Antipasto Platter

Last Fall we began a neighborhood dinner group.  We gather every 6 weeks or so and enjoy an evening of wonderful food and friendship at one of the members home.  The hostess is responsible for the theme and choosing the menu.

For our most recent dinner,  one of our members who is full blooded Italian chose what else but Italian for the theme.  I was assigned an Antipasto Platter.

A smaller antipasto platter with only 4–8 ingredients is a great starting point to a full meal. It's also the perfect size for a nice relaxing lunch on the patio or to take along to your next picnic. Include some of these tasty foods:

• Meats. Mortadella, prosciutto, capicollo, Genoa salami and sopressata are all perfect choices.
• Cheeses. Always include chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano, but others to try are aged provolone, smoked Gouda, ripe brie, bocconcini, spiced havarti, marinated mozzarella, Asiago and fontina.
• Jarred or marinated veggies, such as sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and eggplant.
• Assorted olives. Kalamata, garlic-stuffed green olives or a marinated mix are all a nice addition to your plate. Consider adding capers as well.
• Fresh whole basil.
• Breads. Sliced baguettes, crusty Italian bread or rosemary crackers are favourite breads to include.

A larger platter will include not only more of every ingredient, but also more ingredients altogether. Plan on at least 8–12 different foods. This will make a wonderful platter to serve at a large party or as a relaxing summer meal to enjoy on the patio.

Include a wide assortment from the simple plate section, but consider adding some of these extras to pump it up a bit:

• Grilled vegetables, such as asparagus, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes or spring onions.
• Seafood, including sardines, anchovies or grilled shrimp.
• Fruits, like fresh melon pieces, figs, grapes and raspberries, or dried fruits such as apricots, dates or cranberries.

Plating your platter

• Assemble your ingredients. With any antipasto platter, the quantity of each food to be added is a personal choice and is dependent on the number of people that are to be served. Use your best judgment to create a balanced and interesting platter.
• One large tray makes a nice visual impact, but one or more smaller plates will also work.
• Consider using small bowls placed on the tray for marinated condiments or vegetables.
• Roll or fold sliced meats for a nice presentation.
• Cut, shave or chunk pieces of cheese.
• Place bread away from moist veggies and pickles.
• Refrigerate your platter, but then bring it back to room temperature for serving.
• Keep sea salt and a pepper grinder handy for seasoning.
• Have extra-virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar ready for drizzling.

Antipasto Platters make a beautiful appetizer and there's so many choices for the ingredients.  I served mine with olives and hard breadsticks. 

DIY Wedding Ornament

Are you attending a wedding this summer and looking for a unique and fun gift?  When I pinned this idea last year, it was one I wish I'd thought of!!  There's lots of  ideas out there, where I say Why didn't I think of that??!!!

I wish I had taken better pictures while assembling this but I didn't.  Here's my finished ornament and a link to the original post.

Such a unique idea, you could also do this with graduation announcements, baby shower invitations or announcements!!  Cute and it's easy to do!!

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars

I am not a fan of Rice Krispie Bars, at least not the original, they're just too sweet for my taste.  There's no shortage of Rice Krispie bar recipes that are variation of the original.  I've tried several, these using everyone's favorite biscoff, these using red hots or these from cake batter. 

When I'm in the mood to bake, I check the pantry for that ingredient I bought and didn't use.  This time, it was a bag of caramels.  Not sure why I bought them but unwrapping each one sure is a pain!  How about Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars?  Just so happens there was a partial box of rice krispies in the pantry.  I found a recipe I liked and decided to step it up a notch and brown the butter.  Caramel, brown butter and sea salt make an amazing combination of flavors.  The nuttiness of the brown butter, sweetness of the caramel combined with the salt make for an oh so good treat!  Fortunately, I was taking these to a party or I could have eaten the whole pan. 

 Brown Butter Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Bars

Recipe Adapted from Redbook

Caramel:

• 1 bag(s) (14-ounce) caramels (about 50), unwrapped
• 1 can(s) (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter

Squares:

• 1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter, browned
• 1 bag(s) (10 1/2-ounce) miniature marshmallows
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoon(s) sea salt flakes (such as Maldon)
• 8 cup(s) toasted rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)

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Directions

1. Prepare caramel: Stir ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
2. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick foil, extending foil 2 inches beyond the edges.
3. In a 6-quart pot, brown the butter.  (You could easily skip this and just melt the butter.)
4.  Add marshmallows and stir with a rubber spatula until almost melted.
5. Stir in vanilla, 1 tsp of the sea salt, and 1 cup of the caramel mixture. Continue to stir until mixture is blended and smooth.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal until it’s evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
7. Press mixture into pan in an even layer and cool completely.
8. Spread the remaining 1 cup of the caramel mixture over cooled cereal. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tsp of the sea salt.
9. Remove from pan and peel off foil. Cut into 24 squares. Store in an airtight container.

