Crostini Topped with Garlic & Herb Cheese, Roasted Tomato Bruschetta & a Drizzle of Balsamic Glaze

I love to make Crostini (Italian for little toasts) for appetizers. You can top them with all kinds of things but this is one of my favorite combinations. It's a slew of textures & flavors- crispy bread layered with creamy cheese, sweet roasted tomatoes & tangy balsamic glaze. It's perfection in a bite! Fancy enough for entertaining but easy enough for every day.  I especially like to make this when I'm serving soup for dinner.  It pairs nicely with my Broccoli & Cheddar Chowder! 

Ingredients:
1/2 pint of Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced
2 cloves of Garlic, smashed
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Bread (like a baguette of french loaf) sliced 1/4- 1/2" thick
Garlic & Herb Cheese Spread
Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a small casserole or baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil then place the tomatoes, sliced onion & garlic cloves.

 Drizzle a little more olive oil over everything & toss to coat.  Season with a little salt & pepper. 

 Roast uncovered in a 325 degree oven for an hour, until everything is soft. 

 Crush the tomatoes with the back of a spoon & stir to incorporate everything.  Set aside to cool. 

 Turn the oven up to 400 degrees.  You can use just about any crusty loaf of bread you'd like here.  Baguettes are good, as is french & sour dough.  I actually used a homemade boule.  You just want to make sure that it's a smaller loaf so your pieces aren't too big.  Slice the bread into 1/4- 1/2 inch slices.

 Lay the pieces on a sheet pan, drizzle with a little olive oil & season with salt & pepper.  Toast the bread in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, flipping once. 

 This is the Garlic & Herb Cheese that I used but you can use any brand that you like.  Alouette makes a good one too. 

 This is the Balsamic Glaze that I used, it's from our local Harris Teeter grocery store.  But again, you can use any brand you like.

 When the bread is toasted, spread a little cheese on each piece.  Then spoon on some of the tomato bruschetta & drizzle a little of the balsamic glaze over the whole platter. 

 Enjoy!!

This recipe is for 4, you can easily double it for a larger group. 

Pan Seared Chicken Breasts with Caramelized Onions & Balsamic Vinegar

 This is my version of a recipe that I found on Cooking Light. I wish it photographed better because my pictures just don't do it justice.  It is so simple & with just a few ingredients it can easily be made in 30 minutes or less. Perfect for a weeknight meal but so tasty, I'd have no problems making this for guests too. The sweetness of the caramelized onion with the tangy balsamic vinegar are match made in heaven on top of chicken. It's one of my favorite combinations! It also goes great with some creamy mashed potatoes! I wrote this recipe for 2 servings (or 2 1/2 if your my family) but it can easily be adapted to feed 1 or as many people as you'd like!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 large Yellow Onions, Sliced

1/4 cup Chicken Broth

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Butter

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cut your onions in half, from root to tip then slice. Coat the bottom of a large chef's pan or skillet with olive oil & heat oven medium heat. Add sliced onions to the skillet & cook until golden brown (about 10 minutes) stirring frequently. 

 

Season the onions with a little salt & pepper & add in half (2 tbsp) of the chicken broth.  Cook until the liquid is evaporated, scraping down the bottom & sides of the pan.  Repeat with the other half of the broth.

 

Add in the balsamic vinegar & cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.  Turn off the heat & keep warm until the chicken is ready. 

 Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat a little butter & a drizzle of olive oil over medium/ high heat.  I use about 1/4- 1/2 tbsp of each per chicken breasts. 

 Season the chicken breasts with a little salt & pepper. 

 When the pan is hot & the butter & olive oil have melted add the chicken.  

 Cook the chicken about 4-6 minutes per side or until fully cooked. 

 Plate the chicken, then generously top with the caramelized onions. 

 YUM!! 

Beef & Green Chile Taquitos with Queso Dip

These are a fun twist for Taco Night!  They are quick & easy, perfect for any day of the week.  Traditionally Taquitos are fried but we love them baked.  You can make them with corn or flour tortillas.  We make them both ways but flour is our favorite.  They are great for appetizers, snacks or for dinner!

Ingredients:

(for the Taquitos)

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

7 oz can Chopped Green Chilies

2 cloves of Garlic

1 1/4 tsp Chili Powder

3/4 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp dried Oregano

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/4 tsp Paprika

3-4 dashes of Hot Sauce (optional)

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Small Tortilla Shells (corn or flour)

(for the Queso)

1 cup of Half & Half

2 cups White American Cheese

4 oz can of chopped Green Chilies

6-8 slices of Jalapeno, from a jar

3-4 shakes of Hot Sauce

Optional Toppings:

Lettuce, shredded

Tomato, chopped

Salsa

Sour Cream

Directions:

Drizzle skillet with a little bit of Olive Oil.  Heat to medium- high then add the ground beef.  Break up the meat with your spoon.  Add in all of the seasonings.

