Appetizer

 Here's a little glimpse of what we've been up to in the last month or so . . . 

Little has lost 3 teeth - she's holding a photo of Big with the same smile

The little girls got bedroom furniture and organized all their stuff

Big got a new surfboard and has been enjoying long days outside

Little's summer goal was "to climb more trees."

And Middle has been enjoying some freedom on her bicycle and roller blades.

We had a chance to go to a friend's house for dinner (so exciting!) and I brought this new appetizer.  I had seen it on Pinterest but it was the first time I'd actually made it and it turned out really yum!

Blueberry Balsamic Goat Cheese Appetizer (6 servings)

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 tsp honey

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

4 oz goat cheese

2 oz cream cheese

Crusty French bread, crackers (for serving)

Add blueberries, honey, salt, and balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the goat cheese and cream cheese together.  Spread the cheese mixture over a plate.  Top the cheese mixture with the cooled blueberry mixture.  Serve the dip with crusty French bread or crackers.

Eating all the cheese . . .

Last weekend, I hosted a dinner party for some of my husband's friends and work colleagues.  It turned out to be smaller than I originally thought (6 adults) and it was so much fun!  I haven't had a chance to cook for a group like that in awhile, and I did the appetizers pictured here, a soup first course, a seafood main dish, and an awesome dessert (if I do say so myself!).  The other recipes are ones I've made before with good success.  I didn't anticipate how challenging it would be to triple the main dish (I usually only make it for the two of us) but despite leaving out an ingredient, it turned out pretty great.

So, this appetizer was delicious.  I ate.  so.  much.  cheese.   And it was worth it!  This is easy and would be great for holiday parties.  I wasn't sure exactly how to get the brie to fit inside or how to make those notches on the side, so I watched this video - it's probably clearer than my description below!

Blooming Brie in a Bread Bowl
from Delish

One boule
Brie wheel
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning
Olive Oil
Fresh parsley (to serve)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the top off of the boule and save.  Place the brie wheel on the cut part of the bread and use a knife to trace around it and cut a whole big enough for the wheel to fit into.  Pull out the bread to make space for the brie wheel.  Slice the top of the rind off of the brie wheel.  Around the edges of the boule, cut slices about two inches deep and about an inch - two inches apart.  This is what you can use to tear pieces of cheesy bread once it's done baking.

Drizzle the bottom of the hole you made in the boule with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella.  Set the brie wheel on top.  Over the top of the brie (where you cut the rind off), sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella.

Place the top of the boule back on top and place the whole thing on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the bread is browned and the brie is melty.  Remove the bread on top and slice it up to serve alongside the boule and sprinkle with parsley.  Serve warm.

Football Food (part 2)

Go Broncos!!  While we'll be out of town to watch Super Bowl 50 (isn't it weird the NFL dropped the Roman Numerals or am I the only one who notices such things?), I still have some ideas about your football food!  Last post was about a main dish idea but this is a new appetizer.  My friend Lisa makes this tomato feta dip and I've enjoyed it at some of our parties before, but this was my first time making it.  It went great with pita chips and veggies.  I think it would be a good addition to any greek / mediterranean menu or to your football snack repertoire.

Tomato Feta Dip

Dice three tomatoes and mix together with 4 thinly sliced green onions, and 8 ounces of crumbled feta cheese.  Add some Greek seasoning to taste (I have the "Cavender's" kind).  Stir it all together and drizzle with about 1/4 cup of olive oil, folding gently together.  Serve with pita chips or crackers.

Spring adventures

We've had some pretty fun spring break adventures - a week and a half's worth.  If you know me at all, you know I took about 400 pictures during that week and a half and it's hard to sort through them sometimes, but these are a couple of my favorite shots.

Back before spring break and our trips, there was Easter.  My mom and dad made a delicious Easter supper and one of the things we enjoyed was this cauliflower hummus.  I know it sounds a little strange but the curry powder goes great with the traditional tahini flavor and the texture was awesome for dipping veggies or crackers.  

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus (yields 1.5 cups)

from Cooking Light, Apr 2015

1 cup cauliflower florets
2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 tsp. curry powder
2 T tahini
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 15oz can unsalted chickpeas, drained
3 T water
1 garlic clove
2 T chopped, pitted green olives
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss cauliflower with 2 tsp. olive oil, curry powder, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.  Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring after 10 minutes.

