Appetizers Archives - The Midnight Baker

Air Fryer Sausage Rolls

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 00:00:12 +0000

Sausage rolls are a wonderful snack and also a quick dinner,

Air Fryer Sausage Rolls: Conventional Oven Too

Air fryer sausage rolls have the advantage of being made in the conventional oven as well. They do come out fluffier and crisper in the air fryer.

I was reminded of these recently on an air fryer group I belong to. Most of the people on there are British and sausage rolls are extremely popular in the UK–always have been. And they’re popular in the US as well. This is a food the US has in common with Britain. They can be an appetizer, snack or even a main course so they’re very versatile.

Sausage Flavors

When it comes to the sausage, there’s a lot to choose from as far as flavor.

In Britain, there’s lots of variations now on old-fashioned “bangers.” In fact, some of their trendier sausages are quite gourmet. Any kind would work here although you can’t go wrong with the old standard.

In the US, you have great choices too. To keep the fat down, chicken or turkey sausage is a fine option. We also have fancy flavors as well. Try them all. For mine I used brats and mild Italian sausage. I also removed the casings. You don’t have to do that but I think it makes eating them easier. Plus many people eschew casings anyway.

Big or Small

When I made these, I used the entire sausage. They were pretty big, but I was using them as a main dish.

If you are making them as a snack or appetizer, you might want to cut the sausage in half or even thirds. Then they are great finger food.

Keep in mind this will work if you substitute little smokies as well. And of course, hot dogs work with this too.

The Recipe

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Air Fryer Sausage Rolls

Quick and easy!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer, Main, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer sausage rolls, sausage in puff pastry, sausage rolls

Servings: 6

Calories: 623kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 pkg frozen puff pastry thawed
6 Italian sausage or brats
1 egg beaten

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove casing from sausage, if desired.
Roll out puff pastry and cut into 6 portions that will wrap around each sausage.
Wrap sausage and seal pastry. Cut slits in the top if desired and brush with beaten egg.
Air fry for 15-20 minutes at 400F/200C, Test with a meat thermometer to make sure sausage is fully cooked--it should be 165F/80C internally.
For conventional oven, bake a 425F/220C foe 18-20 minutes. Test foe doneness as above.

Nutrition

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Crab Rangoon Stuffed Mushrooms

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 23:00:20 +0000

Crab rangoon stuffed mushrooms are the perfect savoury or snack!

Crab Rangoon Stuffed Mushrooms–Great Savoury

Looking for a great savoury? Well, there goes my Britishness–savoury is just their word for appetizer. These crab rangoon stuffed mushrooms are also a great snack for tailgating or sports watching.

They’re pretty easy to make because you can start with canned crab if you wish. Crab has always been pricy in any form but fortunately the canned flaked stuff is pretty reasonable as crab goes. Any shellfish you like or have on hand can stand in for the crab and it will still be totally delicious.

Imitation Crab?

Oh you betcha! I actually love this stuff better than the real thing. It’s got a wonderful slightly sweet flavor and I make a great seafood salad with it.

In fact, I used it here to make these stuffed mushrooms. I usually have a packet in the freezer so why not.

If you’ve never used it or bought it, it can either be found in the seafood area of the supermarket if it’s not been frozen, but many stores do sell it frozen so look where they keep the frozen seafood.

Another great thing about imitation crab meat is that it’s far cheaper than the real deal. Calling it “imitation” may conjure up some laboratory creation, but it’s actually white fish; usually cod so it’s a “real” product.

Great In The Air Fryer

These are a natural for the air fryer even though I mostly do these in the oven.

They’d require about 10 minutes at 400F/200C if you want to make them in your air fryer. The only thing I do with air frying them that I don’t do with the conventional oven is give them a spritz of oil to help them brown.