This is the hot sauce that I used.  It's my hubby's favorite. 

When the meat is fully cooked, add in the can of chopped green chilies & stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a sheet pan with nonstick spray. 

Wrap a few tortilla shells (3-5) in a damp paper towel & microwave for a few seconds to warm.  Fill each tortilla with 1 tbsp of the beef & green chili mixture, roll tightly, & place seam down on the greased sheet pan.  Spray the taquitos with cooking spray & sprinkle a little bit of kosher salt on the top. 

Repeat until all the filling is gone.  We did some with corn tortillas & some with flour.  Both my husband & I preferred the flour ones but were both good!

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown. 

In a small sauce pan, add the half & half.  Heat over medium heat.  (I usually do this first, so we can snack on the dip while the taquitos are cooking.)

When it is heated, add the cheese & reduce the heat to medium-low. 

Stir frequently, until all the cheese is melted. 

Add in the hot sauce, green chilies, & jalapenos.

Serve immediately with tortilla chips, preferably my Homemade Tortilla Chips.  :) 

I like to top my taquitos with some of the Queso Dip & some salsa. 

Serve taquitos with all the usual taco toppings, lettuce, tomato, salsa & sour cream.  We had these for dinner so I made some Mexican rice & Refried Beans too. 

This recipe makes approximately 20 Taquitos. 

Black Eyed Pea Dip

 Have any Black Eyed Peas left over from New Years?  Make this dip!!  If you don't have any left over don't worry, the original recipe calls for a 14 oz store bought can of peas.  I am so glad I can across this on the Pioneer Woman's blog.  It was so easy to make & we loved it!  I think it literally took 5 minutes to put together (including clean up).  Using up the leftover black eyed peas from New Years was great but just wait til you taste it.  You'll be making it more often than once a year! 

 Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can Black Eyed Peas (or use New Years leftovers)

1/4 cup Sour Cream

3 (heaping) tbsp Salsa

6-8 slices of Jalapeno, chopped

1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Hot Sauce, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Drain the can of beans (if using canned) and place in an oven safe 1 1/2 quart dish.  Partially mash the peas, leaving some whole. 

 Add in the rest of the ingredients.

 Stir to combine.

 Sprinkle some extra cheese on the top, if you'd like. 

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until warm & bubbly. 

 Serve hot with tortilla chips & enjoy!

Do yourself a favor & don't wait for next year to make this!! 

Layered Mexican Dip

Remember that 7 Layer Dip that's been around forever? I had totally forgotten about it until the other day when I was searching for an appetizer to make.  I gave it a little bit of a make over, making my own refried beans and mashing fresh avocado instead of guacamole.  And I'm not sure that mine is quite 7 layers...I guess that's subject to interpretation.  But I can tell you that this is really, really tasty!   Everyone loved it and just look how gorgeous it was!!

Ingredients:

2- 15.5 oz can Pinto Beans

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Chili Powder

2 cups Colby- Monetary Jack Cheese, shredded

2 Avocados

2 cups Sour Cream

1 pkg Taco Seasoning

1-2 Roma Tomatoes, diced

2-3 Spring Onions, sliced

1/2 can Black Olives, pitted, drained, & sliced

Directions:

Drain the cans over a bowl, reserving the liquid from the can.  I drained it into a measuring cup with a pouring spout.

Place the drained beans in a skillet over medium heat, until warmed. 

 When the beans are warm, smash them with a potato masher. 

 When you've mashed up most of the beans, add a little bit of the reserved liquid (from the can) into the pan & continue to stir & mash up the beans.  Add enough liquid until they are at the consistency you want.  Add in the cumin & chili powder.  You can add more of the spices if you'd like.  You can also add in some hot sauce too!  Keep in mind that this will be layered in with other mild things like cheese & avocado, so you want it to have a lot of flavor.

 Layer the beans in a serving dish.  I used a glass pie plate so you could really see the layers. 

 Top the warm beans with the shredded cheese.  I loved the Colby-Monetary blend in this!  Cheddar would be good too, but use what ever you like! 

 In a separate bowl, mash up the fresh avocado.

 Spread the smashed avocado evenly over top of the cheese. 

 Combine the sour cream with the taco seasoning. 

 Spread the sour cream mixture over top of the avocado. 

 Sprinkle the chopped tomato, green onion & black olives on top.

 See the pretty layers?? 

 We made Homemade Tortilla Chips to serve with it.

I made this as an appetizer with my Mexican Hot Dogs for a football get together.  It all was a huge hit!

This recipe makes 6-8 appetizer servings.