Trio of Fast Fabulous Retro Appetizers

    I'm not someone who enjoys  munching on  green onions as-is, but I sure rely  on them for great cooking flavor.  All are 80's flashbacks, reliable and  popular  go-to apps for many years.  Two  are based on  green  onions. They go together  with no effort  and  are great additions to your appetizer table.

Green Onion Teasers
Combine 1 c. commercially-crumbled crisp bacon ( or very  finely chopped cooked bacon, otherwise the proportions will be off), 3/4 c. real ( Hellman's) mayo,  3/4 c finely chopped green onion, including the green portion.    That's it.  Presto.  Serve with almost any cracker or   de-crusted toast triangles. 

 Hot Jarlsberg Cheese Dip  ( not pictured)
A friend  and catering client gave me her favorite recipe many years ago - she  swore that  you must make multiples so that  you have backups ready. Guests  tend to linger at this dish , scooping it up,  and she was right. ( Thanks, Sally MacD for the recipe, I've made it a few hundred times ).  The sweet nuttiness of the Norwegian cheese can't be beat; I substituted Swiss a time or two in a pinch and  it was not bad in a snowed-in type  emergency, but otherwise  stick to the Jarlsberg.   Serve with traditional ( black box) Carr's water crackers .
 
In an ovenproof dish, combine 2 c. shredded Jarlsberg cheese with 1 c. finely chopped green onion, tops included, and 3/4 c. Hellman's real mayonnaise.  Bake at 350 or  heat in microwave oven at 50%  till bubbling and melted.  Have your  backup  ready!  If you overbake or nuke too quickly   the mayo may separate a bit; just stir it up.

Bacon-Wand  Breadsticks
Make these  in smallish batches because they cool  immediately and you'll be able to  get them rolled in the cheese before they do.  Once they cool the Parm doesn't adhere.  Prepare  ahead a day or two if you like - cover loosely, don't seal in plastic, don't refrigerate.

Wrap crisp  purchased  breadsticks  --do not try to use soft, or the very  long, thin ones----  in a spiral with raw bacon. Use bacon strips halved  lengthwise - a full strip for long breadsticks ( like these shown) or a half strip ( also halved lengthwise) for   shorter breadsticks.    Place several layers of paper toweling on a plate, lay the wrapped breadsticks on it.  Tuck  any loose ends under  the breadstick... no need to  turn them as they cook.  Nuke on high for a few minutes - this will depend on  your microwave, but assume it will be 2-4 minutes.   Have a low shallow dish or plate of  Parmesan cheese  and another empty plate ready.
  When the bacon is   fairly crisp, remove the plate, and working quickly, before the bacon fat disappears, roll the breadsticks in the cheese and place them on the dry  plate.  If the bacon gets overcooked, or if you don't work quickly, the cheese  won't  adhere. The boxed Alessi brand - shown above -- long  breadsticks are a little iffy- they are so thin  and brittle that odds are slim that  you'll open the box and find them unbroken, or not break them when winding the bacon around.

The other appetizer shown is just  green onion  wrapped in  dried-beef slices (from a jar, not refrigerated) spread with plain or any flavor cream cheese.  If you were alive in the 70's you  had these many times!

Chilled Stuffed Pepper Wedges

Happily, the dried beef-cream cheese balls of the 60's reappeared, amped up a bit, to stuff peppers in the 80's.  They  make a visually attractive and delicious appetizer  for a tailgate or  any party.      I think I've stuffed  a few thousand appetizer  peppers over the years...they were a popular  choice when I was catering.     I use  red and green peppers at Christmas   and add yellow and/ or  orange other times of the year. Lately I've been stuffing the  bite-sized small  sweet mixed peppers that come bagged,  but  do miss that pop of green color.

Today I  used the small  yellow, red  and orange peppers, so I've added the original  1985 cookbook photo  to show  the  pepper wedges.  It's a photo of a photo, sorry 'bout the quality, but it serves its purpose.

For the wedges, be sure  to choose three similarly -sized and -shaped peppers  so they are uniform when  sliced.  Short and fat are preferable to long  and slender.  If the peppers are smallish you may want  to buy four. 

Using a mixer or food processor with a blade, process  8 oz. of cream cheese with 1c. ricotta cheese, 2 tsp horseradish, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, & 1/2 tsp seasoned salt,  until smooth.  Stir in  about 3 oz. dried beef from a jar,  finely chopped,   2 minced radishes or water chestnuts,  4 TB  minced green onion.  Set aside in the fridge.

Remove the stems of three  bell peppers (one green, one red, one yellow)  by cutting a small, 1" circle around the  top.  Save the stem & top.  Scoop out the seeds and white membranes from inside the peppers.  Densely pack the cheese mixture inside the peppers, pressing to fill  solidly  to the bottom and edges. Top with the reserved stem. Wrap each pepper in plastic wrap or a baggie, and  seal.    This is the stopping point if you're making these a day or two ahead.

When ready to proceed, after  chilling for a minimum of 2-3 hours, discard the stems and cut each pepper in half lengthwise, then each half in four wedges. Arrange on a tray and garnish with pimiento strips or black olive slices. A longer  chilling time makes slicing  easier.

 You'll get 24 wedges from ordinary  peppers.  I've pushed  my luck when making dozens of these  ahead for a large party ......they start getting  soft instead of crunchy, and a little weepy, around the 48-hour period.. .. still OK to eat,  but   messier than they should be.   When slicing,  wipe your knife with a damp paper towel between cuts to keep the pepper from getting messy.

Serve the small  bagged peppers whole, cutting a little more from the stem end to reveal what's inside.