I really like to make quick bites or small appetizers for dinner or to bring with us to potlucks. I wouldn’t call these recipes, which is why i decided to put them in their own section, they are really easy sometimes only like 2 or 3 steps involved. They are all as fun to make as they are to eat. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Tots

We have all seen these little lovely treats at state fairs, so why not make them at home, it’s so easy and who doesn’t love bacon, right?

1 lb of bacon (the best bacon to use is from the meat counter, it’s nice and firm)

1 bag of tots

wrap the uncooked tots with a full piece of bacon, I tried to cut the bacon in half and wrap them with smaller pieces, it was a pain, line them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper

cook them in the oven at 350 for about 20 mins, I check now and them, you want the bacon to be nice and brown, same with the tots. enjoy

 

Apple and brie baguettes 

This is one of my favorite little snacks to make for brunch or a summer picnic in the park with a mimosa or two. They are so easy to make and really yummy!

1 baguette cut into small slices

3-4 large apples

1 brick of brie

slice the apple into small slices

cut the brie

put slices of brie on the baguette

put slices of apple on the brie

bake for about 15 mins at 350

make sure the brie is nice and melted, you want the apples to stick to it.

serve right away! enjoy!

 

Homemade potato chips

I love potato chips, but the store ones are not as good as homemade ones. They are simple to make and the results are just amazing.

4-5 potatoes

saltwater wash

oil for frying

wash the potatoes, hand dry them, put them in a food processor.

put them in a water bath with salt, let it soak for about 5 mins or so, then pour them out into a colander, once drained place them on paper towel and hand dry them again

once they are dry fry them in a dutch oven filled about halfway with oil, the oil should be at 350

fry each side a few mins until crispy

the first time I did these I didn’t slice the potatoes thin enough and they couldn’t get as crispy as id like them, the trick is to slice them super thin in the processor.

enjoy solo or as a nice side dish.

 

Chocolate covered bacon

I never heard of this little treat until i saw it for sale at a resort in the Wisconsin dells, makes sense, Wisconsinites love them some bacon, wait, don’t we all? I tried this first time as part of our NYE dinner, they turned out pretty good, I think I can do them better next time, I figured out a few things that may have gone wrong. Either way they were good as heck, I mean its bacon and chocolate, what can go wrong?

1 lb chocolate ( melted)

1 lb bacon (cooked)

the trick is to not fry the bacon too hard, but it needs to be a bit crispy to dip

dip the bacon into the melted chocolate, cover most of the bacon, leave a little bit of the end not covered, you’ll want to have a handle sort of speak once the bacon is all dipped place it in the freezer overnight if you can’t wait, and my husband and I couldn’t, I recommend leaving it for a couple of hours, it a lot better tasting when it’s really frozen.

So I decided to leave it out once it had been in the freezer, yeah not really the best idea, it’s better to leave it in the freezer when you’re not eating it. Enjoy!

 

Pizza cones

I saw something similar to these at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wi, and I was dying to come up with my own version of them. The ones I saw were made with pizza dough, I decided to use french bread this time, next time I will try to do it with pizza dough, I just need to figure out how they make the cone shape with the dough. These were really good and fun to make for all ages! Some of you may be looking for ideas to make with the kids, this is one for the occasion.

2-4 french rolls depending on how many you plan to make

pizza sauce, or tomato sauce

2-8 oz bags of shredded mozz cheese

ground beef, bacon, pepperoni, basically whatever pizza proteins you prefer, all cooked ahead of time

spinach

minced garlic

saute the garlic and spinach

hollow out the french roll

fill with sauce, and toppings

bake in the oven at 350 for about 10-15, just so that the cheese is nice and melted

cut and serve

enjoy!

 

Baguette Kahlua mini french toast bites

I had made some baguettes earlier in the week and had some leftover loaves so I decided to cut them up and see how they would taste as french toast, and this was the outcome! They were the cutest little pieces of french toast ever, and they were really tasty, we wanted more and more! This is a cute idea for a brunch, or small plate breakfast get together!

baguettes- a few loaves

2 eggs

2 teaspoons Kahlua

1/2 cup milk

cut the baguette into small slices

mix together, you don’t need a normal sized batter for these since they are so small

oil your skillet and fry them a min or two on each side

I find olive oil works best for french toast.

enjoy!

 

This dairy queens homemade blizzards

What do you do when you are in lockdown because of a pandemic but still want a delicious blizzard? Simple answer, you make your own!  This is so much easier than you think, it does require a mixer of some sort, you cant do it in the blender, or it would just be a shake, and there’s a difference, trust me 😉

Vanilla ice cream

your favorite “toppings”

first thing you want to do is freeze the mixing bowl for at least 10 mins, i like to leave it in for 20 mins or so, the colder the bowl the better!

once the bowl is frozen put about 3 to 4 scoops of ice cream in the mixing bowl and mix for a few mins, if you are using a mix master i find the flat mixer works the best.

you want it to look nice and smooth

then add your toppings and mix it on medium speed for a few mins until the toppings are incorporated into the ice cream.

put it into a glass and enjoy! It should be nice and think, like a blizzard!

enjoy!

 

Butter burgers

I’m a huge fan of culvers butter burgers but since we are still on lockdown its just safer to make my own. I’m including this on the blog because after posting them on Instagram a few people had no idea how easy it was to recreate a butter burger.

1 lb ground beef

1/4 stick of butter, salted or unsalted, depending on your taste

its so easy, i just make four 1/4 lb patties, flattened by hand

put a slice of butter on top of each

butter the pan a little before putting them on the pan

cook on each side for a few mins, depending on you like your meat done

bam! you have a butter burger, see how easy that was 🙂

enjoy!

 

Fruit Fluff

I have to include this on here because it is a family favorite, and has been ever since i was young. Its the easiest thing to make and really isn’t a recipe sorta speak.

2 cans of canned fruit cocktail, drained

1 banana

1 container of whipped cream

add it all together and mix it up really good, leave it in the fridge for a bit or serve right away.

there are different variations of it in our family, but this is my favorite version. my mom adds mandarin oranges and i sometimes add apples for a little crunch.

enjoy!

 

Peanut butter and jelly monte cristo

I thought I would try combining two of my favorite sandwiches to see what happened, and this amazingness happened, you need to try it, its a game changer!

4 slices of bread

1 egg

milk

Kahlua

peanut butter

strawberry jam

olive oil

make your french toast mix, set aside

heat the griddle with olive oil

make your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

dip them into the french toast mix

put them on the griddle

cook on both sides for a few mins each or until nice and brown!

done!

enjoy!

 

Chocolate covered strawberries 

Sometimes you just feel like dipping things in chocolate for a quick, sweet treat. This treat never disappoints, and its sooo easy!

strawberries, washed and tops cut off

2 cups of chocolate chips or some form of chocolate

melt the chocolate for about 45 secs in the microwave, stir it quickly and put in for another 30 if needed.

dip the strawberries into the warm chocolate quickly as you can before the chocolate hardens, if it does just microwave it again

let them set in the fridge for an hour or so.

enjoy with Netflix!

 

Fresh fruit salad

I love a good ole fashion fruit salad, and normally i make fluff which is made with canned fruit and whipped cream, and absolute heaven. I decided that we should probably try a “healthier” version since we’ve been locked up for months and been eating like it, so I came up with this little mix.

2 oranges

2 apples

2 cups of watermelon

1 cup of raisins, I know, I know, everyone hates them, but it’s a nice touch, so just try it, it’s not like I’m asking you to listen to Nickelback!

mix it all together, add whipped cream if you desire, or just eat it plain, its a really good combination!

enjoy!