Marinated Cheese and Olives ~ Game Night Snack

This was our Thanksgiving night snack as we were all gathered around the dining table, playing Taboo, which has recently become my new favorite old game. We all enjoyed the briny-cheesy-carby goodness so much I'm thinking this may make an encore appearance as part of the 2015 Super Bowl spread.

Do you even know who's playing? I don't and honestly, I don't care. I watch football one day a year and that day is Super Bowl Sunday. And even then, I'm really only interested in the food and the half-time show. And of course, the commercials but I'm not sure they're as good as they used to be.

1 - 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese, chilled and sliced

10 ounces sharp white Cheddar cheese, sliced

10 ounces Muenster cheese, sliced

1 cup green olives

1 cup black olives

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons chopped pimiento peppers

1 medium size baguette

1. Prepare the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley, basil, and garlic.

2. On a round, medial size serving platter, arrange cheeses, in an alternating pattern, in a ring.

3. Place green and black knives in the center of the ring.

4. Drizzle marinade over the cheeses and olives. Sprinkle with pimento peppers.

If you are preparing this in advance, stop here. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve before moving on to the next step.

5. Slice baguette and place around the outer edge of the serving platter.

Easy Beer and Cheddar Dip

This dip is amazing with pretzels!  Don't think about the calories, just eat it!  But wait a day or so, if you can.  While the dip is good right away, it's even better the next day so it's a great make-ahead appetizer or snack.

The first time I made this, I used Guinness.  Today, I used a pale ale.  Both are good, which just goes to show, whatever you have on hand is probably fine.  Also, this is one of those recipes that can be very easily adapted to suit personal taste.

1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 of 10z. pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1/4c beer

1 1/4c Cheddar cheese

1/8 tsp. seasoned salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8c green onions, chopped

1.  Mix everything together in a small bowl and adjust seasoning to taste. 

2.  Cover and refrigerate. Give it a few hours for the flavors to really blend before serving.

Apple and Blue Cheese Crostini

I've been kicking around the idea of serving these for Thanksgiving and decided to do a test run last night.  What I love is the simplicity of the flavors and also the way you could put everything together in advance or just spread out the ingredients and let everyone build their own. Saves you a step and, really, people like build-your-own food - it's fun!

I've always loved apple and Blue cheese together but what was new to me was the addition of honey. This is what totally puts this appetizer over the top.  It's just that little kiss of sweetness against the the tanginess of the cheese.  So, what I'm saying is, if you skip the honey, it's still good but not as good as what the rest of us are eating.

If you want to get fancy, your can make your own bread (recipe here) or you can do like I did this time and grab a fresh baguette from the bakery.

1 - sweet red apple (I used a honey crisp), sliced thin

4 oz. medium-soft Blue cheese, room temperature

1 TBSP fresh rosemary

honey

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  Slice baguette into 1" slices and arrange on a baking sheet.  Toast in the oven 1-2 minutes.

3.  Layer each baguette slice with a "schmear" of cheese, a sprinkle of rosemary, and a light drizzle of honey.

Serve with a crisp white wine - perfect!

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Because I had three full bags of baby spinach in the fridge that I needed to use or lose, spinach was the theme of last night's dinner.  We had a delicious spinach and tortellini soup, more on that another day, and these little mushroom bites.  They were such an easy and elegant addition to the meal and, since they're made with cottage cheese, not super heavy in calories like the cream cheese-based stuffed mushrooms I usually go for.

1 TBSP olive oil

12 baby bella mushrooms

12 mushroom stems, chopped

2 TBSP yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2c baby spinach leaves

1/2c cottage cheese

1 egg

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne powder

1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped

2 TBSP Parmesan cheese, grated

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat olive oil.

3.  Add onion and mushroom stems.  Saute 1-2 minutes.

4.  Add spinach and allow it to cook down; 1-2 minutes.

5.  Add garlic and continue sautéing another minute.  Remove from heat and set aside.

6.  To a food processor or blender, add the cottage cheese, egg, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne.  Pulse a few times to combine mixture but still retain some texture.

7.  Add spinach mixture and basil.  Pulse another 3-4 times; just enough to blend.

8.  Spoon everything into the mushroom caps.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

9.  During the last 5 minutes of baking, top each mushroom with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Tip: Make the filling ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake.

Oven~Baked Refried Bean Dip

It's snack time!  Grab a bag of chips and dig in!

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2c plain yogurt

1 (16oz.) can refried beans

3 TBSP taco seasoning

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper sauce

2 TBSP green onions, chopped + a little extra for garnish

1c Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  In a medium size bowl, stir all ingredients together, reserving 1/2c cheese and the extra green onions.

