CRISPY FRIED WONTON STRIPS

You know those crispy little wonton chips you get at the Chinese restaurant? The golden brown, bumpy, delicious little chips they serve with soups? Yeah, those. I love them. I love them and I never, ever thought of making them myself for some reason. When I stopped in at a new little Chinese restaurant nearby they served some with my hot and sour soup and I got all excited about them again.
I always have wonton wrappers in the house, I find them a great tool for making quick, stuffed appetizers for company. Since I do cocktails nearly every day for my cocktail blog someone is always dropping by at happy hour unannounced. It was then I realized what a great and easy cocktail snack they would make, way easier than stuffing the wrappers! So, I turned on my deep fryer and went to work.
CRISPY FRIED WONTON STRIPS
Ingredients:
1 Package of Wonton or Egg Roll Wrappers Vegetable oil Seasonings
Tools: Knife, Deep fryer or Dutch oven and a slotted scooping tool, paper towels.
Directions:
Heat your oil to 350 degrees. For the wonton wrappers, cut each wrapper in 4 long strips. This gives you approximately a half inch wide by 4 inch long strip. I cut up a stack of them all at once. If you're using egg roll wrappers do the same thing but make sure they're not more than 3 or 4 inches long. Add one strip to the oil to test it for temperature. The strip should immediately bounce right up to the top and start bubbling. Cook about 10 to 15 strips at a time, depending on the size of your fryer. You don't want too many in at once because they will not crisp properly. They take anywhere from about 8 to 12 seconds - yes, seconds - to get nice and golden. I take mine out just before they get to the golden color I want because they will continue to cook for a second or two. Scoop them onto some paper towels to drain and season.*
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Because I always have some frozen raspberries on hand, most of the time I serve these up with my version of sweet and sour sauce which is a raspberry coulis mixed with some Chinese five spice and a little lemon juice. If I have time I'll make my Crab Salad (Dip).
You can season these with fun things like Parmesan cheese, powdered white cheddar popcorn seasoning, herbs or even make them sweet by tossing them in a cinnamon and sugar mixture.
* If you´re seasoning with Parmesan cheese or sugar and cinnamon, etcetera, the easiest way to season them is to toss them in a paper bag add the seasoning and shake!
Have a little fun and experiment with some of your favorite flavors. Then serve them up with some of my great cocktails from TheMartiniDiva.com!

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SWEET & SOUR RED CABBAGE RECIPE

I like coleslaw, but I do not like cooked cabbage. I hate sauerkraut. I have terrible childhood memories of my Mom's reheated, slimy, stinky canned sauerkraut and, as a result, have never been able to wrap my head around any form of cooked cabbage for most of my life. As a result, whenever someone suggests I have a hot dog with sauerkraut on it I cringe.
I do, however, kind of like sweet and sour cabbage, having been exposed to that through some Danish friends of mine. This is most likely because I like pickled foods. (No, that wormy pile of conglomerated, canned sludge that passes for sauerkraut is not food, pickled or otherwise.) Sweet and Sour cabbage is still not in my top 10 favorite foods, but it goes pretty good with pork products and makes a nice change from the standard starchy side dishes.

This last New Year's Eve I was finally convinced to try a hot dog with sauerkraut, but homemade sauerkraut, and you know what? I kind of liked it! Of course my mind immediately started thinking of ways I could improve it and I went right to that memory of Danish style sweet and sour red cabbage.
This recipe was adapted from a recipe from one of my favorite food websites, Taste of Home. I didn't have any bacon but I had bacon fat and used that. I also replaced their white vinegar with a nice raspberry vinegar which added more sweetness. I didn't have an apple either so I left it out. (Well, that's not strictly true. I did have an apple but I was saving it for some Apple Cocktails.) Additionally, I was in a hurry and misread their directions, but it turned out just fine with my method. Here is what I did:
SWEET & SOUR RED CABBAGE
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 C. Cider Vinegar 1/4 C. Cane Sugar 1/4 C. Packed Brown Sugar 1 Medium Red Cabbage, Shredded 2 Tbsp. Bacon Fat 1/2 C. Chopped Onion 1/4 C. Water 3 Tbsp. Raspberry Vinegar 1/2 Tsp. Salt 1/4 Tsp. Pepper 1/2 Tsp. Caraway Seeds
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add both vinegars, sugars, water and seasonings together in a large stock pot and stir. Add in the shredded cabbage and mix thoroughly to coat.
Allow this to pickle together for 15 minutes.  Lightly brown the onions in the bacon fat then pour this all over the cabbage mixture until blended.
Simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, checking at 20 minutes for level of crunchy. I wanted mine thoroughly cooked because it was a hot dog topping, but if I was serving as a side dish I think I'd prefer it with a little tooth.

