Hot dog on a stick

makes 10

A super simple hot dog on a stick, Sam style!

Ingredients

• 1 pack of your favorite hot dogs
• 1 pack refrigerator buttermilk biscuits
• 10 single chop sticks
• mustard and ketchup for dipping

Directions

1. Grease baking sheet with butter
2. Cut sausages in half
3. Wrap each 1/2 of sausage in biscuit dough, seal ends and place on baking sheet seam side down
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
5. Insert stick into ends of dogs and serve with dipping sauces

Pesto Grilled Cheese

Makes 2 sandwiches

My first bite and I was like "what the hell...I should have done this years ago"

Ingredients

• About 1/4 cup pre made pesto
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 4 slices Havarti cheese
• Soft butter

Directions

1. Warm non stick skillet over medium heat
2. Spread pesto on two slices of the bread, top with tomato slices, fresh ground pepper, 2 slices of cheese on each and then top with the other slice of bread
3. Butter both sides of sandwiches and cook in pan until golden brown on both sides

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Makes 12

Just like at your favorite taco shop, but you bake them instead of deep frying. And you can make and eat them at home in your jammies. Nice huh?

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (a deli-roasted chicken is perfect)
• 1/3 cup green salsa
• 1-2 tablespoons chipotle peppers, finely minced
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 12 small flour tortillas
• Oil - I like a spray for this
• For serving: sour cream, guacamole, salsa, queso fresco, limes etc

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Combine chicken, salsa, chipotles and cheese in a large bowl - mix well
3. Warm tortillas in a non-stick pan until softened and pliable - about 30 seconds a side
4. Add some chicken to each tortilla, roll up tight and place seam-side down on a greased baking
5. Brush or spray with oil and bake about 25 minutes or until beginning to brown at the edges
6. Serve with sour cream, guac etc

Mini Breakfast Muffins

Makes about 18

These are basically omelets pretending to be muffins. And the cool part is you can fill em with anything you like.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• Your choice of filling - diced ham, bacon, mushrooms, peppers, onions...you get the idea
• Shredded colby/jack cheese
• Hot sauce for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Beat eggs and season with salt & pepper
3. Spray mini muffins pan well
4. Put some of the filling in each muffin hole, and fill with beaten egg
5. Top with some cheese and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until set

Mini Caprese Pizzas

Makes about 18

Like a big caprese pizza? Well you really like these little ones...

Ingredients

• 6 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch slices1 tube refrigerator pizza dough, spread out and cut into 18 2 inch circles
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 6 small fresh mozzarella balls - the golf ball size, sliced into 1/8 inch slices halved
• about a dozen basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Place dough circles on baking sheet
3. Top with a little pesto, then a tomato slice and a cheese slice
4. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until dough is crisp and cheese has started to melt
5. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped basil and serve

Baked Feta

Serve about 8 as an appetizer

Warm, soft and delicious...(that's what she said).

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) block feta cheese1 big (or 2 small) cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat to oven 350
2. Place feta in an ovenproof baking dish
3. Top with crushed garlic, oregano and red pepper - drizzle liberally with olive oil
4. Bake uncovered until the feta is soft, 15-20 minutes
5. Remove carefully and serve with something crunchy

Baked Stuffing Balls

Makes about a dozen

They're like 'one biters' of crunchy, stuffing perfection. Don't leave out the sour cream & hot sauce...that makes it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup leftover stuffing
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• Hot sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Roll stuffing into twelve one and a half inch round balls
3. Dip into beaten egg, then roll in bread crumbs - make sure the crumbs stick well
4. Put on lightly greased baking sheet and bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown
5. To serve give them a dip in sour cream and then in the hot sauce

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Stuffing Bruschetta

Makes about 16 pieces

Weird...maybe. Good...of course. Will you make it? How am I supposed to know...

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 long sour dough baguette
• 1.5-2 cups stuffing, warmed
• 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Cook onions in oil in a large pan until really well softened and just beginning to brown
2. Heat broiler
3. Slice baguette down the middle and brown ever-so-slightly under the broiler
4. Top each half with warmed stuffing, then onions and then a light coating of the cheese
5. Place under broiler until the slices begin to brown and cheese melts
6. Remove and slice each half into 8 serving pieces

Smokey Bacon Guacamole

Makes about 2 cups

Really - you're not doubting this are you?

