party food Archives - The Midnight Baker

Maple Orange Beef Baby Back Ribs

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 00:00:29 +0000

These beef baby back ribs with a maple orange glaze is perfect for any New Year’s party or any time.

The Perfect Glaze For Ribs: Maple And Orange

Maple and orange are wonderful flavors when combined.

You have the tartness of citrusy orange offsetting the sweet maple syrup. And this glaze also introduces a little heat via Sriracha. However, if you don’t like a touch of heat, leave it out; they’ll still be delicious. On the other hand, if you belong to the “some like it hot” group, then add lots more! As always, taste the glaze using the minimum amount of heat if you’re using the Sriracha then add more if you feel it needs it.

Instant Pot Or Oven

There are so many methods for making these maple orange glazed ribs–or any others–that you can choose the one you’re most comfortable with.

For myself, in the winter I use the oven method for obvious reasons. In the summer, I switch to my Instant Pot. Actually, the Instant Pot is a boon if you want your ribs fast. Your time investment is roughly 15 minutes.

For slow cookers, I recommend cooking on high for maybe 5 hours minimum. When I use this method, I don’t add any water because then they will roast.

The method you use to do the initial cooking is totally up to you and if you use liquid in your crock pot, then by all means add it. The ribs all end up at the same point for the final touch.

Also Good With Pork Baby Back Ribs

I’m lucky that I can find beef baby back ribs in one of my local stores. They come cryopacked just like the pork ribs.

However, if you can’t find the beef baby back ribs, then pork baby back ribs will do just as nicely.

And these can be made with beef short ribs too–you just have to cook them a bit longer so they’re tender enough to eat.

The Recipe

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Maple Orange Beef Ribs

Oranges and maple make an excellent glaze for beef ribs

Prep Time5

Cook Time1

Course: Appetizer, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby back rib recipes, beef ribs, pork baby back ribs, rib recipes

Servings: 6

Calories: 363kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 lbs 2 slabs beef baby back ribs

Maple Orange Glaze:

1/2 cup maple or pancake syrup
1 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp Sriracha
2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp garlic powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Oven method: Lay ribs on a rack and bake at 325F/160C for approximately 60 minutes or until tender. Leave ribs in baking tray.
Instant Pot Method: Place ribs in the insert, add 1 1/2 cups water, seal and cook on high pressure for 15-18 minutes. Release pressure immediately and remove ribs to a baking dish.
Preheat oven to 500F/250C or use broil setting. Set oven rack to top position.
Brush ribs with most of glaze and place in the preheated oven. Cook for around 5 minutes or until glaze begins to bubble. Remove from oven, cut into individual ribs and brush with remaining glaze if desired.

Nutrition

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Maple Walnut Cream Cheese

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 00:05:31 +0000

Watch this maple walnut cream cheese disappear when you serve it at your next party!

A Sweet Surprise

Most cream cheese-based spreads tend to be of the savory variety. Here’s one that breaks that mold!

Cream cheese spreads and appetizers are for the most part loaded with veggies or scallions. Eaten before a meal, those flavors will wake up your appetite for the main course.

But how about serving a sweet spread with crackers on a dessert buffet? It’s a bit different and unusual. But moreover, it’s delicious!

Healthy? Probably!

I’m certainly not a dietitian so I cannot say this with any authority, but this is one recipe that just may be healthy. At any rate, it has some redeeming nutritional value because it contains some pretty healthy ingredients.

There’s no sugar. Pure maple syrup takes the place of that plus it adds a subtle flavor to the spread. Then you have walnuts which are full of protein and some fiber too. So far, so good!

Where I tend to use regular cream cheese in most things, this could also be made with Neufchatel cheese (which they now are calling “low-fat cream cheese”–it’s been around forever) and it will be 30% less fat and still taste great! FYI I wouldn’t recommend fat-free varieties of cream cheese because the texture is NOT the same and it tastes pretty awful too. Neufchatel, where it’s naturally lower in fat, tastes great so opt for that.

