Showing posts with label finger food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finger food. Show all posts

Friday, August 30, 2013

Forever Figs


On one of our trips to Riviera Maya, the first course of the day ALWAYS started with a bowl of fresh figs, and smoked salmon with cream cheese!  No, I'm not pregnant!  Those were the cravings that took hold of me and, of course, it wasn't something I would readily fix in my kitchen!  Or would I?

On a recent stop at Trader Joe's last week, a container of figs practically jumped into my cart!  Instead of cutting them up and plopping them into my mouth, I decided to make another compote for my oatmeal or frozen yogurt!  This would also be great spread onto crostini for an elegant appetizer.

Decadent Fig Compote

2 cups figs, cut up

1/2 cup amaretto

3 Tbsp butter (or use 2 Tbsp to cut down on fat)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 tsp of each cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg

Bring all to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce the heat to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Let it cool a bit to serve or refrigerate for later use.  Delicious!!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Appetizers For Dinner?



Heck yes!  Appetizers for dinner is perfectly okay with me.  No surprises, though....these "entrees" were already featured in a post.  Pan grilled champagne orange shrimp was simply a redo from margarita shrimp using a different marinade.  Spring time artichokes...I revised these to be void of butter.  Italian stuffed mushrooms completed our meal.  These were lightened by making them with panko breadcrumbs and a bit of low fat cream cheese.

Mondays are always a good opportunity for a fresh start after overindulging during the weekend.  By overindulging I don't mean devouring a  hot fudge sundae or a piece of tiramisu, although that's not a bad idea!  Usually it means a glass or 2 of wine.  Whoopee!  

I'm always surprised as  I  inspect any restaurant menu how most appetizer selections are either deep fried or laden with salt.  I'm sure this isn't a fluke, it's  by design.  It's a proven fact that those salty heavy foods require you to consume more beverages, usually a high calorie alcoholic one.  Vicious cycle, huh?  It doesn't have to be with a few tricks and tweaks.  Hey, that's a great name for a book!

My point is,  food can taste great and be healthy if you use a few tricks during the cooking stage.  Use fat free broth to "saute" veggies instead of butter or oils.  Use more fresh herbs instead of salt.  If you must have cheese and that's a hard one to give up, choose  good quality goat or feta cheese sparingly instead of those processed cheese products.  If you like salty food, switch to spicy food.  At least it may speed up that sluggish metabolism!  Learn to make your own marinades and salad dressings.  Your body will thank you.

Have a great week....

Friday, April 26, 2013

Mango Chicken Lettuce Wraps



Nothing evokes the taste of the Tropics better than a juicy bite into a fresh ripe mango, right?  It's mango season, so now is the time to create ANY recipe featuring this beautiful fruit.   This is perfect for those hot Summer days and super easy to put together.  I mounded the filling into romaine lettuce "wraps", but they would be good in a sandwich or appetizers in puff pastry cups or Belgium endive leaves.

You can buy precooked chicken these days, however, I usually bake or boil some breast meat  to have on hand for last minute meals or salads.

Mango Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2 cups cooked and cubed breast meat.

2 green onions (scallions), chopped

2 Tbsp mayonnaise (or a combination of mayo/plain yogurt)

1 mango, peeled and cut up

1 heaping Tbsp of fresh chopped cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  Then, fill the lettuce wraps and garnish with avocado.  Yum!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

What's for Valentine's Day?


The jury is still out...I'm undecided on what to prepare for Valentine's day.  I pondered over meals from the past celebrations to get a few ideas.  Last year I prepared veal cutlets, orzo and asparagus, really nothing special.  But, the over the top creation was my "Kiss of Provence" cocktail with lavender and lemon flavors!



Two years ago, I prepared fillet mignon topped with prawns and a butterscotch mini bundt cake for dessert.  This year I'm at a loss for inspiration, believe it or not.  I'm leaning towards a seafood homemade pasta dish with a simple dessert.  I know, some of you are thinking, "Wait a minute.  Aren't you supposed to go out to dinner on Valentine's Day?"  Well, we've done that in the past and usually it's not a pleasant experience.  The service is never attentive because most good restaurants overbook on this day.  Chances of your food being cold are great.  And, last but not least, the ambiance is usually not as romantic as you can create at home.

With that said, why not create some tasty finger food items and feed them to each other.  Maybe these marzipan tartlettes could be included.  Marzipan is pretty much a thick almond paste.