The Recipe

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Crab Rangoon Stuffed Mushrooms

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Air Fryer Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer stuffed mushrooms, fancy stuffed mushrooms

Servings: 6

Calories: 148kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

12 medium baby Bella mushrooms
6 oz cream cheese softened
1 green onion finely chopped
3 tbs Panko breadcrumbs
4 oz flaked crab
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbs butter
1 tbs Panko crumbs for topping
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
Carefully remove mushroom stems an chop them finely.
Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Sauté the stems with the garlic until mushroom stems begin to lightly brown. Let them cool slightly.
Mix the cream cheese, green onion, crab, soy sauce, Panko crumbs and pepper in a small bowl. Add the sautéed mushrooms and garlic. Mix well.
Fill the mushroom caps with cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the additional Panko crumbs. Place the stuffed mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Bake at 400F/200C for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Notes

For air fryer: see in-post instructions

Nutrition

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Air Fryer Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 23:00:03 +0000

Watch these air fryer jalapeño popper stuffed mushrooms disappear when you serve them.

Air Fryer Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms–YUM!

Is there anything more yummy than a jalapeño popper? Since they contain some delicious savory ingredients, they are a perennial favorite.

So why not extend that terrific filling to a mushroom? Stuffed mushrooms are experiencing a real surge in popularity lately too. And with air fryers being so popular too, let’s combine these trends to come up with, you guessed it, air fryer jalapeño popper stuffed mushrooms.

If you don’t have an air fryer (why are you waiting???) they can, of course, be made in a conventional oven.

Choosing The Mushrooms

Baby or button mushrooms are definitely out for this recipe. You’ll need ones with larger caps so they will stuff easily. However, try to avoid varieties such as those huge portabella caps. Something so large would amount to overkill and it’s just too much of a good thing. However, if it appeals, then by all means.

Nothing fancy is needed. I used those good old generic white mushrooms that come pre-packaged. If you’re lucky enough to shop where you can pick bulk mushrooms by the pound, you’re golden. Since you get to choose the size you can have a mostly uniform set. They’ll also cook more evenly.

As an aside, these can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to cook them.

Basket Or Oven-Style Fryer

I have a basket-style air fryer so naturally I based times and temps on the machine I have.

If you have an oven-style machine, I’d recommend cooking on an upper or upper-middle shelf so you get good air circulation.

Whatever machine you use, you don’t have to worry about these mushrooms flying around because of the fan. The filling has enough weight so they remain stable–at least in my basket machine.

The Recipe

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Air Fryer Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms

Cooks in 10 minutes

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: jalapeno popper mushrooms, mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese, tailgating appetizers

Servings: 6

Calories: 204kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz white mushrooms

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions minced
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbs mayonnaise
3 tbs crisp cooked bacon crumbled
1/4 cup jalapeño pepper finely diced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove stems from mushrooms--reserve them for future use. Brush off any dirt on the mushrooms.
Mix all filling ingredients in a small bowl and distribute evenly to all mushroom caps/
Air fry at 370F/185C for 10 minutes. Check them in 8 minutes as air fryers vary. Mine took 10.
Conventional oven--bake at 400F/200C for 20 minutes

Video

Nutrition

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Pesto Cheese Pinwheels

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 00:00:25 +0000

Want a quick snack for the big game? Pesto cheese pinwheels are just what you need!

Pesto Pinwheels: Easy Snack

Ever get a snack attack and want something savory and quick? How about no real work?

Well here you have it. These pesto pinwheels use all no-work no-hassle ingredients. That’s because they’re all prepared!

The beauty of these is you can change up the cheeses and even substitute things like pizza sauce if you have no prepared pesto on hand. Since pizza dough is a common ingredient for many other things, it’s not unusual to have a tube of the refrigerated kind right in your fridge.

How About That Super Bowl?

If you’re having a Super Bowl party with guests or if it’s just the family watching, snacks are always in order. Have you ever run out of tidbits to eat? I know I have so I rely on recipes such as this where I can get them up and out in less than 30 minutes.

I’ve done a lot of entertaining in my day and there’s nothing worse than running out of food. I’ve had guests who’ve been overzealous in their eating so I make sure I’m always prepared with recipes like these pesto pinwheels or even something totally prepared that I keep in my freezer. It’s terribly embarrassing to run out of stuff. It happened to me once when I was not prepared so I make sure I have things on hand,

So even if you’re not hosting a party but you get midnight snack attacks where you want something savory, this really fills the bill. And the leftovers? They reheat very well in the microwave or air fryer.

