holiday parties Archives - The Midnight Baker

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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Easy Christmas Party Favorites

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 16:02:00 +0000

Spend more time with your holiday party guests, not more time in the kitchen with these easy (and many make-ahead) treats!

Here’s a collection of my favorite party nibblers!

Just click on the pics to bring you to the recipe if you are on a desktop (won’t work on some mobile devices), links provided below for those on mobile devices.

Cheesy Lasagna Rolls

Luau Ribs

Pepperoni Pizza Pull Aparts

Maple Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Cheese Palms

Chipotle Onion Cheese Dip

Slow Cooker Chex Snack Mix

Bacon Bombs

Sugar Maple Bacon Smokies

Mini Fritattas

Party Rice Balls

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Let Winter Beers Make Holiday Recipes Special

Judith Hannemann — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0000

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. This content is intended for readers who are 21 and over

Blue Moon Crispy Wings with Lindsay Olive Dipping Sauce

Kick your Christmas party entertaining up a few notches. These crisp wings and tangy dipping sauce is a good start!

It’s that time again, folks! Time to start planning the annual holiday parties and the menu.

This year, I want to go with tried and true party favorites. I also want to keep it simple because I want to spend as much time with my guests as I possibly can. You can’t get much simpler and popular than wings. I think they are everyone’s favorite!

Everything I need from Price Chopper

I found everything I needed at my local Price Chopper Supermarket. I particularly took advantage of many of their specially priced #HolidayAdvantEdge items. Not only were there quite a few pantry-stocking items on sale, but two things I needed to test my wing recipe–Lindsay Olives® and many beers. I decided to try Blue Moon® because, well, I’ve never tried that one before! Great sale price, so why not?

Beer aisle at Price Chopper #42 Catskill, NY

Condiment and dressings aisle Price Choppler #42 Catskill, NY

Instead of the most-often served buffalo wings, I decided to do mine with a crispy beer batter along with a simple, but tasty, dipping sauce.

Yummy and crunchy

I had a trial run with both the wings and the dipping sauce before I will put them on my holiday party menu. The night you have your party shouldn’t be the first time you make or serve anything–remembering Murphy’s Law here! Anyway, you probably won’t have to look very hard for taste testers–not if there’s wings to be had (if you don’t eat them all yourself, that is.)

Beer batters for fish or chicken are pretty common. However, I did find that using ale, which Blue Moon is, produces a much crispier batter and there’s a hint of fine ale flavor that comes through. It doesn’t seem to dissipate like some beers will. I have to admit, I loved the flavor it imparted.

Feel the crunch, taste the ale

As for the dipping sauce, I loaded it up with onion, coarsely chopped olives, celery and plenty of garlic. You can go easier on the garlic if you don’t love it as much as I do–or leave it out if you hate it. This dip can stand many alterations and still taste great.

Versatile dipping sauce

Beside being a tasty dipping sauce for the wings, it can double as a sandwich spread or a complete salad dressing for your tuna or chicken salads.

Blue Moon Crispy Wings

2 lbs chicken wings*
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbs seasoned salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
12 oz Blue Moon® Belgian White Ale
oil for frying

*An equal amount of frozen, ready-cut wings (thawed) may be substituted.

Prepare wings by cutting off wing tip and cutting through joint to make 2 pieces. Pat dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, mix flour, seasoned salt and cayenne pepper. If flour has too many clumps, sift it–you need a relatively smooth batter.

Slowly add the Blue Moon ale. Use only enough to get a thick batter–I used 10 oz to achieve the proper consistency.This should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Let this sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2-inches of oil in a deep heavy skillet or dutch oven (I use a dutch oven–less mess) over medium high heat. Heat oil to 375 degrees F–a cube of white bread will brown in 60 seconds at this temperature. My advice is to use a deep fry/candy thermometer for best accuracy.

Dip wing pieces into batter, letting excess batter drain off back into the bowl; add to hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan as it will bring down the temperature of the oil resulting in greasy and non-crispy wings. Fry in small batches.

Fry wings approximately 20 minutes, turning half way through the cooking process.

Remove from pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. You can keep the wings hot and crispy by holding them in a 200 degree F oven while frying remaining batches.

Serve hot–serves about 4-6 as an appetizer. Serve with Lindsay Olive Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Lindsay Olive Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup coarsely chopped ripe Lindsay® Olives
1 tbs garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2-3 drops hot sauce (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Chill for about 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

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Crispy Cheddar Bacon Cookies

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Crispy Cheddar Bacon Cookies

Great snack for tree decorating or game watching.

For Black Friday, let’s kick off the Holiday season with a great snack!

These are a bit different to say the least. I always called them “pie crust cookies,” because that’s how these came to be–from leftover pie crust!

Unusual but addictive!

They are best served right out of the oven or warmed up, but don’t let that stop you from trying them cold. That’s just what I prefer. Use more cayenne if you want more heat and zip–more cheese and bacon too!

These cookies also make a great holiday appetizer for any holiday parties. Just make them a bit smaller so there’s more to go around.

I bet Santa would like a few left for him too!!

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Crispy Cheddar Bacon Cookies

These cheddar bacon cookies make a great game day snack or holiday appetizer

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, cheddar cheese, cookies, holiday party food

Servings: 24 cookies

Calories: 155kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup butter very soft
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese preferably sharp cheddar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 slices cooked bacon crisply cooked and diced
2 cups crispy rice cereal i.e. Rice Krispies
2 cups flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and cheese. Let this stand a few minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Shape into 24 balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten balls with the palm of your hand until they are about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown along the edges. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Crispy Cheddar Bacon Cookies

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