Marzipan Tartlettes

1 ready made pie crust, or you can make your own

8 oz of marzipan paste

1 egg, beaten


I used my round ravioli cutter to get the shape.  Roll out the dough.  Starting at one end, place a teaspoon of the marzipan on the dough and fold the end over so it's covered.  Use the ravioli cutter to cut and seal at the same time.  Move on to the next.  Make as many as you can from the dough.  Bundle the leftover dough back into a ball and roll out to make more.  I did this a few times to use up the dough and marzipan.  Place each tartlette onto a parchment covered sheet pan.  Brush with egg and bake.  350 degrees until nicely browned.  Cool completely.  These are better the next day.  Just pop them into your lover's mouth!  Happy Valentine's Day whatever you decide to do or make!


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Eggplant Un-Meat Balls


I continue with my love affair of vegetables.  I was a fortunate child who had a family full of gardeners, so for me it's easy to love veggies, even though corn was probably my favorite as a child.  Now, it seems corn doesn't have the flavor it used to, but that's a whole other story.

I keep staring out my window at my snow covered raised garden beds imagining what I'll fill them with this late Spring.   First to go in will be the spinach and lettuce, maybe even broccoli.  I can't wait!  Around these parts we have an old Indian saying about planting and it's usually incredibly accurate.  "Don't plant if there is still snow on top of Peavine mountain", which is a small mountain shadowing Reno's city limits.  The snow melts usually mid to late May on that mountain, and many a gardener is already chomping at the bit.  If you don't heed the Indian's wise words, you will probably be covering your plants with blankets, sheets or plastic (whatever works) when the snow flies.

I planted the small Asian eggplants last Summer, but they were over-watered, and didn't get enough sun.  I also planted them too close to the tomatoes, I guess.  I'll get this right one of these years!  

I used the larger eggplants for this recipe.  I sliced it in half, drizzled it with oil, placed in a baking pan, covered it and roasted on 400 degrees for around 35-40 minutes, to soften.  Then the recipe begins!

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, roasted and pulp scooped out.

1/4 cup panko crumbs and 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 Tbsp basil, fresh chopped

1 Tbsp egg white

Put these items in a food processor and blend.  Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour.   Using a spoon and with wet hands, scoop the mixture and roll into a ball.  I make them and place them on a parchment paper covered surface.  Roll the balls in additional breadcrumb or panko crumbs.  In a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of oil begin to fry them turning so most sides are nicely browned.

If you like eggplant, you'll love these...just another way to cook eggplant without immersing them in so much oil!  Voila!


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms


I have so many friends and family that are great cooks and I look for inspiration from them, always.  My intentions are never to copy one's crowning glory, yet  to be inspired and then put a little twist to their already beautiful creations.  With that said, I was recently inspired by a neighbor's tasty stuffed mushrooms.

I decided to make my version more Italian, having elements like Romano cheese, parsley and, of course, lots of garlic!  After tasting these little morsels, I thought, "Why haven't I made these before?".  This one is a keeper and probably will be a starter for more dinner parties to come!

Italian Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe makes about 10-12 and can easily be doubled or tripled, if needed.

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

10-12 button white mushrooms, stemmed (reserve 1/2 of tops, finely chopped)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, mint,  salt and pepper and chopped mushroom stems.  Add about 1 1/2 tbsp of the oil and blend.  Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spoon the filling into the mushroom caps and arrange on the baking sheet.   Drizzle with remaining olive oil and bake until tender, for about 25 minutes.  Serve.  You'll love these!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Raisin and Walnut Sandwiches - A Re-post



Last year I wrote this post in honor of my grandmother's passing.  30 years, it's been and I still feel her presence in different ways.  Her influence has helped to mold me into the person I have become.  Of course credit is due to my parents and husband, too, as well as my own stubborn ways.  I didn't want the day to go by without remembering her.  Thanks Grandma, we sure had fun cooking, crawdad fishing, bus rides to see grandpa and our trip back to Minneapolis on the train.

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Yesterday was the 29th anniversary of my grandma's passing. I remember it like it was actually yesterday. We had just moved to Colorado when my dad called me with the news. I flew back to my hometown for the funeral. It seemed so somber for such a lively memorable person. These days we would have definitely celebrated her life with music, See's chocolate candy, and many anecdotes about her funny ways.

