Antipasto Wreath and Prosciutto-Wrapped Pears

Super last minute appetizer idea if you need something for tonight or tomorrow and are scouring for something you can whip out quickly - if I'm too late with this suggestion for this year (what? you mean I'm the only procrastinator in the bunch?!) then remember it for next time because this turned out really cute, is very easy to make, and you can change it with whatever ingredients you want to use.

I saw the idea for this wreath here, made a couple changes of course, and love the outcome. This is a keeper for sure - so pretty!

On a round platter or plate make a wreath from rosemary branches (I added thyme branches too - I was thinking parsley, cilantro, kale, and/or lettuces would also work but might get a little wilty depending on how fast this gets eaten. Fill in with meats, cheeses, fruits of your choice - I did a stack of sliced salami, cheddar cubes, marinated feta cheese (blot/dry as much as you can), grapes, prosciutto wrapped around pears and boursin cheese (see how-to below), and olives. Leave a circle free in the center of the platter, add more rosemary to make a smaller wreath shape and fill with crackers or toasted baguette.

To make the rolled pears you'll need ripe pears, boursin cheese (I used pepper flavored), prosciutto, and arugula leaves (optional).

Separate the prosciutto into slices, then cut each slice into 3 long narrow strips. I leave the slices on the backing that separates the slices in the package, then remove the backing (obviously).

Cut the pear in quarters, remove the stem and seeds, then cut each quarter into thirds - one pear yields 12 slices. Lay the prosciutto on a cutting board, top with a pear slice, an arugula leaf if you're using, and about a teaspoon of boursin (it's a creamy soft cheese, comes in a little square box). Roll the prosciutto around the pear.

To make the toasted baguette - thinly slice a small baguette and lay on a baking sheet. Melt about 1/4 cup of butter and drizzle over the baguette slices. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in a 350' oven about 5 minutes, turn the slices over and bake another 5 minutes. Turn again and keep baking until the slices are crispy but not super crunchy like croutons (unless you want crouton crunchy slices, who am I to tell you how crunchy they should be?!). I dare you to not eat any of these warm out of the oven ;)

Baked Artichoke Dip

I have been making this dip for years. A lot of years. It is SO good and it's always a hit - there's never any leftover which is sort of a bummer for me, I'm usually playing hostess when appetizers are being devoured so I don't usually get my fill of this hot creamy dip!


1 can artichoke hearts, drained and mashed
1 cup mayo
1 cup grated parmesan
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon thyme

Combine all the ingredients and spoon into a small baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika and bake 350' for 20 minutes until hot. Serve with crackers.

variation: omit garlic and thyme, add small can of chopped drained jalapeños. Bake 30 minutes, let sit 10 minutes before eating.

Sushi Not-Sushi! (Watermelon Appetizer)

BFFE Mary sent me this and I cannot wait to make it - it's been so hot lately this watermelon appetizer sounds like the perfect refreshing bite (not to mention look how pretty it is, and so easy!). She made it twice in two days and it was totally gone both times - she said everyone thought it was ahi tuna (that's where the "sushi not-sushi" name comes in hahaha).

On top of watermelon chunks (you can buy watermelon already chunked up but that's more expensive than doing it yourself, your call), pipe or spoon goat cheese whipped with a little lemon juice and zest. She usually tops that with basil but this time she was out of basil so substituted a blueberry (hey, another great idea for the 4th of July or other patriotic holidays!) and then drizzled with pomegranate vinegar (she found that at her local specialty store - you can use any balsamic or balsamic reduction). How good does this sound?! Thanks for sharing, Mary!

Goat Cheese Mousse...by Janis

I'm not sure what inspired Janis to try this recipe - I would have looked at the ingredients and said never mind - but we are SO lucky and thankful that she did! This was devoured so fast I literally grabbed the last cracker on the plate and elbowed my way in to get a taste before it was gone. Get past the ingredients and try this - you will not regret it.

Note: Janis changed the presentation from what the directions say - she flipped the bowl over to un-mold and served it over a layer of fig jam. Pretty and delish!


