Made Appetizers

Many of our favorite times hanging out with friends are at home around the dinner table.  But before sitting down to dinner, on special occasions, there are appetizers!!  I was once again inspired by The Barefoot Contessa as she prepared appetizers for a dinner party.  It just looked so easy so I thought I would pair a few of my favorite things and see how it turned out.  

Give it a try with your favorite eats and serving platters!

Paleo Pesto

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Kuby's Salami, thinly sliced

Kalamatta Olives, pitted

Pimento Stuffed Olives

Crackers/Chips 

New, favorite pesto recipe that is also great as a sandwich spread.  And Kuby's Salami is the BEST!!

LOVE these rectangular crackers from Whole Foods & the organic chips from Sunflower Market

If you have not yet discovered Sunflower Market, please check it out and locate one in your area!!!  It is my favorite place to shop outside of the Central Market or Whole Foods stores.  

Another Sunflower Market find….olive bar!!!

Jack's favorite spot…underneath the table and near the food...

Made Paleo Pesto

DISCLAIMER: B and I have been on a Paleo kick…AKA "Caveman Diet".  There are a TON of blogs out there so I will just give you the Wikipedia definition of the Paleo diet.  We are not 100% Paleo but more like 85/15 so have not cut out my salt and cheat with a few sweets in moderation.   

Was so excited to try this pesto recipe so Mom and I made it this afternoon - it was a hit with our taste testers!  Take a trip to the bulk section at Central Market for the pumpkin seeds & cashews and you will be all set.

 2 oz. fresh basil leaves (1 cup, packed full)
1/4 c. raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 c. raw cashews
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. coconut aminos (I used soy sauce which is NOT Paleo)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. sea salt
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 c. olive oil

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend into a smooth paste (stop several times and scrape the sides of the bowl down to get an even texture).

Add more or less olive oil to reach desired consistency.

'desired consistency'

Made Pepperoni, Onion and Olive Pizza

I should made pizza more often  With store-bought dough it was such an easy and tasty meal for two!  But really it's pizza so you don't actually need a recipe…just throw on it whatever you want and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes.  I found this one in…you guessed it…Cooking Light.  No matter a current issue or past from October 2011, the recipes are always so great.

1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
Cooking spray
1 tbsp. yellow cornmeal
1/2 c. marinara sauce
1/2 c. thinly sliced sweet onions
2 ounces pepperoni slices
10 manzanilla olives, pitted and halved lengthwise
3/4 c. (3 oz. pre shredded reduced-fat Italian-blend cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray or olive oil; let dough stand, covered for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle a baking sheet, or pizza stone if you have one, with cornmeal; roll dough into a 12-inch circle on prepared baking surface.

Spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Top with onion, pepperoni, and olives; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 450 degrees on bottom oven rack for 17 minutes or until golden.  

 

Split it with your favorite person and a green salad!

Made Potato -Crusted Chicken Fingers

I can count on one hand the number of times I have A. used Canola oil in a frying pan and B. fried anything in my kitchen.  Tonight was a rare night in which I did both….gasp!!  If I were to have found this recipe anywhere else besides Cooking Light I would have flipped right past it.  Pretty sure I was in denial that it would be a "healthier" version but I went for it anyway.  Upon getting home from work, the kitchen smelled of fried chicken and B was a happy man.  A little lazy in getting the camera out tonight so iphone quality is all I can offer.

6 ounces baked potato chips (Cape Cod 40% less fat)*
3/4 cu all-purpose flour
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tbsp. canola oil, divided

*Easy to half the recipe, but don't reduce the potato chips - you will need all plus some.

Grind chips in a food processor, and place in a shallow dish.  Place flour in a shallow dish.  Combine the milk and egg in a shallow dish.  Sprinkle chicken with salt; dredge in flour.  Dip chicken in milk mixture; dredge in ground chips.

Heat half of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add half of chicken; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.  Place cooked strips on paper towel-lined plate until ready to serve.

Serve with your favorite sauces (ketchup, BBQ sauce, Ranch) and sides!!

Hubby Made French Onion Soup

It is a real treat when my hubby cooks for us.  His specialty is french onion soup and WOW does he deliver!  I had such a fun time documenting his process and of course reaping the benefits of his hard work.  This recipe is definitely a process and get ready to shed some tears with all of the onions.  Cheers to my sweet hubby who blesses me when this meal shows up on the menu board!

1/2 c. unsalted butter

4 onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 fresh thyme sprigs

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 c. red wine, about 1/2 bottle

3 heaping tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 quarts beef broth

1 baguette, sliced

1/2 lb. grated Gruyere (don't skimp…get the good stuff!)   

Check out the hi-tech cooking with the recipe pulled up on his ipad…

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, bay leave, thyme and salt & pepper.  Cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized about 25 minutes.

Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes.  Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir.  Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.  Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

If you have enough feel free to enjoy a little wine and cheese.

  

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler.  Ladle the soup in bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese.  Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese. 

I would not change a thing to this amazing recipe!  

Made Chicken Stew from the Cookin Canuck

Another great discovery on Pinterest, the Cooking Canuck and her unique Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa.  The stew is not a quick weeknight meal but if you get home early or can start prepping late afternoon you can pull off this great meal.  I found that the leftovers are even better!!

  

Start with some great, healthy ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

3 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 can (14 oz.) petite diced tomatoes

2/3 c. uncooked quinoa

3/4 c. pitted and quartered kalamata olives

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/4 c. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove half of the squash pieces, set aside.  Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes.  Mash this squash with the back of a fork.  Set aside.  (I mashed all of the squash since B does not like the chunks)

In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.  Add chicken, cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool.  Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.

Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium.  Add olive oil.  Add onion and cook stirring occasionally, until onion is starting turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add minced garlic and oregano.  Cook stirring for 1 additional minute.

To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash, pieces and mashed.  Stir to combine.

Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa.  Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.

Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.  Stir the shredded chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.

What I would do next time:

Double the kalamata olives or slice olives in half so more bites have the great taste

Simmer for longer with olives so the flavors have more time to soak in

Invite girls over to enjoy - sadly, not B's favorite

Made Cajun Stuffed Chicken from Pinterest

Well now I really did it…I had to go and join Pinterest!  Not only can I wish for the latest looks and get ideas for the house but I have found some great new recipes.  So fun but such a time sucker!!!  I have also discovered that prior to Pinterest I was very naive to the amount of blogs out there, not just cooking but literally there is a blog for everything under the sun.  This Cajun Chicken recipe was my first to try and it really was good.  A few changes next time but overall a positive and surprisingly easy dish to assemble. 

For our side dish I chose one of our favorites that I don't cook that often, Artichokes with Hollandaise Sauce.  Mmm….Mmm good!!

Cajun Chicken with Pepper Jack Cheese & Spinach

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

1 c. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning

1 tbsp. breadcrumbs

Sea salt to taste

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Flatten chicken to about 1/4-inch thickness using a meat tenderizer.  In a medium bowl, combine pepper jack cheese, spinach, salt and pepper.  Spoon about 1/4 c. of the spinach mixture onto the chicken breasts.  Roll the chicken breast tightly and fasten the toothpicks.  Brush each chicken breast with oil.  Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning mix evenly over all.  Sprinkle any remaining spinach and cheese on top o the chicken (optional).  Place chicken, seam-side down onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove the toothpicks before serving.

What I would do next time:

Half the cajun rub - a bit on the salty side.

When using the meat tenderizer to flatten out the chicken, place meat in papertowl or parchment paper

No added salt, cajun seasoning is sufficient

Use natural-colored toothpicks