Crockpot Zesty Corn Dip ****

I've made this for our last two Christmas Eve get-togethers, and my youngest requested it again a couple of weeks ago. We all love it. I didn't realize until after this past time that I never posted about it. It's one of our favorite appetizers now!

CROCKPOT ZESTY CORN DIP
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ MealPlannerPro)

2 (12 oz.) packages frozen corn
1 (8 oz) brick cream cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced green onion, white & green parts
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 (2.5 oz) package fully cooked bacon, diced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Place all ingredients in a 3-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH 2 hours, stirring the dip at the half way cooking point.
Serve with corn chips, fresh vegetable, bread or bread sticks and enjoy!

Cranberry Kielbasa Bites (Crockpot) ***

This was my second new appetizer recipe for our Christmas Eve gathering.  Super simple, but very flavorful.  My boys (even the grown-up one, lol) ate this one up.  They all loved it.  It's similar to the Lil Smokies or meatball recipes that use the grape jelly, but I think that the cranberry adds a nice mellowing factor to it.  The grape jelly ones are just a tad bit too sugary-sweet for me, but the tartness of the cranberries kind of tone that down a bit.  Whatever it was, it was a winner for us.  My kids ate the few remaining leftovers for snack the next day and still loved them! (Sorry, but there's no pic on this one either.  I was too busy trying to get everything ready and out the door in time for the party!)

CRANBERRY KIELBASA BITES (CROCKPOT)
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheFrugalGirls)

1 can Jellied Cranberry Sauce (14 oz.)
1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce (12 oz.)
2 links Hillshire Farm Beef Polska Kielbasa (12 oz.)

Slice Kielbasa links into round pieces 1/4"-1/2" thick.
Place sliced Kielbasa pieces in Crockpot
In mixing bowl, stir together Jellied Cranberry Sauce and Chili Sauce.
Pour sauce mixture over Kielbasa in Crockpot.
Cook on HIGH for 1-1/2 hours, or LOW for 2-1/2 hours, or until hot.
Serve with toothpicks and Enjoy!

Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts ***

I am so far behind on my postings that it's not even funny.  Hubby was unemployed for a while, and everything was so crazy that I mainly just stuck to old tried and true recipes.  I'm going to try to catch myself up on all the new stuff we've tried, though, so you've been warned. ;-)

These were AMAZING.  I mean, our family is crazy about Brussels sprouts and bacon, so there really was never a question.  I took these to our family Christmas Eve celebration, though, and even the folks who don't like Brussels said that they were good!  The general consensus is that they don't even taste like Brussels, since the bacon flavor is so predominant.  However you want to look at it, they were great.  Not to mention easy.  I can honestly see doing these as a side dish over the weekend or something (when you have a bit more time).  I used those sprouts that come cleaned and in the steaming bags, mainly just because I'm lazy.  Worked perfectly, though!  I forgot to take a pic of this one, but if you follow the link, you can see hers.  Mine were basically the same.  Some of the larger sprouts worked better when cut in half, so mine we're necessarily as pretty.  Ha!

BACON WRAPPED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ FitFoodieFinds)

12 strips of bacon
12 medium/large brussels sprouts
pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375*F and line a baking sheet with tin foil.
Then, prep brussels sprouts by washing and patting dry with a paper towl.
To make bacon wrapped brussels sprouts. Place a brussels sprouts at the top of a piece of bacon. Then roll it up, your bacon inside the brussels sprout and place on baking sheet. Season with pepper, to taste.
Bake at 375*F for 30-35 minutes depending on how crispy you like your bacon.
To serve, insert a toothpick into each sprout.

Easy Sweet 'n Tangy Crockpot Meatballs ****

I know there's really no need to post a recipe for this one.  Pretty much everyone has tried either this version or the grape jelly and BBQ sauce one at some point in their lives.  But even so, it was the first time I've made any of them myself.  The grape jelly one is usually just too sweet for my tastes, so I decided to give this one a go instead.  We loved it.  I doubled the recipe for our family Christmas party, and it was almost completely gone by the time we left.  I'll definitely be making them again!

