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Showing posts with label party food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label party food. Show all posts

March 17, 2014

Guinness Apple Melt

Guinness goes hand in hand with St. Patrick's Day for most.  I drink it at times but you know what?....I mostly cook with it, so when the U.S. Apple Association sent me this recipe for, get this....Green Apple Guinness Melt, I HAD to try it!  

Oh my gosh.  It is SO good!  Perfect for a party appetizer on St. Patrick's Day OR any other occasion.





















Okay, here's what you need for success......




Slice up the Granny Smith apple into thin slices, set aside.  {full printable recipe below}




In a skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat and cook til bubbling and golden.


















Add flour and whisk.


















Add the Guinness and stir, reduce heat to medium.


















Reduce heat to low and add cheese, mustard and Worcestershire, until cheese is melted.


















And looks like this.......


















Dig out the center of the baguette pieces and slather the mixture on to the pieces.


















Arrange the apple slices on top and broil for 2-4 minutes.




Serve hot.


















And pair it with the rest of the Guinness!




Green Apple Guinness Melt

Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into thirds, then each piece cut lengthwise in half {6 pieces total}
2 1/2 T salted butter
2 1/2 T all purpose flour
6 oz dry stout, such as Guinness
14 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 T whole grain mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Turn broiler to high and set a rack about 6 inches from the heating element.  Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side up.  Arrange the baguette pieces, cut side down, on the sheet and broil until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.  Remove from oven, turn the pieces over, and use your fingers to scoop out enough bread to make a channel  in the center of each piece.  Set baguette pieces aside, still on tray.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until bubbling and golden brown.  Add flour and whisk it in until the mixture is smooth and chestnut brown.   Add the beer and whisk until smooth, then reduce heat to medium and continue stirring until thickened and smooth.  Reduce heat to low and add cheese, mustard and Worcestershire, stirring continuously until melted and smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon a generous amount of the cheese sauce into each baguette piece.  Lay a few overlapping apple slices over the cheese, then transfer to the oven and broil until browned and bubbling, 2-4 minutes.  Serve hot.
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February 3, 2014

Rack of Ribs

Yesterday was the big game day in our house.....Super Bowl, the second biggest eating day of the year, right after Thanksgiving.  But with Super Bowl, party food can be made, kept warm in a slow cooker, set out and grazed upon all afternoon.  No formal sit-down dinner required.

I have cooked a LOT of meat in my lifetime but I had yet to attempt a rack of ribs.  My debut rib cookin' day was Super Bowl Sunday and yes, it was as easy as I had hoped.






I bought a package of pork spare ribs, three racks.  There is a membrane on the back side {bone side} of each rack that needs to be removed.  I stuck a butter knife in between the membrane and the ribs and pulled the membrane off....kind of like peeling wall paper off a wall, you hope that it comes off in one big sheet. Mine didn't.

After the membrane is removed, I applied a dry rub to both sides of each rack.

For three racks, mix:

2 T Seasoned Salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp of beef seasoning

Rub on the rack.

Place the rack {s} in an aluminum foil tray.  Broil the rack {s}, bone side down for about 10 minutes on high, to seal in the flavor.  Remove from the oven, turn the oven down to 225 degrees.  Apply some BBQ sauce to the rack {s}.  I like the Trader Joe's BBQ sauce because it has a nice kick to it.  Place back in a 225 degree oven, covered with aluminum foil and cook for 3 hours. Remove from heat, brush more BBQ sauce on and place back in the oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and cut apart each rib.

This is what my three racks looked like after broiling for 10 minutes and before saucing them.






Make sure you have enough for leftovers!



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January 16, 2014

Super Bowl Party Appetizer ~ Greek Yogurt Gucamole

This recipe for Chobani Greek Yogurt guacamole has been such a hit in my house, I needed to post it again this year since football party season is upon us!

