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Buffalo Chicken Crescents

September 2, 2012 4 Comments

With the fall comes football season, and with football season comes football food! A while back, I shared some Buffalo Chicken Calzones, which I love to have for lunch or a quick dinner.  Today I’m sharing basically the same recipe, except made with Crescent Rolls.  These make for a great appetizer or party food a couple of people or a crowd! Hope you enjoy!

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Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, party ideas, Recipe of the Week Tagged With:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

August 20, 2012 7 Comments

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

I love cereal bars!  They’re great for breakfast on the run and perfect for school snacks and lunches.  After looking up and finding a few different cereal bar recipes, I decided to create my own!

These have a perfect mix of chocolate, peanut butter, and honey that everyone should love,  and to make them even better I topped them off with M&M’s! Hope you enjoy! [Read more…]

Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, desserts, Recipe of the Week Tagged With: ,

Favorite Foods of 2011

January 2, 2012 19 Comments
Looking back over 2011, we had many noteworthy (perhaps even pin-worthy) food posts. Oddly enough, one of my most viewed recipes was my alfredo. It was actually posted in 2010, but since it’s obviously popular, so today I’m featuring it, as I take a look back at some of my favorite food posts from last year!
Hope you enjoy my picks!  Happy New Year! And I hope you’ll join me as we discover more delicious recipes in 2012!


 
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Homemade Fudgesicles

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.
Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, Best Posts, casseroles and quick meals, desserts, Recipe of the Week

Cheesy Potato Crisps

December 27, 2011 14 Comments

cheese potato crisps
For New Year’s Eve, I always love to serve appetizers.  I think of this recipe for Cheesy Potato Crisps as a meatless alternative to sausage balls.  They taste very similar to sausage balls and are a great appetizer for all ages. And they’re very easy on the wallet too!  Serve these alone or alongside your favorite dips like ranch and honey mustard.
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Recipe for Cheesy Potato Crisps
Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape into 3/4-in. balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. .

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.
Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, party ideas, Recipe of the Week

Easy Holiday Food Ideas

December 19, 2011 7 Comments

If you still need some last minute ideas for your Christmas holiday menu, you’ve come to the right place.  Today I’m sharing some of our favorite holiday appetizers and sweets!


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1. Black Bean Spirals
2. Black Bean Spirals
3. Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
4.  Sausage Balls


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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.
Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, Christmas, cookies and candy

Buffalo Chicken Dip

September 12, 2011 8 Comments
With football season in full swing, this week I’ve decided to share one of our favorite dips for football snacking.  I first made this dip for the 2008 Super Bowl, and at that time I served it cold.  It wasn’t until the last couple of times I made it, that I decided to heat it in the microwave.  And I have to say that we enjoy it either way.  And you can also bake it in the oven if your prefer. So it’s a very versatile and tasty treat, and it’s also fast and convenient! Enjoy!

Recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip:
Ingredients:
2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese
1 (10 oz) canned chicken breast
1/2 bottle Frank’s Hot Sauce (buffalo)
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions: In a Pyrex bowl or 8×8 casserole dish, combine cream cheese (softened) with hot sauce until well blended.  Take canned chicken and drain off the juice. Then use a fork to break up the chunks into shreds. (If you prefer, you may also use a cup of freshly cooked chicken, shredded.)  Fold chicken and 1/2 cup to 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into cream cheese mixture. After the dip is well blended, top with 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.
At this point you can serve the dip cold if desired.  Or for hot dip, place in microwave for 3-5 minutes (or until heated throughout) OR bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or veggie sticks.  (Refrigerate left overs and reheat in microwave if needed.)

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I’m linking up at Tidy Mom and these parties.
Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, party ideas, Recipe of the Week, recipes Tagged With:

