Western Potato Rounds

2 large unpeeled baking potatoes

Vegetable oil

1 cup shredded Co-Jack cheese

6 bacon slices, crisply cooked, drained, and crumbled (I cheated, and used real bacon bits)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 450. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Spray both sides of potato slices with oil; place on a baking stone (or I'm sure you could use any shallow pan, like a cookie sheet). Bake 20 minutes; remove from oven. In a bowl, combine cheese, bacon, and onion. Using a pastry brush, brush each potato slice with barbecue sauce; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Return potato slices to oven. Bake 5 minutes longer.

These were a fun and easy side dish to go with our grilled pork chops tonight, I will definitely be making them again!

Tortilla Rollups

1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 TBLS mayo
1 TBLS chopped onion
1 TBLS chopped dill pickle
1 pkg dried beef, chopped
dash of worcestershire sauce
~~Mix and spread in thin layer on tortilla shells. Roll. Cut in 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices. Will cover 3 or 4 large shells. May also spinkle on shredded cheese before rolling.


With the 4th of July right around the corner I thought I would share the recipes we used for my sister's baby shower. The Tortilla Rollups and the Dessert Ball were the most requested and most popular food items at the shower--next to the candy buttons!

Dessert Ball

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter--no substitutes1 TBLS vanilla
~~blend together until well mixed

3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBLS brown sugar
~~gradually add the sugars until well mixed

Stir in 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Chill for 2 hours
Form into ball & chill for one hour more

Mix together 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Roll ball into mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

BLT Dip

1/4 jar mayo
8 oz sour cream
6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
1 small tomatoe-diced
1 tsp. garlic salt
~~Mix ingredients together and serve with crackers

Party Sandwiches

24 party rolls or dinner rolls
1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted
1 to 2 TBLS poppy seeds
4 TBLS mustard
4 TBLS worcestershire sauce
sliced ham
swiss cheese
~~Mix together butter, poppy seeds, mustard, and worcestershire sauce. Spread sauce on both sides of rolls and put a slice of ham and swiss cheese on each. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese melts. Best if served warm.

Taco Dip

1 (8 oz.) carton of sour cream

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

1/2 jar (16 oz. jar) of taco sauce

Cream all three ingredients together, then top with shredded cheddar cheese and desired toppings such as - lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepper, red pepper, etc.) Drizzle more taco sauce over top. Serve with chips (it's really good with Doritos or Tortilla chips).

Restaurant Style Onion Rings

I made these along with the Buffalo Wings for the Super Bowl, this meal tasted EXACTLY like a restaurant meal, it was great. Although, it also was by far the unhealthiest meal I have ever made!!

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 and 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 cup milk, or as needed

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

seasoned salt to taste

oil for frying

1. Heat the oil to 365 degrees.

2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated, set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.

4. Fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt and serve.

Note: You do not need a deep fryer to make these or the Buffalo Wings, I used an electric skillet, and I'm sure a deep frying pan would work as well.

Restaurant Style Buffalo Chicken Wings

oil for frying

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce or Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce (must be Franks, not another kind of hot sauce)

1 dash ground black pepper

1 dash garlic powder

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

10 chicken wings

1. In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

2. Heat oil to 375 degrees. The oil should be about 1 inch deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

3. Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.

Wow, these were great! I got this recipe from allrecipes.com, and I have never seen so many good reviews!

Chicken Crescent Wreath

I made this as we celebrated the week before Christmas with the "O" Antiphons. It could also be fun to take for a Christmas party. But make a few, because it's tasty and won't last long!



2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Co-Jack cheese

2/3 cup condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup fresh broccoli

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts

3/4 cup cubed cooked chicken

2 Tbsp chopped onion



Arrange crescent rolls on a 12-in pizza pan, forming a ring with pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and wide ends overlapping. Combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over wide ends of rolls. Fold points over filling and tuck under wide ends (filling will be visible). Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings

Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up

1 lb. lean ground beef
4 slices Bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust

Heat oven to 400°F. Brown ground beef with bacon and onions in large skillet; drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add VELVEETA; cook until melted, stirring frequently. Cool 10 minutes.

Unroll dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8-inch rectangle; top with meat mixture. Roll up, starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange if necessary so roll is seam-side down.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

This is WONDERFUL!! Dave ranks this as one of his favorite meals. He was a little skeptical at first but he absolutely loves this. Depending on how you slice this you could serve it as an appetizer or as the main course of your meal. I usually serve this with veggies (did I say my kids love veggies) and a salad or two. MMMMMMMmmmmm!! Try it, you will love it!

Breadsticks

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

In a shallow bowl, combine the first five ingredients; set aside. Divide dough into 12 -16 pieces; roll each into a 6 inch rope. Dip ropes in margarine, then roll in cheese mixture. Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Let rise about half and hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Breadstick Bones

1 can of refrigerated breadsticks (either 6 breadsticks or 12 breadsticks in a can)

1 egg white, beaten

1 TBLS. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

1 jar of marinara sauce or 1 jar of pizza sauce (dipping breadsticks in)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Unroll dough; separate at perforations into either 6 or 12 breadsticks (depending on how many come in your can). Roll each breadstick with a rolling pin until 12 inches long. Loosely tie a knot in both ends of each breadstick; place on cookie sheet. Brush breadsticks with egg white. Sprinkle with cheese and italian seasoning. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with warm dipping sauce.

Benjamin and Ada's daycare had a Halloween party so I sent these along for a snack. The kids enjoyed dipping the bones into the sauce. These tasted great warm! Plus, they were so easy to make.

Cucumber Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese
1 cup miracle whip
4Tblsp. chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped cucumbers
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 Tblsp. lemon juice

Mix together and serve with crackers (my favorite crackers with it are Wheat Thins Garden Harvest). This dip sounds kind of weird, but it is wonderful! I could eat nothing but this with crackers for meals, oh wait, I have been.

Pepperoni Roll-Ups

1 tube (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls
Pizza sauce
2 pieces string cheese, cut into quarters
16 slices pepperoni, cut into quarters
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Spread about 1 tsp. pizza sauce on on each triangle. Next, put 8 pepperoni pieces on each. Then place a piece of cheese on the long side of each triangle. Roll each triangle up, starting with the long side, pinch seams to seal and sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

These turned out so good! And they're good without cheese too.