3.  Add to prepared baking dish.  I used two smaller dishes but the recipe works just as well if you put it all in an 8x8.

4.  Top with the remaining cheese.

5.  Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

Savory Stuffed Red Potatoes

I recently found myself with half a bag of baby red potatoes and no real plans for them.  A few more days and they would go out with the trash.  That seemed wasteful though and I'm trying to make more of an effort to actually use all the produce I buy.

Roasted corn and poblano soup was already on the menu so I decided to try these little potato bites on the side.  The two dishes paired really well, which was a relief because the potatoes can take awhile to prepare.  It's a simple recipe but the scooping out of the potatoes (without tearing the skins!) is what is most time consuming.  Worth it though.

Note:
* I used vegan substitutes for the sour cream and butter.

8 red potatoes, bite size

1 TBSP sour cream

2 TBSP butter, melted

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. green onion

2 TBSP cheddar cheese, grated
olive oil and sea salt

1.  In a saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and boil until tender.  The amount of time needed here will depend on the size of your potatoes.  Mine were on the small side and I let them boil about 15 minutes.  Drain potatoes and set aside to cool.

2.  Cut potatoes in half and carefully scoop out the inside, leaving a little edge all around.  Spray a little olive oil on the skin side of each potato and sprinkle with sea salt, to taste.

3.  In a medium size bowl, combine the scooped out potato, sour cream, butter, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, green onions, and cheese.

4.  Spoon the mixture evenly back into each potato skin and top with a little extra cheese.

5.  Bake approximately 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Pepper Bites

At a recent event with my husband, there were trays of bite size appetizers made up of all sorts of complicated combinations floating around.  The one we both seemed to enjoy most though was the simplest.  A little spicy, a little sweet, a little creamy, a little crunch….. it's a perfect balance and so easy!

Notes:

* You can buy peppadews in a jar but I also found them on the olive bar, of all places. 

* Soy creamer worked great for me but dairy milk, half and half, whatever you have on hand would work as well. 

12 peppadew peppers, seeded an drained well

4oz. goat cheese

1-2 TBSP creamer, to taste

1.  Place the cheese in a small mixing bowl.  Add the creamer 1 tsp. at a time and stir until the mixture reaches desired consistency.  (I used 1 TBSP = 1 tsp. but the amount you use will depend on the softness of your cheese.)

2.  Scoop the cheese mixture into a piping bag and fill the peppers.

3.  Refrigerate if you're making these ahead of time but serve them at room temperature.

                

                

Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

For an appetizer that seems as if it took more time to prepare than it really did….stuffed mushrooms!

I made this particular recipe last night to serve with our spaghetti dinner and had to stop myself from continuously eating the filling right out of the mixing bowl.  Understanding that you will inevitably wind up eating a few spoonfuls before it's all said and done, this recipe yields exactly enough for twelve yummy appetizer bites:

12 baby bella mushrooms, stems removed and chopped

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1/8c onion, chopped

1/4c cream cheese, softened

6oz. jar of artichoke hearts, marinated in oil, chopped

1 TBSP Greek yogurt

1/2c Monterrey Jack Cheese

2 TBSP Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. garlic salt

black pepper, to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  In a small sauté pan, heat oil and cook the stems and onion just until soft, about 5 min.

3.  In a medium bowl, combine the onion mixture with the cream cheese, artichokes, yogurt, both cheeses, and garlic salt.  Season with pepper, to taste.

4.  Bake approximately 20 minutes and serve warm.

                             

For a little kick, add a dash or two of cayenne pepper sauce!

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Crostini

On a recent date night, my husband and I enjoyed a fabulous appetizer at a local restaurant.  It was toasted bread, goat cheese, mushrooms - so simple and so tasty!  And, it turns out, super easy to recreate at home!

1 large baguette

7oz. pkg. herb goat cheese, room temperature

2 TBSP olive oil

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4c dry white wine

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 green onions, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and lightly toast in the oven.

3.  Allow bread to cool down and spread goat cheese, to taste, on each piece.

4.  In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and sauté, 3-5 minutes.

5.  Add garlic and continue cooking another minute or so.

6.  Add wine and balsamic vinegar.  Stir while liquids are reduced slightly.

7.  Stir in green onions and remove from heat.

8.  Top each crostini with the warm mushroom mixture and serve immediately.

                        

Enjoy!

Baked Artichoke Bites

Last night's dinner consisted of gnocchi in a tomato basil sauce, topped with mozzarella and served with a side of French bread.  That was pretty good but the appetizer is what really stood out for me.  Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.  The flavors here were uncomplicated and really quite delicious. 

