Appetizer Recipes

Scroll down to view our tastiest appetizer recipes!

Orange Creamsicle Popcorn

June 7, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Orange Creamsicle Popcorn combines the flavors of a creamsicle, the crunch of popcorn and the gooeyness of a rice krispie treat.

As a kid, I think orange creamsicles were my favorite frozen treat. When I came across this recipe for Orange creamsicle Popcorn, I knew I would need to try it and see how close it comes to an Orange Creamsicle and I can tell you it is spot on!

I love popcorn in general, so adding ingredients to make it sweet in my eyes is genius.

Enjoy!

Orange Creamsicle Popcorn

Ingredients

1 cup unpopped popcorn kernals
1/2 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup half & half
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 tsp orange extract
4 cups miniature marshmallows

Instructions

Pop popcorn and divide evenly between two large bowls and set aside.
In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, half & half, sugar, salt and orange zest. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil mixture one and a half minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat.
Mix in the orange extract. Pour the marshmallows in the pan and stir until completely blended in.
Divide warm mixture evenly over two bowls of popcorn and toss with a spatula to coat. Lay to popcorn on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/orange-creamsicle-popcorn/

Bring the sauce to a boil.

Stir in the marshmallows and orange extract.

The mixture will be smooth and creamy.

Combine the sauce and popcorn.

Lay it on a baking sheet.

Orange Creamsicle Popcorn

Very gooey

Loaded Nachos

May 21, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Loaded Nachos piles layers of crispy chips, seasoned beef, vegetables and lots of cheese to give you a total comfort food.

Nachos are an all time favorite of mine. After I posted my recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning, I new I needed to come up with a recipe for nachos and Loaded Nachos is where I ended up. And it definitely was the perfect place to end.

I double layer everything in this recipe, so be prepared for a lot of Loaded Nachos. This would be a great recipe to make for a party or BBQ. Serve the nachos with salsa, sour cream and wedges of lime. A squeeze of fresh lime juice really gives the nachos a nice punch. You could easily skip the meat and serve this as a vegetarian Loaded Nachos.

Enjoy!

Loaded Nachos

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Loaded Nachos

Ingredients

1 bag tortilla chips
1 lb. ground chuck
2 tbsp. taco seasoning (try my homemade taco seasoning)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
Fresh lime wedges
Salsa
Sour Cream
Green Onions, diced

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a sauce pan on medium high heat. Add the ground chuck and cook until cook through, about 8 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the pan and stir in the taco seasoning. Set the ground chuck aside on a plate.
In the same pan, add the olive oil, onion and peppers. Saute for approx. 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers start to soften.
On a large baking sheet spread 1/2 of the bag of tortilla chips. Pile on half of the ground chuck, onions, peppers, black beans and cheese.
Pile the rest of the tortilla chips on top of the first layer. Then pile on the rest of the onions, peppers, black beans and cheese.
Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 10-12 minutes.
limes, salsa, sour cream and green onions.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/loaded-nachos/

Brown the ground chuck and stir in the taco seasoning.

Load the ingredients on the tortilla chips.

Double layer all the ingredients.

Lots of delicious ingredients.

Don’t skimp on the cheese.

Right out of the oven.

Add some salsa.

The fresh toppings really bring this all together.

Loaded Nachos

Buffalo Chex Mix

May 11, 2014 by Kay 1 Comment

Buffalo Chex Mix is for the people who like a little kick in their mix!

My husband, Mr. B loves Chex Mix, pretty much anything salty and crunchy. When I asked him if he would like Buffalo Chex Mix his eyes lit up with a big YES! He is a fan of anything with buffalo sauce on it.

Mr. B’s mother, Lorna is the master at the Original Chex Mix. There is no way I could even come close to making it the way she does, so I thought it would be better to come up with a different flavor Chex Mix. Thus, Buffalo Chex Mix was born.

This recipe for Buffalo Chex Mix has the most obvious ingredients of Chex Cereal, pretzels and nuts; the not so obvious ingredient is pita chips. They add another level of crunch to the mix. Baking it at a low temperature for a long period of time gives the sauce a chance to seep into the ingredients.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chex Mix

Ingredients

4 Cups Corn Chex
3 Cups Rice Ches
3 Cups Pretzels
2 Cups Seal Salt Pita Chips, I used Keebler
1 cup cashews
1 cup pecans
1 ½ sticks of butter
¾ cup hot sauce, I used Frank’s
1 ½ tsp. Cajun seasoning

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the Corn Chex, Rice Chex, pretzels, pita chips, cashews and pecans. Mix to combine and set aside.
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the hot sauce and Cajun seasoning. Whisk until butter is melted, then pour over the mix. Stir to combine.
Top two baking sheets with foil and spray with cooking spray. Divide the mix evenly between the two baking sheets.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. When done baking, let the mix set in a cool place for 30 minutes. Store in an air tight container.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/buffalo-chex-mix/

Stir the dry ingredients togther.

Melt the butter in the hot sauce.

Mix the dry ingredients with the sauce.

Layer the mix on two baking sheets lined with foil.

Right out of the oven.

Buffalo Chex Mix

The cashews and pecans are the perfect nus for this mix.

Crunchiness all around

Use a good hot sauce.

Buffalo Chex Mix

This recipe was adapted from Half Baked Harvest

This recipe was featured on:

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Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

April 27, 2014 by Kay 2 Comments

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels are made in the microwave but taste like you baked them in the oven for hours!

I am always looking for a way to “dress up” pretzels and this recipe is one of my favorites. I love sweet and salty and this recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels covers both.

You start by combining cinnamon, sugar and canola oil, pour this over the pretzels and heat them up in the microwave so the sauce can melt into the pretzels.

This is a great snack for young and old, for any day snack or for a pot luck or get together. I warn you, you can’t eat just one! You might find yourself eating them all in one sitting, but that’s OK!

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Rating: 51

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Ingredients

1 – 16 ounce bag pretzels
2/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

In a microwave safe bowl add the pretzels.
In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, sugar and cinnamon. Pour the mixture over the pretzels, stir to combine.
Microwave on high for 90 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 60 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 60 seconds.
Spread the pretzels on a baking sheet and let them dry for an hour. Store in an air tight container.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/cinnamon-sugar-pretzels/