Single serving snacks for safer entertaining

Happy race week! 

If you’re not from Indiana, you may not realize this, but the Indianapolis 500 race is a HUGE deal. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to the little town of Speedway to be part of the festivities and watch the race.

But the race experience this year will be very different. No fans are allowed due to the global pandemic. 

Normally, the race is blacked out for central Indiana residents, but because of the current circumstances, the blackout was lifted, which means for just the fourth time in Indy 500 history, locals can watch the race live.

It’s very exciting for a lot of fans, and many are planning watch parties. However, I want to circle back and remind everyone that the reason you can watch the race is because of the global pandemic.

That being said, it isn’t practical to carry on with entertaining in the same way we always have. Sharing popular party foods like chips and dip will also result in sharing germs. It’s even risky for everyone to use the same serving spoon. So I created several recipes which focus on individual-sized portions and will allow guests to enjoy their snacks in a safer way.

Before I share the recipes, I want to make it clear that the best ways to avoid getting the coronavirus are to keep a safe distance from everyone, wear a mask, and wash your hands. I also feel the need to say the safest watch party is outside with a small group.

Buffalo chicken wonton bites

Ingredients

• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup buffalo or hot sauce
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• Wonton wrappers
• Green onions to garnish, if desired

Directions

1. Combine cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, Greek yogurt, buffalo sauce and blue cheese in saucepan over medium heat
2. Stir ingredients until cheese is melted, or about 7 to 10 minutes
3. Remove saucepan from heat and fold in chicken
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
5. Spray muffin tin (mini or regular) with nonstick spray
6. Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin tin cavity, pressing down gently 
7. Bake in oven for about 8 minutes, or until wonton wrappers start to brown
8. Remove from oven and spoon buffalo chicken dip into each wonton cup
9. Return to oven and bake another 5 to 8 minutes, or until wontons are golden brown
10. Top with sliced green onions and additional blue cheese if desired

Baked Asian Pork Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground pork
• Hoisin sauce
• 1 head butter lettuce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line baking sheet that has raised edges with aluminum foil and set aside
3. Combine egg, almond flour, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, pepper, and salt in bowl
4. Add ground pork to bowl and use hands to mix ingredients together until just combined
5. Use hands to form 1-inch meatballs and place them onto baking sheet
6. Bake for 10 minutes; switch oven to broil and broil meatballs until browned, or about 3 minutes
7. Remove meatballs from oven and drizzle hoisin sauce on top
8. Separate lettuce leaves from head of butter lettuce and place 1 meatball into each lettuce leaf before serving

Hummus phyllo cups

Ingredients

• 1 box mini phyllo shells (found in freezer section at grocery store)
• 1/2 cup hummus
• 1/4 cup cucumber, finely diced 
• 1/4 cup tomatoes, finely diced
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 Tablespoons parsley, mined

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place phyllo shells onto baking sheet and bake 5 minutes
3. Remove from oven and let cool several minutes
4. Fill shells with 1 teaspoon hummus
5. Divide cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, and parsley evenly between the shells

Peanut butter and jelly grilled cheese with bacon

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I wanted to create a few state fair-themed recipes in honor of the Indiana State Fair that was supposed to start on Friday but unfortunately isn’t happening this year.

One of my favorite things to do at the state fair is visit the Indiana Dairy Association’s Dairy Bar. They serve a variety of grilled cheeses, milkshakes, and ice cream. It’s always delicious!

Each year the Dairy Bar features a unique specialty grilled cheese. So in honor of the Dairy Bar, I created my own unique grilled cheese sandwich: Peanut Butter and Jelly Grilled Cheese with Bacon!

Before I explain my grilled cheese creation, I want to preface it by saying I don’t add ingredients to a recipe without first having a clear vision for their purpose in the dish.

That being said, I’m going to tell you why this sandwich works so well and what role each of the key ingredients plays.

Here is the list of key ingredients: peanut butter, raspberry jelly, cream cheese, white cheddar cheese, and bacon.

I’m going to start by explaining the role peanut butter plays because its role in the grilled cheese sandwich probably raises the most eyebrows. First, let me bring up the fact that nuts are commonly found on cheese plates. That being said, pairing a nut spread with cheese isn’t that much different. Peanut butter adds a level of decadence and savory sweetness that is nonexistent on grilled cheese sandwiches without it. I recommend using a “natural” or no-sugar added peanut butter. My favorite peanut butter is the peanut butter from Trader Joe’s that is made with just peanuts.

Raspberry jelly also plays into the sweet and savory flavor combination. Really, you could use any flavor of jelly, but I like raspberry because it has a strong flavor that doesn’t get dominated by the other ingredients.

