snacks + appetizers

 BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos 🔥
1/2 bag of your favorite tortilla chips
1 lb shredded Pulled Pork (I had some in the freezer but you can also buy it premade)
1/2 C BBQ sauce (I used Stubbs)
2 C sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 C Queso Fresco, crumbled
3 green onions, sliced
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Mix together pulled pork with BBQ sauce until fully coated. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 and spread tortilla chips over a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Sprinkle cheddar all over the chips and then add the pulled pork to the top. Add 1/2 the queso fresco and cook 8-10 mins until cheese is melted and chicken is heated. Remove from oven and top with remaining queso fresco and green onion. Serve with sliced avocado and sour cream! 

 Easy Pico de Gallo 🍅
1/2 white onion, diced
1 can @roteltomatoes diced tomatoes + chiles
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1/4 fresh lemon or lime
Salt and pepper to taste.
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Add the undrained can of rotel to a bowl. Combine onion, chopped cilantro, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Mix well. You can serve immediately or let it sit. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it becomes. Serve with tortilla chips or on top of tacos, burritos, nachos, ect. 

 Alli’s Hot Artichoke Dip 🧄
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C Mayo
8 oz cream cheese
14 oz artichoke hearts, diced and drained
1 Tsp garlic salt
1/3 C green onions, sliced
1 C chopped spinach, optional
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Add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low for 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or pita bread. 

 Green Chile Cheddar Queso Dip 🧀
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 C milk
1 1/2 C sharp cheddar
4.5 ounces green chiles (chopped and drained)
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
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Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk flour into butter until smooth. Allow to cook for a couple minutes until the flour becomes fragrant. Pour milk into butter mixture and whisk to combine. Cook and stir until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add Cheddar cheese, green chiles, and seasoning. Stir until cheese is melted, about 1-3 minutes more. 

Everything Cheese Ball

8 oz Cream Cheese (Softened)

1/2 C Sour Cream

1 C Shredded Cheddar

2 green onions, chopped

6 cooked slices of bacon, diced

1/2 C Everything Bagel Seasoning

Pita or Bagel chips for serving

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In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon. Form the mixture into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and let chill for an hour. Once the cheeseball has set, roll it in the everything bagel seasoning to coat well. I used the top step of a small pumpkin to add to the top of mine to make it look more like a pumpkin.

Original Recipe from Michael Wurm Jr.  

 Everything Bagel Seasoning Chex Mix🥜
2 C corn Chex
2 C rice Chex
1 10.3 ounce can mixed nuts
2 C pretzel twists
2 C bagel chips
8 Tbsp butter, melted
4 Tbsp Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tsp salt
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Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine cereals, nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips. Stir briefly to mix. In a small bowl, combine butter, Everything But the Bagel blend, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir, pour seasonings over the cereal mixture, and stir to evenly coat. Scoop mix into an ungreased roasting pan or cake pans and bake for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, then store in an airtight container. Enjoy! 

 Fried Cheese Curds 🧀
2 lbs cheese curds (you can find these at @target or @aldi)
1.5 C buttermilk
1.5 C flour
1 Tsp baking soda
2 Tsp garlic salt
1 egg
1.5 quart vegetable or canola oil
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Heat oil to 375 degrees. (I used a thermometer to make sure the temp is right) Whisk together buttermilk, flour, baking soda, garlic salt and egg until smooth. Coat several cheese curds with batter. Fry a few at a time, for several seconds, until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Eat them while they are hot, they don’t keep very well and serve with ranch and/or honey mustard! 

 Lightened Up Caramelized Onion Dip 🧅
1/2 C plain greek yogurt
1 C whipped cream cheese
3 large sweet onions, sliced and coarsely diced into chunks
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper
fresh chives

Start by thinly slicing and then coarsely dicing the onions the onions and mincing the garlic. Add the onions, butter, and olive oil to a large pan on the stove over medium heat. Sauté for about 5 minutes until they start to shrink down a bit. Add salt & pepper and sauté for another 10 minutes. Then add in the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and more salt & pepper. Sauté for another 10-15 minutes, adding some water if needed. Remove the caramelized onions from the heat and let cool completely. Once cool add the onions to a mixing bowl with the greek yogurt, cream cheese, and more salt & pepper. Combine evenly. Place the dip in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Top with fresh chives & serve with potato chips or veggies!
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 The Best Guacamole 🥑
3 ripe avocados
1 small red onion, diced
Juice of 1 lime
3/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 Tbsp green pepper tobacco sauce
Salt, to taste

Peel and pit the avocados. Use a potato mashed to mash up the avocados. Once they are totally mashed juice one lime over the mixture. Add in all other ingredients. You don’t need to measure out the Tabasco exactly, I use about 8-10 shakes. You can use more if you like it spicier, and less if you don’t. Serve immediately, it only keeps in the fridge for about 24 hours before it starts to turn brown. Eat with tortilla chips, Fritos, carrots, tacos, burritos, quesadillas...you get the idea. It’s pretty much good with anything! 

