Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed With Blue Cheese

Bacon, blue cheese, and dates make the perfect sweet and salty combo. This is my go-to party appetizer, because it is super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. I discovered it once at a friend's party, and I have been addicted ever since.

You probably recognize this appetizer because I've posted it on my blog before. I wasn't thrilled about how the pictures in the original post turned up, so I decided to do an update post. I love this appetizer so much that I had to do it justice with better pics!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of dried, pitted dates (about 30 dates)
• 1 container crumbled blue cheese
• 1 (12 oz.) package of bacon (cut raw bacon strips in the middle if they are very long strips)

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• Slice each date on top, stuff with as much blue cheese as it can hold, wrap in bacon, and secure with a tooth pick. Repeat with the remaining dates. Simple right?
• Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Usually i also like to turn the dates halfway through so that they crisp up evenly on all sides. 
• Serve warm.  

Note: If you're taking it to a friend's house, bake the dates for about 10 minutes at your place so you are not traveling with raw bacon. When you arrive at your destination, bake for another 5 minutes or so until bacon is crispy. 

 

Taco Dip

I absolutely love this dip! It's a cheesy cream cheese dip, but still tastes fresh since it is topped with salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes. Everyone always seems to love it.

It is definitely one of my favorite party appetizers to make. It's fast and easy, and I can throw it together in no time. I also love that it is a cold dip. Since I don't have to worry about baking it, I can transport it easily to someone else's house. It's also great to make if I know my oven will be crowded with other things.

You can top the cream cheese mixture with any of your favorite taco toppings. I usually stick with mild salsa, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce since most people tend to approve of those toppings. If you and your crowd are a fan of olives, scallions, and jalopenos, however, then I would add them too! I have a friend who hates onions and a boyfriend who hates spicy things so I always have to keep them in mind! If it was up to me, I'd be using jalopenos, spicy salsa, and hot sauce on top! I like thinks spicy, but since most people don't, I usually keep this dip as mild as possible. Don't be afraid to customize the dip based on what you love. Hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) container sour cream
• 2 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese 
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 (16 oz) jar of salsa
• 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 large tomato, diced
• shredded lettuce
• tortilla chips

Recipe:

• Using a hand mixer, mix together sour cream, cream cheese, and taco seasoning.
• Spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom of a dip dish
• Spread salsa on top of cream cheese mixture
• Sprinkle cheese on top of the salsa
• Scatter lettuce and tomatoes on top of cheese
• Serve with tortilla chips

 

Mango Salsa

Summer completely flashed before my eyes, and I'm trying to get all my last summer recipes in before the cold weather hits. I'm not sure if you got the memo, but today was in fact national guacamole day. I was so excited to make guacamole! I went to the store to get all the ingredients and low and behold the avocados were hard! I went to two different grocery stores and I couldn't find ONE ripe avocado. SO I improvised, and made the next best thing, salsa. I spruced it up a bit by adding some mango (my fave!) and it was DELICIOUS.

Ingredients:

• 1 mango, diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/2 of 1 red onion, diced
• handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 of a lime
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

• Mix all ingredients together, and serve with chips!

Game Day Cuban Sliders

If you are unfamiliar with cuban sandwiches, you are missing out. Normally, a cuban has ham or shredded pork, cheese, mustard and pickles. Then, it is pressed on a panini grill. So yes, this recipe isn't authentic by any means, but it is super fun and delicious. It is SO easy and fast to put together and is great finger food so it is perfect for a potluck or on game day. We ended up having it for dinner with a side, which was also great. No matter when you make it, I'm sure everyone will love it. I'm definitely going to be saving this for game day. I get so excited for football season for the sole reason of getting to make yummy and fun dishes like this, and I already have SO many recipes saved. I can't wait!!

Ingredients:

• 8 small hamburger buns
• 1 package of ham
• 1 package of sliced swiss cheese
• dill pickles
• half of a white onion, chopped in small pieces
• dijon mustard
• 1 stick of butter

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease two baking dishes (or one depending on how big your baking dishes are)
• Place the bottom buns in the baking dish.
• Layer two slices of ham, one slice of swiss, and a few pickles on top of the bottom buns, then place the top of the rolls on top. 
• Whisk together melted butter, dijon mustard, and onion.
• Pour butter mixture on top of sandwiches.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Stuffed Bread

Last weekend we got our first snowstorm of the season. I made sure to stop at the grocery store beforehand so that I could spend the weekend testing new recipes. I figured if I was going to be snowed in, I might as well be snowed in with a loaf of bread stuffed with cheese. I posted pictures of this appetizer on my instagram account, and I got tons of requests for the recipe. So, here it is as promised! I've made this a couple times since then, and so far its a hit. I'm thinking this might even be a contender for a superbowl party appetizer. It definitely makes for great football food, and I can assure you this appetizer would go perfectly with your favorite beer.

