Antipasto Skewers

This week I made the most beautiful appetizer. These antipasto skewers were such a party hit and truly "blog worthy" despite being so easy to assemble. There is really no cooking involved. I believe that we eat with our eyes first, and that's it's absolutely worth an extra minute to make your food look pretty. If you take the time to cook, take the time to garnish and plate your food! 

This appetizer is perfect at a party when your guests are trying to carry a conversation, sip a glass of wine, and munch on h'orderves without making a mess or feeling awkward. If you're going to serve finger foods, keep them simple and easy to eat. Your guests will very much appreciate your consideration in not choosing saucy, messy appetizers!  Did I mention these are still delicious the next day for happy hour? 

Antipasto Skewers
*I buy the ingredients depending on how many skewers I'm making, but I always buy 2 mozzarella cheese balls, 1 lb of both meats, and 2 packs of cherry tomatoes. A jar of the olives is plenty*

- cherry tomatoes
- large mozzarella cheese ball, cut into squares about the size of a cherry tomato
- packaged fresh tortellini, cooked according to package instruction
- boars head pepperoni (best if sliced fresh from the deli)
- boars head hard salami (fresh from deli)
- basil leaves
- kalamata olives
- black olives
- mozzarella cheese, cut into squares about the size of a cherry tomato
- salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar to finish

Cook tortellini according to package instructions, then drain, place in a bowl, and toss with olive oil to keep them from sticking together. Create an assembly line with all your toppings and assemble each skewer. Prior to serving, drizzle with balsamic, salt and pepper. I like to use tomatoes on both ends, and then I mix up the middle. I usually use one of everything, with the exception of 2 tortellini and 2 pieces of mozzarella cheese. 

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

 Somewhere along the way I embraced the mindset that dinner is supposed to be a sit down affair: one meat and two sides. Tilapia over quinoa with roasted veggies. Steak with roasted potatoes and asparagus. Pasta with a salad. I love to light tea candles, use real napkins, open a bottle of wine, and play a nice pandora station like Steely Dan or Dizzy Gillespie. This was the time in our lives we casually refer to as BC (Before Charlie). 

When you have a little baby that demands much attention, you can throw all dinner rules out the window! It's quite fun actually. A few of our new dinner favorites are gourmet popcorn, fresh market rotisserie chicken salad, chips and salsa, or Barbara's peanut butter puffins. Annie's shells and white cheddar mac & cheese pairs perfectly with a nice Cab. I know all the mom's out there are laughing because they can totally relate.

I can now thank one of my besties, Amy, for the inspiration for dip night. Tell me you would not love to have buffalo chicken dip for dinner with tons of celery and tortilla chips.  I'm pretty sure Josh was in dude heaven when I told him what I had in the crock pot. I'm not even going to feel guilty about it since this lightened up version is heavy on chicken and greek yogurt. It's thicker than most other chicken dips I've tried, so you can really get a good amount of dip on all your celery bites. I modified the original recipe and used more chicken (3 cups) and half the cream cheese - still delicious. 

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (room temp) - original recipe called for 1 package 

1 cup (0% fat) greek yogurt
1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp dry ranch seasoning

2/3 cup Franks red hot sauce

2 to 3 cups cooked shredded chicken OR 1 large can of chicken

Put all ingredients in crockpot, set on low for 3-4 hours and stir every hour.

You can also set oven to 350 degrees, combine ingredients in glass baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes. 

Bangin Good Shrimp

You will not be surprised to learn that having a romantic date night at home with a 3 month old baby is a challenge. Just when the candles are lit and the table is set, baby Charlie decides to wake up in the swing and start crying. It's happened twice so far, and both times I've been so frustrated because a squealing baby is not the least romantic! 

Never one to give up easily, last night I found the perfect solution. Rather than one big meal, I made three appetizers and staged them while we were watching The Godfather. Since Josh and I prefer small plates anyways, this was just perfect. A big meal puts a damper on the evening since we stuff ourselves silly and get sleepy, and usually fall asleep half way through the movie.  We started with these shrimp, and then had stuffed mushrooms followed by eggplant pizzas. 