This is now my favorite hot dog topping. Add a little mustard and you're good to go. Because I made this primarily for hot dogs, I do wish I had added another whole onion and next time I will. (This go round I just tossed a few chopped green onions on my dogs.) I also think some shredded carrots I might be nice, but not for my hot dog topping.
I will also buy packages of pre-shredded cabbage, the shredding was a pain and my kitchen was bombed by tons of little bits of red cabbage.
Whaddya know, Mom, I like cooked cabbage! I can now call truly myself part Czech!

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Cooking Breakfast on a George Forman Grill

For some reason everybody has been cooking weird things on waffle irons lately. I don't have a waffle iron, but when I saw someone do hash browns on one it occurred to me I might do hash browns on my George Foreman grill. So I greased my little grill up, tossed on my hash browns, shut the lid and went for it and it worked!

Then I thought, "hey, what about bacon?" That worked too! Although it was a slow process, the bacon came out perfectly crisp and not at all greasy.

No, I stopped short of scrambled eggs, but I bet you could fry an egg on that grill, albeit an oddly rippled Whoville kind of egg. But I love my eggs cooked in butter and the butter kind of slides away (like all fats) on this kind of grill so I opted for a pan on my stove.
I'm not suggesting you toss out your pans, but in a pinch (like when my kitchen was being remodeled), in a dorm room, an RV or any other tiny home, it's kinda nice to know you can break out a pretty decent breakfast on an electric grill. And yes, you can even make grilled bread aka toast!
So don't ignore your little counter top grill, it does a lot more than chicken breasts and burgers!



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Cranberry Italian Sausage Meatballs with Spicy Cranberry Dipping Sauce

I am not a huge fan of canned cranberry sauce but I always seem to have a can in my pantry during the holidays. Maybe I unconsciously pick it up in memory of my mother, she loved the stuff and it was always served at holiday meals in my house growing up. So,  sometime in December I am always staring that can down and trying to decide what to do with it!
On the other hand, I love the meatball appetizers which always seem to be on every holiday buffet and potluck table, usually smothered in some ketchup-y sauce and served in a crock pot. Those are fine until they've been sitting around for hours and the sauce has reduced to concrete and the balls are dry as cardboard. That's why I prefer to serve mine as dippers, warmed up just before serving and replenished fresh as they disappear! 
I've added a little holiday to these with some dried cranberries, that ubiquitous can of jellied cranberry sauce and a better way to serve up:

CRANBERRY SAUSAGE MEATBALLS
1 Pound Sweet Italian Sausage 1 Package of Pork Stuffing Mix 1/3 C. Dried Cranberries 1 C. Water 1 Small Onion, Diced 1 Stalk Celery, Diced 1 Tsp. Fennel Spice Mix 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder 1 Egg 1 Tsp. Salt
Pour the dry stuffing mix and seasonings into a large mixing bowl. Cook the sausage until nicely browned. Remove sausage and set aside. Sweat the onions and celery in the sausage fat until translucent. Remove and set aside. Deglaze the pan with the water, getting all the nice brown bits (the fond) into the liquid. Pour this liquid into the stuffing and bread crumb mixture. Add the sausage, onions, celery and the egg into the stuffing mixture and mix well, then form into 1" diameter balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350F for 20 - 25 minutes. Plate up warm on a nice holiday dish with some toothpicks and serve with the sauce below. 
Sweet & Spicy Cranberry Dipping Sauce
1 Can Jellied Cranberry Sauce 3/4 C. Heinz Chili Sauce 3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar Juice of 1 Orange 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce 1 Tsp. Garlic Salt
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and warm on medium until the cranberry sauce is completely dissolved. Serve warm in a ramekin next to your Cranberry Sausage Meatballs.
This is great served up with one of my Cranberry Cocktails!
TIP: The leftover meatballs make a fantastic meatball sandwich the next day and the leftover cranberry sauce is a great glaze for a pork roast!

