(A little late) Holiday appetizers and dessert recipes for anytime of the year

As always, the holidays rushed in and out faster than we could enjoy them. I was anxious to make all sorts of new foods and appetizers, but didn't seem to have enough time to get them all done. However, there are several that I made for our Christmas party that are definitely worth sharing. Unlike my husband, who can whip up a gourmet meal from milk, eggs, and butter, (not exaggerating, I don't know how he does it! ) I have to follow a recipe and like many, I like scrolling through the pictures on Pinterest to see what looks appetizing and worth trying. If I do have an idea of what I want to cook, allrecipes.com is a great place to find delicious recipes that others have already tried and many even add their own twist and share it in the comments. You have to check it out.

The appetizer recipes that I have to share with you have been tried and approved by friends and family and I'm sure that you will enjoy, too.

Bacon-Jalapeno Cheeseballs

6 slices bacon
1/4 C chopped pecans
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
2 TB chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove or a Tb ready minced garlic
1/4 ts ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 ts lime juice
1/2 tn Worcestershire sauce
2 jalapeños (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped and divided; however, if you like spicy food, leave in some seeds for a good kick
Buttery crackers (for serving)

Cook the bacon until crispy then transfer to drain excess oil. Allow to cool slightly, then crumble and divide in half.

While the bacon is cooking, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, parsley, garlic, cumin, cayenne, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, half of the minced jalapeños, and half of the crumbled bacon until well combined. Season the mixture to taste with salt.

On a large plate, stir the toasted pecans, remaining minced jalapeños and remaining half of the crumbled bacon together until evenly distributed. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a ball (the mixture will be sticky, I found it easiest to shape if I just barely wet my hands first). Roll the ball in the pecan mixture until coated on all sides.

Now, the following was not written in the recipe, but I found was a good way to refrigerate.  I cut two large pieces of Saran Wrap, sprayed each with spray butter and then placed a cheese ball in each piece. I wrapped them, placed them on a plate and refrigerated them until ready to serve; at least an hour.

When you are ready to serve, line the plate with crackers and center with the cheese ball.

Courtesy of http://traceysculinaryadventures.com/2012/10/bacon-jalapeno-cheese-ball.html

Ready for a couple of more great recipes? Click on the pictures below:

Ham Rolls, Wheat & Flour Tortilla PinWheels

Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel covered pretzels  

Feel free to leave a comment to share your experience making and tasting this delicious recipe. If you added your own twist, please let me know, I love trying variations of the same recipe!
Have a great day!

I love sharing pictures of what I've done, so if you'd like to share my pictures, please give me the credit for my pictures by adding a link to my page. I do not take credit for any recipes posted unless I specify that I created the recipe. I will give credit and post links to the sites where I found the recipes I tried and hope you will do the same.

Ham and Tortilla Pinwheels

Ham Rolls, Flour tortilla rolls, Wheat Flour Rolls

I have seen this recipe many times and actually learned how to make the ham rolls from an aunt of mine many years ago.  Since I had a many people over with different tastes, I didn't just want to make ham rolls, so I decided to add a little variation for everyone's taste buds.

When making these rolls, I don't have a specific recipe that I go buy because sometimes I'll add a little more chives to the cheese or a little more chives and cheese to the ham. If this is your first time making them, you will get the idea and make them your own.

For the ham rolls, you will need:

• Thin-sliced ham
• 1 package of cream cheese
• 1 package of chives
• butter crackers to serve with

The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature so that it is easy to mix, but if you don't have time to wait you can use a hand-held mixer to soften it. (You don't want to put it in the microwave unless you are overly cautious and feel it every five seconds.) Add about 1/2 cup of chives, but again it all depends on your taste. If you really like that chives taste, then add to your liking because the ham, cheese, and chives are a perfect flavorful combination. Mix it all by hand or again a hand-held mixer.

Lay some wax paper on the table, and overlap a row of ham making sure that it overlaps about a 1/4 to a 1/3 so that it doesn't fall apart when you cut it.  The amount of rows is really up to you, but I think about 5 rows of 4 is a good start and just make another roll if you have leftovers.

The next part can be a little difficult but I read that if you pat the ham down with a paper towel, you take away some of the  moisture therefore making it easier to spread the cheese mixture onto the ham.

After you spread the cheese mixture, as thin or thick as you'd like, it is time to roll the ham.  Keeping the ham on the wax paper, roll it and wrap it in the same wax paper and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour until ready to serve.  Finally, cut the roll into 1/2 pieces and serve with butter crackers.

The Tortilla rolls are essentially made the same way except for the following:
Place an individual wheat or flour tortilla on wax paper, spread with cheese and chive mixture, roll and cut when ready to serve. If you really like the ham flavor, you can layer the tortilla first, then the ham and topped with the cheese mixture. Always remember to make your food your own. So, don't be afraid to add or remove ingredients.  If you do, make sure to share it with us so that we can try it, too.


I hope you and yours enjoy these great rolls as much as my family and friends!

In case you missed it, make sure to check out the recipes for my 

Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Balls and Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel Covered Pretzels

Bacon Jalapeno Cheeseballs

Sea Salt Chocolate caramel Covered pretzels

I love sharing pictures of what I've done, so if you'd like to share my pictures, please give me the credit for my pictures by adding a link to my page. I do not take credit for any recipes posted unless I specify that I created the recipe. I will give credit and post links to the sites where I found the recipes I tried and hope you will do the same.

Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel Covered Pretzels

Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel covered Pretzels

This is the last of the three holiday recipes I've been dying to share with you. However, if you are on a diet, don't even bother making these for your family if you think you can only eat one. I made sure to give away as many as possible because I found myself eating just one....uhm..yes...Every time I walked by the table! LOL Trust me if you have a sweet tooth, these are definitely for you!

I saw this recipe somewhere on Pinterest or the web, but when I was ready to make it, I couldn't find it, but it didn't look like it was difficult to make so the following is what I did:

• 6 oz of melted Milk Chocolate Almond Bark
• 1/2 Bag pretzels
• 1 bag Caramel squares
• Sea salt

Melt the chocolate on a low setting on the stove, but you can also do it in the microwave if you follow the directions on the packaging.  Lay some wax paper on the table and drizzle some chocolate on the paper, then place 2 or 3 pretzels overlapping on the chocolate, then, drizzle a little more melted chocolate over the pretzels. Make about 10 clusters repeating the same process. After you have finished the chocolate, melt the caramel in a pot on a low setting and drizzle over all of the clusters. While the caramel is still warm, you can sprinkle the sea salt and if you have any leftover chocolate and/or caramel, you can drizzle the rest over the clusters.  Depending on the size of the pretzels and how much chocolate and caramel you add to each, you may be able to make between 10 and 20. It's probably easier to make 10 at a time, but that is totally up to you.

Let them set at room temperature or stick them in the refrigerator if you are in a hurry, but make sure to check on them because if you leave them in there too long they get too hard. You just need to leave them in there long enough to set; about 10-15 minutes. You can store them in plastic baggies or containers.

If you missed my first 2 recipes, click on the images below for their recipes.

Ham and Tortilla Pinwheels

Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Balls