This week has been week of celebration for me. The cookbook that I have been working on for the last few years is finally finished. I am in the process of editing it to send it off. My mind has been so much on that that I have not been cooking very much, hence, not many postings this week.
Seems that we cannot go anywhere that we don’t see prosciutto or basil on the menu, offered in so many different combinations. These are great little appetizers and this recipe makes 4 dz. The combination of the three flavors, enhanced by the balsamic make for a great beginning.
2 large bunches fresh basil
1/2 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4″ strips
2 (8 oz) packages mozzarella cheese, cut into 1×1/2″ strips
1 (14 oz) bottle classis balsamic vinaigrette
Place 1 basil leaf on a clean flat surface. Place 1 prosciutto strip over basil. Wrap basil and prosciutto around 1 piece of mozzarella. Secure with a wooden pick. Repeat procedure with remaining basil, prosciutto and cheese. Place cheese, in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour salad dressing over; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Transfer the pieces to a serving platter.
Category: appetizers
Yes, Another Mushroom Recipe
I LOVE mushrooms. I don’t know if it is the flavor or the fact that you can eat a million of them without worrying about calories. Of course, depending on what you stuff them with or how you prepare the little angels, could quickly send you into Cholestrol Cardiac, but we won’t worry about that at Christmas. Let’s just enjoy them and come January, you can eat raw cauliflower till your hearts content and the cholesterol has been washed out of your system. This recipe certainly cannot be considered diet, but guess that’s what makes it so good. Great appetizer to take to those Christmas and New Years parties.
24 Large mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1/2 pound Italian bulk sausage (casing removed)
1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
1/2 cup picante sauce
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (I bet already you are picturing these in your mind as “what a cute little Christmas looking appetizer with the red picante and green onions”)
Place mushroom caps in large shallow baking dish (sprayed with Pam)
Brown sausage in skillet, stirring to break up large pieces
Drain and mix with cheese. Fill mushrooms with sausage mixture. You can prepare to this point up to 1 day in advance and store in covered container in fridge.
Spoon picante sauce over mushrooms and bake at 375 for 15 min or until they are heated all the way through. Top with green onions before serving.
Artichoke Fritata
Several friends have texted me to ask if I had any new appetizer recipes. When I went back through some recipes that I have used in the past, I came across this one. In the 90’s I belonged to a women’s club, called Northwood Womans Club in Dallas. We began each year with a “tea” for new members of which the members who are joined the year before was in charge of planning and executing this wonderful afternoon of great desserts and appetizers. Now why did I list desserts first….hum….tells me a little of why I cannot fit in those size 12 pants anymore. Back to the story. This recipe was made and was an instant hit.
2 small jars (61/4 oz) marinated artichokes
1 small onion, chopped very fine
1 clove garlic, mashed
4 eggs, beaten with a fork
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teas pepper
1/8 teas oregano
2 teas parsley flakes, or chopped fresh parsley
1/8 teas Tabasco
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Drain 1 jar of the artichokes-drain the oil from 2nd jar into frying pan.
Saute onion and garlic in oil
Chop artichokes very fine (use blender if necessary)
Combine all ingredients and pour into a 9×9 pyrex pan which you have sprayed with Pam
Bake at 325 degrees for 30 min or until mixture is set firmly and lightly brown.
May be frozen and reheated. Cut in squares and place on serving platter.
Poppy Seed Chicken Salad in Phyllo Cups
Taken from a Tea Time Magazine, these are truly a southern delight.
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped apple
3 tables minced celery
2 green onions, minced
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo
1 teas lemon juice
1 teas honey
1 teas poppy seed
1/4 teas salt
1/2 teas pepper
2 (2.1 oz) frozen phyllo cups, thawed
Garnish; chopped fresh chives or parsley
In a medium bowl, combine chicken, apple, celery and green onion
In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.
Combine sour cream mixture with chicken mixture.
Spoon into phyllo cups. Garnish with chives, if desired.
Shrimp in Cucumber Cups
It is really good to be home, after being gone 2 weeks, it is wonderful to be back in my kitchen, looking through new magazines and trying new recipes. I have come from Phoenix where the order of the day was Wendy’s, McDonalds or Taco Bell, as little children under the age of 12 just don’t get in to trying “Nana’s” newfound recipes which she is dying to make, so…am home now and ready to cook. This recipe is from Southern Living and will be on the plate come Wed as ladies are coming for lunch. This just looked and sounded too good now to try. Hope you give it a try, anything with shrimp, cream cheese and dill has got to be a winner. Am serving this with chicken salad sandwiches, fruit salad and 7 layered salad. Dessert will be Lemon fling, which is really a winner with everyone. It is on the blog.
Stir together 1 8 oz package softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream; 1 tables fresh dill, 1 tables chopped fresh chives, 1 tables fresh lemon juice and 1/4 teas salt.
Cut 2 English cucumbers into 30 (3/4 iz) rounds. Scoop seeds from centers of cucumber rounds, using a melon baller or small spoon and leave a 1/4″ thick shell. Fill cucumber cups with cream cheese mixture; top each with 1 peeled boiled shrimp. Garnish with fresh dill if desired.
Artichoke & Black Olive Spread
This little gem was tucked away on a folded page in the Nov issue of SL and when I saw it the other night, I wished I had found it during the holidays as it is a wonderful spread for bagels or rye party bread for parties. If you are headed to a Valentines party, this is a wonderful appetizer to take along. Easy and quick, I think you will be pleased with the flavor.