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Super Rich, Chocolate Cocoa Recipe

I make a freakin' GREAT super rich, chocolate-y cocoa and when I had insomnia the other night I made myself a cup and posted the photo and recipe up on my Facebook.  So many people commented and tried it I decided I'd share here too!   It's kind of inspired by the way the Aztecs used to drink their cocoa, spiced up, however I like mine sweet so I added sugar which the Aztecs never used.   The whole key to this recipe is the DARK cocoa powder ... and the spices and booze. . .
Super Rich, Chocolate Cocoa INGREDIENTS: 1 Tbsp. Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder 1 Tbsp. Scharffen Berger Cocoa Powder 2 Tbsp. Sugar (or to taste) Pinch of Sea Salt Pinch of Cinnamon Pinch of Chili Powder 2 Tbsp. Water 1 Cup Milk 1/2 Cup Half & Half Optional: 1/2 Oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur DIRECTIONS: Warm water over medium heat with cocoa powders, spices and sugar until a thick syrup is formed. Add the milk and half & half and heat until just scalding, don't boil! Pour into your favorite cup, add the optional booze, and top with marshmallows or whipped cream. Garnish with some shaved dark chocolate curls and a dash of cinnamon.   Yes, that IS my Cool Beans Coffee Art at top!  I just photoshopped out the coffee beans and repurposed my original colored pencil drawing. Which you can also get on Prints for $15 (shipping included!)

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TRAIL MIX, GORP or PEMMICAN?

August 31st is National Trail Mix Day! 

Trail Mix, that ubiquitous, portable energy snack beloved of hikers and outdoor enthusiasts worldwide, is typically a mixture of dried berries, fruits, nuts and/or seeds. Some forms include dried meats and, in modern times, even chocolate and granola. The most common mixture is the simple combination of {Good Old} Raisins and Peanuts, possibly the root of the name GORP.

Despite there being multiple references to Trail Mix being invented by two California surfers back in 1968, there is an earlier reference to this hiking snack back in Jack Kerouac's 1958 novel "The Dharma Bums". Going back even further, native Americans made Pemmican, a mixture of jerky (dried meat), animal fat and berries, which lasted for months. 

Prior to that, forms of this highly nutritious and compact food was around in ancient cultures worldwide. Whether it's called Studenterhavre, Agil, Bwyd Dewey, Scroggin, Schmogle, Pemmican, Gorp or Trail Mix, some version has been sustaining humanity on the go for a very long time.     

Requiring no cooking, trail mix is a compact, high energy snack utilizing high protein nuts, seeds and/or meats and high carbohydrate dried fruits, which can be stored for long periods of time. This made it an ideal road trip nosh for everyone through history from the ancient Nomads, to Native Americans and explorers of the Old West, to today's surfers, students and even busy soccer moms and computer nerds.

No matter what you call it or what you put in it, Trail Mix is a delicious and nutrient packed finger food.

MY FAVORITE TRAIL MIX RECIPE:

2 Cups of Walnuts, Pecans, Cashews

1 Cup Dried Cherries, Apricots

1 Cup M&Ms

1/2 Cup Pine Nuts, Sunflower Seeds

For camping and outside activities I leave out the M&Ms.

Happy National Trail Mix Day!

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Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

I was making chicken stock to replenish my supply and wanted to make something different with the chicken itself. I've been craving Asian and Middle Eastern flavors lately and thought a coconut curry soup would be nice. I don't care if it's summer or not when I'm craving comfort foods, all I care about is how it fills my tummy and makes my palate smile!

I didn't have all the typical ingredients but I found a couple of cans of yams and had some frozen bell peppers so decided to go with those for my main vegetable elements.

This turned out to be a really great tasting soup, so much so that I did something I rarely do, I made another pot immediately after finishing the first one!

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup Recipe:

4 Cooked Chicken Breasts, shredded

2 Cans Coconut milk

2 Cups Chicken broth

1 Cup Heavy cream or Half & Half

4 Tbsp. Curry powder

2 Tbsp. Turmeric

1 Tsp. Fresh ginger

2 -14 Oz. Can yams, with syrup

1 Onion, Chopped

6 Cloves Garlic, Crushed

1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped

2 Tsp. Lemon Zest

Bring all the ingredients except the cooked chicken to a boil in a stock pot then reduce the heat and simmer for around half an hour, or until the onions and bell peppers are tender.

Add in your chicken and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche and a few rings of mini peppers or some chives and serve with a loaf of crusty bread or some naan. Feel free to add some cooked rice or quinoa to add heartiness!

By the way, this is one of those soups that tastes better the second day!