We put the fussy Charlie in his baby bjorn bouncy chair (lifesaver!), Josh bounced him with his foot, and we watched our movie and started the evening with these amazing shrimp. I tried to explain just how delicious the Bang Bang shrimp appetizer is at Bonefish Grill, and this is a lightened up version from Skinnytaste that is fantastic and easy! 

Bangin Good Shrimp
from Skinnytaste

For the Sauce:

5 Tbsp light mayonnaise
3 Tbsp thai sweet chili sauce
1 tsp Sriracha (to taste)

For the Shrimp:

1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined (weight after peeled)
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp canola oil
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
4 Tbsp scallions, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, thai sweet chili sauce, and Sriracha. Set aside. Combine lettuce and cabbage and place on a large serving dish (or divide onto plates).

Coat shrimp with cornstarch, mixing well with your hands. Heat a large skillet on high heat, when hot add oil. When oil is hot add the shrimp to the hot pan and cook tossing a few times until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and combine with the sauce coating well. Place shrimp on lettuce and top with scallions. 

Perfectly Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

HalloWeekenend has arrived and they are calling for snow in the valley! There is no better fall treat than roasted pumpkin seeds and a cold Sam Adams Octoberfest, so this year we decided to perfect our pumpkin seed roasting technique.

For inspiration, I looked online and visited a few of my favorite blogs (Simply Recipes and Oh She Glows) who start by boiling clean seeds in salt water. We like really crunchy seeds, and this technique promised to deliver. It's quick, easy, and DELICIOUS. Since we were left with two pumpkins and a baby on our hands, we took full advantage and got a yearbook worthy picture, the kind that would be super embarrassing a few years down the road! 

On a side note, I followed these instructions and made the best grilled cheese sandwich today. What did I do differently this time? I grated the cheese, used a cast iron skillet and melted the butter in the skillet before adding the bread. Definitely worth the extra few minutes for the end result. If you're a little lazy, Amy's Organic chunky tomato bisque is a longtime favorite of mine. 

Perfectly Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
adapted from Simply Recipes

1. Clean seeds using water and colander.
2. Boil seeds for 10 minutes in salt water (I used 1 tsp salt and 4 cups water for 1 cup of seeds)
3. Drain the seeds and pat dry with a paper towel
4. In a large bowl or roasting pan, add olive oil and desired seasonings. Then spread in thin layer on roasting pan. (I used Tony Chachere's)
5. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes, then stir and bake for additional 8-10 minutes. Taste a few seeds, depending on the size you may need to roast for a few more minutes.
6. Enjoy with a delicious cold October beer! 

Tortilla Dip

This is one of my Grandma Shirley's famous recipes which is in our McLean family cookbook. She would bring this dip to gatherings and parties, and it was always a crowd pleaser. 

The kitchen has slowly evolved into a sanctuary for me, a place where I can escape to recharge my batteries, find balance, and cook for the people I love. As I was in the kitchen today, I thought about how my grandma had a boy first (my dad) as did my mom, and I am just a few weeks away from joining them in being a mom myself to a little boy. While I am a little scared, I know that the overwhelming joy that comes from being a mom is going to amaze me.  I'm also going to bribe my girlfriends to come and play with me and Charlie by offering this dip along with large glasses of wine! 

You can layer this dip in a 13x9 pyrex glass dish, but I prefer my 15x7 ceramic serving dish I found at Marshall's to really show off the layers. 

Tortilla Dip
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans (or 2 (9 ounce) cans jalapeno bean dip)
1 cup mayonnaise (can substitute cream cheese)
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 avocados
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Tostitos scoops or pretzel chips for serving

Layers from bottom up:

1 - refried beans OR jalapeno bean dip
2 - sour cream and mayonnaise mixed with taco seasoning
3 - guacamole (avocados, salt and lime juice)
4 - scallions and tomato
5 - black olives and shredded cheddar cheese

Olive Tapenade Dip

This olive tapenade dip is one of my mom's signature appetizers, and she's been making it for as long as I can remember. There are rarely leftovers, as you'll find yourself cleaning up after a party and eating the rest with a spoon or with torn pieces of baguette. I bet it would be an amazing pasta sauce or spread on a pita and baked. You may see the anchovies and tuna and think what I did - this is going to taste fishy - and I promise that it just gives the dip an amazing salty italian flavor! 

