Party food
I came across this recipe from Food Network. As with most of Food Network recipes this did not disappoint. The one hiccup I had was that the grocery store we stopped at in Bar Harbor did not have the phyllo cups. So what’s a girl to do? You know it, improvise! Nothing some puff pastry sheets could not take care of. Using the puff pastry added a lot more work to this dessert but worth it. I’ll be packing the cups next time!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 package mini phyllo shells
DIRECTIONS
Combine the blueberries , granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat until the berries start to break down and the liquid is syrupy, about ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Whisk together the mascarpone, powdered sugar , lemon zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Spoon or pipe dollops of the mascarpone mixture into the phyllo shells, leaving room for the blueberry compote. Then top with the blueberry compote. Zest with more lemon zest if desired.
Serve immediately.
IF you get stuck like an did with no phyllo shells. You can use puff pastry sheets. I just cut the into bite size pieces and baked according to package directions.
Enjoy!
I have been buying Ken’s Apple Cider Vinaigrette for a couple years now, it’s one of my favorite salad dressing to have on salads or with vegetables but I recently went on their website to see if the dressing was gluten free and found it is gluten free and they had a recipe for these meatballs so I knew I wanted to try them. These meatballs are sweet from the vinaigrette and spicy from the sriracha and cayenne. Jim and I both really liked these meatballs. They are simple to make and can be made into smaller meatballs for an appetizer or larger for dinner. These would also be easy to make and put in the crockpot for entertaining.
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs-
2 pounds ground Turkey
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used crushed corn chips to keep it gluten free)
1 small onion finely diced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Ken’s Apple cider Vinaigrette
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
To make the glaze-
1 cup Ken’s Apple Cider Vinaigrette
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 teaspoons grated ginger
6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons sriracha
3 teaspoons cornstarch
DIRECTIONS
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and set aside. Add all of the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix well to combine. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Mix the apple cider glaze ingredients except for the cornstarch into a large skillet and mix well to combine and bring to a boil. Once to a boil mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water then add to the sauce mixture. Stir until slightly thickened then turn the heat down to medium. When the meatballs are ready take them out from the oven and add them to the sauce to finish cooking. Once cooked through remove from heat and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Easter was just a couple weeks ago and I realized when I was making deviled eggs I did not have that recipe on the blog and did not take a picture of just the eggs! You can spot that deviled egg on the plate next to the fruit salad and mashed potatoes! This recipe comes from food network. It’s simple with all the flavors you would expect. I always add a little extra pepper to my deviled eggs just because we like that little bite.
INGREDIENTS
12 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 or 2 dashes of hot sauce
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Chives for garnish if desired
Smoked paprika for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
Hard boil your eggs, I use an egg steamer but you can simply place the eggs in a single layer in a wide sauce pan, cover with one inch of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer ten minutes. Transfer the eggs to a boil of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool carefully peel them.
Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks to a medium bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and add the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Mix well. Transfer to a large resealable bag or pastry bag. Snip the end off of the bag. Place your egg whites on a platter and pipe the filling into the whites. Dust with smoked paprika. Refrigerate until serving.
Enjoy!
I have been enjoying making these layer bars and so are Jim’s co-workers! I sent these bars into the flight facility with Jim and they were not disappointed. I used a raspberry jam with seeds so if you don’t care for the seeds you can get the seedless jam. These take a little bit of time to make but each step is very easy. These would be great to take to any spring or summer gathering!
INGREDIENTS
1 box of shortbread cookies (10oz.)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 Oz)
2 large lemons, zested
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup of white chocolate chips
1 cup raspberry jam
1 package ghirardelli white melting chips (found in the baking aisle)
DIRECTIONS
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with non stick spray and set aside. Grind the package of shortbread bread cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor or blender.
In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs and stir until the crumbs are well coated. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the cookie crumbs and spread over the bottom crust. Zest one of the lemons evenly over the sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle the macadamia nuts , shredded coconut and white chocolate chips over the top of the sweetened condensed milk to cover evenly.
Bake the bars for 25-27 minutes. Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes then place the bars in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the bars to firm . Remove from fridge and Gently spread the raspberry jam over the top of the bars in an even layer.
Pour the ghirardelli melting chips into In a microwave safe dish, I used a large measuring cup and melt according to the package directions. Once melted drizzle the melted chocolate over the bars then top with more lemon zest. Place back in the fridge for the melted chocolate to firm. Slice when ready to serve.
Enjoy!
This candy recipe was an all time favorite food gift for everyone we shared them with over the holidays. I made several batches of the candy trying to get the proper pan size and the amounts just right. I also made two versions one with whiskey and one without. The candies were shared on holiday gift plates, with friends, family, fire department friends, military friends even a group of Military Generals! Each and every one came back to tell us how much they enjoyed them including the Generals!
This is a make ahead candy that needs to be in the freezer for 2 hours so plan ahead!
Makes 32 squares
INGREDIENTS
11 Oz. Bags of caramel bits (I buy them at Walmart, Kraft brand)
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped up pretzels
1 1/2 Tablespoons whiskey(can omit)
10 ounce package of chocolate flavored melting wafers such as ghirardelli
Course sea salt
I used a disposable tin pan that I found at the grocery store size 7 15/16 x 6 7/16 x 1 13/16 or
a 5 1/2 x 9 baking dish also works.
I also used 5×5 squares of wax wrapping papers. You can easily cut wax paper to the proper size.
I also used Non stick aluminum foil and non stick spray
DIRECTIONS
Line your baking dish or aluminum tin with non stick foil, be sure to have the aluminum foil go up two of the sides of the dish. Spray with non stick spray. Set aside.
In a microwave safe bowl add the caramel bits and the 2 Tablespoons of water. Microwave for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Once melted remove from the microwave and add the chopped pecans, chopped pretzels and whiskey. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Place your baking dish into the freezer for 2 hours.
Remove from the freezer taking the caramel out of the baking dish using the aluminum foil wings. Remove the caramel from the aluminum foil and using a sharp knife cut the caramel into 32 equal pieces.
Line a baking sheet with non stick foil and set aside.
Melt your baking chips in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 2 minutes stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove from the microwave and dip your caramel pieces into the chocolate a couple at a time and place them on the foil lined baking sheet. Add a small pinch of sea salt directly after dipping them and continue this until all of your candy is coated in chocolate.
Let the chocolate firm in the refrigerator. Once firm remove from fridge and wrap in wax paper.
Enjoy!
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