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MINI STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKES

I made this ridiculously easy and quick dessert using Kraft's recipe for Philadelphia cheesecake and then adding a few extra elements. I decided some dark chocolate decorations (gotta have chocolate) and a nice fresh strawberry would be a perfect pairing for my creamy cheesecake minis.

The Kraft Philadelphia cheesecake recipe is a decent and quick recipe for cheesecake, but it lacked that little touch of lemon I like in my cheesecake. I dislike graham cracker crust so I left that out when baking which meant I needed to add some texture to the dish as well. So my final addition to the dessert was some of Trader Joe's Meyer Lemon Cookies, crushed up and sprinkled as a base for the cookie cutter formed cheesecake minis. I could have made the lemon cookies as the crust but that would have added butter and more unnecessary calories plus taking away a fun plating element. Besides, I only thought of using them after the cheesecake was baked and i missed that lemon flavor!

I cut the cheesecake recipe in half and baked it in an 8x8 pan in less than half the full sized cheescake time so it would be a thin layer. After it was cool I simply cut out pieces with cookie cutters, lifting them out with a spatula while still in the cutter and gently pushed them out of the cookie cutters onto the lemon cookie dusted plates.

For the chocolate decorations I simply melted dark chocolate IN a small freezer bag, cut off one bottom tip of the bag, piped some designs on parchment paper and popped them in the fridge. The strawberries were sliced and fanned out.

All in all it took about an hour and a half to make and most of that was baking/cooling time! While the cheesecake and chocolate cooled I prepped the rest of my dinner!

P.S. I have cheesecake leftover and some beautiful chocolate tulip cups and I'm going to do something fun with those too!

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Individually Plated MINI CHOCOLATE FONDUE

Today is National Fondue Day and I just happened to have the greatest idea ready to post! You see, a few days ago I was craving something chocolate and something a little fancy to treat myself after a long day of dealing with redecorating chaos.  Since my kitchen was pretty much in shambles from my current make-over plans I couldn't really do much in the way of baking. Heck, I couldn't even dig my oven out from under!

What I did have was access to my microwave, some really great dark chocolate from Trader Joe's and some strawberries, mini marshmallows, mandarin oranges and these great little lemon shortbread cookies.  It then occurred to me that a fondue didn't have to be this huge, complicated endeavor! Here's what I did:

MINI CHOCOLATE FONDUE

Chopped the dark chocolate into manageable pieces.

Melted the chocolate by 30 second intervals in a microwavable container.

(enough chocolate for one serving took about 2-1/2 minutes)

Poured the smooth, creamy dark chocolate into a cute espresso cup.

Arranged my dippers around my warm, sexy chocolate.

Dug out a little cocktail pick.

Dug in.

That's it! Simple, fast, delicious and fun!

HAPPY NATIONAL FONDUE DAY!

And try out my Chocolate Fondue Martini to accompany your little fondue party!

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PEPPERMINT BARK BROWNIE TRIFLE

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laughter broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies" Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

Earlier this week I was sent a nice box of assorted brownies from Fairytale Brownies in Phoenix. I have plans to create some cocktail recipes using these delicious chocolate treats as inspiration, but my trifle addiction kicked into gear and I was momentarily sidetracked away from cocktail hour to the dessert course. 

I always keep instant jello on hand and either cool whip or whipping cream in the fridge. I had just made some peppermint bark and I now had some great brownies to use as the cake element so I was good to go and take some brownies onto Trifleland! Come away with me, it's the second star to the right . . .

PEPPERMINT BARK BROWNIE TRIFLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 Small Box of Instant Chocolate Pudding

1-3/4 C. Milk

4 Bite Size Original Fairytale Brownies

Whipped Cream (Cool Whip is acceptable)
Optional: 1 Oz. of Your Favorite Liqueur
(Chocolate, Coffee or Peppermint)

Peppermint Bark, Chopped Small

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the pudding per the instructions on the box, using 1/4 cup LESS milk for a thicker custard.

Chill and allow to set in the fridge.

Prepare your whipped cream if you are making homemade.

Chop your peppermint bark into approximately 1/4" size pieces, leaving a few larger pieces for garnish.

To layer your trifle(s), crumble 2 brownies into each serving bowl.

If you're adding booze, drizzle it over the brownies. 
Top with a layer of pudding. 

Spoon on a good layer of whipped cream.

Sprinkle on a layer of the peppermint bark.

Repeat this for another layer of each ingredient.

Garnish with several larger chunks of the peppermint bark and a chocolate mint candy cane.