Don’t Forget Breakfast Bagels

If you have bagels at breakfast sometimes, this spread is perfect on them!

Spread on a whole-grain bagel, this would be like a power breakfast that starts your day well! It would go well with most plain or fruit-based bagels. I don’t think it’d be so hot on onion or garlic bagels, but who knows???

Add What You Like

The recipe for this maple walnut cream cheese is pretty basic, but it does lend itself to additions you may like.

Try it with some raisins, dried cherries or other dried fruit. That would pack a bigger nutritional punch.

Add a variety of nuts too–it can only get better, and if you want a hint of spice, a pinch or two of cinnamon would probably be great.

The Recipe

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Maple Walnut Cream Cheese

Watch this maple walnut cream cheese disappear when you serve it at your next party!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizers, cream cheese, flavored cream cheese, party dip

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 190kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2-3 tbsp pure maple syrup

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
Refrigerate unless serving immediately.
Recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Notes

You can also add dried fruits and other nuts. If you like a hint of spice, a pinch or 2 of cinnamon would be nice.

Nutrition

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Holiday Appetizers Collection

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 00:00:20 +0000

Here’s a small collection of easy peasy appetizers that will be sure hits at your holiday parties!

Appetizers That Are Sure To Please

These are my basic go-to foods for my holiday parties!

I like to stick to finger foods because they involve no real work to eat so everyone can concentrate on socializing. Each recipe is easy to make so you spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests.

Links for each recipe in the collage runs from top row to bottom row, left to right.

Recipe Links

Woodstock Wings

Batter Dipped Fried Bacon

Scallion Cream Cheese Poppers (Egg Rolls)

Fried Jam Pies (a favorite of QVC’s David Venable when he presented my second cookbook, The Cupboard To Table Cookbook)

Sugar Maple Bacon Smokies

Layered Mexican Dip (I go hog wild over this one–read the post on it)

Bacon Bombs (another of David Venable’s favvorites!)

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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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Bi-Coastal Mini Reubens

Judith Hannemann — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Bi-Coastal Mini Reubens

East coast meets west coast with these mini Reuben sandwiches. Great for Super Bowl game day!

I love throwing a great party, and nothing better than a food-filled Super Bowl party.

The Reuben is a classic, but I was intrigued a bit by the so-called “West Coast Reuben.” Of course the variations abound, but one constant was the use of dijon mustard in place of the more classic Russian or Thousand Island dressing.

Great for game day

Frankly, I like dijon and mayo mixed together as a generic sandwich spread, so I did my best to combine two classics here. I glorified it with a bit of horseradish and onion, just like the classic, but also added the teensiest bit of balsamic for that wonderful flavor it imparts to everything.

As far as how you build the sandwich…my amounts of meat, cheese and sauerkraut are not carved in stone, so use amounts that suit your individual tastes.

A trip to Aldi introduced me to the rolls I used here. Maybe not entirely classic, but basically, they are pumpernickel rolls.

If you can’t find mini pumpernickel or rye rolls at your store, you can also use those small, square “cocktail” rye breads that are usually sold around the deli department. Heck even regular rye is fine. It’s really the dressing that makes this fabu anyway.

Bi-Coastal Mini Reubens

1 pkg (12-count) mini rye or pumpernickel rolls*
1 lb sliced corned beef brisket
1 cup drained sauerkraut**
8 oz sliced swiss cheese
Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs instant dehydrated onion OR 2 tbs fresh grated onion
1 tsp grated horseradish
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

*These rolls pictured are from Aldi and called Sweet Multi-Grain Rolls.

**Cole slaw may be substituted if you wish.

Mix all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Cut the rolls in half (if not sliced already) and build the base of the sandwiches, leaving them open-faced. Place on a baking sheet. Pop them under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese or place in a 400 degree F oven for about 5 minutes for the same result. Place the other portion of the roll on top of prepared sandwiches.