EASY SWEET 'N TANGY CROCKPOT MEATBALLS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheFrugalGirls)

26oz fully-cooked frozen meatballs (homemade or store-bought)
1 (14oz) can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 (12oz) bottle of Heinz chili sauce

Combine cranberry jelly and chili sauce in a bowl, then stir.
Based upon your preferences, you can alter the proportions of cranberry jelly {sweet} and chili sauce {tangy}.
Add frozen meatballs to crockpot and cover with sauce mixture.
Heat on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Once they're nice and hot, let simmer on LOW or WARM setting. ENJOY!

Dill Pickle Roll-Em-Ups ****

This is an old family favorite, but I keep forgetting to take a picture of it. I'll have to make them this weekend, just so that I can get one. Then I'll have to force myself to eat them so that they don't go to waste. Darn. ;-)
This is the easiest recipe ever, but it's always gone first at any get-together. The kids love them too, so they're popular all around.

DILL PICKLE ROLL-EM-UPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

Pack of sliced ham
8 oz container cream cheese
Jar of dill pickle spears (I like to cut the spears in half lengthwise, to get more rolls out of them)

Spread slice of ham with cream cheese. Place pickle on it lengthwise, and roll up. Slice roll into about 5-6 pieces, and place a toothpick in each piece.
Repeat with each slice of ham
*Can also sub roast beef for the ham

Pull-Apart Pizza Bread **

I love bread, I love pull-aparts, and I love pizza.  This one seemed like a no-brainer.  I couldn't get it to cook right, though.  I used the bundt and lined it with foil, as suggested, and even with an additional 10 minutes of cooking time, I still had doughy pieces.  The flavor was great, though.  I have another pull-apart recipe that I love, Bacon-Cheese Pull-Aparts, and it calls for a glass baking dish.  I would definitely be willing to try this one again, using the glass dish instead.  I think that could make all the difference in the world.  My dad loved it, though.  He even asked for the recipe, which he never does, lol.  I can see giving this one another chance in a different baking dish.

PULL-APART PIZZA BREAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ TheCountryCook)

1 (12 oz) tube refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 tbsp. olive oil
16 slices pepperoni, quartered
1/4 cup shredded pizza-blend cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
t tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
pizza sauce, for dipping

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
(OP's Note: The original recipe states to line your bundt pan with aluminum foil, then spray with nonstick cooking spray. I just used the nonstick and I did have to kind of go around the edges with a butter knife before it would release. But it did end up coming out just fine.)
Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces, place in a bowl.
Toss biscuit pieces with oil and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well.
Add biscuits; toss well to coat.
Arrange in the prepared Bundt pan.
Bake at 400F degrees for 15 minutes (or until golden).
Turn bread out of pan onto a serving plate while still warm.
You may need to take a butter knife and gently go around the edges to get it to loosen it up.
I like to serve it top side up (the pretty side).
Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
Makes about 2 dozen pieces.

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts ****

These were actually really good.  Not that I had any doubts, lol.  It's bacon and water chestnuts.  What could possibly go wrong?  Hehehe.  I made this for our family Christmas Eve get-together, but I'm just now getting around to posting it (so sue me, we were enjoying our holidays, lol).  Every year, our family gathers at my parents' house, and we each bring 2-3 appetizers.  I adore appetizers.  I love being able to have just a little of this and a little of that, without having to commit to one main dish.  So needless to say, I look forward to Christmas Eve every year for this exact reason - it's the only time of year I get to experiment with appetizers.
So anyway, I chose this one based on the baby boy's (the 8-year-old) current obsession for bacon and his newfound love of water chestnuts.  I had every intention of using the homemade BBQ sauce on the included recipe, but time got away from me.  This was my last recipe of the day (since I wanted it to be served hot), so I used a bottle of our favorite BBQ sauce instead.  Our absolute favorite for the past few years is the Jack Daniels Hickory Maple Barbecue Sauce.  I normally can't stand BBQ sauce, but I could seriously drown my food in that stuff and be perfectly content.  It came out great.  I'm sure it's probably even better with the homemade version, but for a last-minute substitution, I was pretty pleased.  These were wonderful, though, and I would definitely make them again.