Now I want to talk about the cheese combination: cream cheese and white cheddar cheese. There are two types of cheese you want when making grilled cheese: creamy and stringy. Cream cheese is smooth and rich; white cheddar cheese has really good “cheese pull,” it’s sharp, and it packs a punch. Also, the sharpness of the cheddar complements the sweet raspberry jelly. I used Challenge cream cheese for this recipe because I know they use hormone-free milk from local dairies, resulting in all-natural and high-quality products. 

And last but not least—bacon! It adds a salty crunch and plays into the combination of textures and flavors.

Peanut butter and jelly grilled cheese with bacon

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Challenge butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 2 Tablespoons natural, creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons seedless raspberry jelly
• 2 slices bacon, cooked
• 2 slices white cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened to room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat skillet over medium heat. 
2. Butter one side of one slice of bread with 1 Tablespoon butter. Place bread butter side down in skillet.
3. Spread peanut butter on bread while it’s in skillet. 
4. Spread jelly on top of peanut butter.
5. Top with bacon and cheese slice.
6. Take second piece of bread and spread cream cheese on it. Place bread on top of cheese with cream cheese side down to close up sandwich.
7. Spread the other 1 Tablespoon butter on top of the bread.
8. Cook until the bread on the bottom is golden brown, or about 3 minutes, and then flip over.
9. Continue cooking until cheese is melted. 
10. Serve immediately.

Fried baklava wontons

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

My favorite thing about the state fair is probably the sheer novelty of the wacky snacks people actually want to try. For example, I probably wouldn’t order a beef sundae or a pork parfait at a restaurant, but if it’s served at the state fair, count me in! I truly love over-the-top fair foods!

So as I was reflecting on state fairs from years past, I started thinking about which of my favorite foods would benefit from a “state fair makeover.” I decided to go with baklava—fried, covered in honey syrup, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

To do this, I filled wonton wrappers with a mixture of cream cheese, walnuts, sugar, honey, and a little cinnamon.

I used rich and creamy Challenge cream cheese because it's the only company I know that uses hormone free milk from local dairies.

Obviously, none of this is authentic, but the filling really encompasses the flavors of baklava.

I fried the baklava wontons in canola oil, and after they finished cooking, I drizzled them with a traditional baklava syrup made of honey, water, sugar, and cinnamon. And of course, a little sprinkle of powdered sugar on top makes everything better.

If you have issues with the wontons puffing up like pillows when you fry them, stick them in the freezer first—it doesn’t have to be for long, maybe a few minutes—and that should solve the issue.

Fried baklava wontons

Ingredients for the wontons

• 4 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3 ounces walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 24 wonton wrappers
• About 4 cups canola oil for deep frying

Ingredients for the syrup

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 teaspoon cinnamon)

Directions for the wontons

1. Combine walnuts, softened cream cheese, sugar, honey, and cinnamon.
2. Lay out wonton wrapper and moisten edges with water. 
3. Place 1 teaspoon filling into center of wonton wrapper,
4. Bring two opposite corners of wonton wrapper up to meet over filling and pinch seams together in a triangular shape, making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible while doing so.
5. Preheat 1 inch of oil in frying pan over medium heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Drop wontons into hot oil, turning occasionally for 2-3 minutes or until they’re golden brown and crispy. Make sure to not overcrowd pan.
7. Drain on paper towels.

Directions for syrup

1. Combine all syrup ingredients in saucepan and cook on medium heat.
2. Let syrup come to boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Drizzle syrup on top of wontons, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired, and serve.

Lime and Coconut Avocado Tart

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

One of the best things about avocados is they take on whatever flavors your pair with them, and they add a lot of creaminess to the dish while doing so.

So when I had the idea to make a lime and coconut tart with avocados, my husband was a little skeptical, but after trying it, he said it tasted like a very creamy key lime pie.

A couple of notes about this recipe.

1. The proportions in this recipe work best for one 9-inch springform pan. You’ll notice in the pictures I used a long tart pan, but that’s just because I wanted to try something new. If you make the recipe as is, it’s enough for about 1.5 long tart pans.
2. You can use frozen avocados, but make sure you unthaw them first. I used 3 avocados which weighed about 275 grams. It’s best to go by weight as opposed to number of avocados.
3. I haven’t had issues with the tart turning brown due to the avocados oxidizing, but make sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Fortunately, the lime juice also helps to stop it from turning brown.
4. Make sure you use coconut cream and not coconut milk. Coconut milk is a lot thiner than the cream and can prevent your filling from setting.
5. You can make this recipe by gluten-free by using gluten-free graham crackers.