In a food processor, combine tahini, lemon juice, 1 T olive oil,  chickpeas, water, and garlic clove.  Process until smooth.  Add cauliflower to the food processor, reserving 1 T of the cauliflower.  Process until smooth.  Taste - add more salt and pepper if desired.

Top hummus with reserved 1 T cauliflower and chopped olives.

Bacon wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Wow . . . you can probably tell by the fact that I've only posted once this year that January is sort of kicking our butt.  I'm working a MWF schedule that I've not done for probably 10 years and it's been a little tricky coordinating that with the kids' schedules and other "life" stuff.  On the food front, I'm proud to report that I've been feeding my family real food for dinner every night - no fast food or pizza on weeknights (yet) and we have all been having breakfast together before school.  One thing nice about this work schedule is I'm there to take the girls to school every morning.  Then dad picks them up and I'm home around 6:30 for dinner and bedtime.  Whew!

Super Bowl is coming up and it might be a great time to make one o the best holiday appetizers that I made this year . . . what's better than a jalapeño popper?  One that's not fried but is wrapped in bacon!  These were a little time consuming (prepping the peppers) but I loved that I could make them a day ahead and they turned out amazing.  For our lactose-free friends, I did just goat cheese (without the shredded cheddar) in half and they are gluten free!  You can spice up / change the filling to your liking - it's a really versatile recipe.

Bacon-wrapped Jalepeno Poppers (2 dozen)
from Sally's Baking Addiction

12 jalapeño pepper
8 oz cream cheese (or goat cheese) softened to room temperature
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (pepper jack would also be great)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika
12 slices bacon, cut in half
24 toothpicks

Cut the jalapeño peppers in half lengthwise.  Carefully remove seeds and center membranes.  Set aside.

Mix together the cream cheese, shredded cheese, garlic and paprika.  You can use a mixer or just a spatula.  Add a little salt to taste.

Spoon filling equally among the 24 jalapeño halves.

Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with a half slice of bacon and stick a toothpick through it to secure.  At this point, you can refrigerate them until you're ready to bake or you can bake them right away.

Line a large baking sheet with foil and then place a cooling rack on top.  Put the jalapeños on the cooling rack (this way, the bacon fat will drip onto the foil).  Bake at 400 degrees 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is done to your liking.  You can turn the oven to broil for the last few minutes to make the bacon nice and crispy.  Serve immediately.

The original recipe says you can cover leftovers and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days . . . we didn't have any leftover!  It also says you can freeze assembled jalapeños for up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bake as directed.

Easter 2014

As the Lenten season and Easter comes to a close, I wanted to share this video with you.  If you read my blog much, you know it's about food and family but today I wanted to share a little bit about my faith.  I was challenged this Easter to think about what I'm living for and what I spend my time focusing on . . . this illustration by Francis Chan puts it in perspective well . . . it's less than 4 minutes so I hope you enjoy it!

We had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday with family and friends.  Here are some photos of the girls dyeing eggs on Good Friday and on Easter morning.

It was fun to host Easter dinner this year.  I've never made a ham and continued that long-standing tradition by having my husband barbecue tri-tip for the meat.  I made appetizers, desserts, and our guests brought the other side dishes.

One of the appetizers I made was an old favorite - David Lebovitz's Tapenade - and the other one was new and I'm sure going to be put in regular rotation.  It was easy, looked pretty, and can accommodate a lot of different types of eaters (vegetarian, gluten free, etc).  I made the quinoa salad the day before and refrigerated it and then just hollowed out my cucumber slices, filled them, and topped with a little feta cheese. 

Quinoa stuffed Cucumbers (makes 24 bite sized appetizers)

2 english cucumbers

1 cup quinoa

1 cup cilantro

1/3 cup flat leaf parsley

2 T mint

6 T olive oil

1/2 zucchini, diced very small

1/2 red bell pepper, diced very small

feta cheese, for topping

salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the cup of quinoa in water or vegetable broth as per the package instructions.  During the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, dump the zucchini and red bell pepper in and put the lid back on.

