appetizer « Great Eats with Petes

Posts Tagged ‘appetizer’

Mini Calzones

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

You are probably all wondering where I have been for the past week. Well, I was busy eating my way through New Orleans with an amazing group of friends. I can’t wait to share my experience there with all of you but first I have to make my through all the pictures I took.

Now that I am back I want to share some other recipes with you so here is a great snack or appetizer for a large group of people. A couple of weeks ago I was going on a cheese binge. I love cheese and by love I mean really love. My favorite cheese is ricotta cheese. I even, on occasion make my own ricotta cheese. I also love calzones but can’t always get a good one. I was having people over and since I was on a cheese binge I decided to make these great little fingers foods. They are versatile and you can really play around with the fillings. I made some plain, some with sausage and some with pepperoni but you can put in it whatever toppings you hear desires. Get creative and enjoy!

1 round of pizza dough, homemade or store bought

Flour for dusting

2 cups of ricotta cheese

1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup grated cheese, I use Pecorino Romano

Salt

Pepper

Your favorite toppings i.e. sausage and pepperoni

1 egg, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Dust the pizza round with the flour. Cut in half and roll out to about 1/8 of an inch. Cut out rounds of the dough using a large round cookie cutter. Repeat with second half.

In a large bowl mix together the ricotta, mozzarella and grated cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then mix to combine.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush a piece of the cut out pizza dough with the egg wash. In the center of the round place 1-2 tablespoons of the ricotta. Place your favorite topping on top of the ricotta. Pull over the top half of the round towards the bottom forming a crescent shape. Using a fork close the edges of the calzone. Brush with egg wash. Repeat for the rest of the rounds and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with some tomato sauce and Enjoy!

Tags: appetizer, calzone, cheese, pepperoni, ricotta, sauce, sausage, snack
Posted in Recipes | 6 Comments »

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Dip

Friday, February 4th, 2011

This recipe comes from an old boss of mine. He made it for a Christmas party that the held at his house for all of his managers and office mates. I fell in love with this dip. The following work day I asked him for the recipe and he passed it along to me. I have made it for many occasions but it always is a hit at Super Bowl. Once again it will be on my Super Bowl menu this year but with a twist. His original recipe calls for hot sauce but he told me to great creative so I did. This time I made it with a Sweet Chili sauce. It gives it a nice sweet and spicy taste. Feel free to try out the new version or the original. I hope it is as big as a hit at your house as it is at mine. Enjoy!

Olive Oil

1 package of chicken tenderloins or 4 chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

1 bottle of sweet chili or hot sauce (more or less depending on your tastes)

1 bar of cream cheese

1 1/2 cups blue cheese dressing

Shredded mozzarella

Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Salt and pepper the chicken. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook chicken in pan until brown on both sides and cooked through. Allow to cool. Using a fork or your hands shred the chicken. Toss with sweet chili or hot sauce (to your taste).

In 9 x 13 pan spread (yes, mine is not that size, I was making a mini version to taste test) the cream cheese on the bottom of the dish. Then spread the chicken mixture on top the cream cheese. Spread the blue cheese on top of the chicken layer. Cover with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the dip bubbles and the cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips and Enjoy!

Tags: appetizer, blue cheese, buffalo, buffalo chicken, cheese, chicken, dip, super bowl, sweet and spicy, sweet and spicy chicken, sweet and spicy chicken dip
Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments »

Sausage Stuffed Potato Skins

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

This recipe came to me by just looking in the fridge. I happened to have all these great ingredients on hand and it all came together nicely. I was working on a list of Super Bowl recipe possibilities and this went right to the top. I love potato skins, always have, always will. You can’t really go wrong with potatoes, bacon and cheese all mixed together. We made this one better by adding in some sausage. It has now been made a staple on our Super Bowl Menu. Hope your guests enjoy it as much as I hope mine will. Enjoy!

4 small russet potatoes

3 sausage links

3 slices of bacon

Cooking spray

Salt

Pepper

1 cup or more shredded cheddar cheese (depends on how cheesy you like it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and cook until tender, approximately 1 hour. Allow potatoes to cook. Slice potatoes length wise in half. Scoop out some of the potato leaving a 1/4 inch potato border so it resembles a boat. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

Spray a frying pan with some cooking spray. Remove sausage from the casing. Place in frying pan. Allow sausage to brown. While it is cooking break up the sausage into bits using a wooden spoon. Once cooked through remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan fry up the bacon until golden brown. Allow to cool. Then cut it into bits.

Spray both sides of the potatoes with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter). Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet. Fill each boat with sausage. Then top with cheese and bacon. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.

Serve and Enjoy the Super Bowl!

Tags: appetizer, cheddar cheese, potato, potato skins, sausage, sausage potato skins, super bowl
Posted in Recipes | 4 Comments »

Stuffed Mushrooms

Monday, December 27th, 2010

My mother was always in charge of the stuffed mushrooms when it came to the holidays. Whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s or Easter she made them and everyone loved them. I now had to take over that role. The first time I ever made them was for Thanksgiving at my Dads then, I made it again for Christmas and I plan on making it at some point during my New Year’s vacation to the Poconos. It makes a great appetizer for any entertaining you may be doing. They come a close second to my mom’s and I hope you all enjoy them as much as my family did this Christmas. Enjoy!

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

28-40 ounces of mushrooms (I forgot how much I used it was the big box of stuffing mushrooms that you find during the holidays at the local grocery store)

1/2 large onion minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt

Pepper

2 cups white wine, separated

1 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1 cup chicken stock, plus more if necessary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Remove the stems of the mushrooms and finely chop. Place the mushroom caps in a roasting pan. Add the onions and mushrooms stems to the saute pan. Cook until the onions are translucent and the mushroom stems have browned. Add in garlic and cook for one minute. Add in 1 cup of white wine. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Add in breadcrumbs and grated cheese and mix to combine. This mixture will be like a paste.

Stuff the mushrooms with the stuffing. I use one to two tablespoons for each mushroom, depending on the size of the mushroom. Place the mushrooms back into the pan. Place the remaining white wine and chicken stock into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in oven until the mushrooms have browned, approximately 30 minutes. Check on the mushrooms occasionally and add in more chicken stock if it evaporates.

Serve warm or cold (warm is better) and Enjoy!

Tags: appetizer, christmas, mushrooms, new years, side, stuffed mushrooms
Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments »

Baked Brie with Carmelized Onions

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

I love brie. I have learned though, that Tom doesn’t like it. This makes me sad but he enjoyed the onions that I put on top of the brie in this recipe. Actually, he thought it was mushrooms and onions (which, would be a great addition) but it was just onions. This makes a great appetizer for any occasion especially Thanksgiving and it is really easy to do. It is an elegant twist to the standard cheese plate or brie wheel. So for those of you out there who enjoy brie and even those of you who don’t (I hope this will convert you), I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my guests and I did at our mock Thanksgiving.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon water

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 round of brie

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a saute pan heat oil over medium, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add in onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat until golden and soft, approximately 10 minutes. Add in 1 tablespoon of water. Allow water to evaporate. Set onions aside.

Place puff pastry on a flat surface. In the center of the pastry place the reserved caramelized onions. Top with the round of brie. Bring up the sides of the puff pastry to cover the brie. If you want you can cut off an edge and make some decorations out of the pastry to put on the top. Turn the covered brie over and place on a baking sheet. Brush with egg. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.