If you are anything like me, then you are always looking for tasty and unique appetizer recipes to create. I love making them simple and loaded with flavor.
These Pork BBQ Crostini pieces hit both of the goals. They are both simple and very tasty! They make the perfect addition to a backyard bbq, a holiday party, or a get together with friends.
All of the ingredients are easily available at your local grocery store.
Pork BBQ Crostini
(recipe makes 12-15 crostini)
(printable recipe at the end of this post)
1 Pork Loin
sprinkle of Garlic Powder
sprinkle of Black Pepper
1 medium White Onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
2-3 squirts of Mustard
1 loaf of Crostini
Southwestern Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream (1 tablespoon each crostini)
Salsa
The pork loin I bought was sealed in air proof packaging, so I opened it and rinsed the pork loin under cold running water. Pat it dry, then sprinkle the pork with black pepper and garlic powder. I love using both of these spices on pork. They lend an incredibly wonderful flavor. Place on a preheated grill at 350 degrees.
As the pork begins to get grill marks on it, turn the pork, side to side, so it will end up completely cooked. It should be cooked to between 150 degrees and 160 degrees, which is medium rare, to be safe to eat.
When you check the temperature, check it in the thickest area of the meat, which is almost always the center of the pork. If it is not to temperature, simply continue to grill until it reaches the temperature destination.
I used a white onion, simply because I like them. A red or yellow onion will also work perfectly. Slice the onion into thin slices. The amount of onion to use depends on how much you like onion. Sauté the onions in butter on the stove.
Mix together the BBQ sauce and the mustard.
Slice the crostini into thin slices, about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Toast the crostini. The crostini can be made without being toasted but toasting delivers a wonderful flavor.
Start building the crostini. Spread the mustard mix on the top of the bread. Add the cheese, pork, and then the onions. You can place them in an oven if desired. You can also place the crostini under a broiler. Just be careful, as it will only take a minute. The crostini will taste fantastic either way!
Serve the crostini and enjoy! Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed this recipe!
Please continue down the page to find a printable copy of this recipe, and to find the list of bloggers who joined me in this fun challenge!
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BBQWeek. The sponsors Rainier Foods and Intensity Academy generously provided samples to participants to aid in the creation of the #BBQWeek recipes and prize packages to give away to the readers. However, all opinions are mine alone.
Today, for #BBQWEEK I have a fun and tasty side dish for you that you will love! This dish makes the perfect addition to your next picnic or backyard BBQ. But I think you will find yourself making this easy appetizer over and over, all year long. This is a fun and tasty Cowboy Caviar.
This dish might remind you of a salsa, and it is very similar, but with more flavors! Serve with crackers or pita bread, for an amazing side dish or appetizer. Cowboy Caviar is rich with flavors such as chili peppers, pinto beans, and onion, just to name a few, and you will love them! I like to make this tasty appetizer the day before it will be served. The ingredients have time to meld together for a fantastic flavor, creating a dish you will make again and again!
COWBOY CAVIAR
(printable recipe at end of page)
2/3 cup mix Red, Yellow & Orange Bell Peppers
2/3 cup mix of Yellow & Red Mini Tomatoes
1/2 cup White Onion
1/2 cup Roma Tomatoes
1 ear mixed Yellow and White Corn
1/4 cup Green Onion
1 cup Pinto Beans
1/2 cup Black Eyed Peas
1/2 teaspoon Jalapeno Pepper
squeeze of a Lime
1 tablespoon Sour Cream
1/2 Avocado
Tortilla Chips
Flatbread
Chop red, yellow, and orange peppers into small pieces.
Chop tomatoes into small pieces, as shown.
Dice the white onion into small pieces.
Chop the Roma tomatoes into small bite sized pieces.
Cut small slices of the green onion and add it to the mix.
Boil or cook the corn in the microwave, on high for 3-4 minutes, depending on the size. I used a yellow and white mix combo corn cob, but all white or all yellow will work also. Once the corn is cool, cut the corn off the cob. Some of the corn will cut into small pieces and some into bigger pieces. The pieces will separate once you add them to the mix.
Chop the cilantro into small pieces.
Add the pinto beans,
the black-eyed peas,
and the chopped jalapeno.
Squeeze the lime over the ingredients, then mix together.
Add sour cream to the bowl.
Mix everything together.
Cut the avocado into small chunks. Mix them into the bowl. Leave a few chunks to top the bowls.
Serve with tortilla chips and flatbread wedges.
