Chicken Salad Cucumber Cups

Another Pinterest gem, these Cucumber Cups were easy to make and fill with deli prepared chicken salad making them a recipe I'll reach for again and again.

You could easily stuff these cups with more exotic fillings but the creamy chicken salad (tuna salad would be fab too!) contrasted quite nicely against the crisp cucumber.

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Cucumber Cups

2 large English cucumbers

1 pound deli chicken salad

Cut ends off of your cucumbers and then cut them into 1 inch slices. 

Using a small melon balls, carve out some of the cucumber flesh and discard, leaving enough in the bottom to create a base for your chicken salad.
Fill cups with salad and serve immediately or chill until serving.

Antipasti Skewers

In my search for delicious, easy, and quick appetizers, I headed straight to Pinterest (would you expect any less from me?!) and spotted these antipasti skewers.  You can put anything on a stick and it instantly becomes 1,376,271x's better so why not take all the yummy pieces of an antipasti platter and skewer it?!

I made 40 skewers but you can switch this recipe up and make as little or as many as you need.  And you can always hit the gourmet olives and cheese section of your local grocery store to mix up what's on your skewers.  The possibilities are really endless.

Enjoy!

Antipasti Skewers

9 ounces uncooked cheese tortellini
20 slices deli salami, cut in half
20 slices deli pepperoni, cut in half
40 pitted kalamata olives
40 green olives with pimentos
40 small fresh mozzarella balls
3/4 cup Italian dressing

Cook your tortellini according to package instructions.  Drain and toss with Italian dressing.  Allow to marinate for up to 2 hours.
Skewer your pasta with the salami, pepperoni, olives, and cheese in any order you choose. Serve immediately or keep chilled until serving.

Who you callin' crabby?!

We had a lovely get together for my Mom's birthday at the end of November and I hipped up this yummy & easy crab dip! Being from Maryland, my mom has Old Bay running through her veins so this was the perfect birthday party appetizer for her!!

Enjoy :)


Crab Dip



11 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 Tbs. mayo
12 ounces of crabmeat, drained and flaked
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large bread bowl

Preheat oven to 350. In bowl, combine cream cheese, onion, mayo, crabmeat, garlic powder, Old Bay and salt and pepper. Spread into a two-quart baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes. While it's baking, cut a whole at the top of the bread bowl, and scoop out some of the bread to make room for the dip. Remove dip from oven, stir, and scoop into the bread bowl. Place on a baking sheet, and bake additional 10 minutes.

Dip dip... mmm :)

When I saved this next recipe, I really didn't know when I would make it or how well it would be received. So yesterday for my Dad's birthday gathering, I found the perfect time to make it AND the perfect audience to try it out on... my family!

This dip is so easy & so yummy... creamy & flavored with all the right flavors for fall (my trifecta - see previous post for explanation!). I served this dip with gingersnap cookies & pretzels... I'm sure fresh fruit would be a great option too!

Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Dip


2 c. confectioners sugar, sifted
1 (8 oz. ) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin pie filling mix
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and cream cheese, beating until well blended. Beat in remaining ingredients.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Buffalo Chicken goodness!

This has to be one of my most requested recipes that I make! It's perfect for a party and feeds a crowd on one turn of it!

Mr. Tana-Licious loves buffalo chicken... as does my future brother-in-law! So when we got together to celebrate his birthday this past weekend, this was on the top of his "must have" list.

I happily obliged! :)

Buffalo Chicken Dip



8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup bleu cheese dressing
1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups canned chicken, drained


Heat oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep dish 9-inch pie plate. Microwave 1 minute to soften.

Whisk in salad dressing, Buffalo Wing Sauce and cheese until smooth. Stir in chicken (make sure it is broken up into smaller chunks).

Bake 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through; stir. Serve with crackers (I used Towne House Toppers)

Everything tastes better with hummus!!

I have seriously neglected my blog as of late! Things have been super busy around here... a couple of weddings, birthdays, parties, and lots of work (so un-fun!). Fear not my friends, I'm back with a vengeance! ;)

I decided to tackle a recipe that I've always wanted to make... hummus. I made it for Mr. Tana-Licious' Aunts birthday party the weekend of the 4th. I've never made hummus before because I do not have a food processor. Very sad :(... however! While house sitting at said Aunt's house that week, I discovered theirs and was as giddy as a child!

The hummus turned our perfectly... nice and garlicy with a pop of black pepper. It was definitely spicier than anticipated but the combo of roasted garlic & freshly ground black pepper was a hit!

Enjoy :)

Roasted Garlic Hummus



Ingredients:
3 - 19 ounce can chickpeas
3 - head roasted garlic**
1 ½ lemon (zest and juice)
4+ tablespoon olive oil
3 clove of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Puree everything in a food processor until smooth. Add olive oil as needed to bring it to the consistency that you like.

Note: I serve mine with red & yellow bell peppers, baby carrots, and pit bread wedges


**To roast garlic:

Ingredients:
heads of garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Cut the tops of the heads of garlic off such that a little bit of each clove is exposed.
2. Drizzle olive oil on the exposed garlic cloves and season with the salt and pepper.
3. Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil
4. Bake in a preheated oven until the garlic is soft and golden brown, about 45 minutes.
5 Let the garlic cool.