Spicy Beef Wontons with Chili Dipping Sauce

These wontons were a part of our football eats for this past weekend.

OMG....they were awesome.

Very few of them actually made it on to a plate, lol.

I wish I would have gotten a picture of the inside of one. 

To me, these pictures don't give a great representation of the flavor packed in these beauties.

I made a Spicy Chili Dipping Sauce to serve them with, which made for a perfect combination 

with just the right amount of spiciness.

Linked with Weekend Potluck & Foodie Friday.

Spicy Beef Wontons
Makes 32-35 wontons

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground chuck
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced red pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp lime juice
Wonton wrappers
Water for sealing wontons
Vegetable oil for frying
Spicy Chili Dipping Sauce

Heat skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add meat and cook until almost done. Stir in onion, red pepper, cumin, salt, chipotle chile powder, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Cook stirring occasionally until meat is cooked through and onion and pepper is tender.

Stir in cream cheese to melt and lime juice. Cool to almost room temp.

Fill wrapper with 1 tbsp of filling; dampen all 4 edges of wonton with finger dipped in water; fold and seal.

Pour amount of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet to reach 1 inch deep. Heat over medium heat to 350*. Fry wontons 4 or 5 at a time until golden brown turning 1/2 way through. Approx. 15-20 seconds per side. Keep an eye on them, it doesn't take long.

Spicy Chili Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
3 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water

Whisk together ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes.

Grilled Shrimp Burgers with Sweet & Spicy Tartar Sauce

What a great change up for a burger.

Super easy to make with a few simple ingredients.

My original recipe calls for cornbread crackers. I didn't have any so I substituted saltines, which worked out wonderfully. Instead of adding the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, I kept that to a pinch because of the additional salt in the cracker.

So good. Especially with the tartar sauce.

Linked with Foodie Friday and Weekend Potluck.

Grilled Shrimp Burgers with Sweet & Spicy Tartar Sauce

Makes 4 Burgers

1 1/4 lb. med. shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 x-large egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground red pepper, or more to taste

3 tbsp celery, finely chopped

2 tbsp green onion, chopped

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/4 cups crushed cornbread crackers, appx 1 sleeve

4 hamburger buns (I like an onion bun or a Kaiser)

Bibb lettuce

Sweet & Spicy Tarter Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp horseradish

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Pinch of red pepper, if desired

Mix together, cover and chill 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Cut shrimp into 3rds.

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray.

Stir together egg and next 4 ingredients until blended; stir in celery, green onion and parsley. Fold in shrimp and cracker crumbs (mixture will be very thick). Shape into 4 (4 inch wide, 1 inch thick) patties. Place patties on prepared pan. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours. Transfer to freezer, and freeze 30 minutes.

Coat cold cooking grate of grill with cooking spray, and place on grill. Preheat grill to 350 to 400 degrees (medium-high heat). Grill burgers, covered with grill lid, 5-6 minutes or until burgers lift easily from cooking grate using a large spatula. Carefully turn burgers, and grill 5-6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and burgers are cooked through and lightly crisp.

Grill buns on grill 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted. 

Serve on buns with tarter sauce and lettuce.

Best Baked Beans Ever

I know I have these Baked Beans posted on another post 

but decided they needed a page of their own.

Outdoor barbecues, camping trips and picnics are in full swing right now 

and this is the perfect dish to include. Anyone that's had them says the same thing. 

Their favorite baked beans so far.

They truly are the best I've ever tasted and super easy to make.

Give them a try. I know you'll be happy you did.

Linked with Weekend Potluck.

Baked Beans

1/2 pound bacon, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp molasses

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 (16 ounce) pork and beans, undrained

1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 (16 ounce) can chili beans in sauce, drained (do not rinse)

Directions

Heat oven to 350*.

In a large skillet cook bacon, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

In the same skillet, drain part of the grease and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until it gets some color and is tender. Add the garlic and continue to cook 2-3 minutes. Place onion mixture into a large bowl and mix with all other ingredients, except beans and bacon, mixing well, then stir in beans and bacon.

Place in a greased 2-1/2-qt. casserole and bake covered for 40 minutes, uncover and cook an additional 25-30 minutes.

NOTE:  Make sure you pay attention to the cans of beans. To drain or not to drain.....that's the question.

Homemade Apple Butter

I've perfected my apple butter recipe and my family loves it!

I've made it several times and have finally gotten the perfect combination of 

sweet and tart, and the perfect level of spices.

This recipe makes somewhere around 3 pints depending on the size of apples you use.

My family goes through it so quickly, I don't even bother cooking/sealing the jars, but I do freeze the extra pints. They will keep in the freezer for many many months.

Linked with Weekend Potluck and Foodie Friday.

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HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER

4 lbs  assorted apples, peeled and cored (apprx. 10 apples)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
2 tsp of cinnamon (slightly rounded)
1/2 tsp cloves
Fresh nutmeg (10-13 swipes on your grater)
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Peel and core apples. I like to use a combination of 3 different types with one type always being granny smith. Use the peels and the core by placing them in some cheesecloth and tying it up with string. There is a lot of pectin in the core and flavor in the skin.

Place the apple slices into a large pot and nestle the cheesecloth in the middle. Add vinegar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 min. or until apples are soft. Remove cheesecloth and discard (I use tongs to squeeze the juice out). Puree apples with either an immersion blender or counter top blender.

Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered, stirring often, until thick. I let mine go at least an hour or so. It will depend on how juicy your apples were.

Honey Sriracha Bacon

This was lunch today.

Nothing else....no lettuce, tomato or bread. Just this bacon. 

Well, not ALL this bacon but some of it.

Not that it wouldn't be awesome on a sandwich. Ohhh, it would it would. 
Or with eggs in the morning, or whatever.

It's not just any bacon though.

This is Honey Sriracha Bacon. So so good, believe me. <-----name that guy.

It turned out even better than I anticipated and here's, I believe, the biggest reason why.

This honey right here.

It's called Big Dog Honey and comes from a honey bee farm right here in central Arkansas.

You can get it in decorative jars like this which would be great for gift giving, 

and then whoever is lucky enough to get it can make stuff like this bacon, or just the 

big beehive looking jars. And different sizes too.

It's 100 percent raw unfiltered, and it is fabulous.

You really need to check it out. 

You can pop over to Big Dog Honey on facebook and check out all the fun 

pictures and interesting tidbits here.

That way you can become friends with Big Dog himself....Bronson. 

Beautiful!

Linked with Weekend Potluck and Foodie Friday.

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HONEY SRIRACHA BACON

1/2 lb bacon
2 tbsp honey
1-2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp soy sauce

Heat oven to 375*.

Place a baking rack coated with non-stick spray on a large baking sheet. Lay out bacon in a single layer. (You don't have to use thick cut bacon, but make sure it is not a really thin cut.)

Stir together remaining ingredients and brush on bacon.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.