 Ingredients:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup quark* (if not available, substitute 4 ounces ricotta cheese blended with 1 tablespoon sour cream)
• 2 ounces soft goat cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• sweet pepper or cranberry chutney
• crackers or toasted french baguette

makes about 4 cups

Directions:

1. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Cooke 2 minutes over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves.
2. Whisk together gelatin mixture, yogurt, quark and goat cheese in a large bowl. Stir in the chives. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Beat cream in a separate chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Fold gently into cheese mixture. Cover and chill 3 hours. Serve with the chutney, crackers or toasted baguette. 

*quark is a soft white cheese that comes in a container like sour cream or yogurt - see Janis's picture of the ingredients to get an idea of what to look for. 

She got the recipe from a cookbook by Linda Steidel. I don't know which one but you can google Linda and see her many books!

Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks

I'm going on a short trip that puts me in the air almost as long as I'll be on the ground (!) and I want to pack some snacks. Especially since my layover is only an hour in Chicago, no time to grab something before boarding the second flight and even though I'm sure I can make it all day without eating and survive, why take the chance? ;)

The easy route is to pack a couple granola bars or some trail mix, but I won't want those things when it comes time to eat them - good intentions until the boredom and munchies kick in. Hard-boiled eggs are an excellent snack full of protein but no-one wants to smell them (or tuna fish!) on an airplane! Plus I can't eat them without salt and pepper so that's not very practical anyway. Hmmm...

I was going thru my photos and remembered an easy appetizer that Janis brought to our house one day - mozzarella sticks wrapped with slices of thin prosciutto. Very simple to make (the directions are also the name of the dish!), can be made ahead of time, aren't fragile, and taste great. This seams like it'd make a great airplane snack too! Prosciutto is an Italian dry-cured ham sliced super thin, since it won't be out of the fridge all that long I'm not worried about eating it at room temp. In addition to a cut up apple with one of those prepackaged tubes of peanut butter and a small bag of m&m's should keep me from starving. And I'll throw in a granola bar just in case :)

Shrimp Cocktail

Janis and Florian made these beautiful shrimp cocktails last year that I took pictures of and have been saving to post (ok, not saving exactly - I totally forgot I had them!). I love the presentation and think they look very Valentine's Day dinner appropriate - Janis made a similar version last night at our Palentine dinner and it reminded me that I should share this idea.

The ones from last year have two sauces side-by-side in martini glasses with large cooked shrimp propped around the rim of the glass, and garnished with a piece of fresh chive.  So pretty and the combo of sauces was nice - one is cocktail sauce and the other a creamy horseradish sauce (mix prepared horseradish into sour cream, maybe add a bit of lemon juice).

Last night Janis just put cocktail sauce in the glass and it was equally pretty and a fun way to serve shrimp cocktail (which I love love love!).

they put the sauces into ziplock baggies and snipped the corner to make
getting it into the glass clean and could control where the sauce went. 

or with just cocktail sauce - still pretty!

Happy Palentine's Day!!!
Janis also brought champagne with raspberries, and a
decadent chocolate dessert that I'll share with you once
she gives me the recipe! So good!

one year ago: how to make a heart sun catcher

two years ago: Valentine's Day wine label

Tesha's Texas Caviar

I got this from my friend years ago and love it - I'm not sure if it's actually "her" recipe, but I call it "Tesha's Texas Caviar" regardless if it's hers or not! It's so good I would totally claim it if I was her! I just decided to add this to our Super Bowl munchie menu - the vinaigrette has sugar and oil in it but you drain that off, so I'm calling this a 'healthy' munchie to make myself feel a little better about all the crap we are going to eat come Sunday ;)

To serve you'll want to strain off the marinade or it's super messy; save the marinade though because you can keep adding more beans and veggies to it for a couple months. We like this with big corn chips, but tortilla chips also work. I also like to eat this like a salad, so good! 

TESHA’S TEXAS CAVIAR DIP

Mix together in a big bowl:

1 can pinto beans w/jalapeno (if can’t find add 1 T. chopped jalapeño)

1 can black eyed peas

       *drain and rinse all beans very well. 