I'm going to turn up the volume on hors d'oeuvres around here, as I know after baby Charlie comes I will not want to host dinner parties like I do now, but will love having my girls over for happy hour with great appetizers. This dip is the perfect addition to a cheese platter or bruschetta, and I think you should make it right now! 

Tapenade Dip
makes 1 1/2 cups
 
1/2 cup imported black olives (Alfonso or Kalamata), pitted
1/4 cup green olives (Sicilian), pitted
4 anchovy filets
1 garlic clove
2 Tbsp capers, thoroughly drained
2 Tbsp oil-packed tuna, drained
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup fresh basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup best-quality olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Combine black and green olives, anchovy fillets, garlic, capers, tuna, lemon juice and basil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth.

With the motor still running, dribble in the oil and make a thick, fluffy sauce. For a lighter sauce, ideal for raw vegetables, blend in the mayonnaise.

Taste, and correct seasoning. Scrape dip into a bowl and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Tapenade will keep, refrigerated, for 1 week.

Ella's Guacamole

On our recent family vacation, I was finally able to meet my cousin's amazing girlfriend Ella. She is from Mexico and loves to cook, travel, read books, and has two adorable maltese dogs. I'd been waiting to meet her for the past few years, and before we left the vacation she was generous enough to share her personal guacamole recipe with me so that we could all benefit!

Growing up in Mexico, her mom cooked up authentic meals daily. Ella was in charge of making the guacamole and salsa, and she has been making this recipe for years. I could not resist making my first batch with one of my giant heirloom garden tomatoes that was one day from being too ripe, and next time I will strictly follow her recipe for a more creamy texture from the avocados. Ella did say, make this your own! 

Ella's Guacamole
3 ripe Hass avocados, halved and pitted
2 to 4 fresh serrano peppers, coarsely chopped including seeds
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 limes (bright green color)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (add more to taste)

For heat - add a dash of Ella's favorite hot sauce Valentina (or other favorites Cholula or Tapatio)

In a blender: add the peppers, half of the cilantro, 3/4 of the onion, tomatoes, juice of 1 lime, and salt. Blend until smooth. 

Scoop the avocado flesh with a spoon into the blender jar and blend until creamy. Scoop in a bowl, then add 1/4 onion and remaining cilantro as garnish and cover with juice of 1 lime. 

Old School Fruit Dip

Last weekend we threw my friend Lexi a birthday party that was a complete throw back to the '90's with fruit pizza AND old school fruit dip. We sat outside in the sunshine, drank good summer beer, listened to the Rolling Stones station on pandora, and played games. It was the first time Josh and I had a little party at the new house so the day felt extra special. Nothing beats having your best friends over for an afternoon of fun. 

I've been craving fruit lately and remembered this old favorite from my elementary school years, though honestly I love it just as much now as I ever did. It would be perfect for pool parties, a beach snack, or your next BBQ. For the traditional version, you can use regular cream cheese, though the strawberry is pretty amazing. 

Old School Fruit Dip
1 (8 ounce) package strawberry light cream cheese, softened
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
2 Tbsp orange juice
Serve with strawberries, grapes, bananas, orange slices, and apples.

Using a mixer, blend ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Keep cold prior to serving.

Honey Pecan Baked Brie

Ladies, if you want to make lots of friends and win over a crowd of women, bring this appetizer to your next book club or wine night. A brie dish is the perfect host gift, and worse case scenario they already have one and can recycle yours when they totally copy your winning move.

My friend Cindy brought this over last night, and my mom and I went crazy over it. The brie shines, and the pecans and honey give it the perfect crunch and sweetness. After dinner, we had a few more bites for dessert and went to bed happy. The end. 

Honey Pecan Baked Brie

1 round Brie cheese

3/4 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp good honey

1 Tbsp butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a dish, combine the pecans, honey, and butter. Cut the top off a round of Brie cheese, and stuff with the mixture. Place the top back on, and place the wheel of brie in a round baking dish. 

Bake the cheese for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pecans and sugar begin to carmelize. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Serve with apple wedges and table crackers. 

say cheese!

