May5
Oh no, you didn’t!
You forgot you had to bring an appetizer to the Cinco de Mayo fiesta, didn’t you? Not to worry, how about this Easy Cheesy Chorizo dip (also known as Queso Fundido).
The best part? It’s only got 3 ingredients, but you can dress it up as much (or as little) as you want by adding chopped tomatoes, jalapeños, onions or cilantro.
This tastes better if you make it at the party, so text the host to make sure it’ll be okay to use their oven and microwave (really quick!).
Now get going… you’ve gotta go buy what you need. Mama can’t do everything for you!
Super Quick Cheesy Chorizo Dip (aka Queso Fundido)
prep: 10 minutes
cook: 10 minutes
serves: 16 (¼ cup portions)
you’ll need…
16 corn or flour tortillas (6 inch)
4 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese or Monterrey Jack cheese
1 link (6 oz.) pork or beef chorizo (Mexican style sausage, uncooked)
let’s get to it…
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven.
Place an ovenproof 9-inch pie plate inside the oven to heat for 5-minutes. Remove hot pie plate from oven and add shredded cheese. Return pie-plate to the oven so cheese can melt, 6 to 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove plastic casing from the chorizo (if there is any). Place chorizo in a microwavable dish. Using a spoon, cut chorizo into 1-inch pieces. Cover and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain excess grease.
Remove melted cheese and tortillas from oven. Sprinkle chorizo on top of cheese and serve with tortillas.
cooking know how…
Lékué Steam Case with Tray
• I used this cool Lekue microwave steamer to cook the chorizo. It comes with a tray at the bottom that separates the grease from the food, so, if there is a healthy way to cook chorizo, this is it.
• I also used this beautiful Tortilla Warmer from Camerons Products. It heats up in the microwave for 45 seconds and keeps your tortillas hot and soft for more than an hour after they come out of the oven. It even holds the big 12-inch tortillas.
Tortilla Warmer from Camerons Products
December29
Here’s a deliciously easy appetizer for your New Year’s Eve soiree: Warm Brie with Sautéed Mushrooms and Almonds.
And really… who among us doesn’t like creamy, melted cheese? I thought so.
What’s great about this recipe is that you can sauté the mushrooms earlier in the day, and just heat it up right before serving. I made toast points from sandwich bread to go with it, but crackers are perfect, too.
So welcome the New Year with this decadently rich and indulgently flavorful appetizer… then start your New Year’s Resolution to eat healthier!
Warm Brie with Mushrooms and Almonds
prep: 10 minutes
cook: 20 minutes
serves 8
you’ll need…
1 8-ounce wheel of Brie in its little wooden box
½ cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons white wine, vermouth, or sherry (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
let’s get to it…
Place oven rack in the middle. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove the Brie wheel from the box and unwrap it. Place the unwrapped wheel in the bottom half of the box and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
Heat the sliced almonds in a large skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove nuts from skillet and set aside. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel.
Heat olive oil and butter in the skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine, vermouth or sherry (if using). Saute for another 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat. Stir in the toasted sliced almonds and fresh marjoram or thyme.
Place the Brie in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a serving dish. Spoon the warm mushrooms and almonds over the Brie wheel. Serve immediately with toast points or crackers.
Here’s another great New Year’s Eve appetizer recipe: Chicken Marsala Meatballs
October24
Want your Halloween Party to really POP this year?
It’s so nerve-wracking throwing a Halloween Party. There’s always that moment of dread: What if it’s BORING? Here’s a great icebreaker for your guests while they mentally judge the other costumes (“That’s the fifth Heisenberg get-up I’ve seen!).
Now this will sound corny (ha!), but right after your guests walk in, have them begin creatively and ghoulishly decorating a popcorn ball. Then later on, have a contest and judge the creations across different categories… most ghoulish… cutest… weirdest… you get the idea.
Don’t worry… I’m not adding extra work to your party planning. My good friends at The Popcorn Factory offer an all-in-one Halloween Popcorn Decorating Kit that comes with Popcorn Balls and bags of goodies for creating enchantment. The kit even has writing “glue” tubes to personalize each creation.
Oh… and this is great for kids AND adults!
This is all you need to do:
1. Set up a table and cover it with a plastic tablecloth. Put out some hand sanitizer, paper plates and a roll of paper towels. Put a garbage can underneath the table.
2. Pour the decorating candy into small bowls. Open the candy writers.
3. Leave the popcorn balls in their wrappers and put them in a big bowl.
4. Share on Instagram and Twitter with #justbecause so we can all see them!
If you’re interested in ordering the Halloween Popcorn Decorating Kit, click here. Don’t wait… Halloween is a week away!
What other Halloween Party ideas do you have to get your guests involved?
I made these at the party… hey, I’m a cook not a crafter! But we had fun!