1 can white corn      

1 small jar pimento, chopped

1 cup green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

Bring to a boil then cool completely:

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. water

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup salad oil

1 cup sugar

Pour over bean mixture, marinate 24 hours before serving. Drain to serve but save marinade. Serve with big scoop corn chips. Keeps for 2 months in fridge (you can add more beans, etc. to marinade and keep it going).

mix together in a large bowl

add the oil and vinegar mixture

strain before serving 

one year ago: the hair bump trick

two years ago: pretzel hugs (these would be fun for Super Bowl with the 2 teams colors for the m&ms!)

Apricot, Pine nut, and Honey Goat Cheese Spread

Made this very easy appetizer for a friend's dinner party and it was a big hit - it might seem a little "foo-foo" but let me tell you how good it is. It's good. Really good. You should totally make this and impress the crap out of people ;)

Note: the original recipe called for almonds but I substituted pine nuts instead so Dave could eat some!

8 oz. goat cheese log, room temperature
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
8 dried apricots, chopped
3 teaspoons fresh parsley or basil, chopped
1/2 cup apricot preserves
coarse pepper
honey

1. spread preserves on a serving tray or platter
2. roughly chop the pine nuts, combine with chopped apricots and chopped herb - put them on a plate or in a pie pan (something big enough to fit the log)
3. roll the goat cheese log in the mixture and place it on top of the preserves you spread on a platter
4. sprinkle with some pepper if you want, then drizzle honey over the entire thing.
5. serve with and assortment of crackers

Original recipe found here.

2 years ago today: organized my craft room. of course I've changed it since then tho...!
1 year ago today:  killer german chocolate cake

Baked Spinach Dip

Cassandra told me about this dip her sister-in-law makes but I kept forgetting - until we were having family dinner the other night and I wanted to make an easy appetizer and remembered this. It comes together super fast, only 4 ingredients, and was devoured in like 10 minutes. Seriously, they were scraping the dish after it was all gone! I only made a half recipe because it really sounded like it was going to make a lot - after watching these people gobble it down I totally should have made the full recipe!

Check out how easy this is: Spray a pan with non stick spray. Chop one bag of fresh spinach into pieces and wilt in the pan over medium heat - doesn't take very long - then sprinkle with garlic powder and a little garlic salt. In a bowl combine 1 block of cream cheese, 1/2 bag shredded mozzarella cheese, and the spinach. Put in a small baking dish and heat thru in a 325' oven.

Note: I baked it because I don't have a small crock pot to keep it warm which is what I originally thought I was going to do.  She just adds all the ingredients to the wilted spinach in the pan, stirs until hot and melted, and serves. Since it was scarfed up so fast this totally would work! If it's going to sit out for awhile I like the baked or crock pot idea since it tastes best hot. Serve with crackers, bagel chips, tortilla chips...whatever!

Note #2: It was in the oven for quite awhile before I served it so it sort of formed a browned crust on top which everyone loved. If you serve it fresh from the pan it won't look like my picture, it'll be more creamy and white like traditional dip.

Like the action shots? They wouldn't stop eating long enough for me to take their pictures...;)



one year ago today: DIY candy bouquet

Crack Dip

Our kitchen is still torn up and I needed to bring an appetizer to a party last week...so I went on the search for another quick, cold, no-cook appetizer (click here for my last quick, cold, no-cook appetizer - no stove or oven for the time being!) and I stumbled on this recipe for "crack dip"...it's apparently named that cuz it's so addicting you can't just eat one chipful!

Author: An Affair from the Heart

Recipe type: Cold Appetizer/ Dip

Ingredients

• 2 cans Mexicorn, drained
• 1 cup real mayonnaise
• 1 cup real sour cream
• Tops of 3 bunches of green onions, sliced
• 1 can green chilies, diced
• ⅓ cup of jalapenos (the jar kind), chopped
• 8 ounce package of Shredded Mexican Blend cheese
• Tortilla chips for serving

Instructions

1. Combine all of the dip contents together and place in the fridge. I suggest making it 12 hours ahead, or even the day before. The flavors just keep getting better and better! Serve with tortilla chips!

Recipe by An Affair from the Heart at http://www.anaffairfromtheheart.com/2014/12/award-winning-crack-dip/

I didn't add the jalapeño because I'm a baby and didn't want it too spicy, I did however had a few dashes of Tabasco for a little flavor.  Delish - and she's right, very addicting!

original recipe found here.