Meatball Subs and Publix Italian Days Giveaway

February 22, 2011 70 Comments

Stir up authentic Italian flavors and bring your family together around the dinner table during Italian Days at Publix! Now you can share the taste of a home-cooked Italian meal in the comfort of your own kitchen without spending a fortune.
From February 17th through March 2nd, visit your local Publix to take advantage of the great savings on some of your favorite General Mills brands such as Progresso, Green Giant, Pillsbury, Muir Glen and Totino´s, and save $5 when you purchase 20 participating products.
While visiting Italian Days at Publix, you can also enter the Publix Italian Days Sweepstakes, sponsored by General Mills, for a chance to win one of four grand prizes of $10,000 worth of free groceries or one of 200 $100 Publix gift cards being given as prizes.
There are three easy ways to enter for a chance to win the Sweepstakes. Enter via phone, mail or at ClickCallMail.com – a convenient one-stop website, where you´ll also be able to download great coupon savings on some of your favorite General Mills brands and other great offers from Publix.
Here´s how it works:
Click – Stay up to date with the latest General Mills promotions happening at Publix by visiting ClickCallMail.com. Once you´re registered and logged in, you can participate in any current promotions.
Call – If you´d prefer to enter the sweepstakes and participate in other promotions via telephone, feel free to call the General Mills/Publix hotline, at 1.800.627.6059, and be sure to say that you want to enter the Publix Italian Days Sweepstakes. Please be sure to provide your complete contact information (Full name/address/zip code/phone #).
Mail – If you prefer to participate via mail-in entry, print and mail your complete contact information (Full Name/address/zip code/phone #) to P.O. Box 43425 Atlanta, GA 30336 and be sure to write “Publix Italian Days Sweepstakes” on the outside of the envelope.

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I absolutely love meatball subs! I found this yummy recipe for them at Pillsbury.com.  It features just a couple of the participating products featured in Publix Italian days. Give it a try!

Recipe for Italian Meatball Subs

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. bulk Italian pork sausage
1/4 cup Progresso® Plain Bread Crumbs
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
1 (15-oz.) can pizza sauce
2 cans (11 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crusty French loaf
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions: Bake bread as directed on package. In medium bowl, combine ground beef, sausage, bread crumbs, onion and egg; mix well. Shape into 16 (1 1/2-inch) balls.
In medium skillet, cook meatballs over medium heat for 5 minutes or until browned, turning frequently. Drain. Add pizza sauce. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
Slice each loaf open, sandwich-style. Place 8 meatballs in each loaf. Spoon sauce over meatballs. Cut loaves in half to make four sandwiches. Sprinkle with cheese.

Win it! One Simply Sweet Home reader will a $25 Publix giftcard to help you buy the participating Italian Days products.

Mandatory Entry:  To win, you must be a follower of my blog. And leave a comment telling me what your favorite Italian food you like to serve to your family. Deadline: March 7

Extra Entries: Leave a comment for each.

-1 if you follow @SimplySweetHome on Twitter.
-1 if  you subscribe to Simply Sweet Home via email.
-1 for subscribing to my RSS feeds through Feedburner.
-1 for sharing this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook. 
(Sample Tweet:  I want to win a $25 Publix giftcard!  http://bit.ly/gBihQs @SimplySweetHome )  (Limit one tweet entry per day.)

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Disclosure: General Mills gave me one gift card to keep and one to giveaway, as part of the MyBlogSpark program. The opinions are my own. If you’d like sponsor a review or giveaway on my blog, please see my PR page for details.

Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, Giveaways, Recipe of the Week, recipes

Ham & Cheese Pinwheels

December 27, 2010 13 Comments
Hope you all had a lovely and joyous Christmas!  Now it’s time to move on to 2011!  For New Year’s Eve, I’ve always enjoyed having appetizers to snack on throughout the evening.  So this week, I’m sharing what is, perhaps, the easiest appetizer ever!
These ham & cheese pinwheels are a quick fix, and they’ll look great next to your hot dips, hot wings, and veggie trays. Enjoy!
Recipe for Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
1 block cream cheese
several slices of ham
Directions: Place your cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds to soften.  Spread onto ham slice with a knife.  (I use the thick slices that are rectangle shaped.)  Roll up the ham slice. Repeat until you’ve used all the cream cheese.  Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.  Then take a sharp knife and cut your ham rolls into pin wheels.  Place on a tray and you’re ready to serve!
Tips:
For larger (wider) pinwheels, spread the cream cheese on the ham.  Then stack 2 or 3 ham & cheese slices together before rolling.  Chill & then cut.
To add extra color and flavor to your pinwheels you may consider adding one or two of the following to your cream cheese spread:  shredded cheddar cheese, chives, pickle relish, red or green pepper, tomato, or even a colorful spice like basil or paprika.
Do you have an easy appetizer or snack that you like to make for the holidays? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Linking up this week to these parties.