I've taken on a new endeavor, which is to study one of my longtime favorite foods. My mom was in town this weekend, and she packed along a book called Joie De Vivre by Robert Arbor where he talks about the little daily traditions of the French, like making good french press coffee in the morning, buying from the local bakery and butcher, and growing a small vegetable garden. 

My mom and I have always been smitten by French culture and Paris, so we pass books like this back and forth and chat about how we can adopt the French mentality to slow down and enjoy the little things. This visit, we decided to make good pressed coffee at home, boycott fast food and stop eating in the car, and not feel guilty about enjoying a chunk of good baguette when magazines are hollering that carbs are deadly. 
The author talked a little about cheese, how there are eight hundred local cheeses in France and that they often serve a cheese and salad course after the main course and before dessert. Of course that got the wheels turning, which led to a one-click amazon purchase with my birthday money on a beautiful book called the World of Cheese.
The next day we ventured out to The Fresh Market, where I spent the remainder of my birthday money on building my first cheese platter. I picked five cheeses, along with dried apricots, good baguette and crackers, and a selection of olives. We came home, assembled our platter, and went around tasting each new cheese slowly while sipping on wine and chatting in front of the fire. It was the perfect afternoon. Our favorite vehicle was the thinly sliced baguette. For the platter, I chose the following cheeses: 

1  Henri Hutin Belletoile triple cream (France) *pure heaven for the Brie lover
2  Port Salut (France) *we LOVED this one, a new favorite! 
3  Tallegio (Italy)
4  Dubliner - a house favorite, in honor of St Patty's Day (Ireland)
5  Yorkshire Wensleydale with Cranberries (England) *a sweeter dessert cheese

I think a cheese platter is the perfect easy appetizer, and if you have a little knowledge about the cheese you are serving it's a fun conversation topic to have with your friends. Here's to trying new cheese! On my next platter, I will try a blue cheese and a goat cheese. What are your favorites? 

Pears with Tupelo Honey and Extra Sharp Cheddar

Since I devoted a quick and inexpensive appetizer for the guys, I will devote this easy yet elegant appetizer to the ladies. The first time Josh and I were in Savannah, we discovered Savannah Bee Company and their perfect tupelo honey. In the main shop, they were serving slim slices of granny smith apples topped with local sharp cheddar cheese and honeycomb. I cheated and went through the tasting line more than once, and believe me, you would have too. 

I was smitten immediately, and we left Savannah with a gallon of this honey. When my Aunt Brenda sent us a case of Harry & David pears for Christmas, and I later discovered our favorite Tupelo Honey on sale at a local kitchen shop, I had a vision for this combination. For the record, those pears are going on my favorites list for Christmas 2014 - it was such a wonderful gift and we enjoyed every bite of every pear. 

Please know that I am sharing a great secret with you today, and I hope you take this simple combination to your next "book club" aka wine night and love it as much as we do!  

                                  

Pears with Tupelo Honey and Extra Sharp Cheddar

Harry & David Pears or Granny Smith Apples (it's worth splurging for good fruit) 
Tupelo honey or pure honeycomb from the Savannah Bee Company
Extra Sharp Vermont White Cheddar Cheese (I like Cabot)

On a large cutting board, set out slices of pears, cheese, and honey.

Party Meatballs

This recipe is dedicated to the guys out there who need a quick and cheap appetizer for game day or a party. My husband says that some of my recipes are too complex for the male gender, so here you go guys, this one is for you! 

This is a no fuss appetizer that everyone ALWAYS loves. It's just three simple ingredients, and requires no chopping, searing, or anything besides getting out your slow cooker.

Let me share a favorite quote of mine  - 

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. 

You don't always have to stress over homemade in the kitchen, mostly your friends are just happy to come over and not have to clean up afterwards.

Crock Pot Party Meatballs 

1 (32 ounce) bag frozen meatballs
1 (18 ounce) jar grape jelly
1 (18 ounce) jar Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce

Pour the meatballs, grape jelly, and BBQ sauce in the crock pot and stir until well combined. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-3 hours until completely cooked through. Stir occasionally.

Set crock pot on "warm" setting and place small bowls with toothpicks next to the meatballs for friends to serve themselves.