That's it. Simple and delicious and chock full of chewy, chocolate-y, brownie goodness kissed by a bit of cream and peppermint. Pretty perfect recipe for National Brownie Day and for the holiday season, huh? 

Makes me believe in fairies all over again!

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BUTTER POACHED EGGS ROSEMARY

ROSEMARY BUTTER POACHED EGGS

on Pan Fried Fingerlings

garnished with Cheddar and Bacon Crumbles

INGREDIENTS:

Eggs

Baby Fingerlings, split in half lengthwise

1/2 Stick of Butter

Crisp Bacon, crumbled

Tablespoon of Shredded Cheddar

Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Cook your bacon crisp, crumble and set aside.

Turn oven onto warm setting.

Par boil your fingerlings, dry with paper towels then pan fry skin side up until fork tender with a crisp finish. Plate in the center of an oven proof plate and keep warm in the oven.

Melt the butter with a few sprigs of rosemary in a saute pan over medium heat. Do not let butter bubble. I start with a cold pan!

Remove pan from heat and gently add your egg. Lower heat then place pan back on the burner and spoon warm butter over the top until the whites are solid but the yolk is still runny. (About 2 - 4 minutes depending on how you like your egg).

Immediately remove eggs from burner, take your plate from the oven then slide egg gently onto the plated fingerlings.

Season with salt, sprinkle with the cheddar and the crumpled bacon.

Garnish with some fresh ground pepper and a fresh sprig of rosemary and enjoy!

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PINA COLADA CUPCAKES RECIPE - A Vacay for your mouth!

PINEAPPLE COCONUT CUPCAKES
How to do an Edible Pina Colada!

I have been craving pineapple and coconut lately and got it in my head that I might try making some cupcakes with those flavors.  I didn't want to go to a lot of work - as I've said before, I'm basically lazy - and I happened to have a white cake mix on hand, some coconut, some cream cheese and a can of pineapple junks so I thought I could come up with a fair-to-middling little late night tropical dessert.

Feel free to make your cupcakes from scratch from a favorite recipe.

Coconut Cupcakes

Take one white cake mix and prepare according to the directions.  Fold in 1/2 Cup of shredded coconut that you've run through the food processor for a second or two. Bake as instructed. Allow to cool.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

8 Oz. Softened Cream Cheese
1/4 C. Butter at Room Temperature
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp. Cream of Coconut
1 C. Powdered Sugar (+/-)

(you can adjust this to suit your tastes, I don't like really sweet frosting.)

 

Pineapple Compote

 

1 C. Pineapple Chunks

1/3 C. Brown Sugar, Packed Firm

1 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 C. Pineapple Juice

(I used the juice from the pineapple chunks)

1/4 C. Dark Rum

 

Bring all the ingredients, except the rum, to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is reduced to a thick, syrup consistency.  Add the rum and cook for another few minutes to allow most of the alcohol to burn off.  Cool.

 

Construction of the

PINA COLADA CUPCAKES

 

Toast some coconut in the oven. Set aside.

 

If you want to infuse your cupcakes with a little booze, now is the time.  Take a bamboo skewer and poke about 10 - 12 holes in each cupcake but don't go all the way to the bottom.  Slowly spoon a tablespoon of coconut rum or spiced rum or even plain dark rum over the holes in each cupcake little by little allowing the alcohol to absorb into the cake.

Now pipe your cream cheese frosting onto your cupcakes leaving a little well in the center for the pineapple compote.

Sprinkle on some toasted coconut flakes (or just quickly dip the frosting in the coconut).

Gently spoon on some of the yummy caramelized Pineapple Compote.

ENJOY!

 

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CORAL ISLAND COOKIES - Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