While it's cooking, coarsely chop the cilantro, parsley and mint and put in a small chopper (or food processor).  Add the olive oil and blend / chop for a few minutes.  Put the olive oil & herb mixture in a bowl.  When the quinoa is done, add it to the bowl and stir well to combine.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate the quinoa until it's cool (or you can do this part a day ahead).

Slice the English cucumbers into slices that are at least 1/2 inch thick.  Take a melon baller or metal spoon and scoop out the middle part with the seeds, leaving a layer on the bottom so the quinoa doesn't fall out the bottom.  You're basically making an indentation big enough for about a tablespoon of 

quinoa like this:

Scoop quinoa into the cucumber slices and top with crumbled feta (if desired).

Serve chilled or room temperature.

Homemade Pretzels

About a week and a half ago, it finally rained in Southern California.  And it rained, and rained and rained.  We were a little cooped up inside and had to come up with some projects to keep the kids busy (and the TV off!).  We made Big's Cat in the Hat outfit for Dr. Seuss Day at school, did some other art, and made homemade pretzels.  As soon as I pulled them out of the oven, I immediately began to wonder why I had never done this before!  

I love big soft pretzels and they were super easy and delicious.  It takes a little time because the dough has to raise, but the process isn't hard and believe me, I had plenty of little hands trying to help.  It was fun shaping them and doing all the steps of the process and did I mention that they were delicious??  We just ate them plain with the salt on top but you can also roll them in cinnamon sugar before baking for a sweet version or make a dipping sauce of some sort (spicy cheese?).  The only downside (if it even counts as a downside) is they're best right out of the oven or within a few hours.  The leftovers weren't good the next day and we tossed them out.

You can either make the big traditional shaped ones or little pretzel bites.  I liked the bites and think it would be good to make for a group of kids or with friends to watch football or something.  I made my dad a deal that we'll have to get together with some of his home brew and eat pretzels.  The recipe will make about 5-6 dozen bites depending on how big you cut the pieces.

Homemade Soft Pretzels 

from Two Peas & Their Pod

1.5 cups warm water

2 T light brown sugar

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

3 oz. unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled

2.5 tsp. kosher salt

4-5 cups all purpose flour

vegetable oil

3 quarts water

1/2 cup baking soda

1 whole egg, beaten with 1 T cold water

coarse sea salt

Combine the 1.5 cups water, sugar, yeast and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and 4 cups of the flour and mix on low speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes.  If the dough is too wet, add more flour 1-2 Tablespoons at a time.

Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a floured flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.  Oil a large bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil.  Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a pot over high heat and add the baking soda (a wide shallower pot will work better than a narrower deep pot - if you have a stove safe roasting pan, you could use that).

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface.  Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a long rope (about 20 inches) and shape into pretzels or cut into one inch pieces to make pretzel bites.

Using a slotted spoon, boil the pretzel bites in the baking soda water solution in batches.  I would do 2 big pretzels or about 10 bites at a time.  Boil for about 30 seconds and remove with the large slotted spoon.  Place on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray.  Make sure they're not touching and there's a little room - they will rise again in the oven.  Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt.  Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove to a rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. 

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Happy New Year!  2013 was a big year for our family - a new baby, lots of travel, fun times with friends and family - and we're looking forward to what 2014 has in store for us.  

I've been wanting to make bacon wrapped dates for a long time and finally gave it a go . . . they are super easy and people like them a lot.  I mean, wrap about anything in bacon and it's delicious, right?  The bonus here is that the smokiness of the bacon complement the sweetness of the dates and the creamy texture of the goat cheese just adds another layer of flavor.

I read about these in "Bread & Wine"  (see my review here) and Shauna says she assembles them the night before, places them in a disposable foil pan, and pops them in the oven the next day.  I like the idea of a make-ahead appetizer that you still serve warm.  My friend Will puts them on a cooling rack over a foil lined pan so that the bacon grease drains.

About half way through wrapping them with bacon, I realized that my package of applewood smoked bacon from Trader Joe's was only 12 ounces and not a full pound so I started cutting the bacon slices into thirds instead of halves.  When they baked, the bacon shrunk so I put the toothpicks in before serving to hold the whole thing together.  You shouldn't need the toothpicks if you have a half slice of bacon.

