Stuffed Mushrooms

I'm sharing the recipe for these elegant, yet easy appetizers on Mother's Niche today!  They are my favorite food of the holidays!

Buffalo Blue Cheese Wontons

Hope on over to Mother's Niche to find the recipe for these bad boys!  And by "bad," I mean sooooo good!

Mini Fruit Tarts

I made these fruit tarts as a last minute dessert for a family get together.
They were a huge hit and SO yummy!

Mini Fruit Tarts

• 1 batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough (can use store-bought.)
• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 8 oz. carton cool whip
• 1-2 cups of your favorite fruit, chopped.  (Ideas: blueberries, kiwi, peaches, strawberries, pineapple, raspberries, etc.)

Grease a mini-cupcake pan.  Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick.  Using a cookie cutter or a cup, cut circles out of dough- about 2 inches in diameter.  Press into 24 mini cupcake wells.  Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.  Let cool, and carefully take out each cup and set on rack to cool some more.  (They can break, so you really need to be patient and be careful.) 

While they are cooling, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Fold in cool whip.  Spoon into each cup.  Top with your favorite fruit!  Enjoy!

Cream Cheese WonTons

This isn't really a recipe because it's SO simple to make, but here are the instructions:

Put a spoonful of cream cheese inside a wonton wrapper. Get the edges wet and seal together. Fry in oil on stove until they are light brown and crispy. Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite treats. I used to fork out $5 to buy 10 of them at a Chinese restaurant! I didn't do it often-just when I was really craving them. So I just figured I could make them myself. They were really easy and tasted even better! You could add other things to the cream cheese if you wanted, (i.e. crab, chicken, onion, etc.) I like them best plain. Oh, here is the last one:

Jalepeno Cream Cheese Dip

1 8oz. package Cream Cheese
1/4 cup (or so) of sliced jalapenos
milk

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. You can put more jalapenos in if you like it really spicy. You will just have to taste it as you go along to see how much you like. Add the milk to make it as creamy as you like. I just put in a dash~however much that is :)

Serve cold with tortilla chips. It is SO good!

Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese

~4 boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks
~16 ounces cream cheese (light is fine, but not fat free)
~1 (12 ounce) bottle blue cheese dressing
~1/2-3/4 cup hot sauce
~8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

Place the cooked chicken in a large baking dish. (For a party, I usually use the disposable aluminum pans)
Pour your desired amount of hot sauce over the chicken, and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Set this dish in the refrigerator to let the chicken absorb the flavor.
Preheat your oven to 350.
Next, over medium heat in a large pan, melt the cream cheese. (If you are pressed for time, cream cheese can be melted in the microwave.)
Pour in the blue cheese dressing and stir until they are completely combined.
Pour this mixture over the chicken.
Bake for 10 minutes and remove, but don't turn the oven off.
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over the top and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown just a little.
Serve with celery sticks

Cheese Ball

My Rating: 5 Stars

This isn't the recipe I normally make, but I love it! Shout out to Mitzi for giving me the recipe.

1 package (8 oz.) Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 Cup (or more) shredded cheese
1/2 tsp. onion powder
garlic powder to taste
season salt to taste

Mix it all up and form it into a ball, or whatever other formation you think would be fitting for the occasion. Serve with crackers.

Stuffed Mushrooms

My Rating: 5 Stars

These are my Thanksgiving appetizers!

(This filling is really good on crackers, if you don't like mushroom-like me!)

1 package Pepperidge Farm croutons (plain). They need to be the tiny croutons
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 cup mayonaise
1 cup (or more) sour cream
20-30 mushrooms, with the insides scooped out

Mix ingredients (except mushrooms) leaving half of the mayo and sour cream out. Let refridgerate over-night. Just before you spoon into mushrooms, mix in the rest of the mayo and sour cream. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

Hot Broccoli Cheese Dip

My Rating: 5 Stars

This reicpe comes from my sister-in-law, Marcie.

Mix 1 package Cream Cheese, 1 cup Sour Cream, 1 envelope Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing. Mix with electric mixer on medium until well blended. Stir in 1 thawed and drained 10 oz. package frozen Broccoli and 1 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese. Spoon into 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with more cheese and bake 5 minutes. Serve with crackers.