Category: Appetizers

Baked Italian Meatballs

Italian Meatballs are really simple to make and you really add any flavors you want! I’m Italian and I learned a lot from seeing my grandparents cook when I was very young and also from seeing my parents cook as well. Italian meatballs are really easy to make, there is no need to buy the store bought ones! You can put this recipe together in now time!

This recipe is a pretty basic Italian meatball recipe! I used ground beef as it was all I had but you can use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork that also comes out delicious! My grandmother use to fry the meatballs, but to make these a little healthier I bake them! You can simmer these meatballs in sauce, enjoy with pasta or eat them on their own. I personally eat them with a little drizzle of oil and some delicious shaved Italian cheese with a chunk of bread! Yum!!

Baked Italian Meatballs

Ingredients:
2lb ground meat (beef or a mixture of beef & pork)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 Tbsp Garlic & Herb Seasoning (See below for Amazon Link)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 shallot, grated
2 tsp olive oil

Extras:
Olive oil cooking spray

My Favorite Amazon Items: https://www.amazon.com/shop/garlic_and_oliveoil_veins

Directions: Preheat oven 375°. In a medium bowl add all the ingredients above and gently mix with your hands (Yes, your hands) until everything is fully mixed together. Do not over mix the meat, this is important to keeping a moist meatball.

Next grab a few pinches of meat and form your meatballs. Don’t overly work the meat mixture. You want to just gently roll into balls. Make the meatballs any size you want. Add the meatballs to a greased cookie sheet leaving a little room in between. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes until fully cooked through. There is no need to flip the meatballs during the cooking process. Adjust the cook time based on the size of the meatballs. Enjoy the meatballs with pasta, simmered in sauce or just on their own!

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Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms

I love stuffed mushrooms.  For someone who never loved mushrooms until I was older, it’s something I really enjoy making now.  You can really mix up recipes and add anything you want to a make a stuffed mushroom.  Any flavor combo you like. 

These were made in the air fryer and they came out SO delicious.  They were tender but not soggy at all, which unforunately is a common occurence for mushrooms since they have a high water content. 

If you love mushrooms and have an air fryer, give these a try. They are so quick to make.  Just keep in mind each air fryer is different and the cook times are estimated based on my specific air fryer.  I use an oven air fryer vs a basket one.  However, you can make this in either, you may jut have to adjust the temp and time.  If you are interested in my air fryer, check out tool bar above that says “Shop Items I Use.”

Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
8-10 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned
8 oz cream cheese, soften (whipped or in the tub will work too)
1/2 small onion, diced
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup Romano cheese, finely grated
1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced
1 T olive oil
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t dried parsley
1 t garlic & herb seasoning, optional (Check it out on top tool bar, “Shop Items I Use”)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Directions: Remove mushroom stems and diced up.  In a medium bowl add in the cream cheese, onion, garlic and mushroom stems.  Mix well.  Add in the bread crumbs, Romano cheese, seasoning and oil and mix well until fully incorporated.  Taste mixture and adjust seasoning to taste.

 

Fill each mushroom evenly with the cream cheese mixture.  You want the filling to be slightly heaping.  Preheat air fryer.  Mine preheats at 400° for 4 minutes.   Place mushroom on rack (if using oven air fryer, that’s what I have) or place in basket. 

Cook mushrooms at 360° for 6-8 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t get very dark on top.  I originally started cooking for 8 minutes and ended up taking them our early since they were golden on top and the mushrooms were tender.  I cooked about 6 minutes.  Remove from air fryer and enjoy!

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Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip

One of my favorite party dips is buffalo chicken dip! I make it a lot when I go to parties or events. I seem to always get asked to make this dip. I love it because it reminds me of chicken wings which I LOVE! You can easily adjust the spice level on the dip.

There are a few different variations out there. I traditionally bake mine in the oven vs use a crockpot. However, I LOVE the idea of the crockpot because you can keep in there to serve and it will remain warm. See the notes after the recipe for tips on baking, making ahead of time and what chicken to use! Enjoy!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chicken, (canned chicken, rotisserie chicken or 2 chicken breasts shredded)
2 8 oz packages cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Frank’s Red Hot (more or less based on taste)
1 cup Ranch salad dressing

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. In a deep sauté pan add in hot sauce on medium heat. Add in the cream cheese and heat until melted. Add in Ranch and mix well. Fold in the cheese and let it melt slightly. Stir in the chicken to completely coat. Add the chicken mixture to an oven safe dish. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and completely warmed through. Serve with celery, crackers or your choice of chips.

