Crab Risotto Balls

These were also in Paula's freeze ahead appetizers section. I looved these, even more than the buffalo blasts. The risotto inside is so good. This recipe is time consuming, but I think its worth it. This says it makes about 8 dozen, but it didn't make that many for us. But still made probably 50.

What you need:
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
1.5 cups Arborio rice
1 (64 oz) box low sodium chicken broth, warmed (we did not use this much)
1 (8 oz) container lump crabmeat, picked free of shell
1 (5 oz) package shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups italian seasoned Panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for frying

What you need to do:
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until just tender. Add rice, and cook stirring constantly for 3 - 4 minutes or until rice begins to brown. Add warm chicken broth, 3/4 cup at a time, allowing liquid to be absorbed after each addition, stirring constantly. This process takes a long time, and we did not use all 64 ounces of chicken broth, it just didn't seem like it could take all that. We probably threw out 16 oz of the chicken broth bc we didn't think it needed more. After rice looks ready, remove from heat, stir in crabmeat, cheese, lemon zest, and pepper. Spread mixture to about 1.5 inch thickness on a rimmed baking sheet, cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Looks like rice krispy treats. :)

Form mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll in bread crumbs to coat. In a large dutch oven, pour oil in a depth of 3 inches. heat oil over medium heat to 350. Fry risotto balls in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

To freeze ahead, place fried risotto balls on a rimmed baking sheet, cover and freeze for up to 1 month. Remove from freezer, preheat oven to 350. Bake risotto balls for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. serve hot or at room temperature. Garnish with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Buffalo Blasts

My latest Paula magazine had a section of appetizers that you could make ahead and freeze. We tried a couple this weekend and these were sooo good! We haven't tried them out after you freeze and rebake them, but they sure are good fresh. Oh and this recipe makes 80!! We halved it though.

What you need:
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup wing sauce (I think it needed more)
2 cups shredded mozzzarella
1 cup shredded cheddar
80 wonton wrappers (found in fridgerated section by produce)
Vegetable Oil for Frying
Blue Cheese Dressing to dip in

What you need to do:
Sprinkle chicken evenly with s & p. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat, add chicken and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove from heat, stir in wing sauce. Cool completely, then stir in cheeses. Start heating your oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat in a depth of 3 inches. While thats heating, start making your wontons by spooning 1 teaspoon of chicken mixture into center of each wonton wrapper (I think they needed more than 1 teaspoon). Moisten edges of wonton with water. Bring corners together pressing to seal. Fry wontons in batches for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown (ours cooked waaaay faster than this, barely two minutes at all).

To freeze ahead, cool wontons completely and place in resealable plastic bags. Freeze up to one month. Remove from freezer, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place on rimmed baking sheets and bake at 350 for 12 to 18 minutes or until heated through and wontons are crispy.

Song of the Day

Let it Loose - The Rolling Stones

French Dip

This is a Rachael recipe she got from Campbells. I haven't tried it yet but it looks amazing!

What you need:
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed French Onion Soup
1 tablespoon reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
4 Pepperidge Farm® Classic Soft Hoagie Rolls with Sesame Seeds
4 slices deli provolone cheese cut in half
1/4 cup drained hot or mild pickled banana pepper rings

What you need to do:
Heat the oven to 400°F. Heat the soup and Worcestershire in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Add the beef and heat through, stirring occasionally. Divide the beef evenly among the rolls. Top the beef with the cheese slices and place the sandwiches onto a baking sheet. Bake for 3 minutes or until the sandwiches are toasted and the cheese is melted. Spoon the soup mixture onto the sandwiches. Top each sandwich with 1 tablespoon pepper rings.

Breakfast Pizza

This is a Rachael recipe. YUMMMY!! This takes some prep work, but when I made it, I did most of the prep the night before so it would be quick and easy in the morning. It was a big hit! You can choose whatever toppings you want. This makes two, so you will probably want to half it.

What you need:
1 pound ground sausage
2 cans of refrigerated pizza dough
12 eggs
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
1 small onion, minced
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
(I think we also used diced tomatoes and chopped mushrooms)

What you need to do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Place pizza crusts on cookie sheets and bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not allow to brown. Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Scramble eggs until firm (yes actually cook them on a skillet). Remove crusts from oven, spread 1/2 can of cream of celery soup on top of each crust. Spread 1/2 of egg mixture on each crust. Sprinkle bacon bits on one pizza and cooked sausage on the other. Cover each with onions and peppers. Top each pizza with 2 cups of cheese. Bake in preheated oven, for 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is golden brown. (I don't think ours took this long.)

To prepare everything, the night before I cooked the sausage, scrambled the eggs, and chopped my peppers and etc. and just stuck them in the fridge.

Layered Italian Dip

This is a quick and easy dip that is delicious! I stole this recipe from Kellie. Thanks!! The picture I took of hers was terrible, so I stole this from online somewhere.

What you need:
8 ounce block of cream cheese
1/3 ish cup prepared pesto
cherry tomatoes, split
1 cup ish of shredded Parmesan Cheese
Wheat thins for dipping

What you need to do:
Preheat oven to 350. Layer cream cheese, prepared pesto, cherry tomatoes, and parmesan cheese in a small casserole dish. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350. Serve with Wheat Thins.

Told you it was easy!

Gorgonzola Truffles

This is a recipe my aunt Penny made at Easter. I ended up making them for a girls weekend a little while ago and they were gone fast! They are very very rich, so make these for your guests with a sophisticated palate! :) Oh and I made them the night before and they were fine.

What you need:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 (4-oz.) container crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (I probably used more than this)
Apple and pear slices
Grapes

What you need to do:
Beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined. Cover tightly, and chill at least 1 hour or until firm (can chill up to 3 days). Roll cheese mixture into 3/4-inch-round balls. Roll each ball in bacon. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve. If chilled, let stand 30 minutes before serving. Serve with apple and pear slices and grapes