GAFIA - Appetizer Class Recipes

So, I do believe the most comments and requests from GAFIA were regarding the recipes for the Appetizer class... so here you go ladies. Eat to your hearts content!


Bacon and Tomato Dip
1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese
½ Cup Ranch Dressing
1 medium tomato seeded and diced
6 bacon slices. Cooked until crispy
½ cup finely chopped celery
2 T. finely diced onion
1 tsp. sugar
Mix cream cheese and ranch dressing together until well blended. Fold in the remaining ingredients (reserve 1 Tbsp tomato for garnish). Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Line dish or bread bowl with lettuce leaves, fill with dip, and garnish with remaining tomato. Serve with toasted French bread



Red Pepper Dip
12-14 red peppers
1 Tbsp salt
Wash peppers and finely chop or grind up in food processor. Combine with salt and let sit for 3 hours
3 cups of sugar (or more if you want it sweeter)
2 cups apple cider vinegar
Combine with the peppers and salt and simmer for 3-4 hours
To serve, pour over a block of cream cheese. Serve with wheat thins, crackers, or chips



Baked Artichoke Dip
1 8 oz can non-marinated artichokes
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 clove of garlic minced.
1 cup of Parmesan Cheese
Combine sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, and garlic. Mix well. Chop artichoke hearts to desired size. Fold into mixture. Put into a casserole dish and bake at 350˚ for 20-30 minutes. Serve with corn chips, bread, or crackers.


Basic Apple Dip
8 oz cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp lemon juice
Beat cream cheese well. Add sugar a little at a time. Add remaining ingredients.
Variations:
Add ½ bag of heath candy chips or pieces of Skor Bars
Spread on a plate or casserole dish and cover with Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Carmel Sauce and sprinkle with chopped nuts or candy pieces.
Serve with apple slices



Fruit Dip
1 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz)
1 small jar marshmallow creme (about 7 oz)
Soften the cream cheese and combine with the cream cheese. You may add a drop of food coloring if you want color. Serve with fresh fruit.



Deluxe Fruit Dip
1 8 oz tub strawberry or pineapple soft-style cream cheese
1 7 oz jar marshmallow crème
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Beat together until smooth, serve with fresh fruit.









Cheese Ball
2 pkgs cream cheese (8 oz each)
1 Tbsp chopped onion
2 Tbsp chopped green pepper
1 Tbsp Lowry’s seasoning salt
1 small can crushed pineapple well drained
2 cups chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)
Soften cream cheese, mix in all ingredients. Form into a single cheese balls or 4 small ones. Roll in chopped nuts.



Easy and Delicious Cheese Ball
3 pkgs cream cheese (8oz each)
1 pkg ranch dip
sliced almonds
Combine cream cheese and ranch dip. Form into a ball and roll in sliced almonds.



Stuffed Mushrooms (Easiest)
1 pound small button mushrooms
1 box chicken stuffing mix
1 pound brown n' serve breakfast sausage
3/4 C. grated cheddar cheese, divided
Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Chop stems and saute' them with the sausage. Cook stuffing as directed and combine with sausage mixture and cheese. While sausage and stuffing are cooking, Saute' mushroom caps in butter and drain. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture and sprinkle tops with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted.





Stuffed Mushrooms (Easy) (Sat. class members: Notice the slight changes to the recipe)
1 1/2 pounds small button mushrooms
1 pound sausage (breakfast type)
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 small onion
2 C. bread crumbs plus 1/2 tsp. seasoning salt (or use one box chicken stuffing mix, prepared according to package directions)
parmesan cheese
Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Chop stems and saute' them and the onion with the sausage. Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese and bread crumbs (or stuffing.) Stuff mushrooms generously with filling and sprinkle tops with parmesan cheese. Bake @ 400 degrees 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.


Cheese Puffs
1 cube butter
1 C. water
1 C. flour
1/4 t. salt
4 eggs
1 C. grated cheese
Boil Water and butter. Add salt and flour... stir until smooth ball forms. Remove pan from heat. Cool slightly. Stir in cheese. Add eggs one at a time and beat well until smooth again. Drop by rounded teaspoonful on greased baking sheet. (These will almost double in size when baked.) Bake 20 minutes @ 400 degrees.
Makes 2-4 dozen depending on size.


Cream Puffs
Same recipe as above except omit the cheese and add 1 tsp. vanilla.