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Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, Christmas, Recipe of the Week

Buffalo Chicken Calzones

September 6, 2010 17 Comments
I have always loved calzones, stuffed sandwiches, Hot Pockets, or whatever you wish to call them.  There’s no telling how many Ham & Cheese pockets I’ve eaten over the years for lunch or for a snack!  Hubby, on the other hand, isn’t much of fan.  However, when I saw this recipe over at Tidy Mom, I just new it was one calzone that he would approve of.
I made a few changes to the recipe and gave it a try.  At first my husband had a negative response when I told him I was trying a new recipe for calzones, but when I told him it was buffalo chicken calzones, he quickly changed his tune. And of course, he loved it.  Now this recipe is a new favorite at our house!
Recipe for Buffalo Chicken Calzones:
Ingredients:
1 can of refrigerated pizza dough (Pillsbury works best. I used the Thin, Crispy type that comes in the long tube.)
1 can of chicken breast (or use one or two boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped)
Buffalo Sauce (I like Frank’s)
Ranch Dressing (alternatively you could use bleu cheese dressing)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Directions:  Drain the water off your chicken.  Place in a small bowl.  Add buffalo sauce and ranch dressing.  I didn’t meausure;  I just put a little of each end.  The amount will depend on just how spicy you want the calzones to be.  (Just keep  in mind that you want the mixture to be of the same consistency of a tuna or chicken salad, not runny.) Next add your cheese.  Again, I just threw some in.  I’d say it was about 1/3 or 1/2 cup.  Mix well.
Next roll out your pizza dough on to a baking sheet.  I rolled it out on top of a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking.  Take a knife and cut your dough into fours as shown below.  (Note: The first time I made this I used an off brand pizza crust, and I was only able to cut the dough into threes, otherwise they would have been too small.  This also meant that I had a little bit of the chicken mixture left over.  This is why I recommend the Pillsbury crust.)
Spoon your chicken mixture on to each piece.  You need to place it on one side so that you can easily fold it over to make the calzone, but place it about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch away from the edge so the stuffing doesn’t fall out.  Now take the side that isn’t covered in the chicken mixture and fold it over.  Use a fork or your hands to seal the calzone on each side.  Bake according to the directions on your pizza crust and serve!
Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, casseroles and quick meals, Recipe of the Week Tagged With:

Guest Post: Five Easy Kid-Friendly Treats

August 30, 2010 5 Comments
Today I have a guest post to share with you.  This is by Lela Lake for Food PR experts Sauce Communications.  Hope you enjoy it! 
If you are interested in writing a guest post for Simply Sweet Home, just email me, and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.
Trying to keep the kids away from manufactured snacks with little to no nutritional value at all is the challenge all parents face. Here are a few handy ideas for quick treats for kids that not only taste great but will give them the right stuff to grow on:

1) Filled Celery Sticks

Even though many kids are fussy about vegetables, celery tends to be a favorite, so use it wisely and keep plenty on hand for quick snacks. They can be filled with cream cheese (especially the fruit-flavored ones) peanut butter and topped with raisins, dried fruit or sprinkled with a cinnamon/sugar blend.
Also be sure there is always a glass of water in the fridge with a few cut celery and carrot spears ready to go so that they will (hopefully) be snatched up as a quick snack.

2) Fruit Kabobs

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Slice any combination of firm fruit like apples, pineapple, peaches or strawberries and you can add blackberries, cherries or grapes just as they are.
Cut up some of your child’s favorite cheese into little squares and place it between the fruit on a shish kebab sticks. For everyone’s sake, do break off the sharp end of the stick before serving. You can whip up a light dipping sauce with yogurt, ginger, lemon, a dash of cinnamon and honey.

3) Peanut Butter and Fruit

Peanut butter has a way of combining beautifully with many fruits, and kids enjoy both so much that it just makes sense to put them together. Spread crackers with peanut butter and top with bananas for a wonderful quick snack. Or cut up a fresh apple and provide the dish of peanut butter to dip it in.

4) Southwestern Sushi

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You can tailor-make this recipe with your child’s favorite ingredients. The basic idea is to take a flour tortilla and cover one side with cream cheese. Add refried beans, cheese, sandwich meat or whatever fun leftovers you have, and roll the tortilla up tight and place in the fridge for an hour so.
Take out the chilled, filled tortilla and skewer with toothpicks about every 1 inch or so. Slice the tortilla between the toothpicks, remove the toothpicks and serve this handy finger food for a quick snack.

5) Deviled Eggs

It’s not hard to get children to eat hard boiled eggs, and it is even more fun when the yolks have been removed and blended was some light flavorings like mayonnaise, mustard, paprika and black pepper. These can be stored in a sealed container in a refrigerator for quick after school snack.
I’ll be sharing this post at some of these parties!

Disclosure:  This is NOT a paid post.   If you are interested in being a guest blogger on Simply Sweet Home, please contact me.
Filed Under: appetizers and snacks
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