Helpful hints:
*Add the avocado right before serving. By doing this you are helping the avocado maintain it's structure.
* I used fresh ingredients in this recipe, except for the canned pinto and black beans.
* The corn can be boiled or grilled, instead of cooked in the microwave.
Take a look at all the other #BBQWEEK food bloggers who are participating today, and check out their fun and tasty recipes. They all look amazing, giving you a lot of inspiration for summer meals, cookouts, and get togethers!
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BBQWeek. The sponsors, Rainier Foods and Intensity Academy generously provided samples to participants to aid in the creation of the #BBQWeek recipes and prize packages to give away to the readers. However, all opinions are mine alone.
Thank you #BBQWeek sponsors Saucy Queen and Rainier Foods for donating the prizes for this event. The #BBQWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner are checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning.
Two (2) winners are selected at random from entries received. The prize packages are fulfilled by and sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. #BBQWeek bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household are not eligible to enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #BBQWeek posts or entries.
Welcome to the third annual #BBQWeek hosted by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures. We are excited to have 15 bloggers sharing over 50 recipes this week as we head toward grilling season. The amazing sponsors have donated some great prizes for the #BBQWeek giveaway. The giveaway is below, but make sure to read about the prize packages and our generous sponsors!
Intensity Academy Saucy Queen Prize Package
The Intensity Academy Saucy Queen has competed in the fiery food industry for over 15 years. Her all-natural gourmet hot sauces have more than 55 national awards. In 2019, the Saucy Queen earned the Tampa Bay Businesswoman of the Year in Manufacturing, Business Leader’s Woman Extraordinaire and Working Women of Tampa Bay’s! Not only does she sell amazing sauces, spice mixes, and dips, but she has anchored her career in service and non-profit organizations and helping local companies take their products from recipe to store shelves.
A prize package of 4 popular sauces:
Carrot Karma – A mild hot sauce made from a blend of carrots, habaneros, and a touch of lime.
Garlic Goodness – An essential garlic hot sauce! Each batch contains over 100 pounds of slow roasted garlic.
Honey Hype – A blend of crystalized honey natural rub. The crystalized honey melts perfectly over meats and veggies.
Chai Sweet Chili – A light sauce made with peppers and organic Chai tea that won the 2012 Golden Chile award.
Rainier Foods Prize Package
Life's too short for boring food, spice it up with Rainier Foods. Rainier Foods is a family company located in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. They have a dedication to provide premium quality food products. Rainier Foods can source the best ingredients available to help you create delicious meals which sets them apart from other companies. All their products are made locally ensuring their products are the best that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. A portion of all sales are donated to the Washington National Park Fund.
A prize package of a meat thermometer and trio of spice mixes:
Meater+ wire-free meat thermometer – monitor your cooking from a phone or tablet. Monitors internal and ambient temperature at the same time.
The Essentials Seasoning – Salt, garlic, and pepper are the essentials of most seasonings. Three different types of sea salt blend with garlic and pepper in this delicious seasoning.
Smoky Honey Seasoning & Rub – Made with Pacific Northwest clover honey, Cherrywood Smoked Sea Salt, and Smoked Paprika. This seasoning blend creates a deliciously sticky and sweet flavor on anything you grill.
Gochu (Go-Choo) Seasoning & Rub – Gochugaru Chilis combine with sea salt and pepper along with a few other spices makes this blend unique adding an unmatchable flavor profile to everything you cook.
If you are looking for a tasty, and easy New Year's Eve recipe for your family and guests, Grilled Party Kabobs are for you! They are full of good-for-you ingredients, for those new year's resolutions, and they are fresh and tasty, so you will want to make them again and again!
Grilled Party Kabobs
(makes approx. 2 dozen kabobs)
(printable recipe at end of page)
1 small blue Baby Potato per kabob
1 lb. raw Chicken Breast
1 small Cherry Tomato per kabob
1 medium/large Red Onion
1 package medium length wooden skewers
There are just a few ingredients in the recipe, making it easy to put together, with products you probably already have in your kitchen. Cut the onion into long, thin pieces. It will give a fun look to the kabob!
Start by rinsing the potatoes in the sink. These potatoes are easily found at the grocery. The size works perfect for the kabobs. They are from Melissas's Produce. The bag includes several colors, all of which would be perfect for this recipe. You could mix them up too!
