APPETIZERS
DIPS AND SAUCES


Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
Dried Beef Log
Cheese Nut Spread
Cream Cheese Spread
Cheddar Cheese Puffs
Sausage Snack Wraps
Easy Vegetable Pizza
Snappy Cocktail Meatballs
Cheese Ball
Italian Spinach Dip
Sweet Pumpkin Dip
Sourdough Bread Dip
Fruit Dip
Jay Bush's Layered Bar-B-Q Bean Dip
Pecan Fingers
Italian Spinach Dip
Pickles and Cream Cheese Rollups
Fire and Ice Pickles

CHEESY CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
(Prep time, 15 mins Cook time, 8 mins)

1 can (10-3/4 oz) Campbells condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1-1/2 C chopped cooked chicken
1 C shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 fresh or canned jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (about 1 T) (optional)
8 flour tortillas (8-inch)
Salsa
Sour Cream

In small bowl, combine soup, chicken, 1/2 C cheese and pepper. Top half of each tortilla with 1/4 C soup mixture, spreading evenly to within 1/2 inch of edge. Moisten edges of tortillas with water; fold over, pressing edges to seal. On two large baking sheets, arrange tortillas. Bake at 400-F 8 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 C cheese. Serve with salsa and sour cream. Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Makes 32 appetizers.

DRIED BEEF LOG

1 8 oz package softened cream cheese
1/3 C (2 oz jar) pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 T plain horseradish
1 jar (2 oz) dried beef, finely snipped

Bacon crackers (or your favorite snack crackers)
Have cream cheese at room temperature. (Allow half-hour preparation time--approximately 20 mins to chop olives.) Blend the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, horseradish, and chopped olives. On waxed paper, shape into 1 or 2 logs. Wrap and chill overnight. When ready to serve, roll log in snipped dried beef. Serve with crackers. Freezes well.

CHEESE NUT SPREAD

6 oz cream cheese
1/2 C mayonnaise
Dash of black pepper
1/2 C chopped pecans
1 C chopped salad olives
2 T liquid from olives

Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise; mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the liquid from salad olives and a dash of black pepper; mix well. Fold in chopped pecans and olives. Spread on crackers. May be stored in a glass jar or resealable container for up to a week in the refrigerator. (Spread will get stiffer as it chills.)

CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 T evaporated mil
Finely chopped stuffed olives
Small amount of juice from olives

Soften the cream cheese. Add milk and a small amount of the juice from olives, then stir in the chopped stuff olives.

CHEDDAR CHEESE PUFFS

1 C water
1/2 C butter
1 C flour
4 eggs, beaten
1 C Cheddar Cheese, grated and divided

Heat oven to 425. In large saucepan over medium heat bring water and butter to a boil. Quickly add flour, stirring until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1/2 cup cheese. Drop mixture by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet, 1-1/2 inches apart. Top each puff with a pinch of remaining cheese. Bake approximately 20 minutes; turn off oven. Pierce sides of each puff in a few places and return to turned-off oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm. YIELD: 3 dozen

SAUSAGE SNACK WRAPS

Heat oven to 375. Separate 1 can Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Roll dough into triangles; cut each triangle lengthwise into thirds. Place a fully cooked cocktail smoked hot dog on each triangle; roll up and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. YIELD: 24

EASY VEGETABLE PIZZA

Heat oven to 375. Press 2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Roll dough into ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan to form crust. bake for 13-17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. Combine 8-oz pkg softened cream cheese, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder. Spread over cooled crust. Cover, refrigerate 1 hour. Top with sliced or chopped fresh vegetables. YIELD: 48-60

SNAPPY COCKTAIL MEATBALLS

(with Honey Mustard Sauce)
Meatballs
1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 pkg Brown Gravy Mix
2 T prepared horseradish
1 T parsley flakes
1 t basil leaves
1/4 t black pepper
Sauce
1/2 C Dijon mustard
3 T honey
1/8 t ground red pepper

Combine all meatball ingredients; mix well. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. Place on a shallow baking pan. Bake in 375 oven 10-15 minutes. In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients. To serve, arrange meatballs on a serving plate with sauce and toothpicks. YIELD: 30 meatballs

CHEESE BALL

1 8-oz cream cheese
1 pkg ranch dressing mix

Put cheese in a bowl and let it get real soft. After it becomes soft add the dressing mix and mix all together. After mixing together form in round ball and then roll in either nuts or parsley flakes or whatever you want.

ITALIAN SPINACH DIP

1 C mayonnaise
1 C sour cream
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1/2 C chopped red pepper (optional)

Mix mayo, sour cream and salad dressing mix until well blended. Add spinach and red pepper; mix well. Refrigerate. SERVE with bread pieces and assorted cut up veggies. Makes 3 cups. TIP: Serve in round sourdough bread. Cut slice from top of bread loaf; remove center, leaving 1-inch thick shell. Cut removed bread into bite-size pieces. Spoon dip into bread shell just before serving.
***OR***
1 pkg chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 container sour cream (16 oz)
1 C mayonnaise
3 green onions, chopped
1 pkg Vegetable Soup
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
Mix and coninue as above.