Pizza Dough

If you don’t happen to have the ready-made stuff on hand, pizza dough is pretty easy to make from scratch.

However, if you have a tube of crescent roll dough, that can stand in nicely. They will, of course, have a different texture but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They’ll be a lot richer tasting.

The Recipe

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Pesto Pinwheels

For those last-minute snack attacks.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy super bowl snacks, pizza dough appetizers, snacks with pesto

Servings: 8

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 cup pesto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Lightly spray a 8 or 8-inch square pan with non-stick spray.
Roll out pizza dough to a 16 x 8-inch rectangle.
Spread pesto on top of pizza dough, leaving 1-inch/2.5 cm on one long end plain.
Sprinkle with the cheeses and roll up from the long end opposite the plain end. Cut into 16 rolls (a serrated knife works best) and place 4 across and 4 down in the prepared pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

For EU/UK--don't use larger than a 23 cm square pan. I'm not sure of your standard sizing but I'm basing it on 9-inches square.

Nutrition

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Air Fryer Sausage Balls

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 00:03:09 +0000

Air fryer sausage balls are perfect for your New Years or Super Bowl party.

Easy Sausage Balls

With New Year’s parties coming up, there’s definitely a need for great appetizer recipes. Let’s not forget that the Super Bowl is on the horizon too so delicious party food is needed. And if it’s easy, then all the better.

Now these air fryer sausage balls fill the bill on both fronts; delicious and easy. They have only three ingredients and I am willing to bet you might have all the ingredients you need on hand.

Since I make so many things with refrigerated crescent roll dough, I always have at least two tubes in the fridge. I usually have a roll of bulk sausage in the freezer to. And shredded cheese? Uh huh, got that too.

Air Fryer Is Perfect For Appetizers

I’m the first to admit I love my air fryer (affiliate link). Mine isn’t one of the newer and fancier ones. I have a 5 Q basket style. This is one of the most versatile appliances you’ll ever have. While I love–and have come to prefer–air fryer fried chicken–it’s also my go-to appliance for appetizers and snacks like these garbanzos. These sausage balls are not exception.

When making this recipe, I am advising the use of the parchment rounds (affiliate link) sold specifically for air fryers. They will make clean up much easier due to the amount of cheese in these sausage balls. They won’t eliminate cleaning, just makes it easier. I don’t use them often but this is one time I do use them.

Sausage And Cheese

Here, the choice is totally up to you. I use mild-flavored sausage and mild cheddar in mine. That’s a pretty safe choice if you’re feeding people whose tastes are not familiar to you.

However, there are many varieties of sausage–hot, very herby and even maple flavors. If you’re serving people who like hot and spicy then the hot variety is a no-brainer. Chicken or turkey sausage would be great (and less fatty) too.

When it comes to cheese, frankly anything you like is fine here.

The Recipe

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Air Fryer Sausage Balls

Great party appetizer that's easy

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Course: Appetizers, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer appetizers, easy new years party food, quick air fryer snacks, super bowl snacks with sausage

Servings: 10

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz bulk sausage meat
2 cups shredded cheese
8 oz refrigerated crescent roll dough 1 tube
2 tbs flour
3 Parchment rounds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place sausage and cheese in a large bowl.
Unroll crescent dough. Dust one side with 1 tablespoon on the flour; flip and dish the other side with the remaining flour. Cut into small squares--about 1/4-inch. Add these to the sausage mixture and incorporate into the mixture. It will be sticky but try to mix as thoroughly as possible.
Line air fryer basket with a parchment round. Form mixture into balls about 1-inch/2.5-cm in diameter. Place 1/3 of the balls into the fryer.
Fry at 390 F/198 C for 6 minutes. Turn balls with tongs and fry an additional 2-3 minutes.
Repeat 3 times, using a fresh parchment round each time.

Notes

Make sure to check the sausage balls during the cooking. The times are approximate based on my fryer which is 1800W. Your time could vary.

