Date with a Shrimp...

...That was the title of this next recipe! But this was no shrimpy date! The flavors were huge and absolutely superb!

Watermelon Cubes with Feta

I told you that I would be trying more watermelon recipes, in this blog post called "Watermelon Used 3 Ways". So here is another one.

Easy Tortellini Salad

This is my recipe for Tortellini Salad. I make it often for family gatherings. There is usually never any leftovers! I always use dried tortellini pasta...never frozen because the frozen kind are too gummy when cooked. And grocery stores don't usually have much choice of fillings for the frozen variety.  For this recipe I always use spinach/cheese filled and 3 cheese filled. This really makes a huge difference in the taste of this salad. And I always use my own homemade dressing because it's simple and light, which lets the flavor of the other ingredients shine through. I hope you'll give my recipe a try!

Caramelized Onion Jam

Oh, let me tell you...this is some kind of wonderful, yes it is! Sing it with me!!! I can totally eat this whole bowl of onion jam ALL by myself! Did I say I CAN...I meant I HAVE eaten it all by myself!  It's kind of a small bowl. ..well, not really, but that's what I always tell myself. Everyone that I've served this to has loved it just as much as I do!

Caprese Dip!

I'm a dip fiend! So I love coming up with new recipes for unique and delicious dips! Sometimes I like warm dips and sometimes I'm just in the mood for an easy, fresh, healthy, low fat, chilled dip! This one hits all the marks!

Creamy Cheesy Hot Corn Dip

I love to serve snacks to my guests that are  a little unique. Well, this corn dip is not only unique but also so delicious! It's warm, creamy, cheesy, corn goodness in every bite!  And it also has a slight amount of spiciness. My guests loved this one, so now I'm sharing it here!

Candy Wings

An easy chicken wing recipe with only 3 other ingredients besides the chicken. These wings are sweet, garlicky and savory.

Bloody Fingers - Halloween Food

 Around this time of year I always start looking for new creepy Halloween foods to make for my two girls. My kids still get a kick out of this stuff, even though they're in their 20's.  I try to surprise them with something different every year! Well these Bloody Fingers got a big smile and a  thumbs up this year! Ha ha...get it...'thumbs up'? 

Bacon Grilled Cheese Roll Ups - Baked

This is for all the grilled cheese lovers out there! Another fun way to make a classic grilled cheese sandwich, but with an added bonus of crispy bacon! I think this would also be great served as horderves at parties! Now, I know that grilled cheese sandwiches are usually 'grilled', hence the name, but...

Meatball Hero on a Stick

This is such a fun idea! Also, delicious of course! Oh, and very easy to make because the meatballs are skewered onto the sticks while raw! So everything is baked in about 15 minutes! 

Baked Eggplant and Tomato Stacks

 

I decided to give this a try because I had an extra eggplant leftover from a previous recipe. This reminds me of a lighter and fresher version of eggplant parmesan. Much quicker to make and a whole lot healthier because it doesn't contain breadcrumbs and tons of cheese.

Meatball Parmesan Dip

This is the kind of dip that makes you want to just keeping eating it until it's all gone! But at parties that is frowned upon! And if you love meatball hero's but hate how messy they are to eat, you're going to love this dip! The only messy part is when you start licking the plate clean after it's all gone...another thing that is frowned upon at parties!

I served this with very thinly sliced, toasted, italian bread. Just lay out all the slices on a cookie sheet and put it under the broiler for about 3 minutes. Keep an eye on it because the bread browns quickly during the last 30 seconds. This recipe is perfect for 4 people but can easily be doubled.

New York City Style Game Day Food!

Photo taken from the top of the Empire State Building

Okay, let me start by saying I'm not a sports fan at all...gasp! But I do love going to those game day parties to munch on great finger foods! My hubby is a huge sports fan and he told me that this year the football game is all about New York! YAY...I'm a New Yorker, so now I have two things in common with 'The Big Day'...great food and my state! I currently live in the suburbs of NY, but it's only a one hour drive to the city. We go there often and love all the fun things to do in NYC. But the best part for me is the amazing food! One of my favorite New York City foods is a push-cart hot dog with onions from the hot dog vendors on the streets of Manhattan. You can find them on just about every corner! I decided to re-create those hot dog onions in my own kitchen! I tried many different ingredients until I was able to get the exact taste of the NYC hot dog onions that I crave and love!

Prosciutto Pear Cups Appetizer

I went searching for a new appetizer to serve to my guests on New Year's Eve and I stumbled upon this little gem! I love that it's easy to make but looks very gourmet!  I also love that the prosciutto is cooked because I'm just not a fan of raw prosciutto! The flavors are perfect...slightly sweet with a touch of saltiness!

Cream Cheese Penguins

These are almost too cute too eat! But they're delicious so eat them! I've made these many times for parties and they are always a huge hit! I've even made them in a Super Bowl theme with a football shaped cheese ball surrounded by these penguins. Also a huge hit especially with the men! I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com.  I added the dry ranch dressing to the cream cheese for more flavor.

Cauliflower Breadsticks

I've seen this recipe and similar recipes like this one, floating around the Internet for quite a while now! It has been on just about every food page I've visited. I took it as a sign that I need to try it...and so I did!

Copanata (Sicilian) Roasted Vegetable Salad

I'm Sicilian, but this is my first time making Copanata...gasp! I can tell you one thing(or maybe two things)...this is delicious and it won't be my last time making it!

BBQ Bison Phyllo Bites

Did you know that you can purchase bison in so many different forms such as hot dogs, bacon, pepperoni, short ribs and ground meat, along with the other usual cuts such as steaks and roasts? And did you know that bison has half the calories of beef? Bison is also lower in fat and cholesterol than beef! Bison also beats chicken in those areas! I didn't know all of that until this month when Allrecipes.com and their brand ambassadors teamed up with The Bison Council to bring awareness of the benefits of eating bison.  Go to their website and read all about bison. And while you're there check out all the delicious recipes for bison such as, bison goulash, bison meatballs, bison ribs, bison Asian noodle bowl and so much more! You can also find where to purchase bison, near you, by entering your zip code on their website.

Fried Pasta Stix

I came up with this recipe as a way of using up some leftover cooked lasagna noodles. I love the crunchy baked ends of lasagna! That is exactly what this tastes like when dipped into your favorite pasta sauce!

BLT Dip...My New Favorite Dip! And Low Fat Too!

 

I am so excited about this new dip I discovered!!! I love BLT's...so this dip is right up my alley! I often use it as a sandwich spread! It's so much easier to just have this dip all ready to go instead of assembling a traditional BLT sandwich every day! And believe me, you will want to eat this every day!