Category Archives: Appetizers

Pita Pizza Recipe

February 2, 2014 Sharon Leave a comment

These cute little Pita Pizzas are so quick to make for a last minute dinner or anytime snack.

Ingredients:

1 small can tomato paste
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon pesto
1 teaspoon sugar
fresh ground pepper to taste

Pita bread

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza toppings of your coice. (Pepperoni, mushrooms, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a small bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients to make the pizza sauce.

Place pita bread on baking pan. Spread tops with a layer of pizza sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t overcook.

Experiment with different toppings for your pita pizzas.

One of my favorites is Barbeque Chicken Pita Pizzas. To make, use barbeque sauce instead of tomato sauce and top pizza with Monterey Jack cheese, shredded cooked chicken and bacon crumbles.

Hawaiian Pita Pizza:

Top pizza with tomato sauce, diced cooked ham,, pineapple tidbits and mozzarella cheese.

Have fun with this Pita Pizza Recipe. One year for my daughter’s birthday slumber party, I did custom pita pizzas for each girl and gave them a little menu card to check off what toppings they liked. It was a big hit! Everyone loves Pita Pizzas!

Pita Pizza Recipe

Sharon Springfield

Appetizers

Beer Candied Bacon

Image January 15, 2014 Sharon Leave a comment

Beer Candied Bacon

Ingredients:

1 lb thick-cut, high quality bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp beer

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine brown sugar and beer in a small bowl, whisking well to form a thin syrup. Set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top. Place the pieces of bacon on top of the rack, overlapping if necessary. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush one side of the bacon with the beer syrup. Flip, and coat the other side with the syrup as well. Return to oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and repeat process another time or two more, until bacon is crispy and browned, and you’ve used all the glaze.

Cool on wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

Sharon Springfield

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Appetizers

Crab Puffs

Image January 7, 2014 Sharon Leave a comment

Crab Puffs

Crab Puffs are a delicious and easy appetizer to prepare and enjoy. Canned flaky biscuits make up the crust and the creamy filling is made of just 3 ingredients and whips up in just a minute. Wonton wrappers could be substituted for the biscuits and you’d have baked crab rangoon.

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Grands Flaky Biscuits
8 oz crabmeat, drained or fake crab (surimi)
8 oz onion & chive cream cheese
2 Tbs Ranch dressing mix

Preheat oven to 400° F. Prepare a regular sized muffin tin by brushing the insides with canola oil or spray with nonstick spray.

Divide each biscuit crosswise so you have two discs from each biscuit. Press into the muffin cups.

Place the remaining ingredients into a bowl and stir until well combined. I use my Kitchenaid stand mixer and the batter paddle.

Scoop about a tablespoon of filling into each lined muffin tin.

Bake for 10 minutes.

* You could make little crab turnovers instead by stretching out each biscuit half onto a greased baking sheet, placing the filling in the center and folding the biscuit dough over and pressing the edges down. Bake for 10 minutes.

These crab puff appetizers are excellent served with sweet chili sauce.

Crab Puffs

Pin It! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/280278776783419772/

Sharon Springfield

Appetizers

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Image December 31, 2013 Sharon Leave a comment

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/4 small red onion, minced
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 egg white
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound 99% fat-free ground chicken breast
4 ounces block Feta cheese, cut into 24 ½-inch cubes (will have 6 leftover cubes)
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup buffalo wing sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Add red onion, garlic, egg white, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and seasonings to a large bowl then stir with a fork to combine. Add ground chicken then mix until combined – do not over mix or meatballs will be tough. Divide chicken mixture into quarters, then each quarter into 4 balls. Press a cube of Feta into the center of each ball then close mixture around cheese to seal. Place meatballs onto a buttered cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet, then bake for 20 minutes.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add buffalo wing sauce and stir to combine. Add cooked meatballs to skillet then use a spoon to coat in sauce. Place a lid on top and turn heat to low to keep warm.

This recipe was one of the top shared on Pinterest for 2013. Hope you enjoy these Buffalo Chicken Meatballs!

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Sharon Springfield

Appetizers, Dips

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Image December 30, 2013 Sharon Leave a comment

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
8 oz sour cream
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Parmesan
3/4 cup Mozzarella, plus ½ cup mozzarella for top
1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
2/3 cup IPA beer
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs cornstarch
½ cup blue cheese crumbles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.

In a food processor, add the sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, 3/4 cup mozzarella, Franks Red Hot, beer, garlic powder and cornstarch, process until well combined, about 5 minutes.

Pour into an oven safe dish. Stir in chicken pieces, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Bake until warm and cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with blue cheese and serve warm with chips.

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Sharon Springfield

Cooking With Sharon Springfield

Category Archives: Appetizers

Pita Pizza Recipe

Pita Pizza Recipe

Beer Candied Bacon

Beer Candied Bacon

Crab Puffs

Crab Puffs

Crab Puffs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

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