Bacon Wrapped Dates (makes 2-3 dozen)

16 oz Medjool dates

4 oz goat cheese

16 oz sliced bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice the dates lengthwise on one side so you can open it up (like a book) and remove the pit.  Then, fill with goat cheese and fold it back together.  Cut the bacon slices in half and wrap one half slice around each goat cheese filled date.  Place seam side down on a foil lined pan (or foil pan or rack - see notes above).  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bacon is brown and crispy.  Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Serve warm or room temperature, but not hot.

Crostini Appetizers

I was looking through some old magazines and on the internet for appetizer ideas the other night and came up with a few great ones for topping slices of baguette or crostini.  Personally, I feel like the roof of my mouth gets all scraped up when I make crostini so I keep the baguette pieces soft.  We made the salami & fennel (good cheese-free option) and I loved the differences in texture and flavors - yummy!

To make crostini:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Brush thin slices of baguette with olive oil.  Bake for 5-10 minutes or until slices are crunchy and slightly browned.

Salami & Fennel:  Mix together a cup of thinly sliced fennel with the zest of one orange and a tablespoon or so of fresh orange juice.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little chopped frond from the same fennel bulb.  On the bread, put a slice of salami and then top with the fennel mixture.  Drizzle or spray with a little bit of olive oil.

Bleu Cheese & Apple:  Mix together softened bleu cheese and chopped walnuts.  Spread on bread slices, top with a thin slice of apple and drizzle with honey

Bleu Cheese & Fig jam:  Spread bread with some fig chutney or jam.  Top with crumbled bleu cheese.

Pesto & Radish:  Spread bread with some pesto.  Top with thinly sliced radishes and some sea salt.

Starters and Endings

Today, a great appetizer and yummy cookie recipe that we enjoyed over the Christmas holiday.  I think I've written before about how I'm appetizer-challenged . . . I feel like I rarely have a good idea and when I put a lot of time into an appetizer when I'm entertaining, the rest of the meal suffers.  Typically, I do a cheese plate with crackers or veggies and some sort of dip.  But, this holiday season I got to bring appetizers to a few different gatherings where I wasn't responsible for the rest of the meal.  So, here is one of the easiest and yummiest appetizers I've made for awhile:

Tortellini Skewers

Prepare a package of cheese tortellini according to the directions, drain and set aside.  

Cut some cherry tomatoes in half and some mozzarella into bite sized chunks.  

On small skewers, thread a tomato half, a piece of mozzarella, a tortellini and another tomato half.  

Put the skewers in a large, shallow pan and drizzle with a red wine or balsamic vinaigrette (I bought a red wine vinaigrette from Trader Joe's).  

Refrigerate for an hour or two.  

Remove the skewers from the vinaigrette and put on a serving platter.   

I also wanted to  post about some delicious GF cookies I made for Christmas.  Alas, there is no photo of the cookie but they turned out great.  I wasn't sure of the recipe . . . with no butter it's also a good dairy free option but I wasn't sure how they were going to hold together.  The egg whites did the trick and gave the cookies a glossy appearance.  This recipe was perfect for Christmas baking - One bowl, no melting or whipping or extra steps.

Flourless Chocolate Coconut Cookies (makes 2 dozen)
from Everyday Food 12/12

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup roughly chopped toasted almonds
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
4 large egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in the middle and lower third of the oven.  In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and salt.  Stir in the chocolate chips, almonds and coconut.  Add egg whites and stir until combined (do not over mix).

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets.  Bake until tops are dry and cracked, 15-18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Let coo completely on cookie sheets (place the whole sheet on a wire rack).

Cooking with my Cousin

My cousin Hannah and her family came to California a couple of weeks ago.  Hannah is a great cook and makes dinner for her family every Tuesday and you can read about her adventures here.  When I found out that she brought her awesome recipe binder with her, I knew we had to cook together!  We put together a menu, invited her parents, my parents and our grandma to eat, and had a fun afternoon in my kitchen.  Along with preparing the food, like good bloggers we made sure to take photos of it all.  Well, I think Hannah did better than me - I'm missing a picture of the summer drink we made to serve with the appetizers.