I got 30 meatballs from this and figured 3 balls per person serving.

Nutrition

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Bacon Pinwheels

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 00:00:21 +0000

Savory bacon pinwheels are easy-to-make snacks or appetizer.

Bacon Pinwheels Are Easy

Are you looking for a quick and easy holiday appetizer for a buffet? Are you looking for a quick snack? Should it be delicious?

The answer to those three questions is simple–bacon pinwheels! Since they have bacon, what could be better? I can’t think of much and the fact that they’re so uncomplicated to make makes it even better.

Pretty sure you have most of the ingredients on hand. There is one you may not have unless you absolutely love it or make French pastry–apricot preserves. I do make French pastry from time to time, so there’s always a jar on my shelf. Even if you have to buy it special, it’s lovely on toast or English muffins so if you buy it. you’ll use it.

Versatile Crescent Roll Dough

If there ever was a product that has zillions of uses, like these air fryer danish, it’s refrigerated crescent roll dough. There’s so many things you can make with this which is why I’m sure most of you have a tube in the fridge already.

I find I prefer the unperforated sheets. That way I don’t have to seal those pesky perforations which sometimes don’t stay sealed. If I want to actually make crescent dinner rolls, I cut it into squares of the appropriate size. I find the sheets far more convenient to use. This is one of the recipes where I find them much more convenient.

Bacon

Since you need the bacon to roll up and not break apart, it shouldn’t be cooked very crispy. Just cook it enough so it’s done yet pliable. My advice is to cook it right before you intend to make these because as it cools, the bacon will become more fragile.

Now a word about the onions–if you don’t like onions they can be left out. It will reduce the flavor profile somewhat but if you hate them that would make no difference.

The Recipe

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Bacon Pinwheels

Easy and delicious snack or appetizer

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crescent roll appetizers with bacon, crescent roll dough appetizers, football party appetizers with bacon

Servings: 15

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbs butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tbs apricot preserves
8 oz tube crescent roll dough sheets preferred
15 slices cooked bacon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat and add the apricot preserves; cook until melted.
Unroll crescent dough and roll into a 15 x 9-inch/38 x 23-cm rectangle. If using the perforated dough, seal seams and perforations. Cut into 15 1-inch/2.5-cm strips. Place a slice of bacon on each strip and roll up, jelly-roll style, from the short end. Place on prepared sheet seam side down.
Spoon the apricot mixture over each piece. Bake for 12-15 min or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

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Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Balls

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 00:00:51 +0000

Jalapeño bacon cheese balls are perfect for holiday–or any–party!

Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Balls

If you love jalapeño poppers, you’ll just love these jalapeño bacon cheese balls! Since they have bacon, they should be even more delicious.

They’re really simple to make but can be a bit messy. If you read on further, I give tips on how to make it a less messy process. However, these are so good, I really didn’t mind the mess at all. The fact that they disappear very quickly when you put them out on the buffet is just another reason I think they’re worth it.

Tips For Success

Cream cheese is dense and sticky in its natural state. It becomes a little less so if its mixed with something else just like it is in this recipe. However, it’s still pretty sticky and hard to handle.

Some people have success working with wet hands. While that may work for some, sadly it does not work for me.

What I do is use a drop-cookie scoop (affiliate link). It’s the perfect size for these cheese balls too. Just scoop and drop in the bacon bits and roll. Your hands will get greasy from the bacon, but not gummed up.

Another Thing You Could Do…

The other tip is really simple. Make one big cheese ball! That way its one-and-done and that’s that. Put it in the center of the plate and surround with crackers and problem solved.

I have to say I still prefer the individual portions. It’s special because everyone does the large cheese balls. Mostly I think it’s more sanitary because if you have your own, you won’t “double-dip” as with the larger one.

