Has anyone got any quick recipes for starters or appetizers?

Question

Cooking a sausage casserole for my boyfriend's birthday - what light bite can I start off with?

Answer 1

Deviled eggs

1 dozen eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp pickled relish
Salt and pepper
Paprika

1 First hard boil the eggs. Fill up a large saucepan half-way with water and gently add the eggs. Cover the eggs with at least an inch of water. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water (this will help contain egg whites from leaking out if any of the shells crack while cooking). Bring the water to a boil. Cover, and remove from heat. Let sit covered for 15-17 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. (At this point if you crack the egg shells while the eggs are cooling, it will make it easier to peel the shells.) Let sit in the cool water a few minutes, changing the water if necessary to keep it cool.
2 Peel the eggs. Using a sharp knife, slice each egg in half, lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small mixing bowl. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter.
3 Using a fork, mash up the yolks and add mustard, mayonnaise, onion, tabasco, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spoon egg yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika.

Makes 2 dozen deviled eggs.
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Ham and Fresh Basil Pinwheels

Ingredients:
6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
12 slices ham
4 ounces fresh basil
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
12 leaves red leaf lettuce - rinsed

Directions:

Spread each tortilla lightly with cream cheese. Arrange two ham slices across the middle of each tortilla. Add a layer of fresh basil, then a layer of tomatoes. Do not place ingredients too close to tortilla edges. Add lettuce; use enough leaf lettuce to cover across the center of each tortilla, with some of the frilly leaf edge hanging over.
Starting at one end, tightly roll up each tortilla. Stick toothpicks in four evenly spaced spots of tortilla roll. Place tortilla rolls in a dish, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours to chill.
Slice each roll into four evenly sized sandwiches, and serve as soon as possible.

Yield: 24 servings
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Pineapple Cheese Ball

2 (8 ounce) packages softened cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups finely chopped pecans, divided into two one cup portions
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
2 tablespoons grated onions or finely chopped green onions
2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
crackers, of choice
Mix all the ingredients, using only 1 cup of the pecans listed and form into a ball.
Reserve 2nd cup of pecans for topping.
Refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, roll cheese ball in reserved cup of pecans.

Answer 2

Try this Bruscheta recipie,its fab!

INGREDIENTS:
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, olive oil, oregano, basil and parsley. Place bread on a baking sheet, and top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until bottom of bread is browned. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Answer 3

Cheesy Breads

"Of all the different appetizers I've made over the years, this one is always the first to go and it is SUPER easy to make. You can use either sweet or sour dough bread, both are tasty! I will usually assemble the Cheesy Breads the morning of the party on cookie sheets and cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. When everyone has arrived at the party I just pop them in the oven and serve them piping hot! If you don't want the bread to be crunchy, broil them instead of baking them. I've tried them both ways and crunchy is better!"
Original recipe yield: 24 slices.
Prep Time:15 MinutesCook Time:15 MinutesReady In:30 MinutesServings:12

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INGREDIENTS:
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
1 (2 ounce) can chopped black olives, drained
4 green onions, sliced
2 French baguettes, cut into 1/2 inch slices

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DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, blend Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, ranch-style dressing mix, black olives and green onions. Increase the amount of mayonnaise as desired if the mixture seems too dry.
Spread equal amounts of the Cheddar cheese mixture on French baguette slices. Arrange slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve warm.

Answer 4

Make this homemade salsa recipe: You can use crackers or tortilla chips with it!
-one can corn (drained)
-one can black beans (drained and rinsed)
-one jalepeno, minced
-one can diced tomatoes (I like the tomatoes with some itallian seasoning in them already)
-1/2 red onion, chopped small
-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
-1 Tbsp. olive oil

I like this recipe because it has so much flavor. I think that it would go great with a sausage dish! Also, this salsa will stay good for several days in the fridge. It actually gets better the next day!

Answer 5

how about some Indian pakoras (bhajjias).....make a thick paste out of besan (chick pea flour) add salt to taste, chopped cortiander leaves, a few cummin seeds a little green chilli if preferred and 1 thinly sliced small potato and one small sliced onion. Heat deep pan of oil dip the thinly sliced potatoes and thinly sliced onions and fry a few at a time. When they are a gold brown take them out. Give to your boyfriend with either tomato sauce or sweet chilli sauce or a minty sauce made with chopped onion about half kg of tomatoes and a big biunch of mint leaves, two pieces of garlic , one deseeded chlli salt to taste and given a whizz in the blender till you get a thick sauce. Should not take very long to make if you prepare everything first.

Answer 6

Fresh figs halved and grilled lightly until they start to bubble. Add some blue cheese and put back under the grill until it melts. Serve with parma ham and a few salad leaves drizzled with a dressing made from red wine vinegar mixed with honey. It looks and tastes like you've spent ages making it, but will take you 5 mins at the most. Also nice and light.

Answer 7

Can't beat avocado - very good for you. Either just halved with vinaigrette made from good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or use the oven heat you already have for sausage casserole to bake stuffed with crabmeat - halve and stone avocado, score flesh, mix dressed crabmeat with soured cream or fromage frais, pile onto avocado halves, sprinkle with grated cheese and brown in oven for around 15 minutes. Got your omega 3s and antioxidants and a delicious dish!

Answer 8

i m telling u 3 cool starters




Cheese Rolls or Triangles (Bourekakia or Tiropitakia me Tiri): Bourekakia are pastry appetizers fried or baked, filled with various mixtures and mostly with cheese.

6 cups Bechamel Sauce
8 tbsps butter
10-12 eggs
2 lbs feta cheese
25-30 sheets fillo pastry
a dash nutmeg
a dash pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Work cheese into a smooth paste. Blend lukewarm bechamel sauce into the cheese. Add eggs one at a time. While stirring well, add nutmeg, parsley, pepper and salt. If the cheese is very salty be careful with the extra salt.
Cut the pastry sheets in strips or rectangles. Stack two strips each time and brush top strip with melted butter, Place half to one tsp of the paste at the one end and roll up or lap over to make rolls or triangles. Arrange on a greased baking tray and brush with melted butter. Preheat oven and bake at F. 320-380° for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot. Makes 60 depending on size.



Bechamel Sauce or White Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups hot milk
to taste white pepper
to taste salt
Put butter in a sauce pan and melt slowly at a simmering heat. Add flour. Stir until it absorbs all butter. Add seasonings. Bend. Add hot milk very slowly while stirring until sauce becomes creamy and smooth. At this point if you want to make it richer and more tasty your may add 1/3 cup of grated "graviera" or "kefalotiri" cheese but let the sauce simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.



Fried Cheese (Tiri Saghanaki)
3 tbsps butter
1/2 lb cheese Kasseri
just a cup for dusting flour
1 lemon
Take Kasseri cheese and cut it into thick slices or square pieces as desired. Dust them with flour and fry slowly in butter until golden brown. Turn them over. Serve hot and add drops of lemon on each piece.

Answer 9

Melt some caramel and pour it into a shallow dish.Spread crushed granola or even graham crackers over the top.Slice apples and lay them on top.Dip the apples and enjoy!It's quick,easy and yummy!

Answer 10

If u take some fresh tomatoes and cut them into medeuim size pieces and mix them with pasil and onion. Then ut them on a crakker with mozzerela cheese.