Snacks & Appetizers

Purim Baskets

Dear Sis,

I woke up to these sweet faces:

Today we took some time to prepare for Purim. We assembled our purim baskets to share with three Jewish friends/families and our pantry donation box for the poor.

We made Better than Boxed Brownies last night, repackaged some dry apricots, and whipped up a batch of Spiced Nuts, just in time to drop off them off at the post office before closing. 

Spiced Nuts
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Ingredients
  1. 1 egg white + 1 t cold water, beaten
  2. 1 1/3 c whole almonds
  3. 1 1/3 c pecan halves
  4. 1 1/3 c whole walnuts
  5. 1/2 c sugar
  6. 1 t pumpkin pie spice
  7. 1/4 t salt
Instructions
  1. Grease a jellyroll pan. Preheat oven to 250.
  2. Coat nuts in beaten egg mixture. In another dish, combine sugar, spice, and salt. Pour over nuts and toss until evenly coated. Pour into prepared pan.
  3. Bake 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

Cinnamon Cheesecake Dip

Dear Sis,

Today during nap time I enjoyed the last of the leftover Cinnamon Cheesecake dip we served during William’s party.

Cinnamon Cheesecake Dip
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Ingredients
  1. 1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
  2. 1/2 (8 oz) tub whipped topping, thawed
  3. 1 (5 oz) cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  4. 1/4 c brown sugar
  5. 2 t cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Beat all ingredients together.
  2. Chill until ready to serve.
  3. Serve with apple sliced and graham cracker sticks.
Adapted from Real House Moms
Adapted from Real House Moms
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

Watermelon First Birthday Party

Dear Sis,

I was super fun planning and preparing a party for Evelyn! She looked adorable in her watermelon dress with her hair braided:)

Her Mama looked lovely too! One would never guess she is expecting Evelyn’s new sister or brother this coming winter:)

Menu

Ice Water & Pink Lemonade

Meatball Hoagies & Chili Dogs

Minted Cucumber Finger Sandwiches with Red Grapes

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels with Carrots, Celery, & Ranch Dip

Potato Salad, Deviled Eggs, & Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Fruit Pizza & Watermelon Rice Krispy Treats

Watermelon Slices

Watermelon Cupcakes & Fondant Toppers

Ice Cream Cones

Love,

b

 

Potluck

Dear Sis,

We joined the Trenton Historical Society last summer. Tonight we went to a potluck dinner. Most members are retirees, so its like a room full of friendly grandparents. William loved all the attention! They were even sweet enough to have a dish of beef along side the pulled-pork entree.

We Brought:

Chicken Salad Apple Rings

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches

Pineapple Mandarine Sunshine Cake

Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
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Ingredients
  1. 1 dozen eggs, hard boiled
  2. 1/3 c mayonaise
  3. 1/4 c shredded carrot
  4. 1/4 c snipped fresh dill
  5. 1/4 c minced red onion
  6. 2 T dijon mustard
  7. 1 t cider vinegar
  8. 1 t paprika
  9. 1 t poppy seeds
  10. 1 loaf pumpernickel cocktail bread
  11. 1/4 c julienne radishes
  12. fresh dill sprigs
Instructions
  1. Peel and mash eggs.
  2. Stir in mayo, carrot, snipped dill, red onion, mustard, vinegar, paprika, and poppy seeds. Chill.
  3. Place heaping spoonfuls of egg salad on each piece of cocktail bread.
  4. Garnish with julienned radishes and sprigs of dill.
Adapted from Tag Sis, You're It!
Adapted from Tag Sis, You're It!
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

P.S. We are waiting on a recipe from for a delicious sheet cake from one of the ladies. We’ll share it upon arrival:)

 

Recipe Testing for Evelyn’s First Birthday Party

Dear Sis,

I am super excited to be working on recipes for Evelyn’s First Birthday Picnic! We tried one of our watermelon theme desserts and a sandwich option.

