Festive Appetizer

My cousin made this dip while we were visiting in Chicago. I was in love with it (as was my munchkin)

Its so easy and has the red, green & white colors you need for your Christmas Dinner, open house, etc...


You'll need
Sun dried tomatoes-jarred in oil, preferably diced or sliced
pesto- you can make our own or buy the premade kind, about 2 cups
cream cheese- 1-2 boxes, so I think 16 oz?

So, I let the cream cheese sit out until softened, then I whipped in it the kitchen aid. Once that was done, I spread it on a serving dish.
Next pour on the pesto, spread it all over the cream cheese.
Then layer with the sun dried tomatoes. You'll want to keep some of the oil, not all of it though.

And you are done. Serve with ritz or club crackers.

Baby Shower Recipe Follow Up

For the bread in any of the following recipes:
Slice the baguette crosswise into 18 thin round slices. Brush the bread rounds lightly with olive oil on 1 side. Arrange them in rows, oil side up, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Red Pepper & Feta Bruschetta
Good olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon capers, drained
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Baguette
3 ounces feta cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and cook until soft, about 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Stir in the capers and basil, and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve. (You can make everything up to this point 2 days in advance) Prior to serving, add feta cheese. Place about 1 Tbsp of mixture on the bread.


Tomato Bruschetta:
4 tomatoes, diced & seeded
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh basil
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. Serve atop bruschetta bread. This can also be made up to 2 days in advance.

Shoot! I left the mushroom bruschetta recipe at home!

UPDATE: Mushroom Bruschetta
8 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
3/4 pound of mushrooms, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, 2 minced, 1 smashed
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
fresh sage (about 1 Tbsp)
fresh parsley, chopped (about 1 Tbsp)& 1/3 cup of leaves
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 tsp anchovy paste
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1. In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil & the butter over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, minced garlic, salt, pepper, & the sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley & remove from heat.
2. In a blender or food processor, put the olives, parsley leaves, smashed garlic, anchovy paste & the remaining olive oil, the lemon juice & some more pepper. Process to a coarse puree.
3. Mix the cooked mushrooms with the olive mixture & serve atop the bread.

Baby Shower!

My friend Cassandra & I threw a shower for another good friend of ours last Saturday. I put together a menu the Tuesday before, yes I know a little last minute, but I was having party planner block.

Food:
Veggie Tray w/ ranch dip
Fruit Tray w/cream cheese dip
bacon wrapped jalapeno thingies
Italian white bean dip w/pita crisp
3 Tier Bruschetta: tomato, sweet red pepper w/feta & mushroom
Antipasto snacks
Baked Brie
Cake

Drinks:
Lemonade
Sprite
Diet Coke
White Wine Sangria

Cassandra will be the first to tell you she is not a master chef, so she was in charge of drinks, ordering the cake, the veggie tray & the fruit tray.
I had instilled the help of the hubs the day of the shower as we had a lot of work to do! I did a lot of it the Thursday before, as I knew I would not have time the day of. The shower was at 2pm and we had an hour drive to get there.

On Thursday, I made the white bean dip, this was Giada recipe and I happened to have everything in my house to make it, so it was a last minute "Oh I don't have enough food" addition. I made the pita crisps the day of the shower.

Also premade was the bruschetta. I did a regular tomato one, a mushroom one & a red pepper w/feta. I left this recipes at home so I will post them tomorrow!
We toasted up the bruschetta bread the day of.

The day of, we made up the bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies. And yes, that is the real name. These went fast. I would have made more only that whole FDA thing with jalapenos made for slim pickings at the store.

I snagged the idea of the antipasto snacks from my friend Leslie. I didn't have time or the patience to look around for medium sized kabob sticks so I used toothpicks.
On one toothpick I put a green olive, pepperoni, basil leaf & fresh mozz, on the other I did a black olive, genoa salami, basil & fresh mozz. There were pretty darn good!

I also made a baked brie, a recipe I snagged from my friend Kim. I did not take pictures of this, as it was running a wee bit behind (wasn't ready until about 2:45) but it is soooo good! I only made one of these.

