Parmesan and Garlic Lavash

Carson's mom, the woman behind this fried chicken, makes a lot of delicious things.  Most recently, this super easy appetizer that you will hover around like a creep until it's gone in your belly and your belly alone.  Seriously, if you're in charge of an appetizer at a party, assemble this and pop it in the oven when you get there and watch the madness ensue.  5 ingredients: lavash, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan and basil.  Soak the chopped garlic in some olive oil...    

...spread it on some lavash (which can be found at most grocery stores)...

...sprinkle the top with Parmesan and fresh basil...

...and bake it at 350 for 10 minutes or so (keeping an eye on it) until it gets all golden and crispy.  Break it apart into pieces, or just eat the whole sheet on your own.

Crispy Artichoke Hearts

I ate a ridiculously good appetizer over the weekend - which was creamy burrata cheese served with crispy artichoke hearts.  Simple, but the different textures and flavors were incredible.  While I don't know how to make my own burrata (one day... one day I will have cows and churn butter), I did figure out how to make crispy artichokes and it was stupid easy.  Buy a can or jar of artichoke hearts, drain them, heat about 1/2 inch olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat, add artichokes and pan fry! I left them in for a couple of minutes per side.  Using a slotted spoon, I removed them onto a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkled them with sea salt.  Eat these plain or with burrata or over a salad or... you tell me.  The possibilities are endless.  Hope you enjoyed your weekends, Internet friends!

Crispy Smoked Salmon Toast

I finished my last post by telling you people that I am a genius.  I lied to your faces.  The truth is, I am one of the biggest idiots I know.  Last weekend, I went to the same baby shower twice.  Saturday morning, got all dressed up, got my daughter all dressed up, braved the 405 for 45 minutes, showed up at the restaurant only to find out the baby shower was Sunday, not Saturday.  The maitre'd even offered me a glass of champagne on the house because he felt so embarrassed for me.  The valet guys were SO thrilled to park my car only to fetch it 30 seconds later.  My daughter ABSOLUTELY LOVED the drive back home.  See?  Monster idiot.  

However, I redeemed myself a little by recreating one of the appetizers they passed around at the real baby shower on Sunday: smoked salmon atop creme fraiche and crispy toast.  I ate an entire plate (but justified it in my head by pretending it was one plate over TWO baby showers).  This morning I whipped it together in 5 minutes: easy, impressive, delicious...

Cut sourdough toast into squares or rounds.  Heat a small amount of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute bread until it browns on both sides, being careful not to burn.    

Top with a dollop of creme fraiche (or sour cream, even cream cheese would be good), smoked salmon (lox) and chopped chives.  

Blueberries + Goat Cheese

Take a log of goat cheese, top with a jar of blueberry jam, serve with crackers.  You fancy.  You tasty.  

Shortest.  Post.  Ever.  

Pizza Monkey Bread

When my family gets together we love to ask each other questions like "If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?" or "if you could pick your real dream job, not having to worry about making enough money etc, what would you do?" or "what is your honest opinion about ."

It makes for some riveting discussions and I always end up learning something new about the very people who I grew up with.  One day someone (probably me) asked, "if you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?"  Tough question!  Especially for a person who essentially likes everything, with the exception of goat cheese, I know, I know.

But truth me told, I'd have to say pizza.  Not a very foodie answer, but I've got to be honest.  I LOVE pizza.  And I love how versatile it is, there are endless combinations which would keep it from ever getting boring.  Plus, I mean, c'mon, it's pizza.  It's hot, gooey, comforting, full of flavor, and always ready for a party. 

I got really excited when Barbara from Barbara Bakes posted her Pizza Monkey Bread.  Not only does it have all the great elements of a food I already love, but it's in a different and fun form that kids love.  Who wouldn't want to tear off a piece of this and dunk it into it's warm, homemade marinara.  It really is a party.

Click here for the original recipe and for a great video on how to make them.  Enjoy!

Tempura Green Beans

*First and foremost, I want to say my heart goes out to everyone in Boston, especially those affected by yesterday's tragedy.  Rather than feel angry and confused about the bad people in this world, I am trying to focus on the good - those who run into a smoke filled crowd, those who donate blood and heal wounds.  And as a mother, this quote can help us all stay positive.  Ok, moving on...   