  CORAL ISLAND COOKIES also known as Thumbprint Cookies   This is my second favorite cookie of all time, my favorite being my Mom's Gingersnap Cookies.  My Mom had this recipe handwritten in her recipe book since before I was born and I have no idea where she got the recipe from and really don't care!  Mom made these with mixed fruit jelly and I loved them but I usually use seedless blackberry or boysenberry jam.  They are rich, buttery and literally melt in your mouth and I crave these at least once a week.
I don't like, nor have the time, to bake that much but I have solved that problem simply by quadrupling the recipe and freezing the dough for later baking.  I usually go through to the step of rolling the dough into balls then freeze the individual balls on a cookie sheet.  Then I bag them up by 6 or 8 so I can just defrost a bag whenever I have a craving!   CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIES: Yes! You can omit the jelly, bake the cookies and the moment you take the cookies out of the oven press a chocolate kiss into the cookie! Don't press the chocolate kiss in before baking - it burns the chocolate.
MOM'S CORAL ISLAND COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:   2/3 C. Butter 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract 1-1/3 C. Sifted Flour Your Favorite Jelly or Jam 1 Egg Yolk (reserve the egg white) 1/3 C. Brown Sugar Optional: Chopped Pecans or Other Nut
DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grease your cookie sheet(s) or line them with parchment. (I prefer parchment as it keeps the cookie bottom from getting too brown).
• Cream together the butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
• Add the flour a little at a time, blending completely.
• Shape the dough into 1" diameter balls.
• Place the balls about 3" apart on your cookie sheet(s).
• Press your thumb into each cookie ball for a well for the jelly/jam.
• Beat the reserved egg white until foamy and brush on top of the cookies.
• Spoon in the jam or jelly.
• Sprinkle on the optional chopped nuts.
• Bake 12 - 15 minutes.

Enjoy and send a little "hello" up to my Mom while you enjoy them - I think she would like that!

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Italian Sausage Meatball Bruschetta - Mama Mia!

ITALIAN SAUSAGE MEATBALL BRUSCHETTA

BRUSCHETTA INGREDIENTS

10 Slices of a hearty white bread.
Italian Meatballs (recipe below)
Marinara Sauce (recipe below)
15 - 20 Slices of Smoked Provolone Cheese
Shredded or Grated Parmesan Cheese
Few Fresh Basil Leaves for Garnish

TOOLS
Cookie Cutter in a fun shape

Cheese Grater
Medium Sauce Pan
Medium Mixing Bowl
Baking Sheet

MARINARA SAUCE

1 - 12 Oz. Jar of Tomato Sauce
1/2 C. Diced Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Med. Onion Diced Small
4 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
1 Tsp. Dried Basil
1/2 Tsp. Marjoram
1/4 Tsp. Rosemary
Salt and Pepper to Taste
2 Tbsp. Red Wine
Olive Oil

• In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium.
• Add the onions, green pepper and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce, spices and wine.
• Simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE MEATBALLS
Makes approximately 20 - 24 meatballs

1 Pound Bulk Sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 C. Plain Bread Crumbs
1/3 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Med. Onion, Diced Small
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp. Fennel Salt Mixture
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
!/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Large Egg

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Combine all the ingredients together in your medium bowl until completely mixed together. I just use my hands to mix it up.
• Scoop out mixture by 1" ball into your palm and roll into balls.
• Place on a cookie greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

ASSEMBLING THE BRUSCHETTA

• Cut out 20 pieces of cheese with the cookie cutter and set aside.
• Cut out 20 pieces of bread with the cookie cutter.
• Paint on the melted garlic butter then lightly toast under the broiler.
• While the bread toasts, cut 10 meatballs in half and coat with the marinara sauce by adding them in the sauce and rolling around until they are completely covered.
• When bread is toasted, top with a cut out slice of the provolone and then half a marinara coated meatball.
• Arrange several on a small cocktail plate, sprinkle the tops with some Parmesan cheese and add the fresh basil garnish. (If you prefer you can chiffonade the basil and sprinkle it on top of the meatball bruschettas after the Parmesan cheese.)

Serve this mini meatball sandwiches up with this Basil Cucumber Martini or another of my 400+ Designer Martinis and enjoy!

MANGA!

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PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMALLOW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS

PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMALLOW

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS

.....Whew!

Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit while you mix up your favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

1. Press your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough 1/2" thick into a greased 9x12 baking dish.

2. Cover cookie dough with peanut butter. Feel free to add something crunchy on top of the peanut butter - like toasted nuts or seeds, toffee bits or even coconut.

3. Sprinkle on a layer of mini marshmallows.

4. Sprinkle on a few extra chocolate chips and a few of those nuts if you like.

5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 - 55 minutes.

6. Cool, slice and enjoy.

Don't blame me if your butt grows by a few inches. I'm just the messenger.

Toodles!