Baked Brie
Dried pecans, finely chopped
Dried fruit, finely chopped (I use craisins, peaches, etc.)
Brown sugar
Flour
2 large Alouette Brie wheels
Puff pastry if not adding details- Pepperidge Farm works the best
Defrost puff pastry to where it can be rolled, but is not soft.
Roll out into more of a circle, using flour underneath and on rolling pin.
Cut brie wheel down the center, so that they are still circles.
1 handful of nuts, 1 handful of fruit, 1 handful of brown sugar on top of first pastry.
Lay coated side of brie wheel down towards fruits/nuts, sticky side up.
1 handful of nuts, 1 handful of fruit, 1 handful of brown sugar.
Put stick side of brie facing down, coated side facing up.
Pull sides of pastry up like pleats; use water to smooth sides and help get rid of air bubbles.
Fold on top, using water to seal the pleats together.
Repeat with second brie.
Saran wrap each brie and wrap in tinfoil, can be frozen.
To cook:
Defrost for at least 5-6 hours before cooking.
375 degrees
Cook in bowl as brie can leak from the sides of the pastry.
20 minutes covered
Uncover and brush with a beaten egg, leave uncovered
Cook for another 20-25 minutes.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Overall the shower went very well, we played gift bingo & a match the mother animal to its offspring (who knew an Ape's offspring is also called a baby).
Congratulations to Mom & Dad! We can not wait to meet him/her in September!

Shrimp Phyllo Cups

I know a lot of the rage has been the Philly Shrimp Dip from Kraft. I needed to make a snack for the baby shower & I remembered one of the mommies loves goat cheese. We also had way too many dips for the shower. So I took the philly shrimp dip and adapted it.

I took phyllo dough & cut into squares. Phyllo dough is a serious pain to work with. Maybe mine was already dried out, I don't know, but dang it was annoying! Take 5 sheets of phyllo dough, butter each layer, then cut into squares that will fit in you muffin tin with some excess on top.

Bake in the oven for about 8 mins or until golden brown. Then cool on a cooling rack.
Next, whip the goat cheese so it has a lighter consistency. If you have a pastry bag, use that, but I just used a ziploc bag with a hole cut in it to fill the phyllo cup.

Then I dabbed the top with some cocktail sauce, & placed 4 salad shrimps on top of that. I sprinkled them with some chopped parsley for some color. It was so pretty!

Next time I will use my mini-muffin pan, as these were quite large. You really needed a knife & fork to eat them.

ED:Delived Eggs

Deviled eggs are a staple in any family get together. At least in my family they are. My brothers inhale these things so quickly which is a good sign since they at least made it to my parents house. On most occasions I make deviled eggs and my husband eats at least half of them before I ever leave!

My deviled eggs are a bit different you see. Hubs is a self proclaimed ranch lover. It can't be Kraft Ranch or any other brand. It must be Hidden Valley. I finally have him eating the light Hidden Valley Ranch but for awhile there, it was only the original. My mother-in-law came across this giant container of Hidden Valley Ranch powder at Sam's Club, knowing the love of ranch her son has, she bought it and gave it to us. We love it! I use it to make ranch turkey burgers, ranch chicken, etc.. You get the idea. So one day I mixed a little of this powder into my deviled egg mixture and a star was born.
I dont have a recipe, I just mix the egg yolks with some mayo, ranch powder, sometimes a little rach dressing & a dash of mustard.

Happy Retirement!

My Hubs boss is retiring in a few days. Don't we all wish we could trade places with him?? He has been asking me to make some cheeseballs & crackers since I brought some snacks in a few weeks ago. With the holiday parties/Christmas/shopping, I hadn't had time. He so kindly reminded me on Monday, he only has 6 days left of work. (I needed to get to mixin!)

I snagged this recipe from Kraftfoods.com & realized the ingredients are easily switchable.