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teas italian seasoning
Dash of garlic salt
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
3 tables chopped black olives
12 plain mini bagels or bagel chips
Heat oven to 375 Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended in large bowl. Stir in artichokes and olives. Spread each bagel half with cream cheese mixture. Place on foil-covered baking sheet
Bake 12-15 min or until light golden and bubbly. Cool 5 min before serving.
I am taking them to Super Bowl Sunday!
Stuffed Mushrooms
We had some friends over last night for dinner and I made spaghetti and meatballs fresh green beans sautéed with dill and garlic. Wanting them to have something the minute they walked in, I decided at the last minute to bake some stuffed mushrooms. They took 10 minutes and our friends raved about them. If you are needing a quick, delicious appetizer, try these. They were really good and very easy to prepare.
1 large container large button mushrooms, cleaned and the stem cut out and chopped up in a different bowl.
1 tabels dried onion flakes which I soaked in about 2 tables water, then drained after about 5 min.
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach ( I used fresh baby spinach and just chopped up in skillet as I was sauteing the mushroom stems, which I chopped up in small pieces
4 tables butter
1/2 teas garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic
1/4 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs or just plain bread crumbs if that is what you have.
Melt butter in skillet. Place chopped mushroom stems, onion flakes, spinach leaves and seasonings and saute over medium heat until mushrooms and spinach are tender.
Place whole mushrooms in a baking dish, which I lined with foil and sprayed with Pam. Fill each mushroom with about a tables of filling. Sprinkle a little olive oil over mushrooms and then sprinkle Kikoman sauce over mushrooms. Place about 1/2 teas parmesan cheese over tops and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15-18 min. Serve warm.
Baby Hot Browns with Spicy Candied Bacon
These are GREAT little appetizers to take to parties or serve company. Taken from a Paula Deen magazine, there are easy, yet scrumptious!
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teas ground red pepper
16 slices thick cut bacon
1/4 cup softened butter
24 (2 in thick) diagonally cut french bread slices
3 tables butter
3 table flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups ( 8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tables freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 lbs thinkly sliced smoked deli turkey
2 tables chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray a wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place on baking sheet.
In a bowl, combine brown sugar and red pepper. Dredge bacon slices in a brown sugar mixture, shaking off excess and place on prepared rack. Bake for 15-18 min or until crisp and golden brown and caramalized. Let cool on rack. Cut each slice into 3 equal pieces.
Preheat broiler. Line another large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Using 1/4 cup of the butter, spread over 1 side of bread slices; place slices, buttered side up, on prepared baking sheet. Broil until toasted. Set aside on pan.
In medium saucepan, melt 3 tables butter over medium-low heat. Add flour, whisking until smooth. Cook for 1 min, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly for 10 min or until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat; add cheeses, whisking until cheese melts.
Arrange turkey slices over toasted bread slices. Spoon about 2 tables cheese sauce over each. Broil for 2-3 min or until lightly browned and bubbly. Remove from broiler and place on serving platter. Top each slice with 2 bacon pieces. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
Grilled Queso
For all you Mexican food lovers out there, and I know there are hundreds of you because everytime I go to get my quota of mexican food every week, we have to stand in line to get a table. This appetizer is a meal in itself, or a great side dish to a mexican themed dinner. Just serve with warm corn of flour tortillas and sit and enjoy a movie. (In case you are wondering, it once again is taken from a Paula Deen magazine, but she got it from a Cafe in Little Rock, Arkansas
4 tables butter (that should have told you immediately that it was a recipe straight out of her magazine)
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 (8 oz) package white American cheese, shredded
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tables salsa or Pico de Gallo
Seasoning
In a large saucepan, whisk butter and flour together over medium heat; cook until golden brown whisking constantly. Whisk in heavy cream to make cream sauce, stirring often to make sure there are no lumps. Add cheeses and stir constanly until thoroughly melted. Add chopped cilantro and stir thoroughly. Place queso in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, till it bubbles. Place salsa or Pico de Gallo in the center of the queso. Generously sprikle Seasoning on top of the queso. Serve with fresh fried corn tortilla chips, or soft corn or flour tortillas.
*Seasoning (makes 1 tables)
1 teas ground cinnamon
1 teas ground cumin
1 teas paprika
Mix spices together and place in a shaker
Goat Cheese-Apricot Terrine
Another Paula Deen Winner!!!! This recipe makes 2 loafs of this delicious appetizer so you can keep one in the freezer for another time. It is not only so pretty to serve on the table, but the flavors blend so beauitfully.
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2 (4 oz) logs goat cheese, softened
3/4 cup apricot preserves, divided
1 1/2 teas chopped fresh rosemary, divided
3 slices bacon, cooked,crumbled and divided
Assorted crackers
Spray 2 (5x 2 1/2 “) loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray; line with heavy-duty plastic wrap.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and goat cheese. Spread 1/2 cup cheese mixture in bottom of each prepared pan. Top each evenly with 2 tables apricot preserves, 1/4 teas rosemary, and 1/2 slice crumbled bacon. Repeat layers once, beginning with cheese misture and ending with cheese mixture. Cover tighly with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve. Remove from freezer 1 hr before serving. Unmold and top each wtih remaining 2 tables apricot preserves, 1/4 teas rosemary and 1/2 slice crumbled bacon. Serve with assorted crackers.
*Terrines can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. If you serve only one terrine, keep the remaining one frozen for another occasion.
Chocolate Castles 