Ingredients

• 3 avocados - make them ripe please
• 1/2 cup chunky red salsa
• 1/3 - 1/2 pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1/2 - 1 chipotle pepper, minced fine
• Juice of 1/2 lime

Directions

1. Spoon out avocado flesh and put in a bowl
2. Mash a bit with the back of a fork - but not too much
3. Add salsa, bacon, chipotle pepper and lime juice
4. Mix well and serve

Corned Beef Balls

Makes about 16

I didn't even know corned beef had...oh never mind. These little one biters are perfect for an appetizer, after school or late night corned beef snack.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup corned beef, cooked and chopped fine
• 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
• 1/4 cup honey mustard
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs, Panko if you have them (crispier Japanese style bread crumbs) or regular
• Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mix corned beef with mashed potatoes, 1 tablespoon of the mustard and season with salt & pepper - mix well
3. Shape into one inch balls
4. Dip into beaten egg, then roll in bread crumbs to cover well
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake about 35 minutes or until golden and crispy
6. Serve with extra mustard for dipping

Corned Beef Pockets

Makes 8

Simple little cheesy, corned-beefy pockets of fun. And who doesn't like a pocket of fun?

Ingredients

• One 16-ounce tube large-sized refrigerator biscuits
• 1/4 grainy mustard
• 2/3 to 1 cup corned beef, chopped or shredded
• 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Lightly grease a baking sheet, remove biscuits from the package and flatten each into a 4-inch circle
3. Spread about a teaspoon of the mustard in the center of each biscuit
4. Top with some of the corned beef, then cheese and fold the biscuit over into a half moon - pinch the edges tight to seal
5. Pierce each biscuit top 2 or 3 times with the point of a small knife and place on the baking sheet - bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown

Steak & Mashed Potato Quesadillas

Makes 2 quesadillas

I love steak and mashed potatoes...so why not throw them together in a quesadilla?

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch circles
• Olive oil
• Four 8-inch flour tortillas
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 2 cups (about 10 ounces)
• leftover cooked steak, very thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium
2. Lightly oil onion slices, season with salt & pepper and put on grill
3. Cook until they soften, turning once and have good grill marks, remove and chop roughly - then turn grill down to low
4. On top of 2 of the tortillas put the following - 1/4 of the cheese, 1/2 the potatoes, 1/2 the steak, 1/2 the onions, the rest of the cheese and the remaining tortilla
5. Carefully put quesadillas on the grill and cook until cheese begins to melt and grill marks develop - flip over
6. Grill second side until the insides are warm and the tortillas are crispy
7. Remove, cut into wedges and serve

Pastrami Reuben Dog

Makes 6 dogs

I love a Reuben, but always make it with coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. So it just makes sense that if I was going to turn it into a dog I would do the same.

Ingredients

• 6 Kosher dogs

• 6 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

• 12 slices deli pastrami

• 6 good hot dog buns

• 6 slices Swiss cheese

• 1 ½ cups coleslaw, and just the ready deli kind is perfect

• Thousand Island dressing

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium high

2. Cook dogs until beginning to blister and looking great and remove from grill

3. Put pastrami and buns on grill and cook about a minute each side until beginning to brown

4. Put some dressing on each toasted bun, adding the pastrami, drizzle mustard, the coleslaw and finally the cheese

5. Put under the broiler for a final melt of the cheese - then eat

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Chipotle Shrimp & Cheesey Grits

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup grits or cornmeal
• 36 large shrimp (21/25's would be great) shell off & deveined
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• Olive oil - about 2 tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Combine milk, water & cornmeal - bring to a boil then lower heat and cook slowly, stirring often until thick - 15 to 20 minutes
2. Meanwhile, toss the shrimp with the chili powder, salt and olive oil - set aside
3. To the grits, add butter, salt, pepper and cheese - stir well and keep warm
4. Heat a non-stick pan on high and cook shrimp until they are browned in spots and cooked through, 3-4 minutes
5. Serve shrimp on top of grits with a little chopped cilantro

Grilled Clams & Mussels

Serves 4

This is some of the easiest and cheapest fun you can have cooking with a grill.

