appetizer Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on March 10, 2014

Well, hello readers! I originally made this recipe for Super Bowl Sunday, but ran out of time to post it before it happened. Then, I was going to post this as an Oscar’s appetizer, but I am now too late for that! Get it together Keelin! I am officially sharing this recipe with you all so I don’t procrastinate it anymore. This Pimento Dip is a quick and easy cold dip that makes a perfect last-minute appetizer.

A few years ago, I shared a hot Tex-Mex Pimento Cheese Dip with you and today I am sharing a cold one. This dip goes perfectly with tortilla chip strips. The best part about this dip is that Matt can pull it together all on his own and I just get to eat it! I actually don’t think I have made this recipe yet, even this batch was made by Matt! We always dip right into this as soon as it is ready. If you plan to make this recipe ahead of time, store in the refrigerator and bring out 30 minutes before serving. It’s still amazing when it’s cold, but this dips firms up when it is chilled and you will break your chips in it. Nothing is worse than breaking your chips in the dip…well, there are probably a few more thing, but in the dip world it is pretty tragic.

Pimento Cheese Dip

Ingredients

4 oz. reduced fat Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup light mayonnaise
½ tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
2-3 tbsp. pimentos, or chopped roasted red pepper
1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Mix in the remaining ingredients until combined.
Serve at room temperature or chilled with tortilla chips or veggies.

Source- Adapted from Paula Deen via the foodnetwork.com

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on January 31, 2014

Southwest Wontons

Here we are- just a few days from Super Bowl Sunday! Are you ready for your party? What appetizer or snacks are you going to be bringing or sharing? Meagh and I have plenty of recipes to share. Have you tried our:

Just a few ideas in case you haven’t been thinking about it 24/7 like some of us (ehhmm.)

I saw this recipe for Southwest Wontons a year ago and have been dying to make it ever since! It’s taken me a year because I was looking for a good opportunity to post about them. I should have made them sooner because they are so good! I actually made them twice because my first photo shoot was too dark. These wontons could be good dipped in just sour cream, but I went ahead and created my own chipotle lime dipping sauce that pairs perfectly with the wontons (if I do say so myself!)

As I have said before, I hate frying food- not even for health reasons, but because I am clumsy and how it makes the whole house smell like fried food. I wasn’t offended by this frying though because I only used about 1/2 inch of oil in my pan. Each wonton only fries for about a minute a side too so it’s really quick! I made the filling and dip ahead, then put the wontons together and fried them right before we were ready to eat them.

Southwest Wontons with Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce

Southwest Wontons

Ingredients

1 cup frozen corn, thawed
½ red pepper, seeded, ribbed and chopped
½ poblano pepper, seeded, ribbed and chopped
½ small yellow onion
1 block reduced fat cream cheese (8 oz), at room temperature
kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked pepper, to taste
30-40 wonton wrappers
Canola oil, for frying

Instructions

In a medium bowl mix together the first 5 ingredients. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
Heat a skillet with about ½ inch of canola oil on medium-medium-high heat, depending on your stovetop (mine runs a bit slower to heat up then others).
Take wonton papers and spoon about 1-2 tsp of filling in the middle of the wonton. Moisten the edges of the wonton by running you finger lightly moistened by dipping in water along the edges of the wonton. Fold the wonton in half so that opposite corners are meeting and press edges together. Your first wonton with be the determent of how much filling you should be using, just enough to fill but not too much it is overflowing. Make sure wontons are sealed completely or they are going to splash oil all over the place!
Once all wontons are filled, line a couple plates with paper towels. To determine if the oil is ready to fry, stick the edge of a toothpick in the oil tosee if it sizzles. Fry the wonton in groups of 4-5 so they are not touching. Flip after about 1 minute. Cook other side for another minute until golden brown, remove from oil to paper towels. Repeat for remaining wontons.

Southwest Wontons and dip

Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
1 cup light sour cream
¼ cup light mayonnaise
Juice from 1 lime
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor add all the ingredients. Process for about 30-45 second until all ingredients are combined. Place dipping sauce in a airtight bowl and let chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Source- Wontons adapted from Shared Appetite and Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce is a 2s2c original

sisterk (2)

Posted by Meaghan Barry on November 22, 2013

rosemary parmesan popcorn

It’s time to discuss Thanksgiving Day eating strategies! While you want to be hungry for the big meal, you don’t want to be ravenous and cranky leading up to the main event. I like to have a variety of light appetizers available for my guests so they can pick and nibble at snacks throughout the day.

Popcorn is such an easy treat to prepare and I decided to create a savory recipe for Thanksgiving: Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn. I usually like my butter/salt popcorn combo so much that I rarely make any other popcorn recipes, but I had a very difficult time removing my hand from the vicinity of the popcorn bowl with this version. I highly recommend investing in a Whirley Pop* if you don’t know own already. It makes popping popcorn a cinch.

Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn

Save Print

Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 3 mins

Total time: 8 mins

A savory popcorn recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil (you could also use canola or vegetable oil, but coconut is a healthier oil)
½ cup popcorn kernels, popped (yields 14-16 cups popped popcorn)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Use the coconut oil and popcorn kernels to pop 14-16 cups popcorn (I recommend using a Whirley Pop*.) Pour popped popcorn into a large serving bowl.
Whisk together olive oil, grated cheese, rosemary and sea salt in a small bowl.
Pour olive oil mixture over popcorn and stir well to combine.

If you prefer a sweeter popcorn recipe for an appetizer or snack, I highly recommend K’s Lightened-Up Caramel Corn:

What’s your favorite appetizer to eat/serve before the big Thanksgiving meal?

sister m signature

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on September 24, 2012

I love making variations of goat cheese recipes for an appetizer. I really liked the warm goat cheese dip I posted about a year and a half ago (and incidentally is one of our most searched for recipes at 2S2C.) For Thanksgiving last year, I made another type of goat cheese appetizer to hold everyone over until the big dinner was ready. This goat cheese and basil oil recipe really wowed me- I could not stop eating it! I made it again last week and remembered why I liked it so much last November. Don’t be discouraged by the long list of directions- it’s fairly easy to make and the presentation is simple and beautiful.

Goat Cheese with Basil Oil

Author: m

Recipe type: Appetizer

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 1 min

Total time: 11 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the goat cheese:
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup panko
Freshly ground pepper
4 oz. semi-firm plain goat cheese
1 clove garlic
¼ tsp. coarse salt, plus more to taste
For the basil oil:
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Baguette slices, for serving

Instructions

Combine the Parmesan, panko, and freshly ground pepper in a small bowl.
Place the goat cheese in a second small bowl. Finely mince the garlic. Sprinkle the salt over the minced garlic and smash the mixture together with a fork until it forms a paste. Add the garlic paste to the bowl with the goat cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture together until smooth and well-blended. Form the goat cheese mixture into a round ball. Roll the ball in the Parmesan-panko mixture until well coated. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
To make the basil oil, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the basil to the pot and boil for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Blot the basil leaves with a towel to remove all of the excess water. Add the basil leaves and the garlic to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until finely minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the food processor running, add the oil through the feed tube in a steady stream. Continue processing until the mixture is well-blended. Strain the oil mixture through a fine mesh sieve onto a serving plate. Place the ball of goat cheese in the center of the basil oil. Serve with baguette slices.

Source: Parmesan-Crusted Goat Cheese with Basil Oil from Annie’s Eats

$Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip$

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on July 15, 2012

$Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip$
This Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip is seriously amazing, I mean make 3 times in the same week kind of amazing. When we served this dip at our family lunch over Fourth of July, it was gone within minutes of coming out of the oven. My mom made more of the pimiento cheese dip the next day because we had enjoyed it so much the day before. Then, I made a half batch when I got home to take more photographs of the dip since I didn’t get one of the dip baked at the party. The pimiento cheese dip is easy to pull together and can be made ahead of time.
$Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip with Tortilla Chips$

Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip

Ingredients

½ cup Greek Yogurt (0% Fat)
6 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
¾ cup roasted red pepper, diced
2 small or 1 large jalapeño peppers, ribbed, seeded and minced
2-3 scallions, chopped
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon
8 oz. of shredded pepper jack cheese
8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to your liking

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium bowl combine Greek yogurt, cream cheese, roasted red peppers, scallions, ¼ cup cilantro, shredded cheddar, shredded pepper jack, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
In a 2-quart oven-proof casserole dish spread the dip out evenly.
Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and dip it hot.
Top with remaining 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro and serve with tortilla chips
To make ahead of time-Do steps 2-3 and put plastic wrap over it and place in the fridge.

Source– Slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats

$Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip Close-up$

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on July 11, 2012

At my family’s Fourth of July lunch that my sisters and my mom hosted at my parent’s house, we served two dips for appetizers. One of the dips we made was the a Mediterranean Layer Dip with toasted pita chips.

The Mediterranean Dip is similar to those seven layer Mexican dips with the layer of sour cream/cream cheese and taco seasoning, beans, salsa, lettuce, and tomato etc. but instead the layers have more of a Greek flair. The first layer is the classic hummus, followed by basil pesto, cucumbers, red onion, banana peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese and lastly fresh tomato. Toast up some sliced triangles of pita bread with a touch of olive oil and you have yourself one worthy appetizer.