Chicken Sauce for Puff Pastries
1 cube butter
1 onion chopped
2-3 cups celery chopped
¾ cup water
1 can cream of celery soup
1 to 2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
Melt butter in skillet. Sauté onion and celery for 3 minutes. Add water, cover and steam until tender. Add chicken and soup and heat through. May be thinned with more water or milk to desired consistency. Great for left over chicken
You may also serve it over rice or chow mein noodles.


Breakfast Casserole
8 slices of bread cubed
2 cups cheese
1-2 lbs. of sausage, cooked
6 eggs
2 ¼ cups milk
1 tsp. dry mustard
Spray the bottom of 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Cube or tear bread into small pieces and put in casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with cooked sausage. Beat eggs, milk, and mustard. Pour mixture on top. Refrigerate overnight.
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup of milk
Dilute soup with milk. Just before baking, pour over casserole. Bake at 300˚ for 1 ½ hours.


Piña Colada Punch
1 large can pineapple juice
1 cup piña colada drink mix
1 small can limeaede
2 bottles lemon-lime soda (2 liter size)
1 bag of ice
Makes 2 ½ gallons

Strawberry Lime Punch
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
1 bottle lemon-lime soda
fresh fruit slices for garnish
In 2 quart pitcher combine the pineapple juice, orange juice, lime juice and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Then stir in the strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, stir in the soda and pour into glasses. Garnish with fruit slices.


Cucumber Punch
1 2 liter bottle of diet sprite
1 large can of limeade
Ice
1 sliced cucumber
Combine soda and limeade. Add ice and float cucumber on top.


Coconut Bites (Lara... I'll have these already made)
1 cube butter or margarine, melted
2 C. graham cracker crumbs
2 2/3 C. flaked coconut
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for glass dish.) In 9x13 baking pan combine melted butter and cracker crumbs. Press into pan. Sprinkle coconut evenly on top. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top next and bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. In microwave, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter. Stir until smooth and shiny. Spread this mixture evenly over hot coconut layer. Cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. For appetizers, cut into bite-sized squares. Store loosely at room temperature. Makes about 4 dozen appetizers or 2 dozen dessert-sized squares.


Chocolate Turtles
56 mini pretzels
1 13 oz pkg of rolo candy
56 pecan halves
Line baking sheet with foil. Place pretzels on foil and top each with an unwrapped rolo. Bake at 250˚ for 4 minutes (candy will soften, but retain it’s shape). Remove from oven and immediately place a pecan halve on each candy. Press down so candy fills the pretzel. Cool slightly and refrigerate for 10 minute. Store in a cool place.


Quick Sherbet
1 gallon pineapple sherbet
1-2 pkgs. frozen strawberries (you can use fresh strawberries)
4 large bananas
Soften sherbet and thaw strawberries. Cut strawberries into bite size pieces. Slice bananas. Combine and re-freeze. Remove from freezer ½ to 1 hour before serving.

Rice Krispy Dessert
3 cups rice Krispies
1 ½ cubes butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans
1 ½ cups coconut
½ gallon vanilla icecream
1 pkg Danish dessert
1 pkg frozen berries
Melt butter and sugar; pour over the Rice Krispies, nuts, and coconut. Put ½ of this mixture into greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Slice the ice cream and lay on top of this mixture. Now add the other half of the mix on top of the ice cream and press down firmly. Place in freezer. Cook Danish dessert according to package directions. Cool. Add berries (thawed). Top dessert with sauce as you serve it. Add a dollop of Cool Whip.




Raspberry Cheesecake
1 package white cake mix
2 pkgs. cream cheese softened at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 pint whipping cream whipped
2 16 oz cans raspberry pie filling
Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour two 9 x 13-inch baking pans or a large sheet cake pan (appox 12 x 17). Prepare cake according to package directions. Pour half into each pan or all into large pan. Bake for 20-25 mintues. Remove and cool. In a medium bowl, whip cream cheese and powdered sugar together until fluffy. Whip whipping cream separately and then add to cream cheese mixture. Spread on the cake. Then cover with the pie filling. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 24-30 servings.


German Chocolate Brownies
1 German chocolate cake mix
2/3 cup butter softened
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tub coconut pecan frosting
¼ cup milk
Preheat oven to 350˚. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Cut butter into the cake mix using a fork or pastry blender. Press half of the mixture in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 min. Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked layer. Drop frosting by tablespoonfuls over chocolate chips. Stir milk into remaining cake mixture and drop teaspoonfuls of batter on the frosting. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cake portions of the surface are slightly dry to the touch. Cool completely. Cut into 24 squares. Cover and refrigerate.