Note: You can make ahead and bake when needed. Just add about 10-15 minutes to cooking time when the dip is refrigerator cold. You can use any kind of chicken you’d like. If you’d prefer you can add all these ingredients to a crockpot and cook on low 2-3 hours. This is great for a party if you want to keep the dip warm.

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Cream Cheese Ranch Roll Ups

There are so many variations of these roll ups out there. You can really mix whatever ingredients you want and be able to create one that is DELICIOUS. However, this is one that I go to a lot. It’s my family’s favorite and it’s super flavorful and yummy. A super simple appetizer that can be made ahead of time and just sliced the day of. Give this a try and make sure to save for later!

Cream Cheese Ranch Roll Ups

Ingredients:
2 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Ranch seasoning packet
3 green onions (white & green), chopped
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 can pimentos
1/2 can black olives, drained & chopped
tortillas, any size (Note: if you use bigger burrito size tortillas you this recipe should make about 4 roll ups)

Directions: In a medium bowl add in the soften cream cheese and smash down with a fork. Next add in the ranch seasoning packet and all remaining ingredients, green onions, chilies, pimentos and black olives and mix until everything is fully incorporated.


Take a few scoops of the cream cheese mixture and put in the middle of the tortilla. Spread the mixture evenly across the tortilla, do not go fully to the ends of the tortilla. (This will make it easier to roll) Once fully spread, start with one side of the tortilla and roll as tight as you can. Complete with all the cream cheese mixture.

Wrap the tortillas in saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for a least 3 hours up till over night. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, take off saran wrap and slice into thin slices and serve. Just wait and see how fast these go at your next gathering!

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Filet Mignon Crostini

This is a little bit of an upscale appetizer.  Not overly fancy, but I guess people assume it’s fancy when they see the words Filet and Mignon!  This crostini is super simple to make.  You don’t have to use a filet, you can use any steak or any left over beef you have.  It’s better for a more tender piece of meat, but anything you have will do.

Think of this for your next party or even a fancy night in!

Filet Mignon Crostini

Ingredients:

Crostini:
1 baguette (about 10 oz) sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 t pepper
2 t salt

2 filet mignon steaks, (about 8 or 9 oz total)
2 t salt
2 t pepper
2 t steak seasoning (optional)
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3 T horseradish
salt, sprinkling

Direction: Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange slices of bread on a large baking sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown about 15-20 minutes. Once done, let cool.

In a small bowl mix together the ricotta and horseradish.  Set aside.

Rub oil over the steaks on both sides.  Seasoning the steaks with salt, pepper and steak seasoning on both sides.  Cook steaks the way you prefer.  Grill for 4 minutes on each side depending on grill temperature and thickness of the filets.  Once finished cooking let rest. Once rested, thinly slice the filet.

To assemble the crostini, spread a layer of ricotta mixture on top of the crostini.  Add a slice of the filet on top and finish with a light sprinkle of coarse salt. (This step is optional, just helps bring out the flavors)  Serve immediately.
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https://www.yummly.com/js/widget.js?wordpress“>Shredded Beef Chimichanga

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Fresh Guacamole

I love avocados, so in turn I love guacamole!  I make it whenever I have some avocados that are getting soft.  It’s very easy to put together this recipe.  I personally do not like tomatoes in my guacamole, so this has none. 🙂  There isn’t really much else to say, just take a look and give it a try for your next snack or Taco Tuesday! Cheers!

Fresh Guacamole

Ingredients:
6 ripe avocados
2 jalapeño peppers, diced (seeds removed, unless you want it spicier)
1 medium red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t salt (more to taste)
1 t pepper
2 t cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
1 lime, juiced

Directions: Cut fully around the avocado with a knife from top to bottom.  Twist to open and remove the pit and scoop or cut out the inside of it.  Add to a medium bowl.  Smash the avocado with a fork, making sure to remove any lumps.

Add in the jalapeño.  If you want the guacamole mild then just add in the pepper. Omit the seeds and membrane from the pepper.  If you want a little more spice, add in seeds and membrane.  Adjust to your preferred spiciness.

Next add in the red onion, garlic and cilantro.  Mix well.  Add in the lime juice.  More or less to taste.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper and mix.

Let sit either at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a while to let the flavors marry. Make sure to tightly wrap bowl with plastic wrap, pushing down the plastic wrap to cover the guacamole.

Serve on tacos or as a dip. Enjoy!

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