My mom also brought this to a graduation party to test it out before the party. The dip did not last long and she was tracked down by several of the guest for the recipe. The original recipe calls for sun dried tomatoes but since it tomato season we opted to use some fresh ones from the farmers market. You can use your own recipe for the hummus or pesto but I am linking M’s hummus recipe here.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mediterranean Dip

Ingredients

Hummus
Basil Pesto
Cucumber, seeded and diced
Red Onion, diced
Banana Pepper, diced
Kalamata Olives, sliced
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Tomatoes, diced

Instructions

Spread a layer of hummus on a platter followed by a layer of pesto. Next sprinkle evenly with cucumber, red onions, banana peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and tomatoes.
To toast pita chips- Cut pitas in triangle slices and place on a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush pitas with olive oil and bake for 5-10 minutes. Turn over pita chips and continue to cook until toasted.

Source– Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on April 15, 2012

I have been obsessed with tomato bruschetta for as long as I can remember. I have a very clear memory of stealing some of my mom’s bruschetta she had made for company we were having over. I snuck a few slices of French bread with bruschetta to the pool side, dipped my feet in the pool, and ate the stolen goods. I think I was about 10-12 years old at that point. What can I say…I have always had a mature pallet. For most of my childhood birthdays, I requested surf and turf, making sure my mom got me my own lobster. That’s what you get when your mom is a great cook and you are born a true foodie.

The other day when I was making my first homemade French bread, I knew I needed to make some fresh tomato bruschetta to go with it. Tomato bruschetta is really the best in the summer when you can use fresh tomatoes, making it a great summer appetizer.

Tomato and Herb Bruschetta

Author: K

Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients

3 ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 tsp. chopped garlic
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
French bread

Instructions

Cut, seed and chop tomatoes. Place in a bowl and mix in basil, garlic, oregano, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve with fresh French bread or toasted French bread.
To toast French bread slice bread in ½ inch slices. Brush both sides with olive oil and place in an 350 degree oven. Toast 5 minutes on both side until bread is crispy. To add a hint of garlic to toasted French bread cut a piece of garlic in half and rub the toasted bread with garlic.

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on March 29, 2011

I’m usually not one to make recipes off the sides of boxes and cans (besides the occasional batch of Chex Mix), but I was looking at the back of a Whole Foods cracker box the other day and found one that looked really good. I had all the ingredients already so I decided to make it as an appetizer for dinner last night. Here is the recipe from the box (slightly modified):

Warm Goat Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
-1 tsp garlic, pressed
-1 package goat cheese
-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread garlic on the bottom of a 5×9 casserole dish (I used the all-clad oval baker). Crumble cheese over garlic. Place rosemary sprigs between cheese and side of dish, following the curve of the dish. Press cheese down with the back of a spoon. Top with the olive oil, salt, and pepper (to taste). Bake for 10 minutes, until bubbling.

They recommend serving it with the woven whole wheat crackers (the box it was printed on). I had some leftover pitas and had finished the crackers the night before, so I toasted the pitas up. This would be a great dish to serve or bring to a party as it can be made beforehand and only takes 10 minutes to heat up.

-m

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on January 16, 2011

On New Years Day, my friends and I decided that instead of a big New Years Day dinner, we just wanted to do appetizers all day. We love playing games so sometimes like to have all day game tournaments (with games such as Clue, Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase, What’s Yours Like, Uno, Jenga, Scattergories, Guesstures, and Boggle… We have a large game shelf!).

The appetizers we decided to make were Pigs in a Blanket, Layered Taco Dip, and Buffalo dip. Yes, I know- these are very simple appetizer recipes that you have all probably made. We planned it that way because we all went out in the City for New Years Eve (open bar from 9-2am, if you know what I mean) and wanted something fun and tasty that we wouldn’t be spending the whole day in the kitchen preparing.

Lets start with the Taco Dip. This is a recipe that my family has been making for years, I am pretty sure it is the classic 80’s layered taco dip. I know there are many versions of this dip often called 7 layer taco dip or such and such layered taco dip. I don’t like when there are too many layers with the beans and the meat and the olives. I love, love, love the simple version. You want to know what recipe is? Well keep reading because I am going to give you my families take on the dip (we didn’t make this recipe up, I am sure many of you have the same recipe)

Layered Taco Dip

Ingredients

8 oz. block of light cream cheese

1 cup of light sour cream

1 packet of Taco Seasoning (such as Old Ol Paso or Ortega’s- both found in the Hispanic section of the grocery store or where you would get the taco shells)

1 jar of salsa (my go to salsa is Tostito’s medium salsa, but you can use whatever salsa you love, if you don’t like the chucks of tomatoes you can use a jar of taco sauce which is basically salsa without the chucks)

Shredded iceberg lettuce

2 small or 1 large tomatoes chopped

Shredded Light Cheese (I used Sargentos Reduced Fat 4 Cheese Mexican blend)

The first step it to get the cream cheese block at room temperature. Once the cream cheese is softened, combine with sour cream and taco seasoning until smooth. Spread the mixture out onto a 9×13 inch pan evenly. Saran Wrap the 9×13 inch pan and let it set by refrigerating it for an hour.

