Notes from our test kitchen; use jumbo or very large shrimp for this and leave the tails intact, depending on the size of the shrimp that you use you may have some breading left over, serve this shrimp as appetizers or a main meal

Yield 24-30 shrimp

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (use only fresh lemon juice)

3 garlic cloves, minced (garlic lovers use more if desired, or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste)

24 – 30 jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined leaving the tails intact)

lemon wedges

BREADING:

1-1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1–1/2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/2 – 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or adjust to taste)

Instructions:

In a shallow dish combine all the breading mixture; set aside.

In a large bowl whisk the melted butter with oil, fresh lemon juice and minced garlic; add in the shrimp and allow to sit for about 20-25 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Set oven rack to second-lowest position.

Grease a baking sheet.

Remove the shrimp from the butter/lemon mixture allowing any excess to drip off.

Lightly coat each shrimp in the breading mixture.

Place onto the baking sheet (leaving asmall amount of space between each other).

Bake for about 10 minutes or until shrimp (baking time may vary depending on the size of shrimp used).

Serve with lemon wedges.

Serve this as a side dish or slice into small squares and serve in paper muffin liners as appetizers, these make a great finger food and will be enjoyed by everyone!

This recipe is listed under both beef and vegetarian category, it may be made with the ground beef or omit and make as a vegetarian option

 For a vegetarian option you may omit the beef , these are just as delicious without it added in,  these may be cooked hours in advance and warmed on a baking sheet/pan in the oven to crisp up, make these as spicy as you like by adjusting the cayenne pepper or using spicy sausage meat, the yield is listed at 30 squares this is of coarse only estimated you may slice any size that you desire

Yield 30 squares

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound ground beef or bulk pork sausage meat (mild or spicy, I prefer spicy Jimmy Dean’s Bulk Pork Sausage Meat works well for this)

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (I use seasoned salt)

pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (cooked according to package directions then hand-squeezed dry to remove the excess moisture)

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

6 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes (no substitutes)

INSTRUCTIONS:——————————————

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

In a skillet cook/brown the ground beef or sausage meat; drain fat, then set aside for a few minutes (if you are making this without the beef then omit this step).

In a large bowl whisk the eggs until frothy; add in milk, flour, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, baking powder and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, mix vigorously until well blended (can use an electric mixer for mixing).

Add in the cooked ground beef, chopped onion, 4 cups cheddar cheese and spinach; mix until well combined.

Season with fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Place the butter cubes in the baking dish and place in the oven to melt for 10 minutes).

Transfer/spread the spinach mixture into the hot baking dish.

Sprinkle the top with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm and golden brown (for a crispier square bake longer).

Cool slightly then cut into desired size squares.

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You won’t find a better nacho recipe than this one, I always have requests to make this from friends and family, make this as spicy as you like by using mild medium, spicy or extra spicy salsa

Notes from our test kitchen; if desired you could add in a can of drained black beans to the ground beef mixture, to serve more that 6 people I would suggest to make two recipes and serve on two separate platters

The ground beef mixture may be prepared up until here** just heat and continue with the recipe

Servings 6

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped (garlic lovers can use more!)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (can omit or increase to two)

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2-3 tablespoons chili powder

1-1/2 cups refried beans (can use more)

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 (16-ounce) jar salsa (choice of mild to extra spicy)

1-1/2 plus 3/4 cups  shredded cheddar cheese, divided

tortilla chips (use as much as you like)

TOPPINGS:

sour cream

green onions

plum tomatoes, chopped

sliced black olives

Instructions:

In a skillet cook the beef with onions,  garlic, jalapeno, green bell pepper and chili powder until beef is no longer pink; drain fat.

Continue cooking until the beef has browned (this may take about 10 minutes the beef should be lightly browned for the best flavor) season with seasoned salt and pepper towards the end of cooking.

Mix in the refried beans and salsa; cook stirring until heated through.

** at this point you may cool and refrigerate up to 1 day in advance, when ready to serve heat in a skillet and continue with the remainder of the recipe.

Remove from heat and stir in about 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese until melted.

Place the tortilla chips on a large platter or plate, then top with beef mixture.

Sprinkle the hot beef mixture with 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese.

Top with sour cream, green onions, tomatoes and sliced black olives.

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A delicious spicy sausage and feta filling in a crispy breaded crust that may be made ahead, I have stated the yield at 35-40 it will of coarse depend on the size that you shape them balls you may get a few more or less

You may shape and bread the balls up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate, save about 1/4-1/3 cup breadcrumbs coat the balls into again just before frying….or you may fry the balls hours in advance and and stick them in the oven to crisp up again just before serving, you can omit the sausage and use one 10-ounce box frozen spinach, cooked and hand-squeezed dry

Plan ahead the sausage/rice mixture needs to chill for a few hours or even overnight

Yield 35-40 balls

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice

1/2 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed,  cooked/browned, cooled and finely crumbled

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (rubbed between fingers to release the flavors)

1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 large eggs, well beaten

1/3 cup melted butter

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)

1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley (or 1-1/2 tablespoons dried parsley)

1/3 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese (can use more)

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

seasoned salt, optional and to taste

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup dry breadcrumbs

olive oil for deep-frying

INSTRUCTIONS:——————————————-

Cook rice in a saucepan with  4-3/4 cups water until tender; cool to room temperature, then transfer to a large bowl.