With Sunday's game coming up and with all the football party food just asking to be consumed, it's nice to lighten up a few things where calories are concerned, right?  I have a great guacamole recipe for you that is SO tasty and includes Chobani Greek Yogurt to lighten up the calories.
















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April 11, 2013

Creamy Brussels Sprout Dip

Sorry I've been so MIA lately!  My gosh, I think April is about the busiest month of the year....from birthday parties, both adult and kid, Holstein dairy show, Tahoe trip, more birthday parties, kid sports and helping with a school fundraiser...it's been Crazy.  ALL fun, just busy.

So, for one of the birthday parties, I was scheduled to bring an appetizer and you've probably noticed my love for Brussels sprouts, if you've been reading here for any length of time.  I found this amazing recipe for Creamy Brussels Sprout Dip.  SO good, even if you're not a fan of Brussels sprouts you'll like it.  Similar to cheesy artichoke dip.

As I'm writing this, it just came to me....it would've been even more fantastic a dip if I'd added bacon!  Why didn't I think of it before now?!...next time.



















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October 18, 2012

Crock Pot Harvest Chipotle Chili

I've found a new taste addiction that happens to be really fun to cook with as well.....Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce.  Chipotle adds just the right amount of heat and a whole lot of flavor.

Just yesterday, I added Chipotle to this super easy Harvest Chipotle Chili.  Even though the outside temperature reached 90 degrees....chili is good any time of the year in my house.....plus I'm pre-thinking chili recipes for Super Bowl Sunday.



















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August 31, 2012

"BOTW" Lima Bean Layered Dip

Happy Labor Day weekend!  I know many of you are attending parties this weekend where you may need to bring a dish to share.  My 'Best of the Web' for this week is this delicious looking Lima Bean Layered Dip by Southern Living.  It contains bacon, my fave!  Let me know if and when you try it!




photo and  modified recipe by Southern Living


Lima Bean Layered Dip

Ingredients:
2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
Olive oil cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 small cucumber, seeded and diced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lima Bean Mash: one can of Lima beans, mash it up and add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp onion powder.

1/4 cup  grated reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup) 
3 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
Assorted vegetable slices or pita chips
 

Preparation:
1. Place strainer over a bowl; spoon yogurt into strainer. Cover yogurt with plastic wrap, and chill 2 hours.
2. Spoon yogurt into a bowl, discarding strained liquid. (Yogurt will be thick.) Stir in cucumber and salt.
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July 24, 2012

Shredded Chicken to Feed a Crowd of 150

We recently had a party at the ranch. A margarita party and to soak up all the margaritas consumed, I wanted Mexican food to go along with the theme but for a crowd of 150, I didn't want to have the shredded chicken catered.  Too costly.

I thought maybe I could attempt this myself.




















Here's how it all went down.....

The day before the party:
I used 30 pounds of chicken, mostly boneless, skinless chicken breast and about 1/3 boneless, skinless thighs.  Place all the chicken pieces in two roaster ovens and add 16 cups of water to each.
Cook on 275 degrees for five hours.

















Then start shreddin'!  I used two forks and one by one, all chicken shredded one hour later.

I used a 24 ounce container of Taco Seasoning and mixed it with about 10 or so cups of water and began mixing it in with the shredded chicken.  Once that was complete I fit all the shredded chicken into one of the roaster pan liners, covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.  The next day, party day, I heated the chicken back up, low and slow, in the roaster pan on the lowest setting {200 on mine} for about three hours, mixing it periodically.  

EASY.  Just a little time consuming but well worth it....I'm really picky about how my chicken is cooked and I would do this again for another party for sure.


















Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to leave a comment, I love to hear from you! Have a fantastic day!
 
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September 26, 2011

Beef and Black Bean Nachos - For Dinner

A few weeks ago, while hanging out in Carmel with my friend, Katie, who is a source of inspiration to me on many levels and is the one and only reason my kids speak of North Dakota on a daily basis in our household, was telling me about a platter of nachos she made up to feed her family dinner one night.......now, why hadn't I ever thought of that?! 