After an hour or right before you are ready to serve it, spread the jar of salsa evenly over the top of the cream cheese/ sour cream mixture. Next put the shredded iceberg lettuce on top (you can use as much as you want, I put on about 1 1/2 – 2 cups), followed by the chopped tomatoes. Finally you sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of everything until it looks pretty covered (about 1 1/2 cups also). Now the dip is all ready to be served with tortilla chips! MMMmmmmm!

You are probably wondering about the other recipes. Pigs in a Blanket are very simple! It basically cut up hot dogs or cocktail wieners wrapped it part of a crescent roll. We buy regular hot dogs and cut them up into thirds of fourths because they taste better than cocktail wieners. Then we take the crescent roll dough and unroll it, the pre-cut triangles in the dough are is cut in half, and we wrap each dough piece with a piece of hot dog in the middle (it like rolling a small crescent roll around a hot dog). To cook them you follow the recipe on the crescent roll recipe, until the crescent rolls are golden brown. Once they are ready you can serve them with mustard of ketchup! Yumm!

Next we made Buffalo Chicken Dip. I had never made this dip before but I have had it at Superbowl parties before. After finding the recipe online, we decided to make it without the chicken (we have had it both ways before). It was good and everyone really liked it. If I were to make it again I would try it with the chicken and use the mozzarella instead of the crumbly blue. I love blue cheese but if think the mozzarella would make it more creamy and less blue cheese tangy. We served it hot with tortilla chips, but you can also serve with cut up veggies and crackers. Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think!

All of these recipes were very easy to make, and even easier with helping hands in the kitchen. If you are having a party or a Superbowl party these would all be classic great ideas!

Enjoy!

-Sister K

Posted by Meaghan Barry on August 21, 2010

The day before we left for our 10 day vacation in Nantucket, Husband M had his 30th birthday. Since we were pretty busy packing and tying up loose ends before we left, we were only able to have a small celebration. I made one of his favorite easy summer recipes…Martha Stewart Everyday’s Grilled Steak with tomatoes and scallions and a brownie from the farmer’s market. His Aunt T had thrown him a big birthday party in Maine the weekend prior and I also had plans for a lobster bake while we in Nantucket. His work also threw him a afternoon party with freshly baked cookies, so all in all, he had 4 birthday parties this year.

For the Nantucket lobster bake, we ordered pre-cooked lobsters and steamers from Sayle’s fish market. Our little cottage did not have air-conditiong and the day of the party happened to the hottest day we were in Nantucket. Thank goodness we bought pre-cooked lobsters…I can’t imagine how much hotter the place would have been if I had been cooking lobsters for hours. They did a great job packing them and they stayed warm for quite awhile.

For a starter, I decided to make a batch of clam chowder. We were having 10 people over in all and this recipe I put together made well over this amount (if served as an appetizer). I used Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything No-Holds-Barred Clam Chowder recipe as the base and tweaked it based on a few other recipes I have made in the past.

Nantucket Birthday Clam Chowder

Serves 10+ as an appetizer

Ingredients:
-1/2 pound applewood smoked bacon (or similar high quality), chopped
-2 cups minced onions
-5 cups peeled and chopped baking potatoe
-4 tablespoons flour (I used wheat)
-2 teaspoons dried thyme
-7 five-ounce cans of clams
-4 eight-ounce bottles of clam juice
-S&P
-2 cups milk
-2 cups heavy cream
-2 tablespoons butter
-fresh chopped parsley
-oyster crackers

Directions:
Fry the bacon in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a with slotted spoon and put aside. Cook the onion and potatoes in the bacon fat until the onion softens and is translucent (10-15 minutes). While they are cooking, drain the canned clams and reserve the drained clam juice. Add the flour and thyme to the onion and potatoes, and combine. Add the 4 bottles of clam juice and the reserved clam juice from the cans. Cook until the potatoes are tender (an additional 10-15 minutes). At this point, I turned off the heat and put the lid on the pot to keep it warm until the guests arrived.

About 5 minutes before I was ready to serve the chowder, I added the salt, pepper, milk, and cream (put the milk and cream out for about 20-30 minutes to get to room temperature so it does not curdle when you add it). Add the drained clams and bring to a low simmer. Add the butter on top of the chowder- the clams will be finished cooking once the butter melts. I served the chowder with the chopped parsley and oyster crackers on the side.

-m