Warning: My picture does not do it justice.  I didn't think to snap one until they were almost gone, so it's a pretty lame representation of the final product.  Do yourself a favor and click on the link in the recipe to see her picture.  It's much prettier than mine. :-)

BACON-WRAPPED WATER CHESTNUTS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ ClawsonLive via Pinterest)

Chestnuts
2-3 cans whole water chestnuts drained
1 (1 lb) package of bacon

Homemade BBQ Sauce
1-2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
squirt of mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
vinegar splash

I usually place the bacon in the freezer for a few minutes to really get it firm. I then cut the slices into 3 pieces right through the plastic. You're going to need a lot of toothpicks. Wrap each little chestnut in a coat of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Place the chestnuts in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Once all of your chestnuts are wrapped top with BBQ sauce or make your own like we do.
If making your own BBQ sauce: Stir all ingredients together and pour over the chestnuts.
Bake in a 375* F oven for 30-45 minutes (or until the bacon is done). The tops of the toothpicks will turn brown so watch out for that. Enjoy every New Years Eve or Day for the rest of your life.

Two-Ingredient Fruit Dip (Fat Free) ***

We actually got this recipe at the 8-year-old's school Christmas party.  Someone else had brought it in, and he just fell in love and insisted on making it at home.  I freaked out when we first mixed it up, because the Cool Whip was so cold that it stiffened the marshmallow creme up quite a bit and left a lot of marshmallow chunks.  They all combine well once refrigerated, though, and it was definitely a hit with our kiddos.  They were practically licking their plates afterwards, lol.

TWO-INGREDIENT FRUIT DIP (FAT FREE)
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

16 oz tub Fat-Free Cool Whip, thawed
7 oz jar Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
Assorted fruits, sliced

Combine Cool Whip and Marshmallow Creme in medium-sized bowl.  Use mixer to blend well (there will still be some lumps - this is okay).  Refrigerate overnight.  Serve with sliced apples, strawberries, raspberries, or any other fruits that you prefer.

Pickle Wrap Dip ***

First off, sorry for the crappy picture.  I forgot to take one when I was making it, so I had to grab one at the last second.  It's blurry and hard to see much detail.  Maybe I can get a better one next time.

We absolutely adore the Dill Pickle Roll-'Em-Ups, but they take forever to make.  As soon as this popped up on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it.  The flavor in this is really wonderful.  I did the ham and pickles in my food processor, but that actually makes them a bit too small.  It makes the texture more like that of a ham salad.  Next time, I would use the dill pickle relish and just chop the ham by hand.  Either way, though, it was really good!

PICKLE WRAP DIP
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via KeyIngredient)

16-oz cream cheese, softened
12-oz deli-sliced ham, chopped
16-oz baby dill pickles, drained, diced
Ritz crackers

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, chopped ham, and diced pickles; mix well.
Place mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour, before serving.
Serve chilled, with crackers.

Cowboy Caviar ***

This was loosely based on a few different recipes I pulled from Pinterest.  We loved it.  I can eat just about anything with corn, though.  Oddly enough, even though I normally don't care for mayo-based dips, I really liked this one.  The sour cream adds enough of a damper on the mayo taste that you really don't even notice it.  I used mild Rotel this time, but I think I might try it with hot as well.  The sour cream brings down the heat a lot, so I think I could get away with the hotter version.  All in all, a really easy and tasty recipe.

COWBOY CAVIAR
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

2 cans Mexicorn
1 can hot or mild Rotel (according to taste)
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
2-1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
6 green onion stalks, sliced
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
Fritos

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Flavors are best if refrigerated overnight.
Serve with Fritos.

Christina's Killer Spinach Dip ***

Every year for Christmas Eve, our family does appetizers before opening gifts.  Since I rarely have time to try new appetizer recipes throughout the rest of the year, I look forward to this time for months.  This was a really good dip.  I absolutely adore spinach.  It's almost an unhealthy addiction for me.  However, I am really picky about spinach dips.  So many of them contain mayo, and that always just takes away from the taste, in my opinion.  The fact that this one had no mayo was what attracted me to it in the first place.  You have to really like spinach, though, since the flavor of the spinach itself comes through so strongly.  I served mine in a King's Hawaiian bread bowl, with King's Hawaiian rolls torn into pieces for extra dippers.  Yum, yum, yum!