I used Challenge cream cheese and butter for this recipe. Challenge products are my favorite because they use fresh milk and cream from local dairies, and they're put in the dairy case in just 24 hours, as opposed to 5-7 days, which is the case for most other brands.

Lime and Coconut Avocado Tart

Ingredients for the crust

• 1/2 cup (50 grams) coconut flakes
• 1 cup (100 grams) graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted Challenge butter, melted

Ingredients for the filling

• 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
• Zest of 2 limes ( about 4 teaspoons)
• 12 ounces Challenge cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 avocados (about 275 grams), peeled and pitted
• Juice of 2 limes (about 4 Tablespoons)
• 6 ounces coconut cream

Directions for the crust

1. Spray 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Toast coconut in frying pan (don’t add oil!) on low heat, stirring frequently until it starts to turn golden brown, or about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Add graham crackers, toasted coconut flakes, and sugar to food processor. Pulse to fine crumbs. 
5. Drizzle in butter and pulse until crumbs are coated and moist. 
6. Press crumb mixture into bottom of pan. 
7. Refrigerate while you make filling.

Directions for the filling

1. Place sugar and lime zest in food processor and pulse.
2. Add cream cheese and process until smooth.
3. Add avocados and lime juice and process until smooth.
4. Add coconut cream and process until smooth.
5. Pour filling over crust and smooth top.
6. Spray piece of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and gently place it on top of filling.
7. Refrigerate until set, or about 6 hours.
8. Remove plastic wrap and garnish with more toasted coconut, limes, and whipped cream if desired.

Recipe adapted from Food Network Kitchen

Avocado pasta

A delicious pasta sauce that’s gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, and vegan!

Avocado pasta sauce can best be described as creamy pesto. The avocados create an incredibly creamy and mild base without the heavy cream and butter in traditional cream sauces. 

The biggest key to creating a flavorful sauce is to use plenty of fresh herbs and garlic. Use whichever herbs you like best. I recommend a combination of basil and parsley, but you can also use cilantro. What’s most important is that you use fresh herbs because they pack more of a flavor punch than dry herbs.

The sauce will be thick, so I recommend using noodles that are strong enough to carry the sauce. For example, I would choose spaghetti or fettuccini over a thin pasta like angel hair pasta. Also, I don’t recommend using penne because the sauce is too thick for it to get in the inside of the noodle.

Avocados are known to oxidize and turn brown, so you may be wondering if the same thing will happen to the sauce. Fortunately, the lemon juice helps to keep it from turning brown, but it definitely tastes best on the first day when it’s fresh.

Another tip: Add the sauce to the pasta while it’s still warm so it absorbs more of the sauce and flavor. That’s why I recommend making the sauce before cooking the pasta.

My favorite way to eat the pasta is with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts, but you can serve it any way you like.

Avocado pasta sauce

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 12 ounces spaghetti or pasta of your choice

Directions

1. In a food processor, add flesh from avocados, garlic, basil, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until creamy. If sauce is too thick, add another Tablespoon of lemon juice.
2. Cook pasta per package directions
3. Gently toss pasta in pan with sauce. Add protein, veggies, cheese, or whatever other mix-ins you want.

Savory tomato and goat cheese corn cobbler

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I've been craving a savory cobbler ever since I made Blueberry Sweet Corn Cobbler for my family on the Fourth of July. I wanted to place an emphasis on using seasonal Indiana produce. Late summer is the peak of tomato season, so I thought tomatoes would be the perfect base for the filling of this cobbler. I added balsamic caramelized onions and goat cheese to the filling, which provided I really delightful contrast of flavors.

The emphasis of the role corn plays in this recipe is what makes it unique. The biscuits are comparable to cornbread; however, instead of using cornmeal to achieve the corn taste, I used the juiced from the fresh sweet corn.

I collected these juices by grating the uncooked corn with a box grater. It’s a messy process, but the milky, starchy pulp from the kernels is worth it.

Depending on the size and juiciness of your corn, you’ll need 3 to 4 ears to collect the 1 cup necessary for this recipe.

I used Challenge butter for the corn cobbler. What I like most about Challenge products is they use fresh, hormone-free milk, and they don't add any unnatural additives.

Tomato and goat cheese corn cobbler
Ingredients for the tomato filling

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sweet onion, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup flour (30 grams)
• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
• 8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 Tablespoon thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Ingredients for the corn cobbler

• 1 1/4 cups flour (150 grams)
• 2/3 cup (100 grams) medium or coarse-ground yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold Challenge unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 4 ears sweet yellow corn, uncooked (about 1 cup liquid)
• 3 Tablespoons honey

Directions for the filling

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease inside of 8-by-8-inch square casserole dish. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over low heat.
3. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent and it starts to brown (but not burn), about 10 minutes.
4. Pour in balsamic vinegar and cook until it’s mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in flour so it forms a paste. 
6. Stir in tomatoes, goat cheese, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
7. Transfer mixture to baking dish, spread in even layer, and set aside.