The Recipe

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Jalapeno Popper Cheese Balls

Make one big one or smaller ones for each guest

Prep Time15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese ball with jalapeño and bacon, cheese balls for a party, jalapeno poppers

Servings: 10

Calories: 626kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz softened cream cheese
2 tbs mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
1 cup finely diced jalapeno peppers
2 cups finely crumbled bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbs finely diced red onion
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch of cayenne optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all ingredients, except the crumbled bacon in a large bowl. Mix well until its all incorporated.
Spread the crumbled bacon on a piece of wax paper or a platter.
Form the cream cheese mixture into balls about 1-inch/2.5 cm in diameter. A cookie scoop is very helpful here.
Roll the balls in the crumbled bacon, coating well. Alternatively, you can make one big ball instead of individual balls.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

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Cheese Twists

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 00:02:18 +0000

These easy cheese twists are perfect snacks for your holiday get-togethers or any other time.

Use Leftover Pie Crust For Cheese Twists

Got any leftover pie crusts? Here’s one of the easiest snacks you’ll ever make.

The pie crust can be leftover scraps of your own recipe or those pre-rolled refrigerated ones that many of us find so convenient.

Since my store had the refrigerated ones on special for the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I bought the requisite two that the special required. They keep well so I figured why not.

If you did like I did and bought more than you actually needed, here’s a good way to use them before you forget about them entirely. Or if you are like my mother and save scraps of your own homemade pie crust, this is an excellent way to. use them.

The Best Cheese

For these cheese twists, the best cheese to use–in my opinion–is a good cheddar cheese. In these I used a mild variety and they were excellent.

Another good choice is Swiss cheese. The mild and nutty flavor is also perfect.

You do want a cheese that doesn’t “string.” Once cooled, a stringing cheese would only be a dense and rubbery glob, so the best thing to do–if you are not sure these will be eaten immediately–is to bypass such cheeses as mozzarella and those like it.

Why The Cayenne?

You actually use so little cayenne or hot sauce that it’s barely noticeable. What it does is enhance the flavor of the cheese much like chili powder does for chocolate (try this–Aldi sells it). If you like stuff hot and piquant, then use more.

On the other hand if you can’t tolerate any for dietary reasons or you feel uncomfortable using it, leave it out. They are perfectly delicious anyway.

The Recipe

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Cheese Twists

The easiest cheese snack ever

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese twists, Christmas parties, cocktail party food, using leftover pie crusts

Servings: 8 varies--I got 16 twists

Calories: 259kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 refrigerated pie crusts or your own scraps/recipe
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg beaten
Pinch of cayenne or 1-2 drops hot sauce
Coarse salt
Paprika

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Beat egg and cayenne; set aside
Unroll pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Brush entire circles of crust with the egg mixture (reserve a bit for brushing the twists). Distribute cheese evenly over half of each crust.
Fold the ends without cheese over the sides with cheese forming a semi circle and press or roll getting out any air bubbles and that the cheese adheres to the dough.
Using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm strips and form twists by holding the ends and twisting in opposite direction. Place on prepared pan and brush with remaining egg mixture. Sprinkle with coarse salt (if desired) and paprika.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

I got 16 twists and nutrition info is based on 2 cheese twists per person.

Nutrition

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Cheesy Bacon Potato Balls

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 23:00:27 +0000

These potato balls make a great snack. They’re loaded with bacon and oozing with cheese. What could be better?

Potato Balls Are A Real Treat

There’s so many things you can do with leftover mashed potatoes. My mother used to make fried potato patties with them. She’d add some seasonings then fry them up for a side for another dinner.

Again, these potato balls are nothing new; just another working of my mom’s (and a lot of others’) recipe.

Here I’ve dressed them up a bit. I also added some cheese into the works as well. I might add here that none of this is unique. In fact I was actually looking for something I could manage after having massive dental surgery since this type of food requires no chewing. For those who are curious, I am getting implants–and that’s not an overnight process either. So if anyone reading this has gone through the process, please let me know how you managed it as this is new territory to me.

Cheese Adds So Much

I think the cheese is what makes these potato balls special.

It’s hidden in the center so it’s a nice surprise to those who don’t know it’s in there. I had half a block of nice sharp cheddar leftover from making cauliflower cheese. This was a great way to use that up.

Any melting cheese will do here so don’t restrict yourself to cheddar. That’s just what I wanted to use up and it pairs nicely with bacon.