 

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PEAR and BLUE CHEESE BRUSCHETTA

Thanks to a gift of a bag full of assorted pears, here is my recipe for

PEAR and BLUE CHEESE BRUSCHETTA

Ingredients:

1 Small Baguette, sliced 1/3" thick

1/2 C. Crumbled Blue Cheese

1 Firm, Ripe Pear of your Choice

Honey

Butter

*Optional:  Toasted Pecans

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toast your pecans in a skillet until lightly browned, set aside.
• Lightly toast your baguette slices, don't toast until hard!
• Slice your pear lengthwise into 1/8" thickness while your baguette slices are toasting and
• Saute the pear slices in some butter until nicely caramelized. (Keep an eye on those toasting baguette slices!)
• Spread the blue cheese on the toasted baguettes, top each with a warm slice of pear and top off with your toasted pecans*
• Drizzle with honey and serve. 

 I served this up with my Pear Champagne Martini (recipe at The Martini Diva Blog) which I made with my homemade Pear Sorbet!

I loved these so much that every time I get pears now I always buy extra so I can have bruschetta!

 

Buon Appetito

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PEAR HIBISCUS SORBET in Gingersnap Cups

This is a recipe I tried out when I got a bag of pears from a friend.  As a single person I can't eat a whole bag of pears before they go bad but I sure can use them up in some interesting recipes.

This is my first sorbet. Technically it's more of a granita since I don't have an ice cream maker but to heck with technicalities, this was not the texture of a granita. It was silky and creamy and delicious.  The gingersnap cups came into the mix when I decided to share some of my pear sorbet and serve it up as a dessert at a dinner party.

PEAR HIBISCUS SORBET

IN GINGERSNAP CUPS

PEAR SORBET:

Ingredients:

4 Pears

1 Tsp. Sugar

2 Tsp. Hibiscus Syrup

1/2 C. Water

3 Tbsp. Lemoncello*

1/4 Tsp. Hibiscus Elixir

1 Pear for Garnish

Hibiscus Flower for Garnish

Directions:

• Peal, slice and core the pears. I used a combination of Red D'anjou, Barlett and Bosc.
• Puree the pears, hibiscus syrup and sugar in a blender until smooth
• Simmer this pear mixture in a saucepan about 3 - 4 minutes.
• Add the hibiscus elixir and the Lemoncello and stir in completely. (The alcohol keeps your sorbet from freezing too hard.) I used my own homemade Lemoncello!
• Refrigerate until completely cool.  Refrigerating prior to freezing keeps the ice crystals smaller and makes a smoother sorbet.
• Freeze in a covered bowl in the freezer until solid or use your ice cream maker to freeze.

GINGERSNAP CUPS:

Ingredients

2 Gingersnap*** Crumbs, Ground Fine

3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Melted

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 F.
• Spray cupcake molds with cooking spray
• Grind the baked gingersnaps in a blender or small food processor.
• Slowly add the melted butter until a dough forms
• Take a small handful (about 2 or 3 tablespoons) of the dough and press down and around the sides of your baking cups
• Bake 7 minutes and allow to cool
• Release the cups by tipping the cupcake pan over and gently patting the back of the cups.

ASSEMBLY & PLATING:

Ingredients:

Pear Sorbet in Gingerbread Cup

Hibiscus Syrup

3 - 5 Fresh Pear Slices

1 Wild Hibiscus Flower preserved in the syrup.

Some Interesting Cake Decorations*

Directions:

• Squiggle a little of the hibiscus syrup onto the plate in a nice pattern.
• Spoon the sorbet into the gingersnap cups.
• Place your Pear Sorbet filled Gingersnap Cup onto the syrup a little off center.
• Arrange your pear slices around the cup as a garnish then place the hibiscus flower on the pear sorbet.
• Sprinkle on some of the cake decorations.

*I make my own Lemoncello (Limoncello) - here's the recipe & instructions. 

**Candied ginger makes a nice substitute for the cake decorations!

***I also made my own Gingersnaps for the cups - here's that recipe.

Tomorrow I'll post up the Pear & Blue Cheese Bruschetta I used some more of my pears in AND the Pear Champagne Martini that I used some of this Pear Sorbet in as well!

 

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PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE in CHOCOLATE CUPS

 PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE
In Dark Chocolate Cups
with Strawberry Blackberry Coulis

PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE:

4 Oz. Whipped Cream Cheese
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (don't use natural peanut butters as they are not homogenized and will separate.)
1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
Splash or so of Half & Half

• With a hand mixer blend together the cream cheese, peanut butter and the powdered sugar until smooth.
• Slowly add in the half & half until you get a consistency similar to soft ice cream.
• Chill until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE CUPS:

Small party balloons
16 Oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

• Blow up the balloons until they're the size of cup you want.  Mine were about an 1-1/2" across.
• Melt your chocolate in a double boiler (I don't like microwaves for melting large amounts of chocolate).
• Dip your balloons into the melted chocolate part way - you can get fancy and do a tulip shape like the video below if you want.
• Chill the cups in the refrigerator.
• Dip again for a stronger, less fragile cup.
• Chill until ready to assemble your dessert.