Standard Cheeseballs
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 1 pkg.
(8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
Dash ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1-2/3 cups PLANTERS Chopped Pecans

BEAT cream cheese, shredded cheese, garlic powder and ground red pepper until well blended. Divide in half. Add roasted red peppers to one half and green onions to the other half; mix each half until well blended. Cover.
SHAPE into a large ball. Roll in pecans. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Since I wanted to make two different kinds of cheeseballs I only used 1 8oz package cream cheese, 4 oz of cheddar cheese & pinches of the seasonings. I omitted the roasted red pepper b/c I didn't have the time or patience to roast a pepper & in this particular cheeseball, I omitted the onions.
For my second cheeseball I made it with 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, about 4 oz Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, a little milk, (like 1 tsp) & the green onions.
I served them with Ritz crackers. Had I known how simple they were, I would have made these ages ago! I am sure they will be making some party appearances soon.

Now, I did receive a "photo-tent" for Christmas http://cgi.ebay.com/23-PHOTO-SHOOTING-TENT-SOFT-BOX-LIGHT-TENT-CUBE-SOFTBOX_W0QQitemZ150141814932QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
I haven't gotten my external light source set up so I haven't had a chance to use it yet. When I do, I am sure I will be beaming!

A little soiree

I had some friends over on Friday night. Its rare that I get to entertain so when I do I go all out. (Hint people, visit me more often!)

So yes, I made quite a bit of snacks. I really wanted to use some of the serving trays I got as wedding gifts so I based my snacks around those.

First was the 3 bowl serving tier:

On top, some homemade hummus, in the middle garlic & tyhme dip, and on the bottom a ratatouille dip. I served these with some garlic pita toasts.

Hummus
Courtesy of Jill(who couldn't be present but was represented)
One 15oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
2 teaspoons bottle lemon juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Bottle of wine

Pour a glass of wine. Puree the beans. They don’t have to be completely smooth: in fact a little
texture is a good thing. Drink some wine, so it doesn’t matter. In a bowl, mix the pureed beans
with the remaining ingredients. (If it’s too thick for you, add a little extra oil or some water.) Or
drink some more and you won’t care.
Garlic & Thyme Dip
Found on http://definitelynotmartha.blogspot.com, orginally from Epicurious **
1 tablespoon (packed) fresh thyme leaves
1/2 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 71/2-ounce package farmer cheese or one 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until garlic is finely chopped, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add cheese and sour cream; blend well. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to serving bowl; chill 30 minutes. (Dip can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)

Ratatouille Dip
I'll have to get back to you on this one. I can't remember where I found it.

Garlic Pita Toasts
Courtesy of Jill(who couldn't be present but was represented)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Three 6 inch rounds pita bread

Heat Oven to 350 Degrees. Drink more of the aforementioned wine. Pour the oil into a small
bowl, sprinkle with garlic powder, and stir. Brush the oil lightly all over the pita round. If you
don’t have a brush, just drizzle a little and rub with your fingers. You might be drunk at this point, so it may not matter in neatness.
Bake on baking sheet for about 10 minutes, or until the wedges have gotten crisp on top.
Finish off the bottle of wine.

Next a little anti-pasta platter
In the middle are some marinated olives, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cup Sicilian cracked green olives or other green olives
1 1/2 cup kalamata olives
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

In a medium size heavy skillet, stir the oil, lemon zest and red pepper flakes over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat & stir in the olives. Add the lemon juice and basil, toss to coat. Transfer the olive mixture to a container. Cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend, stirring occasionally, about 12 hours.
Bring the olive mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Transfer the olive mixture to a small bowl & serve.

I also did a tier of bruschetta/crostini.

This was a basic tomato bruschetta: tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, balsamic viniagrette. This was a roasted red pepper topping, I need to locate that recipe as well...

This was a sun-dried tomato & chickpea topping, From Giada, Everyday Italian
1 large garlic clove
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained & rinses
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained & coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil
1.4 cup fresh Italian parsley
Lemon zest for garnish

To Make Crostini: preheat oven to 375F. Place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and lightly brush with oil. Toast in the oven until golden, about 8 minutes.

To Make Dip: Mince garlic in a food processor. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, 2 Tbsp water, salt & pepper. Process until mixture is almost smooth. While the machine is running, gradually blend in the oil. Process mixture until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add sun-dried tomatoes and the herbs. Blend until the tomatoes and herbs are finely chopped.

So this all looks like a lot right? Well the best part is all of it could be made the night before. All I had to do on Friday was put it on the serving trays and voila!
Thanks for the night of fun ladies!!