Fruit Pizza
Serves 16
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Sugar Cookie Crust
  1. 1 pkg. Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
  2. 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
  3. 1 T all-purpose flour
  4. 1 t almond extract
  5. 1 egg
Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. 2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
  2. 1/2 c powdered sugar
  3. 1 t vanilla extract
Fruit Toppings
  1. 2 kiwi fruits
  2. 1 lb. strawberries
  3. 2 T semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Sugar Cookie Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and line 2 (9 inch) round baking pans or pie plates with parchment cut to fit the base.
  2. Combine cookie dough ingredients until dough forms. Divide dough into two portions and press one portion into the bottom of each prepared baking pan.
  3. Bake 15-18 minutes. Cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. Beat together frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy.
  2. Remove crust from baking pans and place on serving plates or boards. Cut each cookie into 8 slices before frosting. It makes serving much easier later! Spread half frosting over each crust. Chill.
Fruit Toppings
  1. Peel, half, and thinly slice kiwi fruits. Layer sliced kiwi around the outer edge of the fruit pizza.
  2. Wash, remove greens, and slice strawberries. Layer sliced berries in the center of the fruit pizza.
  3. Sprinkle each pizza with 1 T mini chocolate chips.
  4. Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
  1. Fruit Pizza doesn't have to look like a watermelon. You can use your favorite fruits in any design you desire!
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Pinwheel Sandwiches
Yields 32
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Cheese Spread
  1. 1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
  2. 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
  3. 1/4 c blue cheese, crumbled
  4. 2 T sour cream
Buffalo Chicken Filling
  1. 2 c rotisseri chicken, shredded
  2. 1/2 c Buffalo wing sauce
  3. 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  4. 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Cheese Spread
  1. Cream together all ingredients until smooth.
  2. Place equal portions in the center of each tortilla and spread smooth.
Buffalo Chicken Filling
  1. Toss together chicken, wing sauce, and onion.
  2. Spread equal portions over the cheese layer on each tortilla.
  3. Roll up each tortilla and chill 2 hours.
  4. Cut away ends and slice each tortilla into four equal pinwheel sandwiches. Serve.
Adapted from Sugar Apron
Adapted from Sugar Apron
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
I am going to put these sandwiches on a platter with ranch dip, baby carrots, and celery sticks. The flavors complement each other so well and remind me of eating real wings… only less messy:) 

We went to a library program, while the wraps were chilling, and ate them for lunch. William has an amazing tolerance for spicy considering he is only 2.5!

Love,

b

Pizza Hamantaschen

Dear Sis,

These super easy pizza bites are perfect for toddlers at Purim!

We used a packaged refrigerator section pizza dough to save time and effort. 

We got 1 dozen 2 1/2 inch circles. If we had taken the time to roll out the leftover dough,we would have gotten a few more:)

We placed a dollop of sauce in the center of each dough circle and topped it with one slice of turkey pepperoni, some turkey sausage, and a bit of shredded cheese. Then we folded them into triangles like traditional Hamantaschen cookies and baked them.

We used the temperature suggested on the dough package and just kept a close eye knowing they wouldn’t need to bake anywhere near the suggested 20 minutes:)

Happy Purim!

Love,

b

Sweet Meatballs

Dear Sis,

Today we had a playdate with Carter and Mama Jen. The Mama’s made two homemade meatballs dishes each while the boys enjoyed a nice spring day outside!

Sweet Meatballs
Yields 120
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Ingredients
  1. 4 (1 gallon) freezer bags
Meatballs
  1. 6 lb ground beef
  2. 3 c Italian bread crumbs
  3. 2/3 c whole milk
  4. 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  5. 1/4 c onion, minced
  6. 2 T garlic, minced
  7. 1 T salt
  8. 2 t pepper
Sauce
  1. 4 c ketchup
  2. 2 c dark brown sugar
  3. 2 c red wine vinegar
  4. 2 c Worcestershire
  5. 2 T garlic, minced
  6. 2 T onion, minced
  7. 1 T dry mustard
  8. 2 t pepper
Meatballs
  1. Combine meatball ingredients and shape into 120 meatballs.
  2. Bake meatballs in foil lined pans at 500 for 15 minutes. Cool.
Label freezer bags
  1. Thaw in refrigerator.
  2. Pour into a 9x13 dish and bake 30 minutes at 350.
Fill bags
  1. Place 30 meatballs in each bag.
  2. Combine sauce ingredients and pour it equally over each bag of meatballs.
  3. Freeze up to 3 months.
Adapted from Fix Freeze Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Ahrens
Adapted from Fix Freeze Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Ahrens
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/

Goes well with rice, mashed potatoes, or mac and cheese with a side of green beans.

It would also go well with whatever your family usually likes with BBQ.

It was nice enough to eat outside again today!

Love,

b