Serve with dressing on the side.

Add a nice dollop of delicious dressing to this Reuben sandwich

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Ultimate Super Super Bowl Favorites

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s even more great Super Bowl Party Recipes!

Links for recipes in the photo above~~

You can’t stop eating THESE “nuggets” and they’re made with pure chicken breast meat–
Cholula Chili Garlic Chicken Strips

Nice and herby! You can’t eat just one of these! Use hot or sweet sausage–
Italian Sausage Bites

I won’t lie–a little messy to make but so worth it–
Coconut Shrimp

Unusual but a great snack–
Crispy Cheddar Bacon Cookies

Kick up that chicken salad with a special herb/spice blend–
Creole Chicken Salad

What’s the Super Bowl without dip-n-chips–
Hot Jalapeno & Chili Popper Dip

No forming necessary and they come out like donut holes–
Easy Pumpkin Donuts

These may even be good for you–an added bonus–
Loaded Smashed Potatoes

Bacon & cheese. Nothing else needs to be said–
Bacon Bombs

A real “guy pleaser,” so make double–
“Meat Candy”

Follow The Midnight Baker’s board ☆☆Super Bowl Parties☆☆ on Pinterest.

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Super Super Bowl Favorites

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 14:40:00 +0000

A collection of some of the best Super Bowl party recipes.

Links to recipes featured in the photo~~

Oven Fried Ranch Chicken

Cheeseburger Taquitos

Chili Hater’s Chili

Fried Wontons

Spinach & Sausage Nibblers

Follow The Midnight Baker’s board ☆☆Super Bowl Parties☆☆ on Pinterest.

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Hot Jalapeno & Chili Popper Dip

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Hot Jalapeno & Chili Popper Dip

Watch your guests dive into this hot popper dip. The ultimate party food!

It’s holiday party time folks! You can find no better appetizer than this hot dip recipe.

Dig In

This dip is very easy to make and even easier to eat! Make sure you serve it with plenty of crackers or tortilla chips, and be prepared…be VERY prepared to make a few more dishes of this dip during the party!

Only thing you have to do is watch you don’t overbake this, otherwise it will separate. What I do is set the timer for 15 minutes. That seems to do it for me and it’s nicely hot and the crumbs are golden–well, you can see the pics–but never more than 20 minutes!

If you want more heat, add double the amount of the canned jalapeno peppers.

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Hot Jalapeno Chili Popper Dip

Watch your guests dive into this hot popper dip. The ultimate party food!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dip recipe, hot chili dip, hot dip, jalapeno poppers

Servings: 12

Calories: 367kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

16 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese*
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 oz canned diced green chilis
4 oz canned diced jalapenos
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a shallow 2-quart dish.
Process the cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded Mexican cheese, parmesan cheese chiles and jalapenos in a food processor (not necessary to drain the liquid from the cans of peppers). I used my Ninja for this.
Spread the dip in the prepared pan.
Mix the Panko, Parmesan cheese and melted butter in a small bowl, mixing well.
Distribute the crumbs over the top of the dip.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE as dip will separate. You want the crumbs browned and the dip hot, but not boiling hot.

Notes

*If you can’t find Mexican blend shredded cheese in your grocery store, a 1-to-1 mix of shredded sharp cheddar and shredded Monterey jack is a good substitute.

Nutrition

Jalapeno and Chili Popper Dip

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Black and White Pretzel Mix

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Black and White Pretzel Mix

A bag of mini pretzels, some white chocolate, some dark chocolate and a microwave. What can be easier?

This is a KINDA healthy snack mix. It doesn’t overdo the chocolates, pretzels are really a better choice than chips and dark chocolate is pretty healthy so they say.

OK, I’m a nut for white chocolate, and I think this tastes better with it. But that’s just my opinion so try both flavors!!

