Pizza Roll-Ups

I have always liked tortilla roll-ups for gatherings. They are perfect to just pick up and go. I really didn't measure the sauce, spinach and cheese. But if I had to guess it was about 1.5-2 tablespoons of sauce, 1/4 cup loosely packed spinach and 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheese.

INGREDIENTS

8-8 inch flour tortillas
48 sandwich deli slices pepperoni
pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese, shredded
fresh spinach leaves, torn
extra pizza sauce for serving

DIRECTIONS

Lay out tortilla and arrange 6 slices of pepperoni. Spread pizza over pepperoni, top with spinach and cheese. Roll tortilla up tightly and roll up in plastic wrap. Repeat until done.

Place wrapped tortillas on refrigerator for at least two hours. Before serving, unwrap and slice. Serve with with extra pizza sauce.

One year ago: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Key Lime Cheesecake Ball

I made a lemon version of this and it was great. My Mom loves key lime so I thought I would give that a try. This was so good people thought I bought it pre-made.

INGREDIENTS

10 ounces cream cheese
zest of 4 key limes
6 teaspoons fresh key lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
dash of vanilla extract
3 graham crackers, crushed
graham crackers/fruit for serving

DIRECTIONS

Stir cream cheese and sugar together in a medium bowl until well blended. Add key lime zest, juice and vanilla extract and combine until smooth.

Form the key lime and cheese mixture into a round ball on plastic wrap and wrap up. This cheese mixture is soft, so making a perfect ball shape may not be possible until the mixture in completely chilled. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Place crushed graham crackers on a plate. Form cheese ball again. Roll cheese ball in graham crackers until well coated. Refrigerate until ready to use.

One year ago: Artichoke Tapenade and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Cucumber Bites

I love this idea for a fun vegetable appetizer. They were a huge hit and people thought they were so cute.

From Kraft Foods

INGREDIENTS
1 carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup), divided
1/2 cup Chive & Onion cream cheese
2 cucumbers, cut lengthwise in half, seeded

DIRECTIONS

Reserve 2 tablespoons carrots. Mix remaining carrots with cream cheese; spoon into cucumber shells. Top with reserved carrots.

Cut each cucumber half into 5 pieces to serve.

One year ago: Pasta with Italian Style Pumpkin Sauce

Oreo Cookie Bars

This is the third version I have made of this recipe…are they are wonderful every time. This may be my favorite, but it is really hard to pick. I used the holiday Oreos simply because they were available and looked festive.

Adapted from Kraft Foods

INGREDIENTS

package of Oreo cookies, 1.5 cups crushed and 2 cups coarsely broken
1 stick butter
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter in a foil-lined 9x13 baking pan.

Once melted remove pan and sprinkle in 1.5 cups crushed cookies. Pour in sweetened condensed milk; sprinkle with 2 cups coarsely broken cookies and 1 cup chocolate chips.

Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 32 bars and serve. (I like to put mine in the refrigerator after they cool so they are easier to cut.)

One year ago: Fruit Salad

Spicy Bean Salsa

This was a hit! It was nice alternative to set out at a party instead if normal salsa. My version was not really spicy since I used canned chilies instead of jalapenos to make it more crowd-friendly. So don’t let the title scare you off.

Adapted from All Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 15 ounce can black-eyed peas, drained
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
½ cup chopped roasted red pepper
1 4 ounce can green chilies, drained
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup zesty Italian dressing
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
couple dashes of hot sauce
Tortilla chips for serving

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients, except chips, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight to let flavors blend.

One year ago: Lemon Spaghetti

Italian Spinach Spread

People always seem to love spinach dip at parties. This was a nice changed from the mayonnaise version that you may be use too.

Adapted from Kraft Foods

INGREDIENTS

1 ¼ cup sour cream
1 envelope zesty Italian dressing mix (Good Season’s brand is good)
1 10 ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup chopped roasted red pepper
crackers for serving (I used reduced-fat Triscuits)

DIRECTIONS

Combine sour cream and dressing. Mix in spinach, cheese and red pepper. Cover and refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

One year ago: Chicken and Rice Layer Fiesta Bake

Savory Shortbread

Um...I know these look like chicken nuggets, but they are not, lol! I thought this would be something nice and different to put out for a party. Although, I will admit that recipes with “chilled butter” scare me a little. I always think I am going to screw something up…but I didn’t! These are good, but a little on the bland side. I suggest serving them with some type of dip or spread to kick them up a notch.

From Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

To the bowl of a food processor, add flour and cayenne pepper; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles course meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

Add cheese to the food processor; pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
Using a fork, stir in milk and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Have ready several pieces of parchment paper.

Form mixture into two 1-inch-diameter logs, and wrap in parchment. Transfer the logs to the refrigerator, and chill until very firm, at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove logs from refrigerator, and cut each one into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds on prepared baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.

Bake the shortbread until golden, about 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets between shelves halfway through baking.

Transfer shortbread to wire racks to cool. Bake remaining dough. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.

One year ago: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hot Virginia Ham Dip

This is a dip my mom has at a Christmas party every year and always raves about. She wasn’t able to get the exact recipe, but we came up with our own version. Now, Virginia ham is not Virginia baked ham. It is that fabulous salty country ham your find on southern style ham biscuits. Make sure you get the right ham if you make this…and you will want to because it is so good and different. And don’t even think about adding salt to this, the ham takes care of that.

INGREDIENTS

10 ounces Virginia/country ham from the deli, chopped and fat removed
14 ounces cream cheese, softened
1.5 cups sour cream
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
4 ounces pecans, toasted and chopped
Ritz crackers for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degress.

Blend together cream cheese and sour cream. Mix in remaining ingredients, except pecans.Put mixture into a 2 quart baking dish, top with pecans and bake for about 25 minutes, until heated through.

One year ago: Thai Peanut Chicken Burgers