 Photo from Food.com

CHRISTINA'S KILLER SPINACH DIP
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temp
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, split into 2 1/2 cup portions  (I prefer to grate it myself)
1 (8 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach

Defrost the spinach.
Place it in a colander and press it until as much moisture as possible is removed.
Mix all ingredients (1/2 of the cheddar), and blend well.
Put it in a shallow baking dish (stoneware works best) in the oven for 20 minutes at 350°F.
Remove from oven.
While still hot top it with remaining cheese, heat in oven again for 5 minutes.
Remove and cool below lava stage and serve.
Goes well with tortilla chips.

Grands Meatball Pops **

For the time being, I'm going to have to give this one just 2 stars.  I may make some changes in the future and try it again.  I love the idea.  Even the flavor was pretty decent.  The problem is that there is way too much biscuit per meatball.  You can either roll it out in smaller than 3" rounds (maybe 2"? - just enough to go around the meatball), use regular-sized biscuits, or split them into three layers instead of two.  Not sure which route I will go.  I think it would be really good with just a little bit of the spaghetti sauce smeared inside the pop too.  To just give it a little extra flavor.  And I really don't see the need for the crushed croutons.  That's a total PITA.  So, next time (if there is a next time), I'm just going to use the Italian breadcrumbs.  But like I said, the flavor itself was good...

GRANDS MEATBALL POPS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Tablespoon.com)

1 can (10.2 oz) Pillsbury Grands refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
10 refrigerated or frozen cooked beef meatballs, thawed
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup finely crushed seasoned croutons
10 large appetizer picks or lollipop sticks, if desired
1-1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce, heated

Heat oven to 375*F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Split each biscuit to make 10 rounds. Press out each biscuit half to form 3-inch round.
Sprinkle each biscuit round with cheese to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top each with meatball. Bring up sides of dough over meatball; pinch edges to seal. Brush rounded tops and sides of dough with butter; coat with croutons. Place, seam side down, on paper-lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 375*F for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Place appetizer pick in each biscuit-wrapped meatball to form meatball pop. Serve with warm pasta sauce for dipping.

Jalapeno Popper Dip ***

This tastes amazingly like Jalapeno Poppers!  Dh and I love to splurge on Poppers at Sonic occasionally, because we just love those things.  Goodness knows they're not very good for you though, lol.  With this one, I used light cream cheese and light mayo.  I haven't attempted it with the lowfat cheese yet, though.  I figure that it still has to be better than fast food in the long run.  I served it with pita chips, and I'll definitely keep doing that.  I think it would be good with bagel chips too, though.  I also added an extra 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, because I didn't want the mayo flavor to be too overpowering.

JALAPENO POPPER DIP
(Mommy2Serena ~ TheRecipeReview.com)

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
1 4-ounce can diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breakcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapenos, and shredded cheeses. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9x9-inches).
In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm with baguette slices, vegetables, etc. as desired.

Smoked Salmon Spread **

This was just okay for us.  It's a great base for a recipe, but it just seemed like it was missing something.  It was kind of bland for my tastes.  I first served it on regular crackers, but that just didn't taste right.  I ended up doing pita and bagel chips, and those were much better.  The salt from those gave it a bit more flavor.  I think it would have been even better on the garlic bagel chips.  I want to try another version of this sometime, since I think it does have potential.

Photo courtesy of Food.com

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Food.com)

12 ounces smoked salmon
2 (8 ounce) packages Neufchatel cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons milk
1 ½ teaspoons dill weed
¼ cup green onion

Beat cream cheese, lemon juice, milk and dill weed until well combined.
Crumble or shred salmon and add to cheese mix.
Mix until blended and desired consistency. More mixing breaks up salmon more - less keeps it chunkier.
Chop green onions and garnish the top of spread with them or mix into spread.
Serve well-chilled with crackers, toast points or sliced/cubed bread.

Cranberry Rollups **

I've had these on my "to try" holiday list for over a year now.  I finally got around to making them for my family's Christmas get-together, since we do appetizers and finger foods.  They were good, and they got a few compliments, but they just really didn't "wow" me.  For one thing, I think that 8 oz of cranberries is a bit too much for my tastes.  I adore cranberries, and I will eat Craisins straight out of the bag.  I only used 6 oz of cranberries in this, and the sweetness of them was just too overwhelming, in my opinion.  They're absolutely gorgeous on the tray, though.  The red of the cranberries and green of the onions against the white of the cream cheese is beautiful and very festive. 

