Fried Cheese Rounds

I’m always looking for a good appetizer for when company’s coming. I like to make something simple that my guests can snack on while waiting for dinner or while watching the football game. One day I saw these little BabyBel cheese rounds in the grocery store and thought to myself, “Self….. you could fry those.”   And so I did. I came home, and dipped them in egg and then rolled them in flour and Panko and fried them.  OMG.  What a great snack…I mean appetizer.  I mean …..okay…okay… I like to snack on them too!  How good can it get?  Warm, creamy, cheesy and crispy…. Oh My Goodness.

Fried Cheese Rounds

12-14 Babybel cheese rounds

1/2 cup flour

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Panko

1 cup cooking oil

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of dried parsley

Remove outer coating and inner wax covering off each cheese round.

Set up 3 shallow bowls.  One bowl for the flour, one for the beaten egg and the Panko and parsley in the third bowl.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet.  You know your oil is hot enough when you drop a grain of rice in the oil and it sizzles.

Dredge the cheese rounds in the flour first, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Place them on a plate as you work.

Once oil is hot enough, use a slotted spoon to carefully place 3 or 4 breaded cheese rounds into skillet. I like to fry mine in small batches because they are easier to handle.  

Continue to fry, turning often, until golden and crispy. Carefully remove cheese from hot oil with slotted spoon. Place rounds on a paper towel lined plate.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley while hot. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Cheese will be very hot. Eat as is or serve with marinara sauce. You can also spread the hot melted cheese on toasted bread rounds. YUM.

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Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

One night I saw a commercial from a big potato chip company out there that was advertising chocolate covered potato chips? They were only available for a limited time at Target. I thought, “Wow!  This sounds interesting.  Here’s a sweet and salty chip that I must have.”  So I ran to Target and they had one bag left on the shelf.  I bought them and ate the entire bag because they were crazy good!  Of course the bag was only 5 ounces.  Later I would go back a buy more!

Target doesn't have them anymore. But I do! Look what I decided to make when I got that next craving for chocolate covered potato chips. I mean, what was I thinking back then?  They are so easy to make! And mine are even better!

Oh My Gosh these are fantastic! Just a little salt with chocolate...yum! Caution: very addicting.

Homemade Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

1½ cups chocolate chips
1 (15 ounce bag) bag rippled or ridged potato chips

Place chocolate chips in a heat resistant bowl and place over a pot of simmering water. Don’t put too make water in, you want to make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

Completely melt and stir the chocolate just until smooth. Do not overcook.  Remove from heat and begin dipping the chips, about half way. Shake off any excess chocolate and place chips onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper.

Allow chocolate covered chips to dry completely before serving. You can put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to speed it up!

Next, eat the whole container!  Just kidding!  Wait until nobody's watching.

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Mini Blooming Onions

Okay I’ll admit it. I go to Outback Steakhouse because of the Blooming Onions!  Oh my goodness….they are the perfect appetizer...so light and crispy and I always eat way too many. By the time my dinner arrives, I am too stuffed to eat.  So I decided to make them at home....only miniatures ones....little baby blooming onions that I can pop in my mouth whenever I want!   I warn you….these are so addicting! 

Mini Blooming Onions

6 small sweet or yellow onions

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ teaspoon baking powder

Slice an onion in half vertically, but don’t cut all the way through to the base. The idea is to keep the bottom intact. Turn the onion 45 degrees, slice vertically again and repeat until you end up with what looks like little rectangles of onion, still attached at the base. Repeat with the remaining onions.

Loosen the onions a little by wiggling them around to separate the pieces slightly and create space between them. Place the buttermilk in a shallow dish and then add the onions to it. Toss well and massage the onions to get the coating into the center.

In a medium-size shallow dish, whisk the flour with the salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika and baking powder to combine. Working one at a time, remove an onion from the buttermilk and dredge fully in the flour mixture, working again to make sure the breading gets into the center.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat until it reads 350 degrees on a thermometer.  Working in batches, fry the onions until they’re golden and crisp, flipping them over halfway through cooking, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set the cooked onions on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.  Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

  

Dipping Sauce

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk the sour cream with the mayonnaise, horseradish, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper to combine. Set aside to serve with your blooming onions.

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