Recipe Theme of the Month Appetizers - Devil's on Horseback

This recipe is fairly simple and classic, but you can't beat the taste!

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Ingredients

Bacons strips

Whole dates, pitted

Directions

Cut bacon strips into 4-in. lengths. Wrap each pitted date tightly with a piece of bacon, overlapping ends. Set dates, seam side down, in a. nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Turn dates occasionally until bacon is browned and crisp on all sides.

Drain on paper towels and serve warm or cool.

Variations: You can stuff the dates with a variety of fillings before wrapping and cooking. Suggestions include cheeses, minced fruits, etc. Use your imagination and have fun with it.

Recipe Theme of the Month: Appetizers - Crab Salad

Recipe Theme of the Month: Appetizers

Crab Salad

This is a great recipe, not just for appetizers, but for meals. This month I'm using it as a stuffing for tomatoes and cucumbers, nice little bite size treats.

Ingredients

8 ounces lump crabmeat

¼ cup mayonnaise

Photo from Taste of Home
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/crab-stuffed-cherry-tomatoes

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 tablespoon cream cheese

Salt & pepper

Cayenne pepper to taste (if you like it spicy )

1 stalk celery, finely diced

¼ cup finely diced purple onion

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions: Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Spoon into hollowed cherry tomatoes, or cucumbers, or crackers, or wrap in lettuce leaves. Serve chilled.

While this photo is from Taste of Home, The recipe they use is significantly different, but the photo gets the idea of how to assemble these across. There recipe is for baked stuffed tomatoes, which I am definitely going to try one of these days as well. 

Recipe Theme of the Month: Bite Size Nibbles : Crab Filled Crescents

This month I'm doing recipes that are fun, finger sized, and delicious. Appetizers and snack bites form elegant to whimsical, but always tasty treats to fuel the creative writing process. 

A friend once pointed out that there's a lot of food in my books, and I have to admit that is very true. It's hard to separate people from the food they eat, and the meals a couple shares can define their relationship. 

What happens when the junk food junkie falls for the chef de cuisine? 

hmm... that might be an idea for a future project. 

Today's recipe is so simple, it will probably find a spot in a future book, (last week's recipe will make an appearance in 50/50 Chances Are in May!) 

Crab Filled Crescents 

(This recipe appears many places on the web, but I've used the Pillsbury site recipe as a base) 

Ingredients

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls 1

3 oz softened cream cheese

1 cup chopped crab meat (I use the fake stuff…I like the texture better)

1 green onion, minced

2 T mayo or yogurt

Season with salt and pepper, or cayenne if you like it spicy ( I don't)

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 375°F. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Unroll dough on work surface (if using crescent rolls, pinch seams to seal); cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares.

2.      In small bowl, mix cream cheese, crabmeat, onion and mayo with seasonings. Spoon about 1 teaspoon crab mixture in the center of each square. Starting with same corner, fold dough over filling, and tuck end tightly underneath filling; continue rolling to within 1/2 inch of opposite corner. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining squares and filling. (The Pillsbury site recommended using an egg wash to seal the crescents. I forgot, and guess what? They stayed sealed just fine. So add that step in if you want, but I found it unnecessary.)

3.      Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Possible Variations:

I'm going to try this with smoked salmon and dill instead of the crab next time.

Can you think of any fun varieties we could try with this simple recipe?

Well, it's a good month for sales! I nearly forgot, but ALL GLBT titles are 20% off this month at the Breathless Press publishing site! That includes pre-orders on titles like Setting the Trap! 

Breathless Press

Recipe Theme of the Month: Bite Size Nibbles- Appetizers

For April I'm choosing a theme of appetizers. Tiny, bite size treats that make you wish they were a full meal, all month long. Some of these are things we do all the time, others are things I'd like to try. The first one is a nifty little trick I saw in Southern Living called Pinchos.

Southern Living 

Apparently this is a Spanish dish, but I would think you could create a theme for these around any country, region, or even holiday.

Their suggestions:

Skewer any two items on a pick, and serve a colorful assortment on a tray. Try our combinations, or experiment with some of your own.

• Cube of salami + small gherkin pickle
• Cube of fontina cheese + dried Mission fig quarter
• Quartered marinated artichoke heart + 1 boiled medium-size shrimp
• ½ small fresh mozzarella ball + rolled-up roasted red bell pepper strip
• ½ pickled okra + one piece of country ham

My thoughts: 

• A Curl of Salami + a cube of Provolone 
• A Grape Tomato with a Ribbon of Basil + a cube of mozzarella
• Pickled Asparagus + a Cube of Ham 
• A chunk of fresh pineapple, a mint leaf + a cube of feta cheese
• A curl of bacon + a Smoked oyster

 Just rambling there, but the endless possibilities... and then, you know, who doesn't like food on a stick? Hehe...

Any idea what you think would be good on a stick? lol
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