I was told she was quite the cook when she married my grandfather but her skills were wasted on him. He would gobble down anything served, but only after mixing the contents up on his plate and pouring on the salt and pepper. A real gourmet! Her skills, however were not wasted on me. I stood at her side always watching as she whipped up meals, mostly desserts! For lunch I would like to think she made tea sandwiches from an old French family recipe. How was I supposed to know that raisin and walnut sandwiches weren't French fare? Or maybe they were. I just remember her grinding all the raisins and walnuts by hand. And it was so much tastier than peanut butter and jelly.

Out of curiosity I googled "the sandwich" to see if there was a history to it and up popped a recipe with those ingredients but several more. 30 total for a sandwich. While I'm sure it is good, most people I know won't go to that much trouble for a sandwich!

If you're interested in a type of tea sandwich, this is great! Take 1 cup raisins, 1/2 cup walnuts and grind them with a mini food processor. Spoon in 2 tsp of mayonnaise. (derived from the French language). Then just spread on your favorite bread or toast. Voila!

That is what I made for lunch in honor of her. I think she made me do it; she speaks to me that way. (More about her stories in my book.) Thanks for all the great memories.....I miss you!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

What's for Lunch - Veggie Quesadilla


This has got to be the simplest, quickest quesadilla ever.  Instead of grilling it, I simply microwaved it!  I know this doesn't sound like much of a revelation to some of you, but I hardly use that appliance unless I'm reheating or popping popcorn!  I usually have an assortment of roasted veggies on hand, either from a previous meal or to create with.  Today, I used leftover roasted cauliflower which was part of last night's dinner.  Also, I had roasted red pepper because it goes well with pizza, pasta or sandwiches!

I roast my peppers in a large pan on 400 degrees, turning during the cooking process until all sides have a little charred look.   For those of you who have a gas cook top, this step is easy for you.  After roasting, the secret is to place peppers into a paper sack for about 20 minutes.  Then you can peel them fairly easy.  For the cauliflower, just put into a roasting pan with a little olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until done. (usually around 30 minutes, turning once during the process, or you can shake the flowerettes.)

If you spend a little time preparing the vegetables,  you can throw together a meal in no time.  A weekend would be good, if you have a spare hour.  You'll never buy bottles red peppers again!

For 1 quesadilla, use two 6- inch tortillas.  No measurements needed!  Put the bottom tortilla on a microwave safe plate.  Add some jack or cheddar cheese, (enough to cover the tortilla), and lay the strips of red pepper and roasted cauliflower on top.  Put the top tortilla on and flatten with hand.  Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes.  Remove and cool slightly.  Cut into wedges and serve.  Each quesadilla can be for two people or for one hungry one!

These are the "soft taco" version of quesadillas.  If you want a more authentic cooked tortilla, just put in a pan with a little butter to "crisp" it up.  Enjoy!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Bruschetta, Again? The Spicy Garden Variety


Those of you who know me, expect that most of my meals will be inspired by my travels.  On my return from my first trip to Italy my repertoire expanded with many Italian influenced recipes and my own creations.  I love the simplicity of Italian food and look forward to this time of year when fresh ingredients start to show up in the markets.  And before long, most veggies will be coming from my backyard garden!

Bruschetta are usually appetizers, but in this case they were hardy enough to be a complete meal.

Ingredients:

12 slices of a baguette or 6 slices of French (oops) bread cut in half will do

2 cups eggplant, peeled and cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp onion, chopped

1/2 cup portabello mushrooms, cubed

olive oil (for the bottom of pan and to brush the bread before toasting)

fresh basil, a handful chopped

fresh spinach, a handful chopped

fresh parsley, a smaller handful, chopped

2 Italian sausages, precooked and chopped (I had some from the previous night.  Optional)

Set oven to broil.  On a cookie sheet, arrange the bread, brush with oil and broil until light brown.  Remove and you can rub with additional garlic clove, if you wish.  In a large skillet, cover the bottom with the olive oil.  On medium high heat add the eggplant, cook and stir until softened.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, onion, basil,  spinach, and parsley and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes on a lower heat (medium).  Add the sausage at the end, mix and pile onto the bread slices.  I added a sprinkle of goat cheese before serving. Perfect for first course or an entire meal with a nice glass of Chianti!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Prosciutto Wrapped Prawns and Asparagus



A week ago I had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of Mother's Day.  No cooking for me, except to make chocolate treats for my mother.   In a previous post I wrote about the cannoli stuffed strawberry french toast my wonderful son created.  To complete the brunch he popped these prosciutto wrapped prawns and asparagus in the oven.

