3 Easy appetizers to upgrade your next party

I’ve catered many parties, and these three recipes are my most loved and requested. Try these for your next event, trust me your guests will love them!

First is a sliced cucumber with dill cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers

1 pack of plain cream cheese at room temp

dill

smoked salmon

Preparation:

Wash and slice the cucumbers, you can peel the skin or leave on.

In a mixer using the whisk attachment, add the cream cheese and whip for 2 minutes so the cream cheese gets nice and fluffy. Add 2-3 teaspoons of dried dill to the cream cheese and whisk for 1 minute.

Take a slice of cucumber and top with a spoonful of the cream cheese. Then with the smoked salmon, use a fork to get small flakes of the salmon to put o top of the cream cheese.

The second appetizer is caprese skewers.

Ingredients:

cherry tomatoes

fresh basil

mozzarella pearls (you can usually find these in the deli section)

pesto

wooden skewers

Preparation:

Wash the tomatoes.

For the basil tear the leaves into small pieces, about the size of a nickel.

Open the bag of mozzarella pearls and gently rinse them in water to separate them.

Start layering the skewers. Start with the tomato, then the mozzarella, then a piece of basil, and repeat three times.

For the pesto, you can make it by adding 1/2 cup of basil leaves, 2 tbsp. of pine nuts, and 3 tbsp. parmesan cheese, and 2 tbsp. of olive oil into a blender. While blending, slowly drizzle in more oil until it’s thin enough to make a sauce consistency.

Once the pesto is ready, drizzle some over the skewers.

The third appetizer is stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 package of button mushrooms

1 box stuffing

small jar of pimentos, roasted red pepper- diced small

parsley, salt, pepper, thyme

Preparation:

Set oven to 350*F.

Wask mushroom and pat dry. Remove the inner stem and chop finely.

Make the stuffing mix and once ready mix in the spices, red peppers, and chopped mushroom stems.

Turn the whole mushrooms upside down and fill with a generous spoonful of the stuffing mix.

On a baking pan arrange the mushrooms into a single layer and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-30 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked and browned. Take it out of the oven and arrange it on a platter. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley or chives on top.

Until next time~Julie

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Vegetarian breakfast tacos

I love tacos, and having them for breakfast is even more fun to start the day! Fluffy eggs, beans, salsa, and veggies, topped with avocado make this a delicious way to start your day.

Note: to make vegan use lard-free refried beans, or canned beans of your choice. Try plant-based cheese or dairy-free sour cream.

Yield: 6 tacos

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas

1 can of refried beans or any beans you prefer

salsa of your choice

6 eggs

1 tbsp. chives

1 red onion

spinach

2 avocados

shredded cheese

Preparation:

In a skillet pan heat tortillas, on medium heat, with a little olive oil for about 1-2 minutes per side or just until slightly browned and set aside.

In a medium bowl, crack open the eggs and add 1 tbsp. of water and chives, and mix well.

In a small skillet heat some oil and cook eggs on medium heat. Stir often so it doesn’t burn and cook until firmly set and take off the heat.

In a small pot heat up the beans until warmed through, stirring occasionally.

Wash all produce, peel, and chop the onion. Cut the avocados around the seed and remove the seed. Scoop out the rest and slice thin.

Using two tortillas for each taco, layer with the beans, cheese, eggs, salsa, spinach, and avocado on top. Continue for the remaining tacos and serve.

Until next time~Julie

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Breakfast casserole

Good afternoon all, I wanted to share my recipe for an easy breakfast you can throw together and have ready in 30 minutes. Perfect to have on lazy Sundays.

Note`: For a vegetarian version add some cheese or extra veggies. To make vegan, try just egg liquid substitutes and non-dairy milk like soy or oat. You could add mushrooms or plant-based sausage patties too.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen diced potatoes or hashbrowns

6 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy cream

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup frozen kale

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup diced bacon (you could try ham, sausage, whatever you prefer or have in your fridge.)

olive oil

dill

chives

paprika

salt and pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425*F.

In a medium size casserole dish or a glass pan, drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of the pan and brush to cover the base and sides to help the food from sticking.

In a small bowl break all the eggs and the milk and creamer, and whisk until well blended.

In the casserole dish, add the potatoes, corn, onion, kale, and bacon and stir. Then add in the egg mixture. Next, season with all the spices, I add about 1/2 tsp of each. Stir everything until well combined.