One of our favorite restaurants in Santa Monica is M Street Kitchen.  Kid AND adult friendly.  Cocktails, sports TVs, delicious food, a "kids-eat-free happy hour" with healthy, appropriately-sized portions and THE BEST adult happy hour burger.  Then there's the bakery - with homemade English muffins, sea salt chocolate chip cookies and brown butter rice crispy treats.  It's all stupid good.  If you're ever in LA, go there, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  

One of our favorite appetizers is something called Three Green Bites.  It's edamame, tempura green beans and shisito peppers.  I decided to recreate it at home (with avocado in place of the peppers) by frying up my own tempura green beans.  It was so easy and they are so good.  And trust me, if your kids don't like green beans, they will eat these.  Hey, whatever works.  

Tempura Green Beans

(Makes enough batter for many, many green beans)

Printable Recipe

Vegetable oil

Green beans, cleaned and trimmed (I like to use French-style cause they're skinnier)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup light beer (or you could use club soda)

Salt

Soy sauce for dipping

Place 2 inches of vegetable oil (approx. 4 cups) in a deep pot.  Heat oil (over medium-high) until it reaches 350 degrees.  In a shallow bowl, whisk together flour and beer until combined.  Coat about 15 green beans at a time in batter.  

Using tongs, place green beans in oil one by one to avoid them sticking together.  Fry for a couple of minutes, until golden brown.



Remove with tongs and place on a paper towel to cool.  Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Serve with soy sauce for dipping (good for all the green bites).

Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta

This picture is a hot mess.  A food stylist would slap my wrists with a ruler (because food stylists are also grammar school teachers from the olden days, right?).  In my defense, trying to take this photo was not easy because there were hands everywhere... reaching, grabbing, snatching (that's not redundant).  Basically, this was the best appetizer I've ever had.  Everything about it was perfection.  And I cannot take credit... my friend made them, Martha Stewart Beth Grealy, and she doesn't make mistakes.  The crostini was toasted perfectly, just the right amount of crisp.  The feta, whipped until it reached a heaven-like consistency, was salty and creamy.  Lemon, garlic, minced onions, heirloom tomatoes, basil, etc... THEY WERE SO GOOD.  And why wouldn't they be, Ina is responsible.  (Recipe here) 

Bacon and Pepperoncini Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Around Superbowl time a friend and I were commiserating about the fact that our disinterest in sports excludes us from all the great sports fare.  So, our Non-Superbowl, Superbowl party was born.  It basically meant all the game food, none of the game.  Score for us!  (Yes, that's right, I'm not a sports fan, but I'm still a real nice gal, honest!)

Don't you love this colorful bouquet of peppers.  I like to consider this my attempt at being responsible, by bringing veggies that haven't been dunked in hot oil.  Instead they've been stuffed with cheese!  I'll admit that I took a small leap of faith making these, I'd never had anything like this, so I had no idea what to expect.  Let me just tell you, these little babies are TASTY!  Sweet crunchy peppers, stuffed with a creamy filling that has a great tangy/smoky combo.  They would make the perfect appetizer for a party, luncheon or baby/bridal shower.  You've got to give these a try.

Bacon and Pepperoncini Stuffed Sweet Peppers
From The Shrinking Kitchen

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 slices turkey bacon, chopped (I used reduced fat center cut bacon)

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 green onions, diced

10 pepperoncini peppers, stems removed and roughly chopped

4 ounces light cream cheese

20 mini sweet bell peppers

 

Directions

 

Wash and cut the stems off the mini bell peppers and set aside.  In a non stick skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the bacon and saute for a few minutes until it starts to crisp.  Throw the green onions and chopped red bell pepper in with the bacon and continue to saute until the peppers are softened.  Scrape the bacon/onion/bell pepper into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.  Add the cream cheese and pepperoncinis to the food processor and pulse till combined. If the mixture is too thick, add a little juice from the pepperoncini jar.  Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a zip top bag.  Snip off a tiny piece of one corner of the bag.  Fill the cavity of each mini pepper with the cream cheese mixture.  Chill the filled peppers until ready to serve, or at least an hour.  (I thought they were even better the next day.)

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Tex-Mex Pinwheels

We're big sandwich people at our house.  My husband always keeps a fresh loaf of homemade bread in the box, and sandwiches are made on an almost daily basis.  It's nice that my kids like them so much, packing lunches for them in the morning is a snap.  But every now and then we all need a change.

These little pinwheels were a total hit with kids and adults.  They are full of flavor, but still mild.  They are soft, bite sized and will go a long way when feeding a crowd.  You can't go wrong with favorites like chicken, cheese and olives.  Serve them as an appetizer, or one of the main dishes, you can't go wrong.


