The Kitchen Whisperer

Archive for the ‘Appetizers’ Category

When you’re craving potato chips but all you have is a bag of potatoes these Crispy Skinny Seasoned Potatoes Dippers will surely satisfy!  Crispy, salty, seasoned potato slices with a tender center that are truly addictive!

So what’s your favorite vegetable? Like if you had to choose one and only one, what would it be?  I mean we’re talking stranded on an island and the ONLY vegetable you were allowed to bring with you type of favorite veggie. For me it’s the potato. It’s so versatile that you can make pretty much anything out of it. From the standard side dishes to even desserts. There’s pasta (hello potato gnocchi!) and sweet potato bread.

Growing up I ate 3 vegetables…and ONLY 3: corn, canned peas and potatoes. It’s funny to think about just how ridiculously picky of an eater I was a child yet I was so chubby. But now my love of veggies is limitless for the most part however when all else fails and I can’t think of what I want to eat, I’ll reach for a potato and go from there.
How do you like your potatoes?

There is nothing better with crispy, salty potato chips than cold and creamy French Onion Dip!  Skip the soup mix and make your own delicious dip!  One dip of the chip and you’ll fall in love!

Potato chips and French Onion dip at times have been my Friday night date. I should be embarrassed to admit that but I’m not. I’m sorry but I love those salty, crispy chips and that creamy oniony dip. Sure my thighs love it even more but some things well, are worth it. Now, this doesn’t mean it’s a frequent thing in my house. God no! If that were the case I wouldn’t fit in the house. Everything in moderation. But I’ll be honest, when it comes to this dip, I have to use all of my willpower.

Now I love certain pre-made French onion dip but I honestly prefer homemade more. It’s creamier. I don’t want to dip into it and have the dip just glob on the chip. No, I want it to dunk into something creamy, rich and oniony.

Growing up Mom would make her own French Onion dip. Her first recipe was sour cream, mayo, fresh chopped onions and some spices. I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATED it. I mean who puts fresh raw onions in dip? GAG. Sorry Mama, I love you and everything but that was nasty. Well, then the whole dried French onion soup packets came out. Mom I swear had cases of that stuff. It went in EVERYTHING.

Are you a Chip or Pretzels fan?

This is a new spin on a classic broccoli slaw. Crispy and packed with veggies, seeds, cranberries, and bacon topped with my Grandma’s amazing old fashioned boiled dressing. Every cookout needs this dish!

I debated on what to call this dish. It is Broccoli Slaw? Is it Broccoli Salad?  I struggled with it as it has well both broccoli florets and broccoli slaw. So I went with a Slaw Salad. Sure I could have shortened it to Broccoli Slawlad but then again that just like I fat fingered it really, really bad. Trust me, spell-check is screaming at me right now with that word.

This dish I literally had 2 women in their 60’s get into a fist fight over. Well okay technically only one punch was thrown but seriously for me, it was a HUGE compliment. To have people go to the level that they actually fight over your dish… I know I did something good. You can read that story here.

Let’s just focus on getting this in your belly, k?

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RealFlavorRealFast #CollectiveBias

Only 30 minutes is all you need to take your backyard bbq appetizers to a whole new level!  These Peach BBQ Pork Bite Crostinis will be the biggest hit of every cookout this summer!  It’s time to get your deliciousness on!

Oh, warmer sunny days how I love you. It’s funny how a simple thing like a sunny day can bring a smile to your face and put you in a better mood. The sound of neighborhood kids riding their bikes up and down the streets. The smell of cookouts filling the air. Ah yes, warmer days = toes in the grass, backyard get-togethers, and cookouts. One thing most people don’t think about when it comes to cookouts is appetizers. I mean we serve appetizers during indoor meals or when we go out to eat so why shouldn’t we have them for our backyard cookouts? Granted they don’t necessarily need to be as elaborate as say a Christmas dinner but they still should be there. And please, please, please – while potato chips rock they are NOT an appetizer. lol

This recipe today is for one of my favorite cookout appetizers. Again it looks uber hard and fancy schmancy but please, all you need is 30 minutes and you have a recipe that will be the hit of every cookout. Forget Uncle Tommy’s prized ribs or Jonny’s epic burgers. Pfft!  These Peach BBQ Pork Bite Crostinis steal the show. I’m teaming up with Smithfield® and showcasing their Smithfield Marinated Sweet & Smoky Pork Roast. What I absolutely LOVE about these items is that it’s 100% pork. Period. Pure piggy!  And you all know how much I love pigs. But what’s honestly some of the best points about this is it’s practical. The Fresh pork is marinated! Smithfield® takes care of folks offering a variety of marinated fresh pork options to create easy meals for any night of the week. Simply put you can create “Real Flavor Real Fast.”

Let’s create deliciousness in 30 minutes!

These crispy crunchy fish sticks are super easy, baked so they are healthy AND seriously delicious! Whether you a little kid or a big kid, you’ll fall in love with these! High in protein and low in fat, since they are baked to crispy perfection, these fish sticks are a must-make!

So let’s show a raise of hands – how many of you as a kid loved those frozen fish sticks? Yep, me too!  Now, how many of you as an adult still eat them?  Nope, me neither. I’d say honestly somewhere in my late teens I stopped eating them. Which is sad as I loved fish sticks as a kid. Like one of my favorite meals was fish sticks dipped in copious amounts of ketchup (never tartar… gag!) and Mom’s mac ‘n cheese (never the blue box). I think for me it was a come to the realization that there was a whole world of deliciousness waiting for me to partake in.

As I grew into an adult and eventually was living on my own, I never really bought fish or those frozen fish sticks. I cooked other foods but just never fish. I love almost all seafood so why not make it? Dunno. Thankfully Mr. Fantabulous came into my life and was huge into eating healthy and living a high protein diet. At first, the man was all about tuna fish, chicken, and pasta. While I love all 3, there are way more things out there in the world to eat than just that. So I started buying fresh fish.

Cod was a safe bet as you really can’t screw that up – well you can if you overcook it but it’s so hearty and stable. From there we went through phases of tilapia, swai (yeah I read the articles but I still like it), haddock, pollock, and halibut. Monk Fish is to die for but also expensive. I’m not sure if I would use monkfish for fish sticks; kinda seems sacrilegious in a way. For this recipe, I went with haddock but you can go with whatever your local grocer has. And I know what you’re thinking “Can I use frozen fresh fish?” – the answer is yes. Just let it thaw properly (I thaw mine in the fridge), cut it and pat it dry before making the recipe.
Fish Sticks – what do you dip yours in?