Appetizers
This simple side dish is so easy to put together and full of great flavor. This dish is best made the day before you want to eat it so it’s perfect for parties when you have so much to do. It’s also a reasonably healthy side dish. This is one of my husbands favorite side dishes. You can change out the chopped parsley for cilantro and if you want a little more heat, add a diced and seeded jalapeño. As you can see it’s easily adaptable to the flavors you like!
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can (15 ounce) black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
Chopped parsley or cilantro to top
Tortilla chips for serving
Large Fritos for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl add the first 7 ingredients and mix. In a small bowl add the olive oil, sugar, chili powder and salt. Mix well and add to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Top with chopped parsley or cilantro. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
This recipe comes from tablefortwoblog.com
This is another Taste of Home recipe that we really enjoyed. We buy a variety of cream cheese and we do like the vegetable cream cheese found in the store. This version has such a fresh flavor it beats the store version by a mile! This is a great spring and summer recipe to use up all of your garden vegetables! Not only did we use this spread on bagels and english muffins we dipped the leftover vegetables in it as well! NOTE– If you don’t want to buy all of the veggies you can get most of the veggies in a small amount already sliced from your grocery salad bar.
INGREDIENTS
4 ounces fat free cream cheese
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2/3 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 Tablespoons chopped carrot
1 radish, finely chopped
2 Tablespoon finely chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Bagels or english muffins for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a bowl beat cheeses, lime peel and lime juice until blended.
Fold in the chopped vegetables and basil. Serve on bagels or English muffins.
I recently had the chance to do a small catering job for my Mom, Lydia Williams who is an amazing photographer. She had many of her award winning photographs on metal and also featured on puzzles, Christmas cards, calendars, magazines and pamphlets at an exhibit held at our local library. One of the dishes I made was a goat cheese whip. It was a huge hit; everyone enjoyed this and it was a fabulous addition to my cheese board! So next time you are putting together a cheese board add this you will not be disappointed !
INGREDIENTS
5 ounces of goat cheese, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon honey, more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup pomegranate arias, plus more for garnish
Serve with crackers or toasted baguette slices.
DIRECTIONS
In the bottom of a stand mixer bowl add goat cheese and cream cheese. Using the whisk attachment, whisk on high until light and fluffy, this takes a couple minutes. Add honey, salt and pepper. Whip again about 30 more seconds. Add pomegranates and fold into the mixture. Transfer to your serving container, sprinkle with additional pomegranate, drizzle with a bit more honey and serve with crackers or baguette slices.
If you would like to see some beautiful photographs please feel free to visit my Mom’s website at http://www.lydiawilliamsphotography.com
Enjoy!
Only three ingredients for this tasty dish. These would be great as an appetizer or a simple dessert. I made these over Christmas but with the berry jam it might be just as nice for Valentine’s Day! These are definitely best served shortly after coming out of the oven. They do need to cool slightly but don’t wait to long to take that first bite!
INGREDIENTS
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
3-4 Tablespoons of Smuckers Fruit and Honey Triple Berry Fruit Jam
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Place the puff pastry sheet on top of a piece of parchment paper. Apply fruit spread evenly over the puff pastry sheet. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese on top. Roll up the puff pastry from both sides until both sides meet in the middle being sure it’s wrapped nice and snug!
Wrap the roll in parchment paper and place in the fridge for 30 minutes; this will make it easier to slice. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the roll has chilled, slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place each slice on the parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown. Let them cool slightly but enjoy warm!
Enjoy!
This is another terrific recipe from“The Chew”
but this recipe comes from Daphne Oz. I made a number of finger foods on New Year’s Eve and this is one of the recipes I made. This was so simple to make and had that sweet and spicy combination that we love so much. The ketchup and honey bring the sweet and the Sriracha brings the heat to the dish! I would say the most difficult part of this recipe is slicing the flank steak really thin. That’s why I asked my butcher to do it and he was more than happy to do so!
NOTE: 1/2 pound of flank steaks makes about 12 skewers depending on how thin the meat is sliced. You can easily double or triple this recipe. You will need wooden or metal skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes so they do not burn under the broiler.This can also be prepared the day before a party and place skewers into the broiler before guests arrive.
BEEF INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic, minced and peeled
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 lime, cut into wedges for serving
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce with the cornstarch until it is completely dissolved. Add the remaining soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and sesame oil. Add the beef to the mixture, turn to coat the beef. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or overnight.
For the sauce- in a small bowl whisk together ketchup, honey, Sriracha, salt and pepper.
Line a baking sheet with foil, remove the steak from the marinade and blot dry with a paper towel. Thread one piece of meat onto each skewer and set them on prepared baking sheet.
Adjust the oven rack so that is about 3 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler to high. Brush both sides of the skewers with the sauce and broil skewers for about 3 minutes (could be longer depending on the thickness of the steak). Turn the skewers and broil another 3 minutes or longer. You want the beef to be browned and cooked through. Serve beef skewers warm with lime wedges.
Enjoy!
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