Corn Dip & Cheese Ball - Great Appetizer Recipes

I made both of these recipes last night for a party I hosted and they were both a hit! The first recipe (corn dip) came from Sarah and it's just a great, warm dip that is served with Frito's Scoops. So perfect for fall and winter. It was a hit at my party!

**Note: Use the whole jalapeno. The original recipe actually calls for 2! If you like a real kick of heat, go for it! I didn't use the whole jalapeno and wished that I had.**

Corn Dip

2 cans mexi corn (drained)
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Mayo
1 jalapeno (seeded and ribs removed) - chopped finely
1 lg jar diced pimentos
1 tsp. Accent Seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 30 mins. Stir 1-2 times during baking. Serve with Fritos.

The next recipe is my mother-in-law's cheese ball and it's AWESOME!!! By far my most favorite cheese ball recipe! The ingredients will seem weird - but they all work together perfectly. I usually serve it with Wheat Thins or Club Crackers. I truly think Macie would eat the entire thing if I'd let her - it's that good!

Cheese Ball

1 Package Cream Cheese - softened slightly
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 Cup Chopped Pecans - Divided
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 of a small can of crushed pineapple (drained)
3-4 dashes hot pepper sauce

Blend cream cheese, worcestershire sauce, garlic, pineapple, hot sauce and about 1/4 cup pecans together and form into a ball. Roll cheese ball in remaining 3/4 cup chopped pecans and chill until ready to serve. Serve with assorted crackers.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Here's another new recipe I tried and another keeper! It doesn't use many ingredients and it goes in the crock pot and it's SO rich and flavorful! Another one that all of us loved. I made it today for our lunch after church and just cooked some green beans with a can of new potatoes and boiled my noodles when we got home. Lunch was ready in about 15 minutes. Perfect!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs. Stew Meat (seasoned with garlic powder, pepper and seasoned salt)
1 Large Onion
2 Cans Golden Mushroom Soup
1 Can of Water
3-4 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 package (8 oz) Cream Cheese (cut into pieces)
Cooked Egg Noodles

Pour soup, water and worcestershire sauce in crock pot and stir to combine. Season meat with garlic powder, seasoned salt (I used Lawry's) and pepper to taste. Add meat and onion to crock pot. (I just cut my onion in half and discarded it right before we were ready to eat, but if you want to slice or chop it and have smaller pieces throughout the dish, feel free). Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. About 15 minutes prior to serving, cook noodles and stir in cream cheese until it has melted. Drain noodles, add to pot, stir well and serve.

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce

Here's another new recipe that I found on Pinterest and made last week. So, so good! The one thing I will do next time is double the lemon butter sauce - it was great as is, but I like things kind of saucy! HA! I made zucchini and pasta salad with this and it was great. Garlicky, lemony, YUMMY!

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup seasoned flour (1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon parsley flakes or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
3 eggs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 tablespoons butter

Place the seasoned flour in a large gallon-size ziploc bag. Set aside. In a shallow pie plate, beat the eggs until mixed and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Let it begin to heat and sizzle while you prepare the chicken but be careful not to let the butter burn and turn brown.

Put the four chicken breasts in the bag with the seasoned flour, close the bag, and shake to coat the chicken in the flour. One by one, take the chicken out of the bag and dip into the egg/Parmesan mixture. Place the chicken carefully in the skillet with the hot oil/butter. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Let the chicken cook on the first side, without moving or flipping the chicken, for 1-2 minutes until a nice, golden crust has formed. Carefully, using a wide spatula, flip the chicken and let it continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until it is golden brown. The chicken will flip easiest if it has had time to sizzle and cook to form a nice crust.

Remove the chicken to a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside while you make the sauce.

In the same skillet that you browned the chicken, melt the remaining four tablespoons butter. Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that were on the bottom of the skillet.

Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Crescent Roll Chicken Wraps

Last week, my goal was to try a new recipe every night. Surprisingly, they were all a hit. Especially this recipe, which I found on Pinterest. I made up my filling that morning, put it in a storage bowl and refrigerated it until that evening when I was ready to put them together. It went really fast and they turned out so good. Kid friendly, but also something Mike and I liked a lot, too.

Crescent Roll Chicken Wraps

2 (8 ounce) cans Crescent Rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk

Filling
4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
2 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion flakes or onion powder
2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (about 2 cups of meat)
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. milk
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Set oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Mix together milk, 3/4 cup cheese and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).

For the filling --- (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined. Add in 2 tablespoons milk; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry). Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste. Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.
Drizzle the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) of shredded cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Spoonful of filling on crescent roll - then roll up and seal starting at the longer end.

All rolled up and ready for the oven

ALL DONE! YUMMY!!!

And the winner is.....

Using random.org, the number drawn was number 6 - and that means that Ashley Hardcastle is the winner of these cute kitchen towels!!!

Congrats, Ashley! And thanks again to Sarah at Lauren Grace Boutique for offering these cute towels for the lucky girl! Don't forget to check out her blog or facebook page to see all her cute items! Lots of great gift ideas and with Christmas not too far off, you might want to start shopping now! :) Click here to take a look!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

I'm excited to announce my 2nd giveaway on my recipe blog! My friend, Sarah, has graciously offered 2 of her adorable kitchen towels for me to give away. She has a home business, Lauren Grace Boutique, and makes all sorts of great things. Everything from embroidered or appliqued onesies, shirts & tank tops, key fobs, cute cadet hats with flowers in any color scheme imaginable, hair bows, applique pillow cases or towels, burp cloths and I could go on and on!

Click HERE to see all the stuff she makes - and while you're there, become a follower of her blog, because that will get you entered TWICE in this giveaway! Once for following my blog and a second time for following hers!

These kitchen towels are so cute - one is in great colors for fall - brown, white, green and pink paisley print and the other is perfect for the holidays - it's super colorful with cute little owls and the words "Peace, Joy, Hoot, Hoot" - Just adorable!

Here's a close up of the two fabrics

You know you want to win those! :)

So, here's what you gotta do to get entered! Leave me a comment and let me know that you follow my blog AND go to her blog, follow hers and let me know that as well! If you follow both, your name goes in twice! If you just follow mine, you only get one entry. But, why not get your name in twice?!?! That's it! Easy! Just follow, comment and you are entered!

I'll be drawing the winner's name on Sunday, September 11th! HURRY! Don't miss out!

Thanks again, Sarah! I know whoever wins will love them!
(P.S. - If for any reason you can't leave a comment, please email me and I'll get you entered. My email is cmcash4476[at]gmail[dot]com)