Go Ahead and Invite the Whole Gang Over. Wow Them With These Snacks!

Have you cut back on going out due to the current economic climate?  Or perhaps you just prefer to stay home and entertain.  Whether for a game of cards, movie watching, game watching, etc, the recipes in this article will allow you to entertain, serve tasty snacks, and spend very little time in preparation!  This variety of recipes includes Barbecue Cups, Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pecans, Homemade Caramelcorn, and Chili con Queso Appetizers.

BARBECUE CUPS
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 can refrigerated flaky biscuits
1/2 cup favorite barbecue sauce
1 tsp minced onion
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly brown the ground beef with the minced onion; drain well.

Return meat to the skillet and add the barbecue sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.

Form the biscuits into the cups of muffin tins. Fill each biscuit with the meat mixture.

Bake cups at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until biscuits are browned. Remove from oven and sprinkle each cup with the cheddar cheese before serving.

BROWN SUGAR AND CINNAMON PECANS
These nuts are great to have sitting around at parties but they are also good to put a handful into a zipper-type snack bag and stick in a lunchbox.

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon pecan-praline flavored ground coffee*
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (omit if too hot for childrens lunchboxes)
2 cups pecan halves

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, coffee, orange juice, cinnamon, and red pepper, if using. Stir well to mix. Stir in the pecans, coating well. Remove from the heat.

Spread the coated pecans on a lightly greased 15 x 10-inch jellyroll pan and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring at 5 minutes and at 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Break nuts apart.

*Or other flavored coffee of your choice.
Yield: 2 cups

HOMEMADE CARAMELCORN
28 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
2 tbsp cold water
2 1/2 quarts freshly popped corn

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly butter a cookie sheet that has sides; set aside.

In a large glass measuring cup, put the caramels and water. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes; stir. Continue microwaving on high for another 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the sauce is smooth and the caramels melted. Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn; toss until popcorn is well coated. Spread onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Break into bite-sized pieces.

CHILI CON QUESO APPETIZERS
4 eggs
1/2 cup Thick & Chunky style salsa
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 green onion, chopped
sour cream, if desired
additional salsa, if desired

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 24 muffin cups; set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, salsa, flour, and chili powder together well. Stir in the cheese and green onion.

Spoon about 1 full tablespoonful of the mixture into each of the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees about 10 minutes or until golden brown. May be served warm or at room temperature.

Serve with small bowls of additional salsa and/or sour cream, if desired.

Enjoy!