SWEET PUMPKIN DIP

4 C Confectioner sugar sifted
2 pkg. 8 oz each Cream cheese [softened]
30 oz pumkin pie filling mix
2 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground ginger

Combine sugar and cream cheese, beating until well blended. Beat in remaining ingredients. Store in airtight container in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with gingersnaps

Jan

SOURDOUGH BREAD DIP

1 Round Loaf Sourdough Bread; Hollowed Out to Form Bowl, Reserve Pieces
2-8 oz. packages Cream Cheese; Softened
1 bunch Green Onions; Trimmed and Finely Chopped
1 lb. Monterrey Jack Cheese; Grated
16 oz. Sour Cream
1 standard jar Dried Beef; Rinsed, Drained and Chopped
1 small package Frozen Spinach; Thawed and Drained

Make sure to tear bread removed from the center of the Sourdough loaf into bite-size pieces as you hollow the loaf. Leave about a 1-inch exterior layer for a firm baking bowl. Set the empty loaf on foil for wrapping and set aside. Combine all remaining ingredients after preparing as directed. Fill loaf with mixture. Wrap the loaf in foil and bake at 350-F degrees for 1-hour. Toast pieces of bread in the oven during the last 15-minutes of baking on a non-greased cookie sheet, set in as thin a single layer as possible, turn once during toasting. Serve warm with toasted bread pieces and additional crackers for dipping.
Tips: If you want a strong onion-flavor to your Bread Dip, add more of the green chopped onions than the white portions. If you desire a more mellow onion flavor, add more white chopped onions than green. You can readily control the strength of the onion flavor by manipulating the green vs. white onion ratio. Also, if you don't want to serve with additional crackers, buy a second loaf of Sourdough bread and tear it up in entirety. Toast as directed and serve this delicious appetizer with Sourdough bread for dipping only!

FRUIT DIP

1 8 ounce package cream cheese
2 jars marshmellow creme
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 ounces sliced almonds

Mix a cream cheese, marshmellow creme and extract with mixer until smooth. Stir in almonds. Chill. Serve as a dip with fruit such as grapes, bananas, apples, pears, etc. My favorite is to dip vanilla wafers.

Provided by Nancy Marcanti

JAY BUSH'S LAYERED BAR-B-Q BEAN DIP

2 C lettuce, finely chopped
2 M tomatoes chopped
Small can of Bush's Bar-B-Q Beans
Green onions with tops, sliced
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C Peppercorn Ranch dressing
1/2 C shredded cheese
Chopped bacon
Bagel Chips

Put lettuce on bottom of glass bowl. Add tomatoes around edge. Add beans. Add onions. Mix sour cream and dressing, pour on top. Sprinkle cheese, then bacon on top. Serve with Bagel Chips.

PECAN FINGERS

1/4 lb butter
2 Tbs sugar
1 Cup plain Flour
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 Cup finely chopped pecans

Melt butter and add other ingredients - mix thoroughly - mold into fingers and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes - remove from heat, let cool, and roll in confectioner's sugar.

ITALIAN SPINACH DIP

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1/2 cup chopped red pepper (optional)

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream and salad dressing mix until well blended. Add spinach and red pepper; mix well. Refrigerate. SERVE with bread pieces and assorted cut up vegetables. Makes 3 cups. TIP: Serve in round sourdough bread. Cut slice from top of bread loaf; remove center, leaving 1-inch thick shell. Cut removed bread into bite-size pieces. Spoon dip into bread shell just before serving.

PICKLE AND CREAM CHEESE ROLLUPS

2 pkgs cream cheese
1 jar Claussen Pickles (whole)
1 pkg of chipped beef

Wipe pickles to dry. Mold softened cheese around the pickle. Wrap meat around the cheese. Wrap indidvidually in foil and chill until ready to use. Slice into bite size pieces.

NOTE: These can be messy to make if your cream cheese is soft. But they are delicious. I made these for my wedding reception and they went like hotcakes.

FIRE AND ICE PICKLES

1 pint sliced dill pickles
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup Splenda)
1/8 tsp red (cayenne) pepper
1/2 Tbsp hot pepper sauce (i.e. Texas Pete, Tabasco, etc.)
1 clove garlic

Strain pickles and pour juice into a saucepan. Heat just to boiling and stir in sugar (or Splenda) until dissolved, then stir in red pepper and hot pepper sauce. Return pickles to original jar with clove of garlic. Pour hot juice over pickles. Seal jar and refrigerate 1 week before removing garlic and consuming. Keep refrigerated.

Thank you Cherie

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