Menu

Watermelon Mint Cooler

Cucumber Avocado Spring Rolls with dipping sauce

Kung Pao Chicken

Rice

Edamame

Watermelon

Mocha blondies & peanut butter ice cream

I've never made summer rolls before and they were really easy.  It takes a little bit of time to fill and roll them all but it went quickly with two people.  I thought they needed a little kick and Hannah suggested soaking the carrots in the dipping sauce so that the actual roll has some of the sauce flavor which I'm going to try next time.  I might also make a spicier sauce to go with them.  Sunset magazine last month had some great alternate filling ideas.

The Kung Pao chicken was good but again, I'd probably spice it up if I was just cooking for my husband and I.  We added sriracha at the table which helped.  I also made 2.5 times the recipe and didn't have a pan / pot big enough.  Next time, I'll do batches instead of crowding the pan so that the chicken browns up a little better (and faster).  By using gluten-free soy sauce, the meal (with the exception of dessert) was gluten-free!

Overall, the meal and the company were terrific and it was a memorable evening.  Thanks for cooking with me, Hannah!

Cucumber Avocado Summer Rolls (10 appetizer servings)
from Williams Sonoma website

Mix together the following ingredients for the dipping sauce:
Juice from 1/2 lime
2 T canola oil
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. brown sugar

Prepare your vegetables:
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into a 1/2 inch dice
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 english cucumber, cut into thin strips
leaves from one bunch mint
leaves from one bunch basil
10 green lettuce leaves

20 rice paper rounds, 6 or 8 inch diameter

Place a wide, shallow bowl of warm water on a work surface.  Lay a clean kitchen towel next to the bowl.  Dip 1 rice paper round into the water for a few seconds to soften, then lay it flat on the towel.  Dip a second round into the water and lay it directly on top of the first one.  Using another towel, pat the top rice paper dry.  At first, it seemed like the rice papers weren't soft enough but they softened up and got more pliable as they set there and we added the fillings.

Center a lettuce leaf on top of the stacked rice papers.  Starting about one-third in from the edge closest to you, arrange a few basil and mint leaves in a line across the lettuce.  Top with a small row of the carrot, then on top of that, a small row of cucumber, and finally top with a small roll of avocado.  Be careful not to overstuff the roll.

Lift the bottom edge of the rice paper up and over the filling and then roll once to form a tight cylinder. Fold in the sides of the rice paper and content to roll the remaining rice paper and filling ingredients into a tight cylinder.  Set aside with the seam side down.  Repeat with the remaining rice papers and filling ingredients to make 10 rolls.

Cut each roll in half crosswise and arrange, cut die up, on a platter; serve with dipping sauce.  Makes 20 rolls.

Kung Pao Chicken  (4 servings)
from Cooking Light 12/10
2 T dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 water
3 T lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. bottled minced ginger
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less depending on your taste)
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
2 T chopped, unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

1. 1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; sauté 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.
2. 2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Sprinkle with nuts.

Gruyere & Spinach Pinwheels

These were delicious and easy.  The original recipe used frozen chopped spinach which I've never really liked and the fresh spinach worked really well.  The hardest part was remembering to take them out of the oven since I decided to jump in the pool with the girls!


Gruyere and Spinach Pinwheels (serves 4-6)
adapted from Pepperidge Farms

1 sheet puff pastry
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
3/4 - 1 cup grated gruyere
1/4 cup parmesan
salt
pepper
egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine spinach, gruyere, parmesan, salt and pepper.  Roll out puff pastry approximately 9x13 rectangle.

Whisk egg with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl and brush the puff pastry with the egg wash.  Top with the spinach mixture.  Starting at the short end of the puff pastry, roll up the pastry like a jelly roll.  Try to keep it tight as you roll.

Make thin slices with a sharp knife and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet with the cut side down.  Brush the top of the pinwheels with the egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Edamame Dip

I've said it before, but I'm not great at thinking up and putting together appetizers when I'm hosting dinner.  Dessert is a must but appetizers aren't my forte.  However, I tried out this dip and made homemade pita chips to go with it and I highly recommend it.  Our company and my kids liked it and it even got two thumbs up from my husband.  The recipe made a decent sized bowl so I kept eating it with raw veggies for a few days.

