A New Dawnn

Where Every Day is a New Adventure

Appetizers

Seafood Favorites – Marinated Shrimp Bruschetta

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias , Inc and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SamsClubSeafood #CollectiveBias

Most of my favorite seafood dishes have shrimp involved. Not only is it delicious but it can be used in such a wide variety of dishes. So it’s no wonder that most of our holiday dinners and dinner parties usually have some type of shrimp dish involved. One of my current favorites is this delicious Shrimp Bruschetta. This easy appetizer comes together in less than twenty minutes and will have your guests or family begging for more.

Made with only four ingredients, I can whip up a batch of these babies for a quick snack whenever last minute company comes over or even as a last minute addition to my holiday menus. By purchasing a bag of frozen Daily Chef™ Cooked Medium Shrimp from Sam’s Club and keeping it in my freezer, I can just whip it out and make these delicious bites within minutes.
I whipped up a batch of these as an appetizer a few weeks ago when my parents came over to visit the baby. Dinner was running a little behind and we were all getting hungry when I remembered I just picked up a bag of the frozen shrimp and dressing while I was at Sam’s Club the day before. So with over 45 minutes until dinner would be ready, I made these to serve.

They were delicious and a hit with everyone. My parents were circling the kitchen waiting for me to make more.

Easy Shrimp Bruschetta
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
 
Ingredients: (all can be found at Sam’s Club)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 Bag Daily Chef™ Cooked Medium Shrimp
  • Olive Garden Signature Italian Dressing
  • Cherry Tomatoes 1/2 container
  • Fresh Basil
  • Fresh Italian Bread
Step 1: Slice bread and place under broiler for 1-2 minutes to toast lightly.
Step 2: Remove desired amount of shrimp from bag and run under cool water to defrost.
Step 3: Mix chopped tomatoes, shrimp and 1 cup of Olive Garden Signature Dressing in a bowl. Toss lightly.
Step 4: Spoon marinated shrimp onto bread and garnish with a piece of fresh basil.
Thats it. Super easy to make and tastes amazing.

 

Sam’s Club carries a variety of quality seafood options at great prices. Visit Sam’s Club Seafood for exclusive online offers.

Be sure to check out the corporate website for more information on sustainability.

From February through April 1st, certain Sam’s Club locations will be holding seafood demos where you can discover new delicious new favorites like Sam’s Club Easy Marinated Shrimp.  Demo times vary depending on the Club but most demos take place between 11am – 4pm. Check this list of stores to see if your Club is participating.

I’ve shared one of my easy go-to family appetizer recipes with you. Now I’d love to hear what your favorite go-to appetizer is. Leave a comment below.

Dawn

Chicken Teriyaki Bites Recipe

Anytime I have a party or get together, my first thought is always food. What am I going to serve, how much of this do I need, what about the kids. So when this year’s Disney Side at Home Celebration box arrived, I was really excited to see this Soy Vay Veri Veri Teryaki Sauce included. I never heard of it before so I knew the party would be the perfect excuse to try it out. Since I was serving mostly appetizer type foods, I knew exactly what I would make – Chicken Teriyaki Bites. I’m so glad I did, they were delicious.

They were really easy to make and only required three ingredients.  To cut down on the cooking times I used one of my favorite kitchen hacks, a cooked rotisserie chicken.

I made some the night before the party just to try them out and they were gone in minutes. Once the chicken was removed and shredded, I added the teriyaki sauce. I really didn’t measure, I just made sure to coat the chicken well.

Then I filled each phyllo shell with about one tablespoon of the chicken.

Don’t worry if they seem overly saucy, once they are heated in the oven they will dry out a bit.

Once they were all filled, I placed the tray in a 350º oven for about 10 minutes or just until the edges of the shells started to brown.

Since the chicken is already cooked I only wanted to warm them through.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a minute or two and then transfer to a serving plate (or eat them right from the tray like me!)

I served them on these fun Mickey Mouse platters to further show our Disney Side with a little more Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce for dipping. These little bites of deliciousness didn’t last long and even the kids liked them which is always a win in my book!

Dawn

Disclosure: I received this product as part of my Disney Side at Home Celebration box provided by MomSelect and Disney Parks. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 

Buffalo Chicken Bites


I’ve been in appetizer mode all week. The big game is tomorrow and I’ve trying out different recipes to serve during the game. Buffalo Chicken is a must but I wanted something a little different than wings. Since I’m a little obsessed with Phyllo Shells right now (I may or may not have a freezer full of them), I thought Buffalo Chicken Bites were in order.

I totally cheated with this recipe. I had a rotisserie chicken left over in the fridge that I needed to eat before it it went bad so this was really easy to make. I just shredded the chicken and added some wing sauce to it.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a rotisserie chicken to use, just cook your chicken however you want. If I didn’t have that on hand, I would have just boiled the chicken. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it and mix with sauce. Add as much as you need to make the chicken nice and wet. It will dry up a bit in the oven.
Give the sauce and chicken a nice mix. Fill the phyllo shells with a spoonful of chicken and bake in a 350º oven for about 10 minutes. You just want to brown the shells a bit and warm up the chicken.
Top with a piece of celery and serve warm.

