Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers

We had a track end of the year BBQ to go to last week and I was tasked with bringing an appetizer! The theme was kind of mexican-ish, so I wanted to make something easy, but with a little kick! I found these poppers online and changed up a couple of the ingredients. They were seriously delicious and were devoured SO fast. I will definitely be making these again, if not for their amazingness, but for the compliments alone :)  !!

1 package of Marie Callendars Corn Bread Mix

1 cup water

1 can creamed corn

1 cup cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1 small can green chilies 

30 Jalapenos

Directions: 

• Cut the jalapenos in half and remove seeds and ribs, place on a baking sheet. 
• In a bowl, mix corn bread mix, 1 cup water, creamed corn, 1 cup cheddar cheese and green chilis. Stir until well combined. 
• Spoon the corn bread into the jalapenos, careful not to make them too full.
• Sprinkle all the jalapenos with the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. 
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. Until top is slightly brown and the corn bread is slightly firm to the touch. Careful not to overcook, you want the cornbread to be soft.

Cranberry Brie Phyllo Cups

Stephen and I had our Christmas party this past weekend and among a bunch of other amazing dishes that were brought to the party, I made some Cranberry Brie cups as an appetizer. I found this recipe online (surprisingly not on Pinterest, but I can't even remember where). They were SO good! They had the potential to be a major fail, considering they were supposed to be in the oven about 6-8 minutes and I forgot about them and they ended up in there about 30 minutes, but even being in the oven WAY too long they were great!! These are probably the simplest appetizer I have EVER made. And they look kinda fancy :)

mini phyllo cups (I used 3 boxes of 15 each)

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 cup pecans chopped

1 round of brie cheese

Directions: 

• Remove the peel from the brie cheese, careful not to waste too much (or any) of the delicious cheese underneath. 
• Chop pecans (you could also use walnuts, the original recipe called for them, but I thought pecans had a bit more flavor)
• Remove cranberry from can and stir to loosen it all up, add the pecans and stir. 
• Place the cups on a baking sheet
• Put a small piece of brie in each one, then put a dollop of the cranberry mix
• Cook in the oven about 6-10 minutes. Want the cheese to just start to melt and the cups (that are precooked) to warm and get crisp!
• Devour! 

49er's 9-layer dip (Vegan Style)

As you all know, we are big 49er's fans. Today (Sunday) they play the Falcons for the NFC Championship. My husband had one request- a 7 layer dip.  This was a little challenge because the 7-layer dips I love have some ground beef or turkey, sour cream, melted cheese, yum!  So I developed one that works for us, and of course is even BETTER than a 7 layer dip because it has 9 layers!

2 cans Trader Joe's re fried beans (vegan)

2 pasilla peppers, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cans black beans

1/4 cup vegetable stock

1 bag soy cheese

3-4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

3 green onions, chopped

3 avocados, mashed

1 tub of your favorite salsa

1 can black olives, sliced

1 tablespoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 cup homemade tomatillo sauce (or 1 can of green chili's)

Directions

• First, prepare your re-fried beans. Chop up the onion and pasilla pepper and add to a pan with 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Let saute until they are tender. 
• Add your beans to the pan and stir with the onions and peppers, then add the 1/4 cup vegetable stock. You want to add the stock slowly so you don't add to much and your beans end up watery. 
• Now prepare your guacamole. Mash up your avocados and season with salt and pepper and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.
• Put all the re-fried beans at the bottom of the pan, then layer the black beans and cheese on top. 
• Then add the following ingredients:
• Tomatillo sauce
• lettuce
• salsa
• guacamole
• sprinkle a little more soy cheese
• black olives & green onions

Mini Spinach Dip Bowls

These are likely the BEST appetizer I have ever had.  Thank you Pinterest for supplying me with this recipe (I added a little extra of things here and there and I think it made it perfect) :) I made these for our friends Christmas party (3 batches) and they were gobbled up almost immediately. Doesn't get much better than this!! Also, I had some left over filling and it was awesome just as a dip for crackers.

13.3 oz roll of refrigerated french bread loaf, I used simply natural by Pillsbury

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10 muffin cups with non stick cooking spray. Unroll package of french bread loaf and slice into 10 equal size slices (you actually might be able to get 12 cuts, I was). Press each slice into about a 3 inch round. Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes and then add garlic, cook and stir for another minute then turn off heat.
3. Place cream cheese, sour cream, cooked spinach and garlic, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix until combined. With a medium scoop, scoop dip into each of the centers of the bread bowls. Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15-17 minutes until edges turn brown.
4. Remove and devour! 

Check out this website where I got the recipe. They have the BEST step by step photos!

 

Fancy Crescent Rolls

So the other night I wanted to make crescent rolls and my husband said "eh that doesn't sound very good" so I added "what if I add cheese to them?" well he can never resist cheese so of course he said yes! All I did was take the crescent rolls in the tube, opened them up and added a little sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese and green onion. Rolled them up and they were awesome!!  Try this to fancy up your crescent rolls :)

Put the cheese and onions at
 the end of the dough

Roll the dough up

Pinch the ends together so the
cheese doesn't come out

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes
and enjoy!