Tex-Mex Pinwheels
A Blog About Food

Ingredients

8 ounces light sour cream
8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon cumin (or to taste)
1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
garlic salt to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced into very small pieces
1 cup olives, diced
5 10-inch flour tortillas

Directions

In a mixing bowl combine sour cream, cream cheese, green chiles, cheddar cheese, green onions, and seasonings to taste.  Then gently fold in olives and chicken.

Divide evenly and spread over each tortilla, leaving about half and inch of space at the edge.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours (I made mine the day before).  Unwrap, cut into 1-2 inch pieces and serve either cold or at room temp.

Parmesan and Herb Cheese Straws

Dear Puff Pastry,

Is there anything you cannot do?

Whether it's a bite-sized appetizer or a gigantic meaty entree or a sweet dessert, you nail it every time.

When you are not in my freezer (like right now because I used you up making these delicious cheese straws), I feel like something is missing inside.  Inside of my freezer.  I worry that an impromptu party may break out at any time and I will be left without your go-to convenience and deliciousness.  

So off to the store I go, to get you.

And other things like Fresca, hummus, butter, and shallots, because I forgot to get those things yesterday.  

Recipe HERE.  

Citrus-Marinated Olives

How many olives are too many olives to eat?  I'm wondering, because I'm about to eat all of these olives.  I made them yesterday for a work meeting Carson had at the house.  I don't think anyone else ate any because I was hovering over them like some sort of rude, olive hog.  Hey!  Come over to our house and I'll serve you some olives!  Only DON'T TOUCH THEM.  THEY'RE MINE.  

The citrus paired with the garlic, chili and other flavorings are just magical.  Especially if you use superb olive oil.  Really simple to pull together in a short amount of time, but even better if you let them marinate for days, I'm assuming.  I won't know because I'll eat them all today.  I'll eat them gone. Recipe found HERE.

Olive oil, bay leaves, garlic, chili and coriander...

A variety of olives and an orange...

Combine it all together, like BA says...

Avocado Toast

Over the weekend I had breakfast at Swingers, a popular LA diner. If you've never been there, you'll probably remember it as the spot an awkward Seth Rogan took Katherine Heigl the morning after they made a baby...


Anyhoozers. It's a good restaurant, I like it. And even more now after my random breakfast order this weekend: Avocado Toast. It was described on the menu as thick, multi-grain toast, olive oil, sliced avocado, lemon, kosher salt and chili flakes. What? I had to try, and was very pleased with myself when the waitress told us it was the best thing on the menu. She wasn't wrong. It was so delicious. The toast had just enough crunch, it was smothered with bright avocado, fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of salt - always necessary with avocado - and the chili flakes offered this wonderful heat.


I knew I had to recreate it as soon as I got home, and that I did. The easiest thing to make, and would be great as an appetizer. Your friends would say, wow, you're cool because you made this.

Perfect Potstickers

At least according to Alton Brown. I don't know if I'd call them perfect, they were missing some heat like wasabi or Sriracha. But they were tasty and very simple to make. Just don't underestimate how long they need to cook. NOT long. I overcooked the pork slightly. Sigh, not perfect.

Pea Pesto Crostini

Good morning this is the best thing in the world. Sorry, I have to skip our regular chit chat and just get to it. Make this. It is so fresh and flavorful with the perfect balance of texture. I even turned a pea hater into a pea lover. Click here for the recipe: simple and very few ingredients. I didn't have cherry tomatoes but I'm sure they would look real purrrty on top, especially at Christmas time. I also added a few basil leaves to brighten it up and give it that familiar pesto flavor.

All I had was a blender that sucked, so it didn't exactly puree the stuff but I actually liked the texture that a few whole peas added.

blender that sucked...


pea pesto...


crostini...


I ate 72% of what was on this plate...

Tuna and Avocado Tartare on Sesame Wonton Crisps

Tartare sounds so fancy, doesn't it? You don't MAKE tartare, you eat it at fancy restaurants while drinking crisp white wine. Well, NOT ANYMORE (insert commercial voice). It's extremely simple to make, all you need is some sushi-grade tuna (most markets sell that, just ask) and a sharp knife to cut it with. And it's delicious and you can impress your friends and eat it at home without drinking stupid crisp white wine.



I loosely followed this recipe, but I was missing a few ingredients like wasabi paste, rice vinegar, green onions and chives. Oh, and California Caviar (come on now). Really wish I would have had wasabi, it was missing that heat. Also the rice vinegar, it was missing that tang. The onions and chives would have been nice too. Alright FINE, and the California Caviar, whatever that is, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (That's me crying.) (I like to explain myself in parentheticals).



crispy wontons (a must-read wonton story)...





avocado and cucumber (we missed you green onions and chives)...





pretty pink tuna...





tartare...