Once you decide on the color you want to use, place the potatoes in a bowl and add a little bit of water. Place in microwave for 2-3 minutes. You are just letting the potatoes get a head start on the cooking, because they take a bit longer to grill than the other ingredients on the stick.
Cut the chicken breast into small bite size pieces, thick enough to cook on the skewers. If your pieces are cut too thin the meat will cook faster than the other food on your stick. Sprinkle your chicken with garlic powder and black pepper.
Put your skewers together. I styled these to be appetizers, so I used one of each vegetable and 2 pieces of chicken. Putting the onion in a circle makes for a fun and pretty look.
Grill for approx. 10-15 minutes, turning the skewers to grill evenly.
Add a favorite dipping sauce, or several to the party tray!
Thank so much for checking out my Grilled Party Kabobs for your new Years Eve Party or holiday get together!
Find the printable version of this recipe at the end of the page.
Enjoy these tasty recipes from my fellow bloggers:
These Grilled Party Kabobs are perfect for your upcoming New Years Eve celebration! Make them earlier in the day for quick and easy party prep!
Ingredients
Grilled Party Kabobs
1 small blue Baby Potato per kabob
1 lb. raw Chicken Breast
1 small Cherry Tomato per kabob
1 medium/large Red Onion
1 package medium length wooden skewers
Instructions
There are just a few ingredients in the recipe, making it easy to put together, with products you probably already have in your kitchen. Cut the onion into long, thin pieces. It will give a fun look to the kabob!
Start by rinsing the potatoes in the sink. These potatoes are easily found at the grocery. The size works perfect for the kabobs. They are from Melissas's Produce. The bag includes several colors, all of which would be perfect for this recipe. You could mix them up too!
Once you decide on the color you want to use, place the potatoes in a bowl and add a little bit of water. Place in microwave for 2-3 minutes. You are just letting the potatoes get a head start on the cooking, because they take a bit longer to grill than the other ingredients on the stick.
Cut the chicken breast into small bite size pieces, thick enough to cook on the skewers. If your pieces are cut too thin the meat will cook faster than the other food on your stick. Sprinkle your chicken with garlic powder and black pepper.
Put your skewers together. I styled these to be appetizers, so I used one of each vegetable and 2 pieces of chicken. Putting the onion in a circle makes for a fun and pretty look.
Grill for approx. 10-15 minutes, turning the skewers to grill evenly.
Add a favorite dipping sauce, or several to the party tray!
All rights reserved for The Freshman Cook
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @thefreshmancook on instagram and hashtag it #NYE Party Kabobs
I am so glad you are here!! This week I will be sharing three recipes with you, all of them containing cranberries in some way or another. I am joining a group of bloggers that are also sharing cranberry recipes. The week is for sharing inspiration and tasty ideas for a great Thanksgiving! Enjoy!
I created these Cranberry Pecan Cake Balls in the tradition of the dessert cake balls, but I really think they make amazing appetizers also. Instead of using icing to cover the cake balls, they are not covered at all, except for a few sprinkles.
The batter can be made ahead of time, by 2-3 days, and refrigerated until you are ready to bake. I baked these muffins in an air fryer. It was quick and easy. Of course you can bake them in your oven, and I have included directions for both methods.
Cranberry Pecan Cake Balls
(makes 20-25 cake balls)
(printable recipe at end of page)
3 cups all purpose Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 tbl. Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon baking Soda
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
1 beaten Egg
1 2/3 cup Milk
1/4 cup cooking Oil
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
3/4 cup chopped Pecans
bag of white chocolate chips
small sticks to hold cake balls
Sprinkles
In a large mixing bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, orange peel and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the bowl, and set aside.
In a medium size bowl mix together the egg, milk and oil, the chopped pecans and chopped cranberries. Pour contents of the bowl into the dry ingredients.
Set your air fryer or oven temperature to 350 degrees. I made these in muffin cups because we are in the middle of moving at the moment, and they are what I had available. They worked perfectly, and they took 5-6 minutes to cook. If you are using an oven, they should take approx. 12 minutes. Let them cool completely.
Make all of the muffins. I like this recipe because if you need to stop before you are done baking, just put anything perishable in the fridge and everything else in a zip lock bag or a container to keep the muffins fresh. Come back to them when you can!
Place muffins in the zip lock bag until it is about half full. Close the bag. From the outside first, begin to crush the muffins into small pieces. As the muffins transform into small pieces, place the pieces into a large mixing bowl. Continue to crush the cake into the small pieces until all the pieces are crushed and in the plastic bag.