Directions for the corn cobbler

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Cut in butter using pastry blender or hands until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Using a box grater, grate corn in large bowl to collect its milky juices; discard corn cobs. Make sure your corn juice measures 1 cup. If not, grate another ear of corn.
4. Add corn juices to flour mixture and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Add honey and mix until you have a cohesive dough.
6. Use ice cream scoop to add cobbler on top of tomato filling.
7. Place casserole dish in oven and bake until cobbler biscuits are golden, about 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Ice Cream Pizza

This is a sponsored post by Hudsonville, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

For me, summer is synonymous with family time. I have sweet memories of vacations to Michigan, long bike rides around Mackinac Island, and cooling off with a scoop of ice cream from Sadie's Ice Cream Parlor.

Sadie's serves Hudsonville Ice Cream, which is a family-owned business that operates out of Michigan. They have more than 50 flavors, and I love sampling the wide variety. Plus, it's always very rich and creamy.

As I was thinking of cool treats to make this summer, I knew I wanted to incorporate Hudsonville Ice Cream, and I thought it would be fun to create an ice cream pizza that actually looks like a pizza.

I found Hudsonville Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream at Meijer, and I knew the tangy ice cream with tart strawberry swirls would complement a brown sugar cookie crust perfectly.

When I was ready to make my ice cream pizza, the first thing I did was move the ice cream carton from the freezer to the refrigerator. You want the ice cream to soften in the refrigerator for about 30 to 60 minutes before using it.

Then I prepared the cookie dough and pressed it into my favorite deep dish pizza pan. Forewarning: the pan I use is 14 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches deep, so it makes a very large ice cream pizza. If you prefer, you can use a regular pizza pan instead or make a "personal pan pizza" using a cake pan. You'll probably have leftover dough, but you can just freeze it to use on another occasion.

Once I baked the cookie crust and let it cool, the ice cream was soft enough to spread on top. I used the entire 48-ounce carton, but you may use less if your cookie crust is smaller. Then I stuck the ice cream pizza in the freezer while I prepared a strawberry topping.

I love how the strawberry topping on top of the ice cream looks like pizza sauce. To play up the pizza theme even more, I used a box grater on a bar of white chocolate, and the end result really looked like parmesan cheese. I recommend grating the white chocolate while the strawberry topping is cooling because you need to sprinkle it on top right after you spread on the topping.

Now for the final touch—pepperoni! Of course, I didn't use actual pepperoni; I used red candy melts!

You can use this same ice cream pizza recipe with any cookie and ice cream flavor combination. For example, it might be fun to try this with a brownie crust and Hudsonville's Traverse City Cherry Fudge ice cream or Hudsonville's Creamery Blend Vanilla ice cream. Or try it with a peanut butter cookie crust and Hudsonville's Bananas Foster ice cream!

I think one of the best parts about this dessert is it's meant to be shared with others, so no matter what your summer plans entail, you'll surely create sweet moments and memories serving up slices of ice cream pizza.

Use this Scoop Locator tool to find which Hudsonville flavors are available at your local grocery stores, and click here for the Sweetest Summer Ever coupon to get a discount on any flavor.

Ice Cream Pizza
Ingredients

Pizza toppings

• 1 (48 ounce) container of Hudsonville Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream
• 2 (4 ounce) bars of white chocolate
• 1/4 cup red candy melts

For the brown sugar cookie crust

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 2  eggs
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the strawberry topping

• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions
For the brown sugar cookie crust

1. Remove ice cream from freezer and place in refrigerator between 30 to 60 minutes before cookie crust will be done
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray pizza pan with nonstick spray
3. In large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract
5. In separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt
6. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until just combined
7. Press dough into prepared deep dish pizza pan and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown
8. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes
9. Spread ice cream in even layer on top of cookie crust and place in freezer

For the strawberry topping

1. Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat 
2. Bring mixture to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Mash the strawberries as you stir
3. Remove it from heat and allow it to cool
4. While it's cooling, grate the white chocolate using a fine box grater so it resembles parmesan cheese
5. Remove the ice cream pizza from the freezer and spread the strawberry topping on the ice cream
6. Immediately sprinkle the white chocolate on top and place the red candy melts on the pizza so it resembles pepperoni
7. Cover and store in freezer until you're ready to serve it