 

Do you have  a favorite Buffalo Chicken recipe?

Dawn

Chicken & Bacon Mini Empanada Recipe #FarmlandRecipes

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Farmland® and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions are my own.

#ForTheLoveofTheGame #FarmlandRecipes #LatinaBloggers

 

ChickenEmpanada

Next weekend my house will be full of some football fans and even though none of our teams are playing this year, it will still be a fun party with some of our closest friends and family. Of course, I’m in charge of cooking so this weekend, I’ve been busy planning out our menu. Since I’ve been on a bacon kick lately, I made this Chicken & Bacon Mini Empanadas with delicious  Farmland® Bacon. These little bites of chicken and bacon deliciousness will be the hit of your next party. They are that good!

ChickenEmpanadas

Empanadas or Pastelillos (depending on what you call them) are a favorite of mine. I love how versatile they are and you can really make them any way you want, with any filling you want. Instead of making them their typical size, I made them into bite sized pieces perfect for an appetizer and for dipping. And I made them with bacon. Delicious Farmland® bacon. Bacon just makes everything better doesn’t it? Farmland® Bacon is slow smoked over real hardwood for maximum flavor.

See that yummy bacon in there? Mmmm. So good! For decades, Farmland® has taken pride in perfecting their curing and smoking technique and you can taste the difference in every bite. That’s why Farmland® is my favorite choice for bacon.

Even taking the extra step to make them mini sized, they were still an easy appetizer to make. I had to stop my family from running into the kitchen and sneaking them off the plate while I was cooking them.

First you need to cook your chicken and bacon. I cooked about 1 pound of chicken breast to equal the 2 cups of shredded chicken you’ll need for the recipe. I simply boiled the chicken to make it easy to shred.

While the chicken is cooking, cook about 6-8 pieces of bacon.

While the chicken is cooking, roll and cut out your discs. You could totally make homemade dough for these or if your pressed for time, the frozen discs you pick up in the spanish section of the grocery store are fine too. Since I was using the pre-made discs, I made sure to roll them out to about 7 inches round and used a circular sandwich cutter to cut two smaller circles out of each piece.  them aside until you are ready to fill them.

In a frying mix 2 tablespoons of Sofrito, 1 packet of Sazon and  1/4 teaspoon of Adobo with two chopped scallions, the bacon and chicken and 3 tablespoons of water.

Let that cook together for about 5 minutes stirring together to allow all the seasonings to mix.

Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan and begin filling the empanada discs.

Fill each empanada shell with about 1 tablespoon of the chicken & bacon filling and top with a little cheddar cheese.
Fold the shell over and seal the edges.
Cook the empanadas in the oil allowing to cook on each side 2-3 minutes or until they are a nice golden brown color. Remove from oil and let them cool and drain on a paper towel.
Serve with a side of salsa or just as they are.
Chicken & Bacon Mini Empanadas
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups of shredded chicken breast (about 1 pound)
  • Farmland® Bacon (6 pieces cooked and crumbled)
  • 1 package of empanada discs
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 2 tbsp. Sofrito
  • 1 packet Sazon
  • 1 tsp. Adobo
  • 3 tbsp. water
  • 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Makes approximately  mini empanadas.

Step 1: Cook your chicken and shred. Cook 6 pieces of bacon and crumble once cool.

Step 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add Sofrito, Sazon, water and scallions to the pan and whisk it around.

Step 3: Add chicken and Farmland® bacon. Mix together very well to coat the chicken and bacon in the seasonings. Allow to simmer until the excess water burns off. About 3-5 minutes. Remove filling from heat and place in a bowl.

Step 4: Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan while you assemble the empanadas.

Step 5: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the Chicken & Bacon filling into each empanada shell. Top with a little shredded cheese and fold over. Make sure you seal the edges well so nothing leaks out. Use a fork press the edges together.

Step 6: By now, the oil should be nice and hot. Using a slotted spoon or pair of tongs, gently place the empanadas into the oil. Allow them to cook about 2-3 minutes on each side. Check them so they don’t cook too fast and burn. If the oil isn’t hot enough, they may need to cook a few minutes longer on each side. I cooked them in batches about 10 at a time.

Step 7: Remove empanadas from the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Once all the empanadas are cooked, serve with some salsa and enjoy.

A few things to note for this recipe. First, you totally don’t have to make mini empanandas. If you want more of a meal or just like them bigger, follow the same instructions and use each empanada disc as is (you still need to roll it out a bit). Second, you can also bake these in the oven. Before you ask, yes I did try them both ways and they are both delicious. If you decide to cook them in the oven, brush the empanadas with a little olive oil and cook in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they start to turn a nice golden brown.

Do you have a favorite empanada recipe? I’d love to hear your favorites!

Dawn

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