Baked Mozzarella Sticks

One of the earlier recipes that I saw on Pinterest was a recipe for mozzarella sticks in egg roll wrappers baked instead of fried.  I pinned it and when I was looking for an appetizer to take to Christmas I decided to try it.  Mine didn't turn out exactly like the picture but they were really good.  

In getting all my ducks in a row for this post I found that the person who uploaded the picture on the pin that I repinned basically uploaded a picture of fried mozzarella sticks and said that she would bake instead of fry them.  A little confusing, but I'm glad that she wrote that because this is really easy and even though they don't look as awesome as fried mozzarella sticks they are still great!

I'm modified the recipe to give you the best non-fried approach but if you want the fried version check out the link at the bottom of this post.

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Egg Roll Wrappers

String Cheese

Water

Salsa

1. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with sides with cooking spray.

2. Lay out an egg roll wrapper.  Place a string cheese near a top corner point and begin rolling the wrapper up.  Halfway through fold the outer corners in and continue wrapping.  When you finish rolling moisten the edge with water and seal.

3. Continue with as many wrappers as you have and place on your cookie sheet with a little bit of space between the rolls.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Keep a watch on them to add or take away time.  You want them to get slightly brown but you also don't want all the cheese to seep out.

5.  Serve warm with salsa or marinara sauce.

Modified from Taste of Home via Pinterest

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans (credit)

Set these out for the Christmas party but they were a bigger hit on the neighbor goodies plate.

1 large Egg White

3 cups Pecan Halves

1/3 cup Cinnamon and Sugar (1 T Cinnamon to 1/4 cup Sugar)

2 teaspoons Vanilla

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.

2. Whisk the egg white in a cup and then pour over the pecans.  Stir until pecans are coated.

3. In a small bowl combine the other ingredients.  Add them to the pecans a little at a time while continuing to stir.

4. Spread the pecans on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Cook for 20 minutes without stirring.

5. Use a spatula to remove the pecans from the cookie sheet immediately after cooking.  Let cool and then store.

Apple Pie Dip and Cinnamon Sugar Chips

Apple Pie Dip and Cinnamon Sugar Chips (via The Peach Kitchen)

Another hit from the Christmas Party and a recipe that I got from Pinterest.  It was good cold but I might serve it hot next time so that it will be out of this world!

2 cups (about 2 1/2 regular sized apples) Apples, peeled and diced

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon water

5 (or however many you want) Tortilla's

2 Tablespoons Butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 1/2 Tablespoons Sugar

1. Combine apples, leon juice, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon in pan.

2. Heat mixture on the stove for a few minutes until it's boiling and has extracted the juices from the apples.

3. Add the cornstarch-water mixture.  Keep on the stove until it's boiling and the sauce has thickened.

4. Serve warm or cool.

5. Cut the tortilla's into wedges.

6. Put tortilla wedges onto a slightly greased baking pan.

7. Combine 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon and sugar until mixed.

8. Brush tortilla's with butter and then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

8. Bake at 410 F for 5-8 minutes or until the chips are browning.

Apple Dip

I had never had this dip until a friend of mine brought it to a party Memorial Day weekend. The first bite I had I fell in love with it. I had a chance to make it for our last Bible Study gathering a few weeks ago and everyone there asked me to post the recipe. It is a really simple recipe that is better the farther ahead of time you make it. I made one recipe with six cut up apples for our Bible Study and we ate most of it. If you're having more than 10 people I would double the recipe.


Apple Dip

1 package of cream cheese (softened)
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 package toffee chips/heath bar chips (in chocolate chip section)

*Mix all ingredients together, then fold in toffee chips.
*Refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving to allow flavors to be absorbed.
*Serve with tart apples (Granny Smith). Put lemon juice on the apple slices to keep longer...

Black Bean Salsa

This is not very Thanksgiving-y but if you're making an appetizer this is always a crowd pleaser! This Paula Deen recipe is one of my very favorites. It's made with all fresh ingredients so it tastes fantastic and the best part is that it is SUPPOSED to be made the day before!


Black Bean Salsa
Two 15 oz cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained
One 17 oz package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/8 to ¼ c Chopped Fresh Cilantro
3 to 4 T Lime Juice
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Taste and add salt, pepper, or more lime juice as necessary. Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or with grilled chicken breast as a meal.

Spinach Dip

Hi everybody! My name is April and I am going to be sharing a quick and easy Spinach Dip recipe with you today. This is a dish that I made for the office baby shower I helped throw for Jennifer and she must have liked it because she invited me here today. :) I immediately accepted her invitation and am thrilled that I can help out during this busy time and allow her more time to just snuggle up with baby Charlotte.

So on to the good stuff! I got this recipe from a friend of mine and it is a favorite snack around my house. The good news is… it only requires three ingredients, three steps and no actual cooking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

You will need the following:

16 oz. container of sour cream

Knorr’s dry vegetable soup mix

Chopped spinach -- I generally use a 14 oz. package

The first step is to thaw and drain your spinach. Then put all three ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and serve! I usually pair mine with Wheat Thins but you can use whatever you like.

Tailgating Dips

If your house is anything like mine you've been hearing for the last 100 or so days how long it is until kickoff. I think everyone in the South is going crazy now that we're down to a few measly days! We could probably even rationalize counting the time in hours instead of days now! So in honor of the kickoff of our beloved football season I've gathered our two favorite dips. Jason doesn't really prefer the artichoke dip, but they're both really good! Happy Tailgating!

Bean Dip

Makes 1 large casserole or two small square dishes

Put ingredients into the pan in this order:
2 cans Refried Beans
16 ox Sour Cream mixed with 1 envelope Taco Seasoning
1 1/2 - 2 jars Salsa
Cheddar Cheese

Refrigerate until serving. Serve with Frito's or your favorite chip.

Artichoke Dip

1 14 oz can Artichoke Hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 8z container Sour Cream
1/2 c Chunky Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
1/4 c Snipped Chives

Stir together. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Serve with pretzels.

Does anyone else have any must-have tailgating food?!? Pass it along if you do!

Hot Bacon and Swiss Dip

Due to Jenni's request here is the recipe for the Bacon and Swiss dip. This dip is REALLY great and is pretty easy! It makes a lot of dip so be prepared. The recipe makes 2 cups but I usually multiply it to get enough for a chafing dish container. If you want the dip more bacon-y you can cook extra bacon and add it in to the actual dip.

This recipe is special to us because we had this at our wedding reception. We had the dip first at a friend of the family's wedding the June before our wedding in July and decided that we really wanted it at our wedding! Thanks Carrie Sanders Hart and her family for graciously allowing us to borrow the recipe! I think this recipe has been in their family for years.

Hot Bacon and Swiss Dip
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 c Miracle Whip
4 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
2 T green onions, chopped
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1/2 c Ritz crackers, buttered and crumbled

Mix cream cheese, Miracle whip, cheese and onions. Bake (approx 30 min at 350 or until slightly bubbly) then top with bacon and crackers.

Makes two cups. Serve with your favorite cracker or toast points.

Let me know how it turns out!