After all, the chips are just like taco shells and I could throw on some garden fresh toppings for some healthy veggies, not to mention the beef and beans for protein. 

It's like a healthy, hearty, one dish meal you can throw together within 10 minutes!  Genius!......go with me on this.

















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September 9, 2011

BOTW: Party Food ~ Mini BLTs

Football season is upon us.  Whether you're into college football, high school football or professional football or even if you're not into football at all, I bet you would enjoy a football party all the same.  For this week's 'Best of the Web' I went for some party food and boy, did these look good! Perfect for a house party or a tailgating party.

Make this recipe even easier by buying slider buns and toasting them up instead of baking biscuits!

Mini BLTs by Country Living



















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February 6, 2011

Poll~What's Your Favorite Super Bowl Food?


photo by google image

I know just about everyone is watching the Super Bowl and maybe eating some party food today, so I thought a party food poll was in order:

What's your favorite Super Bowl party food??

  • Pizza
  • Chili
  • Hot Wings
  • Chips & Dip
  • Meatballs
  • Pigs in a Blanket
  • ________________
Thanks for playing!




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February 4, 2011

Super Bowl Food

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up this weekend and we're having a small gathering over.  Along with the pizza that we'll have, I'm going have a chili bar going as well.  We have quite a bit of stew meat in our freezer from one of our natural beef animals we've recently harvested, so Chili Con Carne is on the menu.

photo by Bon Appetit

I found a recipe that I thought looked really good in Bon Appetit's magazine this month and I've adapted the recipe below from their recipe.  I like beans in my chili so one of the changes I made was to add pinto beans to the recipe. 

I'm also going to take the recipe and add it all to a slow cooker the day of the party, that way there's very little prep time and more time to enjoy guests. 

Chili Con Carne & Beans

Ingredients

•4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
•4 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck (from about 5 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 4 cans of pinto beans 
•2 medium onions, chopped
•1 head of garlic (about 15 cloves), peeled, chopped
•1/2 cup ground ancho chiles
•2 tablespoons ground cumin
•1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
•1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
•1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
•2 teaspoons dried oregano
•2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
•2 tablespoons tomato paste
•3 tablespoons masa (corn tortilla mix)

Garnishes
•Coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
•Chopped green and/or red onion
•Chopped fresh cilantro
•Diced fresh tomatoes (optional)
•Sour cream (optional)

•ingredient info

Ground ancho chiles are available in the spice section of supermarkets and at Latin markets. Masa (or masa harina) is sold at supermarkets and Latin markets.

•Test-Kitchen Tip

Stirring in a few tablespoons of masa (corn tortilla mix) at the end helps thicken the chili.

Preparation

•Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 of beef; sprinkle with salt. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to large bowl. Repeat 2 more times with 2 tablespoons oil and beef.

•Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon oil and onions. Sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; stir 2 minutes. Add ground anchos, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beer; stir 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Return beef and juices to pot. Add tomatoes with juice, 2 cups water, oregano, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt. Bring chili to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer gently until beef is just tender, 13/4 to 2 hours. Cool 1 hour, then chill uncovered until cold. Cover; chill overnight.

•Spoon fat from chili. Bring chili to simmer over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste. Sprinkle masa over; stir to blend. Simmer uncovered until thickened and beef is very tender, stirring often, and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if too thick, about 30 minutes.

•Divide chili among bowls. Top with garnishes and serve.


I can already taste this, it looks so good.  Can't wait to spoon up a bowl of it and have some warm cornbread to go along with it.

What are your plans for Super Bowl??

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October 24, 2010

October's Healthy Cooking Meeting

October's Healthy Cooking Meeting was hosted by Debby at her lovely home and the theme was 'Game Time Favorites'  Ahh, snack food, my favorite!  Each month from September through May, our Mother's Club Healthy Cooking Group meets once a month, at an alternating member's home to share healthy recipes, wine and chatter.  Our kickoff cocktail party was at Cathy's house last month.