Roasted Onions and Radishes

Have you ever roasted radishes?  As with most vegetables, roasting brings out their sweetness.   It's CSA time and we had radishes from our own garden.  I wanted to do something else besides just serve them on salads.  These were sweet with just a little bit of crunch and a nice tang from the balsamic.

 Roasted Radishes and Onions

• 3-4 bunches of radishes- trimmed, topped and tailed (about 20 radishes depending on the size, allow 2-3 per person)
• 4-6 onions (I used large green onions) peeled, cut onion into 4 or 6 wedges (like a wedge of lemon)
• 1/4 cup olive oil (approx.) to sprinkle over
• salt to sprinkle (Kosher, Madon)
• Drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze

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Method

Toss the radishes and onion wedges in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in a hot oven (400) for approximately 35-40 minutes, stirring a couple of times until the onions are crispy and the radishes fairly tender when tested with a sharp knife tip.
Sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar.   Serve as a side dish or as a vegetable dish along side roast meat.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes - SRC

In search of something to make for a co workers birthday, I began browsing, Hun What's for Dinner,   my assigned SRC blog for the month of June.  What's SRC you ask?  Secret Recipe Club is a fun monthly cooking group.  You can learn more about it here.

Cindy of Hun What's for Dinner says she married a chef dreaming of 5 star dinners.  Only to become an accomplish cook and baker herself.  She's won several awards and cooking competitions. Her blog had so many great recipes to choose from.  I've bookmarked several, including this yummy recipe for Bananas Foster French Toast.    I was intrigued by the recipe for Pink Lemonade Cupcakes.  Who doesn't love pink lemonade?  Seems likely it would help make a delicious, moist cupcake.   The frosting was my favorite part of this recipe, it's tart and delicious. These would be fun cupcakes for a little girl's birthday party. 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

1 box Funfetti Cake mix
3 eggs
1/4 C oil
1 C pink lemonade concentrate
1/3 C butter
5-6 C powdered sugar
3 Tbs pink lemonade concentrate
rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. In a bowl mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil, and 1 C of pink lemonade concentrate. Mix until well combined; then beat for 2 minutes. Fill each paper cup 2/3 full and bake for 12-15 minutes; until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature. In your mixers bowl, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. On the lowest setting, slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 C at a time, beating well after each addition. Once all powdered sugar has been added, increase to highest speed and slowly add in 3 Tbs of pink lemonade concentrate. Beat until very fluffy; about 5 minutes. Place a pipping bag, or large zip top bag, into a deep glass; folding over the top edge. Fill the bag with the frosting. Snip a fairly large hole in the tip of the bag. Using a circular motion, pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles immediately.

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Compost Cookies

I am always a little behind when it comes to trying those recipes everyone is talking about.  Like these cake pops, I know I was a couple of years late for that bandwagon!   The Compost Cookie trend began a few years ago with Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies, from NYC.  Having saved the  bottom of the bag from pretzels and tortilla strips,  I started my search for a recipe. 

I love the ingredients in these cookies, including the coffee grounds .... just like compost!!!  In addition to the pretzel and tortilla strip crumbs,  I used butterscotch, peanut butter and chocolate chips.  As with most sweet recipes, I tried one and sent the rest with Tim for his office.  These cookies are the ultimate combination of a sweet and salty treat!!!!

Compost Cookies
Adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups baking ingredients (chocolate chips, coconut, toffee bits, etc.)
1-1/2 cups snack foods (chips, pretzels, etc.)
1 tbsp coffee grounds
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugars, and corn syrup on medium-high until fluffy and pale yellow in color, about 2-3 minutes.
- On a lower speed, add eggs one at a time and vanilla until well incorporated
- Increase mixing speed to high and let it go for 10 minutes — the mixture will become really pale and will almost double in size
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- When 10 minutes are up, add flour mixture slowly until just combined, about 45-60 seconds
- Chop up and mix together all of your baking and snack ingredients in a small bowl, and fold into batter with a spatula until just incorporated
- Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, portion cookie dough on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and wrap the entire thing tightly with plastic wrap
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour and up to 1 week
- Heat oven to 400F and arrange cookies on cookie sheets at least 4″ apart
- Bake 9-11 minutes, until they are golden in color and slightly brown along the edges
- Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan (or just eat them immediately…)
Recipe yields 15 large cookies

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Chocolate Bread

 I love banana bread...banana bread with chocolate chips ... even better!  The only problem is at my house we rarely have leftover bananas.  When we do, I can't wait to try one of the many banana recipes I have pinned on Pinterest. 

 The chocolate chips, cinnamon and bananas in this recipe make for a delicious combination of flavors.  The next time you have leftover bananas, I encourage you to give this one a try.