You will need to allow a good hour to drain the artichoke hearts though.  I realize that might sound a bit excessive, but it's not at all.  Those little things harbor a surprising amount of liquid.

1 can artichoke hearts (most contain 6)

salt and pepper, to taste

2 TBSP Panko breadcrumbs

1/4c Parmesan cheese

1 TBSP olive oil
 

1.  Slice each artichoke in half and place on paper towel to drain. (I had to change the paper towel several times due to the ridiculous amount of liquid.)
 

2.  Meanwhile, turn on the broiler, move the top rack to about 6" from the heat, and put some parchment paper down on a baking sheet.
 

3.  Place the artichoke hearts on the pan, cut side up.  Top with salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and cheese.  Drizzle with olive oil.
 

4.  Broil for about 5 minutes.  Could be more, could be less depending on your oven so watch it.

 

These were good straight out of the oven but they were also still
tasty after sitting there awhile so, no worries if you can't serve them right away.



Spicy Rosemary Roasted Cashews

Our pre-Thanksgiving feast snacks consisted of a tray of Mediterranean-style marinated olives, an assortment of cheeses, and these yummy cashews. 

 

1lb. whole cashews

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. sea salt

1 TBSP butter, melted

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375*

 

2.  In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, and salt.  Set aside.

 

3.  Spread cashews out on a baking sheet and bake about 10 min.

 

4.  Place cashews in a medium-size bowl, pour melted butter over the top, and stir to coat.

 

5.  Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the cashews and mix together.  Serve immediately.

 

 

You could make them ahead of time (they do keep really well) but I think they're particularly fabulous served warm.

Easy Bean and Cheese Taquitos

I like to serve these as an appetizer or side to a Mexican dinner, but really, I would be totally happy just eating them all by themselves!  Dip them in some salsa or guacamole....good stuff!

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can refried beans

2 tsp. cumin

1 TBSP chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

salsa

 shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

small flour tortillas

1.  In a medium saucepan, heat black beans,refried beans, cumin, chili powder, and garlic.

3.  Mash the bean mixture - potato masher or fork both work - until you like the texture. (I like to keep some of the chunkiness in there.)

4.  Grab a tortilla and spoon about 2 TBSP of the bean mixture onto it, along with about 1 tsp. salsa, and 1 TBSP cheese; roll it up and set aside on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Repeat until you're out of beans.  I got 16 taquitos with this recipe.

5.  Bake at 375* for about 20 minutes, or until warmed through and slightly crispy.

Bonus:  You can freeze the leftovers!

Hot Bean Dip

My husband used to say he wasn't a fan of bean dips.  That is, until he tried this one:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2c plain Greek yogurt

1 (16oz.) can refried beans

3 TBSP taco seasoning

3 good shakes of cayenne pepper sauce

1 TBSP dried parsley

2 TBSP green onions, chopped + a little extra for garnish

1c Mexican blend cheese, shredded

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  Mix everything together in a medium size bowl, reserving 1/2c cheese and the extra green onions.

3.  Add to prepared pan.  I used two smaller dishes but you could put it all in an 8x8.

4.  Top with the remaining cheese.

5.  Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

Top with extra geen onions and serve immediately.

Pimento Cheese Dip

Pimento cheese will forever remind me of hot summer days spent swimming at my grandparents' house as a kid.  I remember pimento cheese sandwiches were pretty standard lunch fare served alongside a nice cold can of Tab (do they even still make that anymore?).  It was so common, my Dad and I used to joke about going to Nana's house for pimento cheese sandwiches.  And while we're there, maybe we'll jump in the pool.

And it wasn't even good pimento cheese; it was the one that came in a plastic tub from the grocery store.  I'm not even certain whether it had actual cheese in it at all.  It was bad, which was exactly what made the joke so funny for us.

This is not that; this is the good stuff:

1c sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 lb. cream cheese, softened

1/4c mayonnaise

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 

1/2 (4 oz.) jar diced pimento, drained

salt and black pepper, to taste


1.  Throw everything in a bowl and stir until well blended.

2.  Chill until ready to serve.              

I like to serve this with the cracked black pepper Triscuits.

So good!

Bruschetta Bites

I've noticed some people have really strong opinions on what makes a good, "authentic" bruschetta.  I'm not a big snob about such things.  If it looks good and tastes good, then I'm happy.  I do know a bad bruschetta when I eat it though (had some at a restaurant we like that I will never order again).