Here are some of the fabulous dishes we enjoyed.....
Butternut sqaush dip topped with roasted pumpkin seeds, yum!













Fire roasted, home made salsa, perfect for any get together.













Okay, these nachos that Charlotte made were to die for...and healthy-she found the recipe in the Weight Watchers Cookbook!  Recipe below.













I think this was my favorite.  Ribbon Zucchini Crostini that Barb made.  The zucchini is marinated in lemon juice for 30 minutes, which kind of  'pickles' it before it's placed on the toasted bread and topped with shaved Parmesan.  I'm sure I could have eaten half the platter myself.  See recipe below.













Here's another favorite that Leslie whipped up.  Cauliflower Pizza Crust served with marinara for dipping.  You would never know this was made predominately of cauliflower when you taste it.  I thought it was some sort of flat bread.  Perfect for a gluten free diet.  This is another must try for me.  Recipe below.













My dish......okay, so I cheated this time.  I brought a pesto, tomato and broccoli pizza that I heated up out of the box from Trader Joe's.  What can I say....I was running late!













Who knows what next month will bring!?

Here are the recipes:

Healthy Nachos from Weight Watchers:

For the chips:

Buy 6 6-inch plain corn tortillas (not the hand-made corn ones; they have wheat in them which adds calories and fat...)
Cut them into quarters, put them on a baking sheet under the broiler. No oil or spray at all, it's not necessary. My broiler has a low setting, and it took about 4 min. Careful because they burn really quick.

For the filling:
Non-stick spray on a pan
1 clove garlic
1 small yellow onion
...cook until soft
1/2 lb ground lean turkey
2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
...add to pan and cook until brown
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
approx 4 oz taco sauce (most brands are fat-free)
...add to pan, stir and let flavors develop about 5 min.

Spoon the turkey mixture over the chips
Sprinkle with:
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar
1 Tbsp sliced jalapenos, chopped (which I forgot)

Broil about two minutes
Then top with diced tomatoes, cilantro and scallions
Makes approx 6 servings


Ribbon Zucchini Crostini

1 baguette

olive oil (for brushing)
juice from 2-3 lemons
1-2 zucchinis (depending on size)
shaved Parmesan

Use a peeler to make thin lengthwise "ribbons" with the zucchini. Soak ribbons in lemon juice for 30+ minutes. Slice baguette and brush with olive oil. Toast in 350 degree oven for approx. 8-10 minutes (watch closely, so as not to burn). Once toasted, fold ribbons on top of bread and top with shaved Parmesan.


Cauliflower Pizza Crust

1 cup cooked, riced {grated}cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe).

Use as a pizza crust; top with your favorite toppings OR cut into pieces and dip into marinara sauce.

Happy Sunday!
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September 6, 2010

Food, Drink and Play on Labor Day Weekend

When we have a get together, it normally happens in the afternoon so that Dominic can finish up feeding the calves their dinner.  Yesterday was no different.  We had a small get together at our house with some friends and family late in the afternoon. 

Here are some of the highlights:

Rojo's Pico De Gallo.


Dogs and hamburgers.


Tortilla chips, Kettle chips, guacamole, french onion dip.



Macaroni salad from Mom and my Greek Inspired Orzo Salad.

Beans.

Gotta have watermelon.





Wine.  BV Coastal and Corda were the red choices for the afternoon.


And Kunde Chardonnay for the white.

Kids eat first.


So the adults can enjoy a peaceful meal.




While the kids wear themselves out in the Jumpy House.


Okay, I can't keep anything from you, I also enjoyed the Jumpy when no one was looking {the day before}.  Although, I forgot Bryce likes to photograph all kinds of things as well......like his mama.

Time to re-energize.

In time to swing a bat.

At a pink pony pinata.





And scramble for candy.

Throw out the remaining candy that didn't fit into the pink pony pinata {because I don't want it at my house}.

At the end of the day, everyone was Dog Tired.

Happy Sunday!
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