 Restaurant Style Salsa 🍅
2 cans whole tomatoes (I use @muirglen)
1/2 red onion,diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 bushel cilantro
2 Tbsp diced garlic
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
Juice of 1 lime
3 small green onions
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic salt
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Mix until everything is blended well and mix until no big chunks are left. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving to let all the flavors combine. Serve with tortilla chips, top your tacos/burritos/ rolled tacos with it, go crazy. You can do no wrong with this salsa 

 Skillet Queso 🧀
1 (16 ounce) box Velveeta Cheese
1 C milk
2 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 (15 ounce) can chili without beans. I use Hormel brand
4 Tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 Tsp ground cumin
Tortilla chips or Fritos scoops, for dipping
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Cut the Velveeta cheese into cubes.
Combine the cheese with the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until cheese melts. Serve with tortilla chips or my favorite- Fritos scoops. 

 Pretzel Bites 🥨
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/4oz packet instant rise yeast
2 Tbsp butter melted
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tsp salt
4 C flour
1/2 C baking soda
1 egg beaten
salt for sprinkling
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Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Whisk well until combined, about 1 minute.
To a mixing bowl add the butter, brown sugar, salt, and yeast mixture. Stir until combined. Slowly add in 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix by hand or use mixer until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour and stir. If dough is still sticky, add flour, and additional 1/4 cup at a time, until no longer sticky, and dough bounces back when poked with your finger. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes and shape into a ball. Place in a large mixing bowl that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil with the baking soda, preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Section dough into six equal parts and roll each section into long ropes. Then, cut into 1-1/2 inch bites. Once water is boiling, drop 10 pretzel bites into water and boil 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto prepared baking sheets, making sure that pretzel bites do not touch. Repeat with remaining pretzel bites. Brush beaten egg over each pretzel bite and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown, rotating the sheet pans once halfway through cooking. 

 Baked Garlic & Camembert 🧄
Camembert cheese in the box (about 6 oz)
1-2 cloves of garlic sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of maple syrup

Unwrap the cheese and put it back in the box. Cut a cross hatch pattern across the top with a knife. Remove rosemary from the stem and push just the tips into the slices you’ve made in the cheese. Then add in the sliced garlic so the top is covered well. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Bake at 350 for 15 mins. Make sure you bake this in its original box or a similar type of container to avoid it dripping onto the bottom of your oven. Serve with crostini, crusty bread or crackers and enjoy! 

 Mexican Street Corn Queso 🧀
For the corn:
2 C fresh or frozen corn
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Mayo
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 Tsp cumin
1/4 Tsp chili powder
1/4 C cilantro
2 Tbsp green onions
Cotija cheese, for garnish
For the Queso Dip:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 C milk
1 1/2 C shark cheddar, shredded
4.5 Oz chopped green chiles (drained)

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in frozen corn and garlic. Cook just until corn is heated through, stirring often. Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, green onions, cumin and chili powder. Set aside. In a saucepan melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Allow to cook a couple minutes. Pour milk into butter mixture and whisk to combine. Cook about 3 mins, or until thickened. Reduce heat to low and add cheddar cheese and green chiles. Stir about 3 mins, or until melted. Add in the corn mixture and store for another minute or so. Top with crumbled cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy! 

 Roasted Garlic Hummus 🧄
2 whole heads roasted garlic
1 can chickpeas, liquid reserved
3/4 C Tahini
4 Tbsp reserved chickpea liquid
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 raw garlic clove
1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper

Roast two heads of garlic following the instructions linked in the recipe ingredients list. Once roasted and cooled, remove each clove for use in this hummus. Stir up the tahini in its container very well before measuring it out. Making sure the oil is well mixed in before scooping it prevents too much oil from making its way into the hummus.
Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor, starting with the raw clove of garlic. Process until creamy and combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste it and adjust the seasonings as you like them before processing again, if needed, and serving. Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers or veggies.