As I mentioned he's multi talented and is very comfortable in the kitchen.  He's a natural...or is it inherited?  There is cooking talent on both sides of the family, so it's a little of both.

These savory goodies go perfectly as a side dish or an appetizer.  They are quick and easy.  (I watched it unfold).  Serve to your guests and they'll think you spent alot of time in the kitchen! 

Ingredients:

(3 servings)  You can double or triple easily.

6 slices of prosciutto

6 prawns, cleaned and deveined

6 cleaned and trimmed asparagus stalks

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with foil and use pan spray.  Encase the asparagus with prawns.  You'll need to slightly slice the shrimp.  Then wrap them in prosciutto and lay then on the pan.  Bake for 25 minutes or until done.  Simple but elegant and yummy!


Savory bite of prosciutto wrapped asparagus
Thanks, again, Jeremy!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Pizza - Packer or Steeler - Which Slice Wins



Tomorrow is kickoff day.  Have you decided what to bring to the party?  Or maybe you're hosting the party and you need more ideas.  Well, I'm here to help you.

These appetizers allow you to be a part of the celebration.  You can free up some time by making these ahead.  You won't feel like you're "banished" to the kitchen or being punished.

The first idea is for the people who are always watching their weight.  The ones who will only graze.   No guilt with these appetizers.  All you need is a head of cauliflower, cookie sheet or roasting pan, some olive oil, salt and pepper.  Set the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the cauliflower into flowerets or bite size chunks, layer on the pan with salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and roast for about 35 minutes turning halfway through the process.

Meanwhile I adapted this honey mustard dipping sauce from the book, French Women Don't Get Fat.  Interesting book!

Dip Ingredients:
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c Dijon type mustard
1 T honey
salt and pepper

Mix these in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for the game.  Serve with your cauliflower or any other vegetable you may want to roast.  Note:  You may want to double the recipe for a group or to use later on sliders or sandwiches.  Great flavor!
Roasted cauliflower with honey mustard dipping sauce

Now the other item I made yesterday for my tester (hubby) was an old standby.  You cannot lose making pizza.  Doesn't everyone love pizza?   This one is for the culinary challenged audience because I used a store bought crust (Boboli).  I have to say these dough disks are great especially if you're a working woman.  I have made my own crust and enjoy working with the dough and love the aroma of pizza dough baking in the oven but for this, boboli.

You'll probably have guests or friends rooting for their team and more than likely it won't be the same one.  For my pizza I went with a split personality effect.  One side I brushed with olive oil, the other with tomato sauce.  The packer side was garnished with  garlic, caramelized onions, green spinach (green colored jerseys), fresh chopped basil and topped with goat cheese.  Thus the French influence of the upper Wisconsin area.

Green or black condiments
The steeler side of the pizza was more traditional  with garlic, onion, black olives (black colored jerseys) and topped with mozzarella.  You could even add football shaped pepperoni pieces, but I'm not too fond of meat on my pizza!  Sorry!

And the winner, in my opinion, was the Packer pizza side.  The caramelized onion and goat cheese managed to push it over the goal.  Enjoy and try these ideas.  You won't be sorry.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Mini Calzones - Don't Try This at Home!

"Flops are a part of life's menu, and I've never been a girl to miss out on any of the courses."  Rosalind Russell


Try and try again is one of my mottoes.  This recipe will need some revisions but I wanted to post it  to give you inspiration and to applaud those cooks out there that consistently are able to create a dish and make it look gorgeous.    Frankly, I don't think they exist.  I just know that if I had quit after my first flop I would not be the cook I am today.  Just like anything else, practice makes perfect (or edible).

These mini calzones were definitely an experiment.  I love calzones but have never tried to make them.  There's always a first time for everything!  I won't post the actual recipe but give you the ingredients for the filling.  That was the good part!  I regretfully used a store bought pizza dough that comes in a roll like cookies, if you know what I mean.  I recommend either making your own or purchase dough from your favorite pizzeria or Italian restaurant.  So, with that said, here is the filling.

