Cream cheese bites

I needed a new appetizer that was quick and yummy -- this was super easy to make and tasty!!  HUGE hit at 3rd grade MNO!!!!

Ingredients:

Cream cheese

Cheezits, crushed

Cranberries, crushed

Grated cheddar cheese

Diced green onions

Preztels

I used a melon baller and then rolled the cream cheese in either crushed cheezits or cranberries - stuck the pretzel in and DONE!!!

Pesto Chicken Tortellini and Veggies

 This was YUMMY!!!  By cutting up the asparagus, we even got Evan to eat some :)  We also threw some mozzarella balls in there -- so tasty!!!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb chicken thighs boneless and skinless, sliced into strips
• salt
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained of oil, chopped
• 1 lb asparagus ends trimmed, cut in half
• 1/4 cup basil pesto or use more
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes yellow and red, halved
• 1 cup tortellini uncooked

Instructions

• In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat.  
• Add sliced chicken thighs (seasoned with salt), ¼ cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook everything on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, turning chicken slices over a couple of times, until the chicken is completely cooked through.
• Remove the chicken and the sun-dried from the skillet, leaving the oil in.
• Add asparagus (ends trimmed), seasoned generously with salt, and ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes to the same skillet.  
• Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the asparagus is cooked through. Remove the asparagus to a serving plate.
• Cook tortellini according to the package instructions, drain.
• Add cooked chicken back to the skillet.   Add basil pesto.  Stir to coat and cook on low-medium heat until the chicken is reheated, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 
• Add cooked tortellini and halved cherry tomatoes to the skillet with the chicken.  Stir to combine.  Add more pesto if desired.
• Season with more salt if needed.  
• Add chicken, cherry tomatoes and tortellini to the serving plate with asparagus.

Smash Burgers

We made these with Billy and Lainey last year so we knew we had to try ourselves!!  They were DELICIOUS!!!!

Our Best Bites: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound 80/20 ground beef
steak seasoning (or just kosher salt and black pepper)
4 slices American cheese (like kraft singles)

4 hamburger buns

Fry Sauce/Burger Spread

Desired toppings:
iceberg lettuce
sliced tomato
sliced dill pickle
sliced onion

Divide beef into 4, 4-oz balls.  Do not roll super smooth, just roughly shape into round forms.

Cut or tear 4 sheets of parchment or foil into about 5″ squares.

Prepare all burger toppings and buns and set aside ready.

Heat a large flat-top grill pan, or large cast iron pan to medium heat.  Once hot, brush lightly with a neutral oil.  Place one portion of beef on pan at a time, place parchment square on top, place sturdy large spatula on top and immediately press down, using hand to push clean spatula, smashing beef to a thin patty, about 1/3″ thick.

Remove parchment/foil and sprinkle seasoning on top.  Repeat with remaining burgers.  Let cook until golden browned on bottom and edges, about 2-3 minutes.  Flip burgers, season remaining side, and immediate top with cheese.  Cook for additional 1 minute or so.

Spread sauce on buns, place cooked burgers on prepared buns and serve.

Variations:  feel free to use a 3-oz portion if you’d like them slightly smaller, or stack 2 burgers with cheese in the middle for a double-stack!

Stuffed Crescent Roll Carrots

How cutie are these little stuffed carrots :)  AND they are YUMMY!!!  It would be really yummy to fill with smoked egg salad and/or smoked chicken salad too!!!

Ingredients:

I can Pillsbury crescent rolls

8oz package cream cheese

1/4 cup chives, fresh

1 teaspoon lemon peel

1/4 cup parsley, fresh

16 small sprigs parsley, fresh

1/4 teaspoon salt

Foil

Cut crescent rolls into 8 strips with a cookie cutter

Wrap the strips around foil in the shape of carrot (see below)

Bake 7-9 minutes in oven and then pull foil out and let crescent rolls cool.

Mix cream cheese, chives, lemon zest, parsley, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Put into a frosting piping bag and pipe into the middle of the crescent rolls.

Then put a parsley sprig in and EAT!!

Smoked Chicken Salad

This was the best chicken salad I've ever had -- I love the smoky taste!!!  It was a huge hit at LEaster too!!  (ladies Easter)  So easy and even tastes better leftover!!!

6 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped smoked chicken

1/2 cup mayo

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup finely diced celery

1/4 cup sliced scallions

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

Toppings: slice avocado, lettuce, tomato

In a large bowl, combine the chopped chicken, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, celery, scallions and dill, stirring until well combined.

Take and season the turkey salad with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Smoked Egg Salad

Need something to do with all those hard boiled eggs -- this is perfect!!  It is SO delicious!!!!  I made this for my ladies Easter (LEaster hahaha) and it was a HUGE hit!!!  SO yummy!!  Might be the only way I'll eat egg salad from now on!!

Ingredients:
5 Smoked eggs (hardboiled and smoked - see recipe below for smoking eggs)
1/2 cup mayo or sour cream
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 teaspoons fresh dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Smoked eggs:

First hard boil eggs.  Preheat smoker to 250 degrees.

Peel hard boiled eggs.  Place eggs in smoker for about 45 minutes, or until eggs are a light golden brown.

Remove and refrigerate until cooled.

Egg Salad

Cut smoked eggs in half.  Remove yolks and mix well with sour cream and mustard powder.

Dice up egg whites and add to the creamy yolk mixture.

Stir in chives and celery and mix well.

Serve on a croissant, bread, or lettuce wraps

Notes

Keep smoked egg salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Split Pea Soup with Ham

So we had leftover ham from Easter so this was the PERFECT recipe!!!  I wasn't sure if I was going to be a fan but it was yummy!!!  and EVAN -- EVAN LOVED it!!!

OBB - Makes 8 (1 1/2-cup) servings

Ingredients
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth or 8 cups water + 8 tsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon or soup base
1 pound bone-in ham, diced into small pieces and trimmed of excessive fat
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4–5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of thyme

1lb dried split peas, rinsed and sorted

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon malt vinegar

Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. You can also cook it on high until it starts to boil and then turn the setting on low until you’re ready to serve the soup. Soup is best when it’s had about an hour to sit after removing from heat. Top with croutons.

Any refrigerated leftovers will probably be very thick. It can be thinned with a little chicken broth, water, or hot ham water. (Just kidding about the hot ham water, but bonus points if you know what I’m talking about.)

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS

Add ingredients to the Instant Pot, seal, and cook on high for 15 minutes. Quick release the pressure, then stir to combine.