Ingredients:

• 1 french bread
• 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 oz) bag baby spinach leaves (or frozen spinach works too!!)
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Parmesan cheese, grated, to top
• olive oil, to brush on top

Recipe: 

1. Saute the spinach, artichoke, and about half the garlic in a pot on medium heat. Add the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Mix until creamy.
2. Take the french bread, cut it into four sections, and hallow out the insides.  

3. Stuff the bread with the spinach and artichoke dip. Use a spoon to pack the dip down to the bottom.
4. Line up the four pieces on a cutting board to create one big french bread again.
5. Slice the bread as shown below. Brush the top with olive oil, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and the remaining garlic.

6. Wrap the bread tightly in foil and bake the bread on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
7. Unwrap the bread and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

Check out the updated recipe here ---> http://www.girlsgonefood.org/2017/03/bacon-wrapped-dates-stuffed-with-blue.html

Cheesy Pizza Dip

I love football Sundays. It gives me the excuse to hang out in my sweatpants and indulge in my favorite comfort foods. Even though you may not like football...I know you love cheese..and pizza..and yummy goodness. Voila....pizza dip. It is so delicious and requires minimal effort..the best of both worlds. I've been making this dip for a while now. In fact, it was one of the first recipes that I posted on this blog. Back in the day, my pictures were not the prettiest, so I decided to respost this yummy creation again. It's crazy what a DSLR camera and some good lighting can do. Now excuse me while I get back to this......

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• pepperoni slices 
• tortilla chips 
• french bread

Recipe: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix cream cheese, oregano, basil, cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese.
3. Spread cream cheese mixture into casserole dish, and top with tomato sauce.
4. Sprinkle remaining cheeses followed by pepperoni.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is browned.
6. Serve with tortilla chips and chopped bread.

 

Cheesy Baked Chicken Flautas with Greek Yogurt Guacamole Dip

I found this recipe on pinterest and made it not even knowing what chicken flautas were. In case you're wondering, its a mexican dish (duh!) usually served fried...oh and they are delicious. My eyes saw a creamy cheesy filling wrapped in a tortilla and guacamole and I was like DONE and DONE.  I decided to bake them instead of frying them to make them a little healthier. I also swapped out sour cream for greek yogurt like I normally do. Believe me, you can not tell the difference. Its just as creamy and tasty! I also used greek yogurt in the guacamole. My friend Lindsey made this guacamole last weekend and I became obsessed. I figured the guacamole would be perfect to have with the flautas and it was!!

Guacamole Ingredients:

• 4 avocados
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapenos, diced with the seeds removed
• 2 big spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt (you're welcome for the exact measurement!)
• 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
• salt, pepper
• 1 lime

Guacamole Recipe:

• Mix avocados and greek yogurt together until smooth. 
• Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and jalapenos. 
• Add lime juice from one lime -this will help prevent the avocados from browning. 
• Add salt and pepper as needed.

 Chicken Flautas Ingredients:

• 16 tortillas
• 3 chicken breasts, shredded 
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 8 oz bag of taco shredded cheese
• 1 15 oz can of corn
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• olive oil

*Note..this is going to make enough for two 9x13 baking dishes. You can easily make one for dinner and freeze the other!

Chicken Flautas Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 400 F degrees
• Heat a skillet with olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Cook until softened. Add corn and cook for another 2 minutes. Then, add shredded chicken, salsa, sour cream, and cheese. Stir and cook until combined and cheese is melted. (This will only take a 3-4 minutes.)
• Spray two 9x13 baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place some filling in each tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla and place in the baking dish. 
• Bake for about 15 minutes.

Pomegranate Guacamole

I'm a guacamole addict and while you may think of guacamole as a summer thing, I think of it as a year round thing. In fact, pomegranate guacamole is my favorite especially around the holidays. The red and green colors just pop and are so festive. I think its a perfect holiday appetizer because its light and fresh and is the perfect contrast to all those heavy delicious holiday meals that we love.  

Pomegranates are in season right now which makes them easily accessible, but they can be quite a pain for those who lack patience such as myself. Trying to dig out all of the seeds can be especially frustrating and time consuming, not to mention pomegranates stain your hands bloody red. So here is a little trick...check out the section of your grocery store where they have pre-cut fruit to see if they have ready to eat pomegranate seeds. Yes, it might be a little more expensive but if you've ever tried to de-seed a pomegranate before, I think you would agree that its worth it. Otherwise, goodluck.

Ingredients:

•  3 avocados
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper

Recipe:

•  Halve and pit the avocados. Spoon avocado into a bowl.
• Add 1/2 of the pomegranate seeds, lime juice, red onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, salt and pepper to the avocado. Stir gently.
• Place guacamole in a serving bowl and add rest of the pomegranate seeds on top. 
• Serve with chips