Edamame Dip (makes about 2 cups)

from Simply Recipes

8-10 oz shelled edamame, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup packed, roughly chopped cilantro

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. lime or lemon juice

1-2 tsp. salt

some Tabasco 

some Sesame oil

Add the edamame to boiling, salted water and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Place the edamame in a food processor (or blender - I used a hand blender which was a little tedious but worked in the end).  Pulse a few times.  Add the cilantro and pulse again.  Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until pureed.  Add more water if you want a smoother consistency.  Adjust seasonings (salt, tabasco, lime, sesame oil).  I started with about 5 shakes of Cholula (no Tabasco) and 1/4 tsp. sesame oil.  I needed to add more salt and a little more lime juice.  

Serve with pita chips, crackers, or veggies.

Kalamata Artichoke Dip

I did it again . . . I invited friends over for dinner, planned the meal, went grocery shopping, and about an hour before they were going to arrive, I realized it might be nice to have an appetizer to snack on before dinner.  Up until then, I hadn't thought at all about making an appetizer so it was off to the pantry . . . I usually have chips and salsa but it wasn't a great choice with the Thai main course.  What I ended up making was not very Thai either but it was easy and super tasty.  I like salty olive dips and tapenades and I was pretty proud with how this turned out.  I served it with carrots, celery, and crackers (what I had on hand - more raw veggies would be good).

A couple of notes:  The more finely you chop the olives, artichokes and herbs, the smoother consistency you'll get.  You could also put the olives & artichokes in a chopper or food processor.  Taste before adding any more salt.  Other kinds of olives would probably work just fine.  You could easily substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream or maybe plain hummus.  Add more sour cream if the dip is too chunky or too salty for your taste.

Kalamata Artichoke Dip (makes about 1.5 cups of dip)

1/2 c. chopped kalamata olives
1/2 c. chopped artichoke hearts (canned or jarred, drained)
2T chopped cilantro
1T chopped green onions
1T chopped italian parsley
1/4 c. sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl, mix well and refrigerate for a half hour or so before serving.

Puff Pastry Pinwheels

I've admitted before that I'm not great at appetizers when I'm entertaining but I had fun making these for the St. Patrick's Day party. When you don't have to worry about the main dish, it's fun to be a little more creative. I had extra puff pastry in my freezer from when I made the chicken pot pies and I looked at a couple of recipes for inspiration before putting these together.

The recipe is not exact but should be enough to get you started!

Puff Pastry Pinwheels (makes 3-4 dozen)

1 sheet of puff pastry dough
4 oz goat cheese, room temperature (or warm enough to easily spread)
8-10 slices of hard salami
4-6 slices of proscuitto
1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
a small jar of whole grain mustard

Bring puff pastry to room temperature. Then, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut one sheet of puff pastry in half and roll each half out until it's a larger rectangle (maybe like 9x12?). One one half, spread the goat cheese and top with a layer of salami. On the other half, top with proscuitto and then sprinkle the proscuitto with the parmesan cheese.

Roll each half up from the long side so you have a long log. With a sharp knife, slice them into 1/2 inch rounds and lay them on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pastry looks cooked through and is golden brown. Serve with the mustard.

Fondue-ish

Recently, I heard Terry Gross interviewing Ruth Reichl on Fresh Air. Terry asked Ruth what fall recipes are her favorite and she described this Roast Pumpkin with Cheese "Fondue" from the November 08 issue of Gourmet. You layer toasted bread, two kinds of Swiss cheese (Gruyere and Emmantal) and a mixture of cream, broth, and nutmeg inside the pumpkin and then bake the whole thing for an hour or so. Terri asked, "Is it a soup?" but I don't remember exactly what Ruth said.

When writing the title of this recipe, Gourmet puts fondue in quotation marks and I had been calling it fondue until my mom asked me what actually makes something a fondue.

Being Swiss, I thought I owed you a thorough definition of fondue: Fondue originated in Switzerland in the 18th century and the term is used to describe the communal eating process of dipping something in a pot of hot cheese, oil, or broth. Traditional Swiss fondue was a combination of "at least two varieties of cheeses that are melted with wine and a bit of flour and served communally out of pot called a 'caquelon.' Long forks are used by each guest to spear a cube of bread then the bread is dipped into the cheese and eaten" (www.gourmetsleuth.com).

