Pesto Crescents

I had a party here the other night and made these pesto crescents. They are really easy. I used prepared crescent roll dough since that is one skill I haven't mastered making at home! (I've heard Martha Stewart has a good recipe though--maybe I'll have to try it sometime when I have three days to do it.) 

The roll dough comes out in little triangles--I cut each triangle in half length-wise to make it a skinny triangle. Spread it with pesto and roll them up into little rolls.

350* oven for about 10 minutes, or until they get puffed up and golden brown.

These are delicious, and cutting the rolls in half before rolling and baking makes them a perfect 2-3 bite size for parties.

Western Potato Rounds

Western

Potato Rounds

These won the "best in show" vote from the lone husband-sneaking-around-the-kitchen at my cooking and recipe swap group the other night.  He said "from the man's point of view" they were the clear winner.  The theme of the night was hors d' oeuvres.

2 large unpeeled baking potatoes
vegetable oil
1 cup (4 oz) colby jack cheese
6 bacon slices
1/3 cup green onion slices (about 2)
¼ cup barbeque sauce

Preheat oven to 450*F. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Brush both sides of potatoes with oil. Place rounds on a baking stone or sheet pan. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven.

Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp, drain and crumble. In a medium bowl, combine bacon, cheese, and sliced green onions in a bowl and toss together. With a basting brush, brush each potato round with barbeque sauce and sprinkle the cheese mixture on top. Return to the oven. Bake 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Adapted from "The Pampered Chef Stoneware Sensations" cookbook. Makes 24 hors d’oeuvres.

Cranberry Salsa

 Cranberry salsa.  A bit tangy, kind of sweet with a kick of spiciness.  Sooo good.

And adorable with little Christmas tree chips made from spinach tortillas.

Another great thing about this recipe--it was a Christmas "treat" I could share with my friend who doesn't eat dairy, eggs or chocolate. 

Cranberry Salsa with "Tree" Chips

12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, cut in eighths
1/2 large red pepper, cut in large chunks
1/2 medium red onion, cut in large chunks
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C apple juice
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped pickled jalapeno pepper
1 tsp. grated lime zest

1 pkg. spinach flour tortillas (green)

Put cranberries, apple, red pepper and onion in food processor; pulse until chopped. Transfer to a large glass bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Cover and refrigerate or spoon into crocks or jars and refrigerate. (I suggest dividing into two processor batches to avoid pureeing the ingredients too much. Can use a food chopper instead. Adjust amounts of onion and/or jalapeno according to your desire for spiciness and apple juice according to your desire for juiciness.)

For chips, heat oven to 375°. Use a 3" cookie cutter to cut out tree shapes. (Or just slice with a pizza cutter into abstract triangle trees.) Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Put in plastic bags; give with the salsa. Can be made up to 2 weeks ahead. Store chips airtight at room temperature.

Makes 4 C salsa; 36 chips

Coconut Shrimp with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Coconut Shrimp with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Recipe: Alton Brown, Food Network

Ingredients

24 large (15 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled, deviened, and butterflied (We actually used a 1 lb 40-50 count bag)
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 egg whites
2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, or 2 1/2 cups shredded fresh coconut
Canola or peanut oil, for frying

Directions

Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, and cayenne. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. In another bowl, place the coconut. Coat the shrimp with the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Dip into the egg white and then press into the coconut to get full coverage. Try to keep 1 hand dry, this will keep things a little cleaner.

In a large pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F and gently submerge the shrimp, 6 at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them to a rack to drain.

They were delicious! Owen Loved them. Jonas picked off all the coconut and ate it, and then ate the shrimp separately. I don't know what that's all about.

We served them with the peanut dipping sauce and brown rice.

Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce or 2 to 3 anchovies, ground
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a food processor, puree the chicken stock, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, chopped garlic, and ginger. Add the peanut butter and pulse to combine. Fold in the cilantro and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Bring sauce to room temperature and serve with coconut shrimp.

Pumpkin Dip and Halloween Boo-fay

Here was my spread for the Book Club I hosted this month! I love fall food, and treats! The punch was a 2-liter of Sprite, a pint of raspberry sherbet, and half a bag of frozen raspberries--standard, but delicious!

I served delicious pumpkin bars. There are many good recipes for pumpkin bars, I'm sure you have your favorite. I used the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook recipe. And of course, the best thing about it is the cream cheese frosting! Yum....

This great pumpkin dip is from Taste of Home a few years back. In a large mixing bowl beat one 8-oz package of cream cheese with 2 cups powdered Sugar. Add one 15oz can of pureed pumpkin, 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1 tsp vanilla. It is delicious with apple and pear slices.



This witches cauldron in the fire pit is my favorite aesthetically speaking. Pretzel rods and three colors of delicious sweet peppers make up the fire. The dip is a sour cream onion dip. I bought mine pre-made (there's only so many hours in the day). I looked for a little cauldron bowl for the dip to go in, but alas, I had to settle for a dark bowl, I still think the effect is really nice.
Happy Halloween Treating!