Hey and welcome back! I’m so glad you decided to take a break from the heat and sit down and read my little corner of the paper that is bursting with flavor. This week I am bringing you two recipes for appetizers or potluck dishes that are sure to please. So, pour a cold drink and grab those scissors because you will want to write this down!
I like to get together with friends, especially when it’s nice out and we can hang out outside. I also like to bring tasty treats to the gatherings so I wanted to share one of my go-to recipes and a new one I just tried over the July 4th weekend! This week I’m bringing you recipes for bacon-wrapped onion rings with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce and crab stuffed mushrooms.
So let’s get started! For the first recipe you will need:
Bacon wrapped onion rings w/dipping sauce
2 medium sweet onions
1 – 2 pounds thick sliced bacon
3/4 cup Mayo
1/4 sriracha
1/4 cup honey
Line a cookie sheet or two with aluminum foil and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice the onions in thick slices then pull the slices apart. Now wrap the slices with strips of bacon. This is a tedious process and you can use a toothpick to hold the end of your bacon in place — I do not do this.
Bake for 40-50 minutes checking at around 25 minutes to make sure they aren’t burning or don’t need to be flipped. I don’t flip mine but some do. Mix up the mayo, sriracha and honey and set aside for dipping. Please remember my measurements are approximate so adjust to your liking. These are a big crowd pleaser so you may want to make more than you think you will need!
Moving on to the next appetizer or potluck finger food — Crab stuffed mushrooms. I made these last weekend and they were a big hit! For these you will need:
2-3 containers of baby portabella mushrooms (stems removed)
2 6-ounce cans of crab meat
2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese
3-4 cloves freshly minced garlic
Grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper
Keep that oven on 400 degrees and soften your cream cheese. I put mine in a bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time until soft. Drain the canned crab and put it in the bowl with the cream cheese. Add the garlic and a few good shakes of paprika and oregano — add salt and pepper to taste.
Rinse and pat dry the mushrooms, remove the stems and fill with the crab filling. Top each mushroom with a pinch of Parmesan cheese and bake for 30 minutes. That’s it!
One of my most frequently asked questions is, “I’m going to this get-together and need something to make — have any ideas” and these are some of my go-to recipes. You can change up the dipping sauce for the bacon-wrapped onion rings to a mix of equal parts ranch and BBQ sauce or tasty homemade honey mustard. For the stuffed mushrooms you could cut up the stems and add them to the filling to beef it up a little or change out the crab for diced shrimp. No matter what you do make it your own and have fun doing it, and as always I’m sending love from my kitchen to yours!