While you are crushing the muffins, heat a cup of the white chocolate chips, on low, until they are melted.
As the white chocolate melts and then cools, start to add a little at atime to the crushed muffins in the bag. Integrate the white chocolate into the crushed muffins by squeezing on the outside of the bag to mix it all together. By adding a little at a time, you won't end up with a mushy cake ball. As you mix in the white chocolate you should see it disappear into the mix. You should also get a feel for how much more white chocolate you might need. You want the white chocolate to help form the ball. As you form the balls, the white chocolate should disappear into the ball itself. Refrigerate the balls if you need to stop until another time to finish these.
I wanted to add a bit of color to the pops, so I dipped the very bottom edge into a bowl of autumn nonpareils. I didn't want to dip the entire cake ball into frosting. The flavor of the cake is amazing and I was worried it would hide the flavor. This worked great. The nonpareils give a pop of flavor, but don't overshadow the incredible fresh flavor of the cake balls. Also, the nonpareils stuck to the cake balls with no frosting or anything to hold them on.
Thank you for stopping by today for day 1 of #CranberryWeek! I hope you are having fun checking out all the recipes. On Wednesday, stop by for a Cranberry Chutney recipe and on Friday, I will have a Cranberry and Brie Wonton recipe to share! YUM!
Scroll down for a printable recipe that makes this recipe easier to follow, and scroll down to find a list of all of my blogging friends that posted amazing cranberry recipes today! Have fun!
Welcome to Cranberry Week!
This week we are celebrating all things cranberry! We have delicious recipes from across the country to celebrate all things cranberry!
#CranberryWeek is an annual blogging event that is hosted by Ashley from Cheese Curd In Paradise
Here's a printable copy of the recipe! Enjoy it, and let me know what you think!
cranberries, pecans, cake balls, white frosting, air fryer recipe, oven recipe, fall treats, appetizers, desserts, make ahead
dessert or appetizer
American
Yield: 20-25 cake balls
Author: The Freshman Cook
Cranberry Pecan Cake Balls
These fun cake balls are perfect as an appetizer or a dessert. They can be made ahead of time, making the day of your event a little less stressful.
Ingredients
Cranberry Pecan Cake Balls
3 cups all purpose Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 tbl. Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon baking Soda
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
1 beaten Egg
1 2/3 cup Milk
1/4 cup cooking Oil
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
3/4 cup chopped Pecans
bag of white chocolate chips
small sticks to hold cake balls
Sprinkles
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, orange peel, baking soda. Make a well in the center of the bowl, and set aside. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
In a medium size bowl mix together the egg, milk and oil, the chopped pecans and chopped cranberries. Pour contents of the bowl into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Set your air fryer or oven temperature to 350 degrees. I made these in muffin cups because we are in the middle of moving at the moment, and they are what I had available. They worked perfectly, and they took 5-6 minutes to cook. If you are using an oven, they should take approx. 12 minutes. Let them cool completely.
Make all of the muffins. This recipe is great, because if you need to stop before you are done baking, just put anything perishable in the fridge and everything else in a zip lock bag or a container that will keep the muffins fresh. Come back to them when you can!
Place muffins in the zip lock bag until it is about half full. Close the bag. From the outside first, begin to crush the muffins into small pieces. As the muffins transform into small pieces, place the pieces into a large mixing bowl. Continue to crush the cake into the small pieces until all the pieces are crushed and in the plastic bag.
While you are crushing the muffins, heat some of the white chocolate chips, on low, until they start to melt and then mix them together.
As the white chocolate melts and then cools, start to add a little at a time to the crushed muffins in the bag. Integrate the white chocolate into the crushed muffins by squeezing on the outside of the bag to mix it all together. By adding a little at a time, you won't end up with a mushy cake ball. As you mix in the white chocolate you should see it disappear into the mix. You should also get a feel for how much more white chocolate you might need. You want the white chocolate to help form the ball. It should disappear into the ball itself. Refrigerate the balls if you need to stop until another time to finish these.
I wanted to add a bit of color to the pops, so I dipped the very bottom edge into a bowl of autumn nonpareils. I didn't want to dip the entire cake ball into frosting. The flavor of the cake is amazing and I was worried it would hide the flavor. This worked great. The nonpareils give a pop of flavor, but don't overshadow the incredible fresh flavor of the cake balls. Also, the nonpareils stuck to the cake balls with no frosting or anything to hold them on.
