Sunday, December 9, 2012
Need to bring something to a holiday party? These bites of macaroni and cheese are sure to please.
"Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese." ~Luis Bunuel I have two Christmas parties to attend on Saturday and I need to bring something yummy to both. What to make that is not too time-consuming (since one party is in the afternoon and the other is at night) and is sure to please most everyone? I think some single serving mac and cheeses are in order. This recipe is great because you can make the macs ahead of time and store them in the fridge until just before you are ready to head out the door. Pop them in the oven for ten minutes, let 'em cool for another ten and you are ready to roll. You can use any cheeses you like but I suggest the American/Cheddar mix-it's a good one. Mini Macs Ingredients: Instructions: *To …
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Looking for something a little different to serve at the holidays? Try this polenta appetizer.
"Polenta? Oh you mean Italian grits." ~Unknown My niece and I got to spend a little quiet time together last weekend before she traveled back to NYC after the Thanksgiving holiday. Before she headed to Logan we stopped into a little Italian joint to enjoy a couple of small plates, salads and some vino. I chose the roasted vegetable dish (which was amazing) and she chose the baked polenta, something I had never tasted. We ate, drank and were merry...and after a couple of hours she left for the city that never sleeps and auntie managed to score the leftovers. I mixed those roasted vegetables into a green salad topped with some balsamic dressing--it was divine. It definitely made my "Back-to-the-Office-After-an Extended-Weeknd" Monday less …
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Short on time and in need of a great appetizer? Try making these sweet and sour meatballs-they're sure to please.
"Miracles are like meatballs, because nobody can exactly agree on what they are made of, where they come from, or how often they should appear." ~Lemony Snicket I have been bringing sweet and sour meatballs to parties for years now and they have always been well received. My original version was made right in the microwave and then there was a slow cooker alteration, but I've finally settled on this stovetop version as my favorite.The combination of sweet pineapple and brown sugar mixed with tangy soy sauce and vinegar is just delightful. And come on, how many of us can resist a good meatball? If you are really short on time, go ahead and buy a bag of frozen meatballs. To be honest, I have used them many times and have never had a …
Sunday, October 7, 2012
French Onion Soup is delicious and easy when you make it in the slow cooker.
“You will find this to be a more oniony soup than the usual kind but, as the cross old lady said when a stranger told her that her slip was showing, "I like it that way.” ~Margaret Yardley Potter I think of French Onion Soup as the Rocky Balboa of soups. It is an enduring favorite, it has bite and it may be basic, but it definitely has depth. You can envision it going a few rounds with Apollo Creed's Beef Stew. But seriously, French Onion Soup is that perennial favorite that we love to order in restaurants as an appetizer but seldom actually try to make at home. In all the years that I have been cooking the first time I tried to make it was last weekend, when I decided to try my hand at a slow cooker version. I have just one thing to say. …
Sunday, July 22, 2012
A few simple ingredients add up to a fresh tasty appetizer that just screams summer.
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." ~Lewis Grizzard My husband planted a small herb garden for me this year with rosemary, thyme, parsley and basil. Unfortunately the only one that made it was the basil (the rosemary and thyme didn't grow and something feasted on my parsley) but thankfully there is a lot of basil. Since we are heading to a party this weekend, have a ton of basil and locally grown tomatoes are in their prime I thought I would make a bruschetta to take with us. I found a recipe from Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) that looked delicious. I figured that it would be a lot easier to serve it with garlic pita chips than toast a bunch of bread and arrange it on a platter. …
Sunday, June 24, 2012
This easy to make seven layer dip is great for parties since it is best served at room temperature and won't take up valued space in the host's fridge.
"Don't double dip! It's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip! From now on, when you take a chip – just take one dip and end it!" ~Timmy to George (Seinfeld) As a kid I wouldn't touch Mexican food. This was mainly because my Auntie Bev called refried beans "rechewed beans." As in, "Let's go out for Mexican and get that dip with the rechewed beans in it." In my young mind that meant that all Mexican food was...well, you get the picture. Flash forward a few years and I'm at a party, looking down at a lovely dip surrounded by tortilla chips. I turn to my friend's mom and ask what it is. She tells me that it is a Mexican Seven Layer Dip. I then ask, very seriously, "Does it have rechewed beans in it?" After she stops laughing, wipes …
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Looking for an interesting appetizer to bring to a party? Look no further! Try making these easy delicious egg rolls.
“It may be the way the cookie crumbles on Madison Avenue, but in Hong Kong it's the way the egg rolls.” ~Robert Orben Every couple of months a group of girls known as "The BBs" get together to eat, laugh and catch up. I am lucky enough to be a part of this little crew and though I love to get together I always find myself a bit stressed as to what to bring. I consider myself to be a decent cook but for some reason I always bring food to the BB conventions that is pretty lame. To the first gathering I brought a brie-phyllo dough debacle. It turned out sort of Hot Pocket-esque (meaning it was hot on the outside and freezing in the middle). Ugh. To the second gathering I brought a dip that was just plain boring. For the rest of our get …
Sunday, January 1, 2012
These delicious seafood stuffed mushrooms are great for any celebration.
"If only one could tell true love from false love as one can tell mushrooms from toadstools." ~Katherine Mansfield One of my best girls, Miss T, came for a visit the other day and offered to make stuffed mushrooms. I was thrilled, since that is one of my favorite appetizers (that I very seldom make since my boys hate 'em.) As she unloaded the arsenal of supplies from her Market Basket bag I took pause. Crabmeat, shrimp, celery...these are not the makings for typical stuffed 'shrooms. As she sauteed, stuffed and baked she told me the story of how this great recipe came to be. It was handed down through generations of women in her family, tweaked by each along the way. A lovely story, delicious stuffed mushrooms and time spent with a good …
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Easy appetizers for your Super Bowl party.
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” –J.R.R. Tolkien Super Bowl XLV is pretty anti-climactic for us New Englanders since our beloved Patriots aren’t in it. Unless you are a transplanted Cheesehead, member of Steeler Nation or all around rabid football fan, you’re probably not pumped up for the game. But let’s be honest, no matter who is playing, the Super Bowl is always a great excuse to cook some good food and gather in front of the TV with friends. This year I am making a few hearty appetizers instead of a main course; Glazed Chicken Wings, Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Mac and Cheese. I’m also going to make Bread and Butter Pudding for dessert. With some other munchies …
Kathie Dell
9:30 am on Sunday, December 16, 2012
anyone know a sight that you can key in the ingredients of these wonderful recipes to get nutrition content? more ›