Appetizers...

We had our Appetizer and Beverage Recipe Exchange this week. If you missed it, you missed some GOOD food!!! I love appetizers, especially during the holidays. Thanks to our exchange I'll have some new ones to try out.

Here are a few of the recipes that came...Sorry I forgot to photograph most of them. I guess I got busy talking and eating :)

Stuffed Mushrooms

(Heidi Petersen)

4 oz cream cheese, softened

12 oz Hot Jimmy Dean sausage

3 green onions, thinly sliced

50 mushrooms

Clean mushrooms and remove stems.

Brown sausage and green onions. Mix with cream cheese.

Fill sausage mixture into mushrooms.

Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

(Jan Petersen)

4-5 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup tahini

2/3 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons roasted garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

5 oz. roasted red peppers

Place olive oil and tahini into food processor and blend until smooth. Add lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and blend until evenly distributed. Add the beans a cup at a time to ensure smooth texture. Blend until mixture is creamy. If it seems too dry add more olive oil by teaspoons until it reaches the desired texture. Add peppers and pulse until well distributed. Refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving; taste best if allowed to sit 4-6 hours.

Tapenade

(Christina Peterson)

1 jar kalamata olives
1 can black olives
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
1/4 c olive oil

Blend in food processor and serve with crusty bread.

Cheese Ball
(Rhonda Shurtleff)
8 oz. pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 jar Kraft Roka Blue cheese spread
seasonings to taste (garlic powder, parsley, etc.)

Mix together & enjoy with crackers!

Cheesy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

(Ann Frederickson)
www.ourbestbites.com

7 oz. jar roasted red peppers
4 C. grated pepper jack cheese (3/4 lb)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 C. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. minced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Remove peppers from jar and blot excess water with paper towels. You want to make sure they are dry so they don't add moisture to the dip. Then dice them up.

In a bowl add cream cheese, mayo, onion, garlic and mustard. Stir to combine and then add grated cheese and diced peppers. Place in an 8x8-ish dish (pie plate works). At this point you can either put this in the fridge and bake later or put it in your oven and bake it 30-45 minutes. You want it brown on the edges and bubbly all the way through the center.

If you're eating leftovers reheat in the oven. Apparently weird things happen in the microwave.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

(Natalie Cheney)

2 c. grated parmesan cheese

14 oz. can artichoke hearts

1 c. cream cheese

2 t. minced garlic

1 box frozen chopped spinach

2/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

I was searching online for a healthier recipe for pumpkin bars than the one I had that contained 4 eggs and a full cup of oil. I found one that was better, then edited it even further to take out more fat and calories. I wasn't sure how it would turn out with all my substitutions, and was a little nervous, but it turned out awesome! So moist and dense, I would not have believed it was so healthy if I hadn't baked it myself! You could make it even better by leaving off the frosting, but come on now, it's dessert.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan.
In mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Add egg, flaxseed, pumkin and applesauce; mix well.
Transfer batter to prepared pan, bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tester inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting or the recipe following

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz package cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat cream cheese if you would like)
1/4 c butter (or smart balance, if you want less fat)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
a dash of vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or a bit of milk to get the right consistency if needed.