Once the oven is preheated, bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Enjoy with toast or fresh fruit.

Until next time~ Julie

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Turkey & vegetable quiche

This is a great way to use up your leftovers! This quiche is perfect for breakfast or even dinner with a side salad the next day.

To make this super simple I used ready-made pie crust thawed the night before in the fridge.

Yield: 2 quiche pies

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts (thawed)

8 eggs

1 cup milk, heavy cream, or plant-based milk

I small package of frozen veggies. (You can also use canned, or fresh if you cook them first)

Spices- I like a mix of paprika, dill, chives, salt, and pepper.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350*F

Get 2 pie pans or glass pie dishes ready and roll put the crust to cover the bottom of each pan.

Poke holes in each crust with a fork and bake for 15 minutes. Take out and let cool while you make the filling.

Filling:

Chop turkey into small pieces.

Combine the eggs milk, and spices and whisk or stir with a fork until well combined.

Add the veggies and the turkey. Stir until mixed and split the filling between the two pie pans.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until the egg is set in the middle. You can check with a toothpick. The quiche should be firm and not jiggle when set.

Let sit for 10 minutes, cut into slices and enjoy.

What are your favorite ingredients for quiche? Comment below!

Until next time~J

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Greek Salad

I love a good salad. We have this at our cafe and it’s one of my favorite items on our menu. Lots of fresh ingredients with balsamic dressing and crumbled feta cheese.

Yield: 2 salads

Note– to make this vegan substitute chickpeas and any plant-based cheese you like

Ingredients:

1 head green leaf lettuce

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cooked chicken breast

1 English cucumber

1 tomato

1/4 red onion

1/4 cup green olives

Balsalmic vinaigrette

Preparation:

Wash all produce.

Dice/ chop lettuce into bite-size pieces. Slice the olives in half.

Thinly slice the red onion, dice the tomato, and slice the cucumber into rounds.

In a medium bowl add the lettuce, onion, cucumber, olives, and tomato.

For the chicken, you can use ready-cooked frozen and thaw. I like to cook a whole sheet pan of chicken at the beginning of the week and use it for meals to save time. In a single layer of a sheet pan, add chicken, lightly pepper, and salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven @ 375 for 45 minutes or until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165*F.

Dice the chicken breast and add to the salad. Toss all ingredients with the dressing and top with feta cheese.

What do you love about your salads? To see more recipes like this one, comment below with your favorite ones!

Until next time~J

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Chocolate toffee scones

Scones, light, crumbly, flaky, buttery, and filled with goodies. For this recipe, I used chocolate-covered toffee chips and topped them off with a chocolate glaze and powdered sugar. To save time I used Bisquick baking mix.

Yield: 8 scones

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick mix

2 tbsp. sugar

1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup butter

3 tbsp milk+ more if needed when mixing

flour- for dusting

1 tsp. almond extract

Icing-

powdered sugar 1/2 cup

1 tbsp milk.

chocolate syrup 1 tsp.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375*F

In a medium bowl mix all the dry ingredients together- Bisquick mix and sugar together.

Cut the cold butter into small dice (pea size) and add to the dry mix.

Rub the butter into the dry mix with your hands until it’s coated well in the mix. Add in the toffee chips and mix lightly.

In a small bowl add the egg and egg yolk with the almond extract and milk. Add to the dry mix and lightly stir with a fork until it starts to come together. Dust your table/surface with flour and scoop out the dough. Lightly kneed until a soft dough forms, similar to cookie dough.

Note-If it’s too crumbly when mixing add more milk or water. If it becomes too wet add a little flour

Once you have a ball of dough lightly press down and flatten it to a circle about an inch thick. You can flour a rolling pin to spread out the dough. Once you have about an 8-inch circle, use a knife or bench scraper and press into the dough about halfway but don’t cut all the way through. This gives the dough a chance to rise into the classic wedge shape. Divide into 8 pieces- divide it right down the middle, and halfway across, then diagonally like an x and you have 8 sections.

Next place on a lined baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat and bake for 12-15 minutes, just until slightly golden around the edges. Take out of the oven and cool on wire racks if you have them or a plate.