Ingredients:

3 Italian sausages (removed from casing and crumbled)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder, or fresh
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 T fresh basil, chopped
1 c marinara, use your favorite
1 c loosely packed spinach
1 c grated mozzarella cheese


The filling
Brown the meat first and then add all the ingredients except for the cheese.  I rolled out my pizza dough and wanted to make mini (finger food size) calzones.  I recommend making them larger since it is easier to fill and fold over,  etc.  A good size of each dough piece might be a 4-5 inch square. 

Place a tablespoon of the sausage mixture in the lower corner, add the same amount of cheese and fold into a triangle shape.  Crimp the edges and place on a baking sheet.  I baked mine for about 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees.  Next time I will increase the temp to 400.  There will be a next time because they really weren't as bad as I make it sound.  Hey, it's finger food!  As my husband so graciously remarked,  "If you put these on a platter in front of a bunch of guys watching the game, they would be devoured!".

The moral of this experiment is something we've always told our son when he seems so hard on himself.  These are words we try to live up to, also.   There will always be people better off than you and worst off than you, always  strive to be the best YOU that you can be!

Maybe I need to go to that Italian cooking school in Italy after all!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Friday Night Bruschetta



To get into the "relaxation mode" for the weekend we sometimes just have appetizer night with a great glass of wine!  Who says you have to have a big production of a meal every night?  Certainly not me.  It's okay to have finger food and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, this would be a great meal or first course.   Just add that piece of chocolate, tiramisu, chocolate covered strawberries, etc.  You get the idea!

Finger food is easy and fun and I read somewhere that it can be romantic as well!  Here's some help in the kitchen.

As most of you know by now I really don't use recipes.  I throw ingredients together as I see fit.  So, every recipe on this blog has been recreated and measured as I went along for your use.  With that disclaimer said, let's start!

First, I made a tomato garnish from tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar.  Set aside.  Then brush some slices of french bread or baguette place on a cookie sheet with olive oil and broil on low until slightly browned.  Watch them closely as they will burn quickly.

In a large skillet saute in olive oil some sliced mushrooms, spinach,  a little onion, garlic and at the last minute add cut up precooked (and cleaned) shrimp.   The addition of shrimp was my husband's idea.   So good!   Mix well.  Set the bread on a platter and spoon the mushroom mixture onto the bread and then the tomato garnish.  You can sprinkle with cheese, Romano is good and of course, serve this by candlelight and with a great glass of vino.  Enjoy!

(If you need the measurements, please comment below and I'd be happy to furnish them.)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

First Time Spring Rolls


I love all cuisines. Mexican, Italian, Chinese, French and the list goes on! I especially like Thai food but my hubby has never been too keen on it. There was a time when my son and I would go out to lunch and there would never be a question as to what type of food it would be. Of course, Thai! One time while looking at the extensive menu I ordered spring rolls. When they were brought to the table I'm sure my expression was "Hmm, did I order those?" There must be some mistake. I was expecting egg rolls, fried and greasy. What appeared before me were transparent veggie filled healthy rolls!


With all the many slim down plans I've been on over the years, I've found some great substitutions for my favorites without sacrificing too much flavor. I do love egg rolls, however, I am slowly developing a taste for the lighter version, spring rolls. It's a no brainer for me. I can easily eat 4 spring rolls to one egg roll, calorically speaking, and not feel the guilt!
While a good amount of prep work goes into this recipe, the actual rolling process goes quickly. It is worth it. You can choose your filling and dipping sauces. You can make these ahead of time so they would be great for entertaining!


I recommend that you do all prep work first and put each ingredient into small ramekin type bowls. This just speeds the process.


Ingredients:

1 c rice vermicelli, cooked, drained and chopped

8 rice wrappers

8 large shrimp, cooked and cut in half lengthwise

1/4 c basil, regular or Thai

1 c grated carrots (I used a potato peeler)

1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced and cut into 1-2 inch lengths

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

3/4 c lettuce, thinly sliced and chopped

Boil the vermicelli for about 5 minutes, drain and set aside. Place very warm water into a large glass pie plate. Dip one wrapper at a time to soften. Place on flat surface and fill the middle area with 2 pieces of shrimp, rice vermicelli, basil, carrots, onions and cilantro. Now, the fun part is wrapping them up. This takes practice. Roll each side over then roll up. Repeat the process. Makes about 8 rolls at 4 inches long. Dip in either Plum sauce or Thai sweet chili sauce or both. Not bad for my first try and I will be making more of these!