Here's a great video showing you how to create the chocolate cups - I forgot to take pictures, lol:

TIP: After I blew up my balloons I SPRAYED THEM LIGHTLY with Pam - made mine SO much easier to remove the balloon without breaking my chocolate cups!!

ASSEMBLING and PLATING
THE PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE CUPS

1/2 C. Extra Peanut Butter
Chocolate Syrup
Chocolate Shavings
Optional: Berry or Fruit Coulis
1/2 C. Whipped Cream

• Put your peanut butter mousse into a piping bag (or a plastic bag with a 1/2" hole cut out of one corner).
• Pipe the mousse into your chocolate cups.
• I added some berry coulis around my peanut butter mousse to make these a PB& J style flavor.
• Top off with some shaved chocolate curls.
• Microwave 1/2 cup of peanut butter for about 20 seconds.
• Take a pastry brush, dip in the brush in the peanut butter then paint a streak across your plate.
• Squiggle on some of the chocolate syrup in a decorative pattern.
• Drop some of the chocolate shavings on your plate.
• Spoon on a little extra of the fruit coulis.
• Add a dollop of whipped cream.
• Serve and enjoy!

I have been really jonesing for peanut butter and chocolate this week - check out my Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chip Cookies too!   Tweet
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PEANUT BUTTER FILLED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

So, I got a craving the other night for chocolate chip cookies - you know - the kind we all grew up with, Nestle TOLL HOUSE Cookies. So I made a batch. A batch of cookies all for me. I cannot eat all those cookies at once and I only like my cookies fresh baked, I'm finicky that way.  So I baked up a few and wrapped the rest of the dough up and stuck it in the fridge.

The next night I made a few more. The next night after that I had a craving for peanut butter.  (No, I'm not pregnant - I am just a slave to my food cravings, okay?) As I was grabbing the peanut butter out of the cupboard I had a little flash of inspiration....why not stuff the peanut butter IN the chocolate chip cookies?  So, I did.

PEANUT BUTTER FILLED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Make the traditional Nestle Toll House Cookie dough.

Chill it for an hour or so to make it less sticky to work with.

Heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take a 1-1/4" ball of dough and flatten it on some wax or parchment paper.

Spoon on a teaspoon or so of peanut butter (I used honey roasted, yum!)

Pick up the flattened, peanut butter filled cookie in your hand and mold the cookie dough around the peanut butter.

You don't have to close it completely up.

Put the cookie balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and flatten them just slightly.

Bake at 375 for about 15 - 20 minutes - baking time will depend on how big your cookies are - you can see the size of mine from this:

Eat cookies.

(How much do you love me now?)

And now I'm thinking.....where did I put those mini marshmallow and the honey roasted peanuts?

And if you like peanut butter and chocolate.....wait until you see what I'm posting up this Friday!

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LEMON APRICOT BISQUICK SCONES

LEMON APRICOT SCONES

Made with Bisquick - Easy & Delicious

1 C. Bisquick (Heart Smart is okay!)

2 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar

1/2 C. Dried Apricots, Soaked and Chopped

1-1/2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1/4 Tsp. Fresh Ground Nutmeg

2 Tsp. Lemon Zest

1/4 Tsp. Vanilla

1/3 C. Half  & Half (or Milk)

1/4 C. Apple Juice (or water or apricot brandy)

• Pour some apple juice, water (or even some apricot brandy!) over the dried apricots. Cover with plastic wrap and warm this in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just long enough to warm the liquid. This will speed up the re-hydration of the apricots. Allow to cool.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix the Bisquick, sugar and nutmeg in a large bowl.
• Break the butter into small pieces, then cut this into the Bisquick mixture until you get something that looks like crumbs.
• Stir in the vanilla, half & half, apricots and lemon zest until moistened.
• Drop onto a parchment lined baking sheet (or simply an ungreased baking sheet) using a 1/4 measuring cup as a scoop.
• Bake 10 minutes or until GBD (Golden Brown Delicious).

Serve with fresh butter or, better yet, clotted cream and some apricot preserves and one of my yummy TEA or COFFEE MARTINIS!

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