For this you will need REAL white chocolate if that’s what you choose to use. It must contain cocoa butter to melt and drizzle correctly. White baking morsels don’t, and I don’t think those disks that Wilton puts out do either, but I did read the package and it says that it melts and drizzles nicely, but there will be a caveat here with it and I do recommend using the real deal.

Baker’s® Premium White contains the cocoa butter and so does the Ghiardelli® *BAR*.

Microwaving the white chocolate at 30 second intervals is the way to go. It will not look like it’s melting, so you do have to stir. I didn’t make too much mix, and used 2 squares. It melted nicely to the right consistency in a total of 1 minute, 10 seconds.

As to the regular semi-sweet chocolate, use the same microwave times and remember, do not get a speck of water in either, or the chocolate will seize. You can correct that somewhat by adding vegetable shortening (Crisco, for example) by the teaspoon until it’s smooth again, but it just won’t be the “same” so best advice I can give is, be patient, and do it slowly!!!

I used butter-flavored “waffle” pretzels and mini unsalted twists here. A new-wave flavor combo recently has been salt and dark chocolate, so by all means, use a salted variety if you like that.

FYI the little nonpareils are a pain YOU-KNOW-WHERE rolling around all over the place, but they do look pretty. But since they add no flavor and are only a decoration, leave them out if you’re making this as a snack for a family movie nite or something.

I used 1/2 a bag of each variety pretzel here, and use any amount you wish and as much chocolate as you wish. My instructions are a guide from what I did.

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Black and White Pretzel Mix

A bag of mini pretzels, some white chocolate, some dark chocolate and a microwave. What can be easier?

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: candy

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dark chocolate, Pretzel Mix, white chocollate

Servings: 8

Calories: 194kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 cups mini pretzels shape your choice
2 squares white chocolate see above regarding white chocolate
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate
colored decors optional

Instructions

Line a work surface with either baking parchment or wax paper.
Lay pretzels on parchment/wax paper with a small space between each pretzel.
Melt chocolates in separate microwave-proof bowls, according to melting directions on each package, usually this is 30 seconds for each square plus 10 seconds for each additional square.
Drizzle chocolate(s) over pretzels either with a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. You can also use a plastic sandwich bag in place of the pastry bag and just cut a teeny bit off one corner.
Sprinkle with decors if using. Let set. This will take about 2 hrs OR refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Black and White Pretzel Mix

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Chili Hater’s Chili

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:44:00 +0000

Chili Hater’s Chili

Much like the dreaded meatloaf, I was never a lover of chili. My late husband used to beg me to make this for him, and I just could never bring myself to do it. Fortunately, a neighbor satisfied his chili lust by sending over a doggie bag of hers whenever she made it.

A couple of years ago, I had chili on the brain, for some odd reason, so I decided to try this again. I pinpointed my dislike for the dish–cumin. I’m not a fan of this spice at all. I was reviewing a cookbook for slow cookers and found a recipe that did NOT include this, so I gave it a go.

The results were surprising. I ate 3 servings. I offered the leftovers to Lori W. when she dropped by. She was another “chili hater,” but said she’d give it to her husband for lunch because he liked it.

I might add she called me the next day to tell me that her hubby didn’t get a single bite because SHE ate it all. Another convert!

Anyway, here it is, and it’s an excellent dish to make ahead for the Super Bowl. Leave it in the crockpot on warm and let the football fans help themselves.

You can cut the chili peppers down or out if you want. This particular recipe has a bit of heat to it…not much but some.

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Chili Hater's Chili

Prep Time15

Cook Time8

Total Time8 15

Course: beef, Comfort Foods, ever, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chili

Servings: 6

Calories: 153kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef browned and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can Rotelle tomatoes chopped tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1-2 long dried chile peppers
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Brown ground beef with chopped onion and minced garlic until meat is brown and onion is translucent; drain and add to slow cooker
Add the remaining ingredients to slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours.
Serve with rice and top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Nutrition

Chili Hater’s Chili

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