However, this recipe is one of our favorites.  It's similar to the other bruschetta I make, here, but one thing hubby liked about this one was the assembly of it all.  The cheese on the bottom helps to grab onto the topping and keep it from falling off so easily.  Yes, you could totally do this with any bruschetta.  I just happened to try it for the first time with this one.

Here's the recipe:

1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

*(you could sub fresh tomatoes, just make sure they're room temperature)*

1 (2.25 oz.) can sliced ripe olives, drained

2 TBSP Italian parsley, chopped

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 TBSP olive oil

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

24 small slices provolone cheese

1.  Heat oven to 350*.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, and red pepper; set aside.

3.  Place baguette slices on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 5 minutes, or until very lightly toasted.

4.  Top each baguette slice with 1 slice of cheese; return to the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.

5.  Top each slice with a spoonful of the tomato mixture.

 Serve immediately as an appetizer.



Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms have become one of my favorite appetizers so I like to play around with different variations.  These are the most recent:

5 slices bacon
1 (10oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
12 large mushrooms
3 TBSP butter

2 TBSP onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3/8c heavy cream

1/4c Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 400*.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

2.  Place bacon in a large, deep skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.  Drain, crumble and set aside.

3.  Remove stems from mushrooms.  Arrange caps in the baking dish.  Finely chop stems and set aside.

4.  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and mix in onion and garlic.  Cook 5 minutes, or until tender, then mix in bacon, spinach, chopped mushroom stems and heavy cream. 

5.  Bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat and mix in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

6.  Stuff mushroom caps generously with the mixture.

7.  Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes until lightly browned.

Not the most kid-friendly, I know, but they're so good!

Truffle Lover's Popcorn

Reposting this one since I've already decided it will be today's afternoon snack:

The Inn at Little Washington serves a popcorn appetizer with freshy shaved truffles that is absolutely fantastic and today I wanted some of it. Since driving there is not an option today, I decided to experiment a bit and see if I could recreate (even a little bit) that amazing flavor. It's not quite the same since I did not use fresh parsley and subbed truffle oil because I refuse to buy any of the $600/lb. truffles they keep locked in the produce department of my grocery store (especially just for popcorn!) but it did satisfy my craving. Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

1 bag plain or light butter popcorn

4 tsp. white truffle oil

2 TBSP dried parsley (1/4c fresh, if you have it)

1/4c. grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt, to taste

1. Pop the popcorn in the microwave.

2. In large bowl, toss popcorn with oil, parsley, and parmesan cheese; season to taste.

Easy!

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Out of all the appetizers I set out on Super Bowl Sunday, this was probably the most popular.  Nothing fancy or complicated; just good, spicy Game Day food: 

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

oil for frying

1 bottle spicy Buffalo wing sauce (we like Frank's)

1.  In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.

2.  Place chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them.  Then toss until they are evenly coated.

3.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

4.  Heat oil in a deep skillet to 375*  The oil should be just enough to cover or almost cover chicken.

5.  Fry coated chicken in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned.  Remove chicken and place on paper towels.

6.  Place chicken on foil covered (for easy clean-up) baking sheet.

7.  Baste with Buffalo sauce.

8.  Bake approximately 15 min., turning and basting again halfway.

 Serve with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing. 

Egg Drop Soup

The star of the show at dinner last night was

definitely the egg drop soup. 

The beef and broccoli was good but it was the

soup that everyone raved about!  This was so

much better than anything I've had in a restaurant.

You really must try it:

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely minced

2 TBSP fresh chives, chopped

1/4c. green onions, chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

white pepper, to taste

1 1/2 TBSP cornstarch

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

  

1.  Reserve 3/4c. vegetable broth and pour the rest into

a medium saucepan.

2.  Stir the salt, white pepper, ginger, chives,

and green onions into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil.

3.  In a small bowl, stir together the remaining broth

and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.

4.  In small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork.

5.  Stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.

6.  Remove pan from heat.

7.  Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the

boiling broth mixture.

Egg should cook immediately, forming the "ribbons".

8.  Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot.

Hubby requested I make a double batch next time!

Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil - Caprese Appetizers

I am loving mozzarella lately!  I can eat it plain, jazzed up
with seasonings, breaded, fried, and placed
on top of a salad.  It's all good!

A few nights ago, I served it caprese style - on a stick.

The flavors are simple and wonderful.

This is all you need:

cherry tomatoes, halved
fresh basil leaves
small marinated mozzarella balls
toothpicks
olive oil
salt and pepper

1.Thread a tomato half, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball
onto toothpicks until all ingredients are used.

2.  Drizzle the olive oil over the tomato, cheese and basil.

3.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

This was a nice contrast to the heavier pasta

I served at dinner.