Cream Cheese - Feta Dip

Really I don't need to write much more than the title. That's all it is. And it's good.

I needed a last minute, quick, no cook appetizer and found this online. Mix together 8 oz. light cream cheese and 6 oz. feta cheese (both at room temperature so softer). Done.

I ended up putting them in a mini food processor and adding a splash of half-and-half to get it smoother but that's cuz I didn't have time to wait for the cheeses to warm up and blend easily. Served with crackers, fig jam, jalapeño jelly, and sliced salami. Super easy. Super fast. Super yummy.

Click here for original post, I forgot to take a picture so you can check out bakelovegives photo! My dip was smoother and creamier than her photo but it's going to taste the same!

Pimento Cheese

Thinking about what to make for our New Years party - right now I'm thinking tenderloin sliders (made with Boursin cheese spread on King's Hawaiian rolls, topped with a slice or two of tenderloin and a big arugula leaf...yum), not sure what anyone else is bringing yet. For sure I'll make my yummy pimento cheese...ok, it's not actually "mine" - this is a Paula and Bobby Dean recipe but I've been making it for so long I think of it as mine now haha. When my nieces were younger they called it "yummy cheese", as in "can we have yummy cheese tonight?" - if adults and kids both give it a thumbs up you know it has to be good! I usually double the recipe and use it multiple ways (my mom just gave me the tip to make grilled ham and cheese with it, that'd be so good!), if there's much leftover it freezes well too.

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 Cup grated monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 to 3 Tablespoons pimentos
1 teaspoon grated onion (optional)
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning*
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well blended. Serve with crackers, pita chips, thin breadsticks, etc.

note: *House Seasoning is a mixture of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It calls for so little in this recipe that I just mix a bit of each in the palm of my hand and add it to the cheese mixture.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups

Chicken Salad Endive Cups

I got an email the other day that included this easy appetizer idea and I immediately wanted to make them. Super quick, super easy, super yummy.

I changed 2 things from the original recipe - I didn't read thru the entire recipe (you'd think I'd know better by now) so didn't see that she folded grapes into the chicken salad, I only put one on top -which I think looks pretty - and second, the store-bought chicken salad had way too much mayo in it for my liking so I added some chopped up cooked chicken I had in the fridge to make the salad thicker and more chickeny. Chickeny is a word, right?


Ingredients:

 -1 pint of store-bought chicken salad
- half a bag of red grapes
- 2 or 3 heads of endive

Directions:

Slice the grapes in half and fold into the chicken salad. (Or be like me and skip that part and just put one grape half on the top.) Peel off individual endive leaves, scoop the chicken salad into each leaf and serve on a platter.

click here for the original recipe.

My friend Mary makes another stuffed endive appetizer that I love - she mixes together chopped apples, blue cheese, radicchio, and walnuts (she makes it with pine nuts instead if Dave is around since he's allergic to nuts - she's a nice friend. I'd probably just tell him to not eat the endive cups and steer him towards some tortilla chips or something!) and scoops the mixture onto one half of an endive leave (so it's just a bite of filling). Top with half a red grape and drizzle with balsamic. Delish!

Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Sheryl brought mini stuffed peppers over for an appetizer the other day - I've seen the bags of mini sweet peppers at the grocery store but didn't know what to do with them and now I'm obsessed. Right after I had Sheryl's version, which was stuffed with goat cheese (I think goat cheese, I didn't get her recipe), I saw this recipe on The Italian Dish site and figured it was a sign that I needed to try making some. These are SO good, fairly easy to make, hold well and are good either hot or at room temperature. If you like these and want to also try Sheryl's recipe I will get it from her and post later!



I've made these twice in a couple weeks - there are a lot of little peppers in that bag, plenty to make this 2 different times. And both times they were a hit with no leftovers - always a good sign!


I followed her recipe pretty closely; I used dried basil instead of fresh, substituted her suggested Montreal Steak Seasoning for pepper, and added a handful of shredded monterey jack cheese to the bread crumb mixture.

I've only made these for appetizers but they would also make a good side dish to roasted meat or chicken, I'd maybe round out with a salad.