Now About The Bacon

One recipe I saw used crumbled bacon to actually coat the balls. I found that to be a bit difficult and where I may have soldiered on if I wasn’t so hungry, it may have worked. However after two days of eating yogurt because of the surgery, I lacked any patience so I just mixed the bacon bits in with the potato mixture itself. That worked very well for me. But if you want to mix them with the breadcrumbs go right ahead. They will taste great no matter where that bacon is.

The Recipe

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Cheesy Bacon Potato Balls

Addictively delicious

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizers using leftovers, potato balls with bacon, using leftover mashed potatoes

Servings: 6

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 cups mashed potatoes cold
2 tsp dehydrated onion optional
3 tbs fresh chives chopped
1-2 tbs sour cream see directions
1/4 cup finely crumbled crisp bacon
4 oz cheddar cheese cubed
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbs Parmesan or Romano cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C.
Line a baking sheet with foil then spray with non-stick spray.
Mix the breadcrumbs and grated cheese in a small bowl; set aside. Lightly beat the egg in another small bowl; set aside.
Mix the mashed potatoes, onion (if using), chives and bacon. Mixture should be soft but hold together. If it seems too dry, add 1 tbs of the sour cream then check the texture. If it's still too dry, add the remaining sour cream.
Form a 2-inch/5 cm ball around a cheddar cheese cube.
Roll each ball in the beaten egg then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese starts to melt out.
AIR FRYER--follow the above but reduce baking time to 8-10 minutes (time may vary with the power of your air fryer.

Notes

For wither cooking method, spraying with a bit of oil helps them brown.

UK readers--streaky bacon is what was used.

Nutrition

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Italian Herb Pull Apart

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 23:00:40 +0000

Use these Italian herb pull aparts as dinner rolls or an appetizer.

Easy Italian Herb Pull-Apart

This is one of the easiest bread recipes you’ll ever make.

The reason for that is you don’t make the bread dough; that’s left up to the factory. Yep, it uses frozen bread dough or better yet dinner rolls. You can use either here, but the frozen dough rolls are recommended since a loaf would make far too many. Of course, if you’re having a party and need more then I’d go with the loaf of bread dough.

This is a versatile recipe–not only is it easy but it’s tasty and can be used as fancy dinner rolls or a buffet appetizer.

A Freezer Staple

One thing I always have in my freezer is a loaf of frozen bread dough and a bag of frozen uncooked dinner rolls.

If you’re short on freezer space then I suggest having the loaf rather than the rolls on ice. You can always make rolls out of the loaf. By the same token, you can make a loaf out of the rolls, but it’s more labor intensive that way. And one thing I’m into now is eliminating what I can that is labor intensive.

If you’re using a defrosted loaf for these pull-aparts, then cut off pieces that are a little less than an inch. Remember they rise so they will double in bulk. You don’t have to be exact here because a little difference in size and shape makes these pull-aparts more rustic.

Make It Fancy

Making these rolls more interesting is relatively simple. Just insert a small cube of mozzarella cheese in the center of each bit of dough.

A local restaurant in my area does just that and serves them as an appetizer with a dish of marinara for dipping.

The Recipe

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Italian Herb Pull Apart

Serves as dinner rolls or as an appetizer

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Rising Time1

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: italian herb rolls, italian style pull apart rolls, using frozen bread dough

Servings: 6

Calories: 474kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

24 oz frozen unbaked dinner rolls thawed about 10 rolls
4 oz butter melted

Herb Blend:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1 tbs parsley
2 tbs cornmeal or semolina
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Spray a 9 x 9-inch square pan (for EU the best approximation is a 2L square dish) with non-stick spray.
Mix the herb blend ingredients in a small bowl.
Cut thawed rolls in quarters, coat each quarter with melted butter and roll in the herb blend. Place in prepared pan in a single layer--if they touch it's ok.
Cover pan with plastic wrap sprayed with non--stick spray and let rise in a warm draft-free place until double, about 1 hour.
When rolls are almost double, preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Bread is done when internal temperature is 190F/88C

Nutrition

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