Cheddar, Apple, Bacon Panini Bites

I’m back!  I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I’ve been gone so long. I’ve been busy traveling and I also had to make time to prioritize other factors in my life.  I’m happy to report that I started a new job at the end of October.  Unfortunately, blogging doesn’t pay my bills […]

Spinach Puffs

I am in LOVE with these little cheesy, spinach puffs.  Ridiculously tasty and as simple as could be to prepare. These little puffs of heaven could be serve as an appetizer, a side dish, or even could satisfy as a simple vegetarian meal by themselves. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Thaw out one sheet […]

Whiskey Mustard Meatballs

Anyone who has read this blog before knows my love of cooking with booze.  Bourbon, Liqueur  Rum…you name it.  This is the first time I’ve tried cooking with my good old buddy, Jack.  Jack Daniels that is…  I assure you, he does not disappoint. I recently found myself in an appetizer rut, relying on a few trusty recipes, […]

Mashed Chickpea Spread on Grilled Bread

I have to admit that I’ve been getting a little tired of traditional dips and spreads offered at holiday gatherings this year.  It seems like wherever you go you always see the same-old tired offerings….Some Spinach + Artichoke Dip, maybe some sort of dried out stuffed mushroom, a lackluster cheese platter….I KNOW you know what […]

Savory Elephant Ears

Prepare to be AMAZED. I am about to introduce you to THE simplest hot appetizer/finger-food you will ever make.  Not only that, but they look like you spent hours slaving over them, doing some sort of crazy pastry work to make them look so dainty and swirled. Not the case.  Not even a little bit…. […]

Soft Pretzel Bites

Every now and then I make something that I’ve never made before, and then become totally amazed when I actually pull it off.  It always results in a “I made that?” sort of moment. I’ve always had a special place my stomach for soft pretzels.  Anytime I head out to the mall or some sort […]

Savory, Sweet Pumpkin Pecan Spread

A couple of weeks ago, my mom came to Pittsburgh from Michigan to visit for the weekend.  In addition to nice dinners out and decorating the house for Christmas, we also did what we do best.  SHOP. As luck would have it, we wandered in to Williams Sonoma this particular trip.  We were immediately hit […]

Goat Cheese and Wild Mushroom Pizza

*Sigh…* When I made this pizza, I couldn’t help but think of that part in Apollo 13 when all of the Astronauts get back to Earth safely.  They called their mission “The Successful Failure” in that the entire journey was one disaster after another, but at the end of the day, they were able to […]

Spicy Jalapeno Sliders

I’m sorry, I do not have a picture of the finished product for this one.  They went on the grill LATE last night as the perfect midnight, party food.  It just did not occur to me to pull out the camera and the burgers that were still sitting around this morning, no longer looked appetizing. […]

Roasted Artichoke Dip

OK, so I was in such a frenzied state last night, that I put this out before I had a chance to take a picture, so you get to see this little corner of the dish…. The reassuring part, however, is that the other 75% of the dish was consumed before I got around to […]