Nashville Wife

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Appetizers

Homemade Hummus Recipe

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How many of my readers are hummus fans? I sure am! Last week, I was randomly craving chips and hummus after having gone several months without having any. The Walmart brand was decent, but after finishing the entire tub in one week, I decided to make my own. The recipe I came up with was leaps and bounds better than store-bought.
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Homemade Hummus

Ingredients

  • 1-15 oz can garbanzo beans
  • 1/4 cup tahini often found in the international aisle
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 Tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients, and blend using an immersion hand blender--such as a Bamix--until creamy. (Food processors and regular blenders work, as well.)
  2. Store in the refrigerator. Serve with chips or veggies.

Deviled Eggs Tutorial

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Looking for a tasty snack that is decently healthy? How about deviled eggs? I recently prepared them for a get together, and they were a huge hit. Unfortunately, consuming plain eggs never fails give me a headache, so I only had a small taste, but they were great, and our friends loved them, too. Here is the recipe:

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Easy Deviled Eggs

Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 12 hard-boiled eggs
  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
  • 4 Tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Paprika for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cut each egg in half, lengthwise. Gently scoop yolks into a small bowl, and mash with a fork.
  2. Add all remaining ingredients (except paprika), and mix together.
  3. Arrange egg white halves along the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

  4. Fill each egg with yolk mixture, as shown. I used a spoon, but if you want to be extra fancy, feel free to try a pastry bag.

  5. Sprinkle with paprika, and serve.

Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

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Mr. Handsome has a thing for jalapeno poppers. He has only eaten them a couple times, but every once in a while he will randomly say, “You should learn how to make jalapeno poppers.” Well, Aldi had jalapeno peppers on sale for 99 cents, so I figured I might as well take a stab at making poppers.

The recipes I found online didn’t sound all that great to me, so I made my own up, and it was a hit! The prep time was only five minutes.

I recommend using rubber gloves to make these tasty morsels. (I didn’t, and my skin was burning by the end.)

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Jalapeno peppers

Ingredients

  • Cream cheese
  • Feta cheese optional
  • Panko bread crumbs
  • Paprika
  • Garlic powder
  • Uncooked bacon

Instructions

  1. While wearing gloves, wash jalapeno peppers, and remove stems and seeds. Slice in half lengthwise.

  2. Using a knife, fill each jalapeno half with as much cream cheese as desired. I used about 2 teaspoons per jalapeno half. Sprinkle a few crumbles of feta cheese on each pepper, as well as bread crumbs (1/4-1/2 teaspoon per jalapeno half).

  3. Sprinkle peppers with as much paprika and garlic powder as desired.

  4. Cover each pepper half with a piece of uncooked bacon. You'll only need once slice of bacon per two or three pepper halves.

  5. Place a metal cookie cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet, and place peppers on top of rack. Bake 25-30 minutes (until golden brown) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

  6. Allow poppers to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy, and be sure to wash your hands well when you're finished eating to prevent your skin from burning.

New Year’s Eve Appetizer

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Just this morning, I received a comment from a reader looking for a warm dip to make for New Year’s Eve. I quickly texted a family-friend who made a Mexican dip for my parent’s annual Christmas party that was absolutely delicious. She responded right away! It isn’t the healthiest thing you’ll ever eat, but it’s sure to have your mouth watering.

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Mexican Dip for New Year's Eve

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 8- ounce package cream cheese
  • 12- ounces shredded cheese mixture of cheddar and Colby
  • 1 can Hormel chili without beans
  • 1 jar salsa mild, medium, or hot, depending on preference

Instructions

  1. Spread cream cheese on the bottom of a holiday baking dish, and cover completely with Hormel chili.

  2. Top with salsa, and place shredded cheese on top.

  3. Bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350. Serve with tortilla chips

Restaurant-Style Queso Blanco Dip

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My husband is a big fan of queso dip. His favorite used to be Tostitos® Salsa Con Queso, until he discovered Tostitos®  Queso Blanco a few months ago. It is the only thing he will eat with tortilla chips. During a Walmart shopping trip two weeks into our marriage, Mr. Handsome picked up a bag of chips and a container of Tostitos® Queso Blanco. I quickly glanced at the ingredients and cringed. I checked the shelf for healthier alternatives but found none.

A few days later, I set out to make a healthier, homemade version of this product that would have my husband drooling. After scouring the internet and taking bits and pieces from various recipes, I came up with this one. It takes about five minutes, and it’s sure to make you drool (if you like queso, that is).

After one bite, Mr. Handsome was sold. He said it was the best queso dip he has ever tasted and that it knocks Tostitos® out of the park.

1 from 1 vote
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Restaurant-Style Queso Blanco Dip

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb white American cheese*
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1/3 cup whole milk

Instructions

  1. Cut cheese into bite-sized chunks, and put in a microwave safe bowl.

  2. Add water and milk, and stir. Microwave for one minute, and then remove and stir.

  3. Continue microwaving (stirring every minute) until cheese reaches desired consistency (approximately 4-6 minutes).

  4. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or drizzled over Mexican dishes.

Recipe Notes

Dip can be refrigerated and reheated, but be careful not to burn it.

*I used Land O’ Lakes, but it contains a few artificial ingredients (still much better than Tostitos queso dips), so I am on the lookout for an alternative.