Next, make the icing-

In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, milk, and chocolate syrup. Mix with a fork, if it is too runny ass more powdered sugar.

When the scones are slightly cooled, cut out wedge slices, drizzle the scones with the icing, dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy.

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Comment below with your thoughts, or any ideas on what recipes you would like to see here on the blog.

Until next time~J

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Cherry Hand Pies

This is a wonderful heat-warming recipe that takes me back to childhood. Warm and flaky pie crust filled with sweet cherry filling, ah so delicious! You only need 6 ingredients to make these delicious pies and be the dessert hero of the day.

Yield: 8 pies

Ingredients:

cherry preserves (or any fruit you like)

sugar

cinnamon

flour

vegetable or butter nonstick spray

1 package of 2 frozen ready-made pie crust

Preparation:

Thaw pie crust overnight in the fridge.

Take the crust out of the package and unroll it out on the counter lightly dusted with flour.

Preheat the oven to 425*F.

Cut the crust into fourths, straight down the middle, and across. Then take 1-2 tbsp. of the cherry preserves and fill in the middle of each section.

Then fold in half and pinch the edges so the pastry is closed all around. Trim off excess dough and using a fork lightly press along the edge and poke holes on the top of the pies in the middle to help them bake evenly.

Then in a small bowl mix 1 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon together. Using the pan spray, lightly spray on top of each pie. (you can also use an egg wash for this step). Then sprinkle on top of the pies the cinnamon and sugar mix.

Bake at 425*F for 20-30 minutes until pies are nice and golden in color.

Cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy. These are also delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

I’d love to hear your comments on this recipe or ideas for recipes you want to see on this blog.

Until next time~J

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Sweedish Meatballs

This recipe is a warm and cozy comfort recipe that is easy and ready in thirty minutes! I made these with penne pasta. This recipe is perfect on a cool day. These meatballs are great with rice, egg noodles, roasted veggies, or potatoes. With less than 10 ingredients, what’s not to love?

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

18 meatballs (frozen and pre-cooked)

1 x can of cream of mushroom soup

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. brown gravy mix

1/2 cup water or beef broth

dried chives

2 1/2 cups penne pasta

Preparation:

In a large pot, on medium heat- mix the mushroom soup, worcestershire sauce, gravy mix, broth, or water, and stir well.

Next, add in the meatballs, and stir until covered and mixed well. Then cover and cook for 20- 30 minutes.

While the meatballs are cooking, cook your pasta per directions. Drain and set aside.

To serve-fill your bowls with pasta and top with meatballs and sauce. Garnish with chives and enjoy.

Comment below if you liked this recipe or suggestions on what recipes you would like to see on this blog!

Until next time~J

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Hometown Goulash

Here on the plains, I’ve been working hard to get our second restaurant open. Taking over a place that has been shut down for over two years is a lot of work. We’re excited at the possibilities and it’s coming along with lots of elbow grease! Even so, after a long day of cleaning, this recipe hit home. When life pulls you in so many directions, having recipes like this one is a snap to put together after a long day. This goulash recipe is a favorite for quick and easy comfort food. It’s a family-style recipe that I love, so gather with the ones you love and try this one out.

Note- For a leaner recipe, you could use turkey. For a vegan meal-substitute, plant-based meat, and butter. Or lentils are also great with this too!

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. bag of elbow macaroni pasta

1 lb. of ground beef

1 12 oz. can tomato sauce

1 white or yellow onion

1/2 stick of butter unsalted

olive oil

spices- salt, pepper, chives, chili powder, paprika – all a half teaspoon. Then add more to your taste if needed

Preparation:

In a large pot fill half with water and some salt. Heat up to boiling and add the pasta. Stir every couple of minutes so it won’t stick. Cook for about 8- 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Add in the butter and stir until melted.

Wash and peel the onion and chop it into a large dice size.

In a large skillet, heat on medium and add the ground beef. Drizzle about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan. Start to break up the beef with a wooden spoon. When the beef is about halfway cooked, add the chopped onion. Add all the spices and continue to stir and cook until the beef is cooked through.

Next, add the tomato sauce into the skillet, stir and cook for 5-10 minutes until it has thickened up a little and soaked in with the beef and onions. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. When this is ready pour it all in with the noodles and stir and you’re all done!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Comment below with your thoughts and what other recipes you would like to see on this blog! Until next time~J

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