 Cinnamon Swirl Banana Chocolate Bread
Recipe courtesy of Wives With Knives

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-1/2 cups)
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• dash of salt
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9" X 5" loaf pan. I buttered my pan and lined it with parchment paper. The paper sticks to the butter. This is a very tender bread and the paper helps getting it out of the pan.
2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together. Sprinkle baking soda and salt on top of the banana mixture, then gently stir in the flour. Add chocolate chips and mix until just blended. Be careful not to over mix.
3. In a small dish mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
4. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the sugar-cinnamon mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top. If desired, place banana slices along the edge of the loaf pan.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If you are using a different loaf pan size be careful to watch it carefully so it isn't over baked.

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie Cups

It's been way too long since I cooked for a toddler.  I can't remember what I made for dinner when my now almost 35 year old son Justin was small.  Tim's grandson, Paxton,  stays with us at least one night a week.  He loves all things noodles and chicken.  Determined to find some new toddler friendly main dishes, I turned to what else? Pinterest and created a board,  Foods for Paxton. 

Paxon, like all kids, loves cupcakes. These Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie Cups is a fun main dish that looks like a cupcake, yet contains the veggies kids need.  Tim and I like them, too and they made great leftovers for our lunches!

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie Cups
Recipe courtesy of Call Me Mrs. Rapp

Yields 8-16 pot pie cups (depending on if you split the biscuits in half)


Ingredients:
*8-count biscuits (I used Homestyle)

*1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced

*1 (10 1/2 ounce) can  cream of chicken soup

*2/3 cup shredded  cheddar cheese

*1 1/2 c. frozen veggies, thawed (I used mixed vegetables)

*1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

*1 teaspoon of minced onion
*1/4 teaspoon black pepper
*1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   

*Separate biscuits and place each biscuit in a cup of a lightly greased 12-hole muffin pan, pressing dough up sides to edge of cup.

*In a medium bowl, combine chicken, chicken soup, veggies, cheddar cheese, parsley flakes, and black pepper. Mix well to combine.

*Evenly spoon chicken mixture into prepared biscuit cups.

*Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

*Remove from oven. Place muffin pan on a wire rack and let set for 2-3 minutes. Serve at once.

Gooey Brown Butter Toffee Bars - SRC

What time is it?  It's Secret Recipe time!  I love reveal day, it's so fun to see who had my blog and what recipe they chose.  Interested in participating, you can find the details here!

This month I was assigned Smells Like Brownies!  Melissa is a stay at home mom of a toddler.  A self proclaimed picky eater who has a deliciously unique cooking style.  Although the title of her blog is Smells Like Brownies, there aren't as many dessert recipes as you might think. 

Since her title was all about brownies, who could resist?  I certainly could not and chose a brownie recipe.  I love all things brown butter and add gooey, now that's an extra love!

If you haven't browned butter before, here's some quick instructions.  The key is butter goes from nice nutty brown to burned really quickly, don't walk away.  I followed the recipe exactly, with one exception, I used all light brown sugar.

These brownies will be going to work with Tim tomorrow.  As the saying goes, you can't eat just one.  The combination of the nuttiness of the brown butter and the sweetness of the toffee chips makes a delicious chewy, gooey brownie!

Banana Zucchini Crumble Cake

  As we approach CSA basket time, I am trying to clean up everything I froze last summer.  We had lots of zucchini, which we all know makes great bread.  I wanted something just a little different than traditional zucchini bread.  With a couple of overripe bananas on the counter, I wondered about zucchini and banana bread.  With a search, I found this recipe.  Since frozen zucchini is pretty wet, I was concerned about this bread baking evenly.  Why not make a cake instead of a bread?  I am so glad I did, this was a moist and delicious cake. 

 

 

 Banana Zucchini Crumble Cake

Adapted from Cheese Curd in Paradise

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 bananas, mashed

1 cup grated zucchini

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 square pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, zucchini, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana/zucchini mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles a coarse crumble. Sprinkle topping over bread.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick come out clean. Allow cake to cool before serving!

Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes - SRC

 What does the second Monday of the month mean in the blogging world?  It's the day the members of Secret Recipe Club's group B reveal their assigned blogger.   This month, I was introduced to Jen of Jen's Journey.  Jen's been blogging since 2007, WOW!  She's a mom of two teenagers and is married to her high school sweetheart.  Be sure to take a minute and check out the variety of recipes on her blog.

I don't post breakfast recipes very often.  Jen's recipe for Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes caught my eye and made for a delicious Sunday morning breakfast.  I decided to use instant banana bread oatmeal.  This gave the already yummy pancakes a hint of banana.  Who doesn't love strawberries and bananas. 

Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes

 Recipe Courtesy of Jen's Journey

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup old-fashioned oats (I used instant banana bread oatmeal)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups nonfat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup honey, divided  (I used agave)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup of strawberries sliced in half 

Instructions

1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, 2 tablespoons honey and egg in a medium bowl.
3. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.
4. Heat a nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Pour about ¼ cup batter for each pancake onto hot skillet; sprinkle with 4 to 6 strawberry halves.
5. Cook 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles; turn and cook other side. Repeat with remaining batter and berries.
6. Top with any remaining berries, and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons honey.

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