Now, because there are already layers of bread in the pumpkin, you don't really sit around and dip into it with forks like real fondue. It can be eaten as a vegetarian main course or, like we did last night, as an appetizer. I served it with more bread on the side and slices of green apple. You scrape the cooked pumpkin flesh with a spoonful of the melty cheesy goodness and it tastes divine!

Next time, I might try some white wine in place of the broth and a little kirsch for a more traditional fondue flavor (although this is close) and it could definitely use more salt.

Roast Pumpkin with Cheese "Fondue"  (8 main course servings)
from Gourmet 11/08

1 (15 inch) baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 orange pumpkin (about 7 pounds)
1.5 cups heavy cream
1 cup reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
2.5 cups coarsely grated Gruyere (6oz)
2.5 cups coarsely grated Emmental (6oz)
1 T olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450 and position rack in lower third of the oven.  Toast baguette slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet until tops are crisp (bread will still be pale), about 7 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and cool.

Remove the top of the pumpkin by cutting a circle (about 3 inches in diameter) with a small sharp knife.  Remove any seeds and fibers from the inside of the pumpkin (including the lid) with a spoon.  Season the inside with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In a bowl, whisk together the cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Combine cheeses together in a separate bowl.

Put a layer of toasted bread in the bottom of the pumpkin.  Top with 1 cup cheese and 1/2 cup cream  mixture.  Continue layering (bread, cheese, cream) until the pumpkin is filled from about a 1/2 inch from the top, using all of the cream mixture (you may have bread & cheese left over).

Cover pumpkin with the top and put in an oiled small roasting pan.  Brush the pumpkin all over with olive oil.  Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, about 1.25 -1.5 hours.

First course

I know that asparagus is in season in late spring but come on, if you live in Pasadena, doesn't it feel like spring? I proposed a cream of garlic soup for a dinner party I had last week but my husband thought that the after affects of smelly garlic seeping out of our pores for the next 48 hours might not be pleasant.

I made this soup and everyone loved it. I've made asparagus soups before but this is the version I've settled on as my favorite. I'm using my immersion hand blender a ton these days - put it on your Christmas list!

Along with the soup, I served crusty french bread and this Artichoke Tapenade from David Lebovitz. I've been daydreaming of this tapenade ever since. I made a half batch and it fit in my mini-chopper thing and was a good amount for the four of us.

Because I'm that kind of person, I had to look up what makes something a tapenade and not just a dip and found that a tapenade has olives as one of the main ingredients. Had there been any left over, my daughter would have loved it. Olives are one of her favorite foods.

Asparagus Soup (serves 4 - from Gourmet 3/01)

2 pounds green asparagus
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 to 6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Cut asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Purée soup in a blender until smooth and return to pan. Stir in heavy cream then season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter. Add lemon juice.

The food you eat before your food

"Appetizers are food you eat before your food to make you more hungry." - Eric Cartman

I don't often make appetizers; when I entertain, my go-to is cut up veggies with some sort of dip or a cheese platter with olives or something like that so I can focus on the other courses. But, I like to make appetizers when I'm going somewhere and that's the only thing I have to think about. I've long been a fan of my aunt's 7 Layer Dip with beans, guacamole, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes etc. and this recipe is another version of that. I saw a recipe in July 08 Better Homes and Gardens that was similar which gave me the idea for it.

It's easy to make your own pita chips to go with this - cut pita bread into wedges and put them in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with olive oil spray. Spray the chips with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until they're slightly brown and chip consistency. I do this with leftover pita all the time so that it doesn't start growing mold.

Layered Greek Dip (makes 2 1/2 cups)

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried Greek seasoning (you can use an Italian seasoning blend)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups prepared hummus
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Pita chips for dipping

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, lemon juice, Greek or Italian seasoning, and garlic with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined.

Spread the cream cheese mixture into a deep 9-inch pie plate, or shallow serving dish. Evenly spread hummus on cream cheese layer. Top with cucumber, tomato, olives, and feta cheese. Serve with pita chips. You can make it ahead, cover it, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.

*I haven't tried it yet but I bet you could use goat cheese instead of the cream cheese.