Ingredients

• Large foil roasting pan

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

• 3 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 cup dry white wine, or dry vermouth

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 2 ounces 'ready bacon', diced small

• 2 pounds each mussels and clams, cleaned

• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium/high

2. Put the foil roasting pan on the grill and add bacon - let cook about 5 minutes

3. Add the butter, garlic, wine (or vermouth) and pepper flakes

4. When the butter has melted, stir well then add the clams and mussels and let the sauce come to a simmer

5. Cover the top with foil and close the grill lid

6. Once the shells have all opened, about 8-10 minutes and stir everything well to coat with sauce, add the parsley and serve

Grilled Hoisin Meatballs

Makes about 32 small meatballs

Start with frozen, fully cooked little meatballs and in about 15 minutes you have a genius little grilled appetizer. They’re great on the grill or in the oven - you pick.

Ingredients

• 32 small meatballs, about a pound (the fully cooked kind) defrosted

• 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce

• 2 tablespoons chili sauce (Sambal)

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• Green onions and toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1. Combine hoisin, chili sauce, sesame oil and soy in a small bowl and mix well to combine - set aside

2. Heat grill to medium/high (or oven to 400)

3. Grill meatballs until fully warmed through and just starting to brown with grill markings (or bake in oven until heated thru and beginning to sizzle, about 15 minutes)

4. Put meatballs in a large bowl and toss with some of the sauce, plate and sprinkle with green onion & sesame seeds

Bacon Beer Cheese Dip

Makes a bunch

Cheese & beer & bacon. Really, do you need anything else?

Ingredients

• 6-8 pieces bacon
• 4-5 green onions, white & light green parts, chopped fine
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces Velveeta cheese
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Approx 6 ounces beer (I like something hoppy, like an IPA)
• Something to dip - bread would be good here

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a small pot until crisp, remove from pan and set aside on paper towels
2. Remove most of the grease, and add green onions until softened, then put back in bacon, cream cheese, Velveeta, Worcestershire, Montreal seasoning, green onions and beer
3. Cook on low until all is combined and melted - serve with something to dip

TIP: You can easily sub the bacon for fresh crab, for a Crab Beer Cheese Dip.

Queso Fundido Con Chorizo

Serves 10 as an appetizer

So really, aside from the fancy name this is just melty cheese with chorizo - that happens to be damn good. BTW, you can sub 'soyrizo' for the pork chorizo if you want no animal, less fat and less flavor - but have it still taste pretty good.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces pork chorizo
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 ounces diced green chilis
• 1/4 cup green onions, diced
• Tortilla chips or something for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cook onion with chorizo in a medium sized oven proof skillet on the stove until chorizo is done - turn off heat
3. Add 3/4 cup of each cheese and the chilis to the chorizo - mix well
4. Add remaining cheeses to the top of skillet and place in oven
5. Cook until melty, bubbly and awesome looking - 15 to 20 minutes and remove from oven
6. Top with green onions and serve with something to put it on

Quick Pierogi

Makes about 18

Pretty much every ethnic group has some kind of dumpling, and this is the Polish version - and I fricking love them. This is also the best reason to make sure you have leftover mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1 cup mashed potatoes

• 3 tablespoons cheddar cheese, grated

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Sour cream, for serving

• 18 round wonton wrappers

Directions

1. Put onions and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a non-stick pan, cook over medium heat until softened & starting to brown

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil

3. Combine potatoes, cheese and salt in a bowl - mix well

4. Put about a tablespoon of the potato mixture in the middle of each wrapper

5. Dip your finger in water and lightly wet the wrapper edge all the way around

6. Fold over (making a half moon) and seal edges well squeezing out as much air as possible

7. Boil in water about 2 minutes, or until they float

8. Remove & drain

9. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, add butter, pierogi and cook until brown and crispy on both sides

10. Serve with sour cream and onions

Honey Walnut Shrimp

1 cup water

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup walnut halves, and pretty ones at that

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk

1 pound peeled & deveined shrimp

Kosher salt & coarsely ground black pepper

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup cornstarch

Neutral oil for frying

Diced green onions for garnish

• Bring water & sugar to a boil in a small pot, add walnuts and boil 2 minutes, then drain and put on parchment

• Combine mayo, honey & condensed milk - set aside

• Heat about an inch of oil in a medium pot to 350 degrees

• Dry shrimp dry well with paper towels, season with salt and pepper.

• Put eggs in one large bowl, and cornstarch in another

• In batches of 6-8, dip shrimp first into the eggs, then into the cornstarch, being sure to coat well

• Shake off excess, put into the oil and cook until just golden, 3 to 4 minutes and remove to a paper towel covered plate to drain

• When done, toss with mayo mixture and plate, topped with green onion