Taco Pockets from Kristie Hawkins

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 packet taco seasoning

3/4 cup pinto beans

16 wonton wrappers

5 tablespoons queso cheese dip

1 cup chunky salsa

1 cup shredded cheese

(makes 8 individual pockets)

sour cream and guacamole (optional) for serving

1.  Preheat oven to 375*

2.  Lightly spray 8 cups in a muffin pan with cooking spray

3.  Brown ground beef in a frying pan and season with taco seasoning

4.  Combine pinto beans with meat and continue to cook until warmed through

5.  Push wonton wrappers into muffin pan

6.  Spoon a teaspoon of queso dip in the bottom of each wonton wrapper

7.  Spoon 2 teaspoons of meat and bean mixture on top of queso

8.  Top with 1 teaspoon of salsa and shredded cheese

9.  Press one more wonton wrapper on top of mixture and repeat layers with the salsa and cheese being on top

10. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

11. Top with sour cream, guacamole, or other toppings if desired

For Pizza Sake! – Hot Pizza Dip by Carrie VanBoven

2 cups chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped red onions

1 cup chopped turkey pepperoni

1 Tbls dried oregano

2 – 8 oz pkg lite cream cheese

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix

1 cup light sour cream

2 cups mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

1 cup pizza sauce

4 Tbls minced green onions

Spray skillet with cooking spray. Cook mushrooms, onions, turkey pepperoni & oregano over medium heat until veggies are softened. Remove from hear & set aside.

In bowl, beat together cream cheese, ranch dip mix, sour cream until smooth. Stir in shredded cheese. Spread cheese mixture evenly over bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spread pizza sauce over top. Spread vegetable-pepperoni mixture over sauce. Sprinkle with green onions.

Bake at 350° uncovered for 25 – 30 minutes, until mixture is hot and bubbly. Serve with pita wedges, tortilla chips or crackers.

Jalapeno Surprise from Isabel Rios

 1 - 8 Oz package of cream cheese softened

1 bunch of cilantro

10 jalapeno peppers

1 small red onion

1 package of bacon of your choice

1 pkg of tooth picks

Cut up half of the cilantro in small pieces. Cut up the onion in small pieces. Combine the cilantro and the onion with the soften cream cheese and set aside. Wear disposable gloves. Cut the jalapeno peppers in half. Cut out the seeds and set aside. If you like it hot you can combine the seeds with the cream cheese mix. Combine all items until mixed well. Fill in the jalapeno with the cream cheese mix until all are done. Then wrap the jalapeno with the bacon and secure them with a tooth pick to keep all ingredints together. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until bacon is crisp and jalapeno is soft. Enjoy!

***Tune in to the Lakeshore Morning Corps Wednesday Morning to find out who will pocket the Meijer $500 Gift Card when we get to taste the recipes and vote on the winner LIVE!

Bacon Bites by Jim Yadlosky

• 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup scallions, sliced, white and green
• 20 slices soft white bread
• 1 pound lean bacon

1. Mix together the cheeses until smooth. Stir in the peppers and scallions until evenly distributed; set aside.

2. Trim the crusts from the slices of bread.

3. Once the bread is trimmed, spread the slices with the filling, covering it completely.

4. Roll the bread up from the short side, pressing down just enough to make it stick to itself.

5. Wrap a slice of bacon and wrap it around the roll, overlapping the bacon to cover the bread completely. If you need more than one bacon slice, tuck the end of the second bacon slice under the end of the first. Trim the bacon when you get to the top of the roll.

6. Freeze the wrapped rolls for 30 minutes to firm them up.

7. To bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.

8. Slice the rolls in thirds and place on the baking sheet, cut side down. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (5 minutes longer if baking from frozen), until the bacon is crisp and the tops are golden brown.

9. Remove from the oven and place on a serving platter; let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Touchdown Super Shrooms by Jilly Barnes

You will need a bowl, a Pizza pan or casserole dish, an oven or microwave.. and you can make ahead of time.. warning I can never make enough of them.. this amount will tease about  20 people..

4 package of fresh Meijer organic mushrooms., 3 pkgs of green onions chopped up, 4 dinner rolls dried and  shredded for crumbs ( about 2 cups of fluffy crumbs),  ½ cup of  real butter, ½ tsp of sage, 1 ½ tsp of garlic powder, 1 ½ tsp of sweet basil. 1 tsp of salt, 1/3 cup of parmesans cheese. 4 strips of bacon fried crispy  for bits. Pkg shredded mozzarella cheese..(8 oz.)

I pull stems out of Mushrooms, place tops on oven safe pan or microwaveable dish dome side down so you can fill them.. chop of stems, mix with chopped green onion and bread roll crumbs. Sprinkle in Sage, garlic, sweet basil, salt and parmesan cheese and mix all up  .. Melt butter and stir into mix..pack into mushroom tops.. sprinkle  crispy bacon bits on top and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese… usually have extra filling left and I make little balls to fill in around the mushrooms.   I like to bake in 325 oven til cheese on top is melted.. about 20 minutes.. I have also microwaved till cheese melts. Enjoy!

Sausage Won-Tons by Laura Hilliard

Ingredients:

    - 1 lb. sausage ( italian, sweet italian, hot...whatever your personal preference ) browned & drained

    - 1 bunch of green onions, tops only chopped fine

    - 1/2 cup ranch dressing

    - 8oz shredded cheddar cheese

    - 1/2 green pepper chopped small

    - 1/2 red pepper chopped small

    - *1 pkg. won-ton wraps ( **see note below ) pre-baked in the shape of small cups OR a bag of Tostitos tortilla scoops

Main Recipe:

    - Brown sausage, drain.

    - Add cheese, green onions, red & green peppers & ranch dressing.

    - Stir until mixed evenly,( I like the cheese to be melted for filling cups )

    - Fill ( do not overstuff, we are feeding a lot of people ) pre-baked won-ton cups*, or Tostitos tortilla scoops fresh from the bag

    - Place on a cookie sheet with sides ( only use whole cups or filling will melt out during final baking )

    - Bake in 350 degree oven 10 - 15 minutes, or until filling is hot

    - Serve immediately ( the crowd likes them hot, but I guarantee no leftovers, they are even good cold )

 * Preparation of won-ton cups ( can be done days before you are making the dish ):

**For easier prep, use a bag of Tostitos tortilla scoops instead of making the won-ton square cups

    - Preheat oven to 350 degrees

    - Place one won-ton square in each mini cupcake spot and form a bowl out of each square ( mini-cups are best, but we have used regular cupcake pans )

    - Bake cups in oven until golden brown and crispy

    - Remove and allow to cool ( place in zip-lock for storage )

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