

1 cup Heinz Chili Sauce
1/2 cup grape jelly
1/2 cup currant jelly
per lb meat balls

Jeff’s Favorite Sauce:

1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup grape jelly
12 ounces bottle (mild) chili or seafood sauce (Crosse & Blackwell is good)
10 ounces grape, apple, or other jelly ( ¼ to ½ tsp Hot Jalapeno jelly added to any of these, or a very small pinch of cracked red pepper added at the end of the cooking.)
Cranberry Sauce:

1 (16-ounce) can cranberry sauce
1 (12-ounce) can chili sauce
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Spicy Cranberry Sauce:

2 (1-pound) bags frozen cocktail-size meatballs (about 64 meatballs)
1 (16-ounce) can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups pineapple juice
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced

Heat oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs evenly. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

In a large saucepan, combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, brown sugar and pineapple juice. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

Add the meatballs, pineapple chunks, sliced onion and green peppers. Cook

for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated

TO COOK IN A CROCKPOT:

Place prepared and sautéed meatballs in Crockpot. Heat and stir sauce on top of stove, pour over meatballs and cook on low setting for 2-4 hours or until meatballs are done in the middle. Cooking time depends on how  many meatballs are in the Crockpot; and how frozen they were when placed in Crockpot.

TO COOK IN A SKILLET:

Heat 1 Tb salad oil in a large skillet, cook the meatballs over medium heat until brown, about 20 minutes. Drain off excess fat.

TO COOK IN THE OVEN:

Place the meatballs in a lightly greased baking pan or cookie sheet. Bake, uncovered, in a 400 degree F. oven until light brown, about 20 minutes. Drain off the excess fat.

FOR THE SAUCE:

In a large pot, heat the sauce ingredients to boiling. Simmer uncovered, until the sauce thickens.

Add the meatballs, cover and simmer a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are glazed. Your sauce should be thick and meatballs coated with the sauce.

Keep hot in a crock pot!