CRANBERRY ROLLUPS
(mymayoctbabycj aka jaime)

One pkg tortillas
8 oz cream cheese (soften)
8 oz dried cranberries
Scallions (cut small, only green)

Mix cream cheese, cranberries, and scallions. Spread mixture on to tortillas and roll up.. Wrap in foil and chill for about an hour. Remove foil and slice the rolls.

Zesty Tangy Meatballs ***

We had to rush around and find something late last night that could be thrown together quickly for dh to take to a work potluck.  He decided meatballs in the crockpot would be easy, but I didn't want to do the "same ole, same ole" grape jelly BBQ meatballs.  I lucked into this recipe on the back of the bag, and dh said it got rave reviews.  I cooked them on the stovetop last night, and then he just took them to work and kept them on low all morning.  He and I split one last night, and it was really yummy!  It's almost like a sweet and sour kind of flavor, with just the tiniest little kick to it.  The apricots really tone down the spiciness of the salsa.  They're really good!

Photo courtesy of Recipezaar.com

ZESTY TANGY MEATBALLS
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ back of Armour meatballs bag)

2 or 2-1/2 lb bag frozen meatballs, regular or appetizer size
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients except meatballs in a large saucepan.  Cook over medium heat while stirring until preserves are melted.  Add meatballs and continue cooking over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, until all meatballs are warmed through.  Mix thoroughly with large spoon.
Serve immediately or place in crockpot on low.

Bacon Rollups ****

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

8 oz container cream cheese with chives (softened)
1 1/4 tbsp milk
20 slices multi-grain bread (crusts removed & cut in half)
20 slices bacon (cut in half)

Remove crusts from bread and cut each slice in half, from top to bottom. Cut bacon slices in half width-wise.
Combine cream cheese and milk, stirring until evenly mixed.
Spread 1 teaspoon of cheese mixture on each halved bread slice. Roll tightly from the smallest end. Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpick.
Place on broiler pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Turn if necessary.
(Note: These may be assembled ahead of time and frozen before cooking. To serve, remove frozen rollups from freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator over night. Then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes.)

Cranberry Brie Bites ***

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

2 sheets puff pastry
1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce
1 (10 ounce) triangle brie cheese

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 12 squares and place inside mini muffins cups. (You may want to lightly spray to ensure they won't stick). Try not to leave any part of the muffin cup uncovered by dough or the cheese and cranberry will stick.
Place a 1-inch square of cheese inside each cup.
Then add about 1 T cranberry sauce on top of the cheese.
Bake in a preheated 375°F oven till edges are a light brown, 10-15 minutes.
Cool a few minutes (but not completely) before removing from muffin tins.

Carrot "Cake" Tea Sandwiches ***

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Recipezaar)

1 loaf cinnamon raisin bread
8 ounces cream cheese frosting (½ can)
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup grated carrot
¼ cup walnuts or pecans

Trim crusts off of bread.
Combine frosting, cream cheese, carrot and nuts.
Spread filling evenly on bread, top with another slice of trimmed bread
to create sandwiches.
Slice sandwiches into quarters, and be creative with the shapes, long fingers, squares, triangles, or use cookie cutters to create other fun shapes.
** Amy's notes: I used an entire 12-oz can of the whipped cream cheese frosting.

Toasted Ravioli ***

(luckymommyto2boys ~ Recipezaar.com)

2 dozen frozen meat filled or cheese ravioli
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
Vegetable oil (for frying)
Marinara sauce (for dipping)

Cook ravioli in boiling salted water until they float to the top; remove from water and drain. Set aside to cool.
Heat vegetable oil in fryer at least 2" deep to a temperature of 375 degrees. Dip ravioli in beaten egg, then cover in breadcrumbs. Fry in batches in hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes; drain.
Sprinkle hot ravioli with parmesan cheese.
Heat marinara sauce and set aside in serving bowl. Serve ravioli with dipping sauce.