Mix in cooked sausage meat, onion powder, garlic powder, 2 eggs and the next 6 ingredients; using clean hands mix to combine then season with black pepper and salt to taste.

Chill the mixture for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Shape into about 1-1/2-inch balls or desired size.

In a shallow bowl whisk 2 eggs.

Place the dry breadcrumbs into another bowl

Coat one ball into the egg allowing any excess to drip off then coat into the breadcrumbs, place onto a large plate then continue with all remaining balls (coat all the balls and place onto a plate before starting to fry them and at this point you may cover and refrigerate until ready to fry).

Heat oil in a skillet about 3-inches in depth or a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (if using a fry pan to fry the balls in and depending on what oil you use to fry in you may want to change your oil halfway through).

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Fry the balls until golden brown on both sides (about 3-4 minutes).

Notes from our test kitchen; 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese may be substituted for the feta.

These may be frozen after baking for up to 3 months, thaw the frozen baked quiches in refrigerator overnight, place onto a baking sheet, bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until thoroughly heated

Servings 48 mini quiches

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
2-3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley
4  cloves garlic,  finely minced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed (hand-squeeze out and excess moisture)
3-4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (or more to taste, can use white salt)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 large or extra-large eggs
1/4 cup half and half cream
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:————————————–

Lightly grease miniature muffin tins/pans.

On a flat surface roll each pie crust into a 12-inch square.

Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife cut the square into 24 pieces (you will have 48 squares from the two crusts).

Shape each piece into a ball, then using your fingers press each ball into prepared a miniature muffin tins/pans; cover the pan and chill until ready to use/or while sauteeing the onion mixture.

In a skillet heat butter over medium heat; add in both onions and parsley; saute until the onions are translucent (about 4 minutes).

Add in garlic; cook stirring for 2 minutes.

Add in spinach and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper; remove from heat and cool to almost room temperature.

In a bowl whisk eggs with half and half cream until smooth and well blended; stir in the feta cheese.

Add the egg mixture to the spinach mixture; mix well to combine.

Remove the crust-lined mini pans from the refrigerator and spoon spinach mixture into each tin.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30-35 minutes.

Immediately remove the baked quiche from pans and cool on wire racks.

Serve or freeze for up to 3 months.

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Notes from our test kitchen; if you want hotter poppers leave some of the membranes intact, pair the hot with the mild separately so you will know which is which, these are great served with ranch dressing

Servings 1 pound, about 16 medium

Ingredients:

1 pound medium japapeno peppers (about 16 medium)
2 cups shredded smoky cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 garlic clove, finely minced (optional)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 small  eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup flour (seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
2 cups fine ground dry breadcrumbs
oil for deep- frying

Instructions:————————————–

Slice the tops off each pepper then discard.

Cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and all membranes *see test kitchen notes on membranes.

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese with garlic,  smoky cheddar cheese, onion powder, seasoned salt and black pepper; mix until well combined.

Using a small spoon or a knife fill each pepper “boat” with cream cheese mixture.

Press the halves back together and scrape off any excess cheese from the top using the flat end of a butter knife.

Place onto a tray and freeze for 20 minutes.

In the meantime prepare your breading station lined up with 3 bowls and heat oil to 360 degrees.

In one bowl place the eggs mixed with milk.

Second bowl the flour mixture.

Third bowl the dry breadcrumbs.

1) dip each stuffed pepper firstly into the egg/milk mixture (allowing excess to drip off) .

2) coat into the flour especially where the cheese is exposed ( this will help the cheese to stay inside while frying).

3) dip into the egg mixture again.

4) then lastly coat into the breadcrumbs (have all your peppers coated before starting to fry).

Gently using a slotted spoon place each pepper into the hot oil; fry about 4 at a time, removing when golden brown.

Drain on a rack and sprinkle with a small amount more of seasoned salt while still hot,

TIP:  it is recommended to wait a few minutes before eating the poppers or you will run the risk of  burning your mouth with hot cheese

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Notes from our test kitchen; for a milder spinach flavor cook the spinach according to package directions firstly, the cayenne is optional, I like to add it in

Yield 32 triangles

Ingredients:

1 (17.3 ounce) 2-sheet package puff pastry sheet (such as Pepperidge farm Puff Pastry)
3 eggs
1 tablespoons water
1/2 crumbled feta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and hand-squeezed completely dry to remove all moisture
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped parsley
pinch cayenne pepper  (optional and adjust to taste)

Instructions:————————————–

Thaw the pastry sheets at room temperature for 45 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk 1 egg with the water.

In another bowl whisk the remaining 2 eggs, then add in feta cheese, spinach, garlic powder, onion, parsley and cayenne pepper if using; mix to combine.

Unfold the thawed pastry sheet then roll each sheet into a 12-inch square.

Cut each square into 16 (3-inch) squares, a pizza cutter works well for slicing.

Place about 1 tablespoon of spinch mixture in the center of each square.

Brush the inside edges of the squares with egg mixture; fold over the filling to form a triangle.

Crimp the edges to seal.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Brush the tops with egg mixture.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes.

Best when served warm but may be served at room temperature.

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