WINTER WONDERLAND

We've had a few Winter Wonderland menus in the last couple of years, and this one did not disappoint!  I absolutely love the idea of trying to come up with foods that not only deliver flavor that resounds comfort for chilly winter nights, but that reflect same in appearance as well.  After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?  Well, to be completely honest, I eat with my eyes first for about ten seconds.  THEN I eat with muh mouth!!  This particular night, we had some friends and partners of Life As She Does It, talking give-aways for the blog.  So I had no choice but to get them food-drunk so they would feel more "giving"! for You, Dear Readers, to have wonderful give-aways.  We dined on a most-gorgeous cheese tray and artichoke-spinach crostini,  a hearty salad of cranberries, candied nuts, and Gorgonzola cheese, slow-cooked clam chowder with fresh clams, Cornish game hens with decadent potatoes and zucchini-squash ratatouille, and a GORGEOUS white cake (pronounced whhhhhhhhat-cake, emphasis on the ha-part of the h).  

The recipe below is for the clam chowder, with all it's snow-white glory and ocean-goodness. It was not only creamy and wonderland-wonderful (sorry, I HAD to go there), it is LOW-CARB.  It was BEYOND...... Or, as The Daughts says: "I. Can't. EVEN."  Wanna make someone special in your life food-drunk and made to feel warm and fuzzy for chilly nights?  DO THIS.

WINTER CLAM CHOWDER

6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 large turnips, peeled and chopped into chunks

3 sprigs rosemary, chopped fine

2 bunches thyme, tied with butcher's twine

4 cans diced or chopped clams

2 jars clam juice

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 can cannellini or navy beans, blended

2 bay leaves

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbs white pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

Throw all ingredients into a crock-pot and let cook on low all day.  Remove thyme twigs and bay leaves.  Serve.  THAT'S IT!!

NOTES: Remember that slow cooking can mute flavors, so be certain to add more of your spices to taste at the end and stir.  I simmered fresh clams in white wine and butter in a pan on the stove, and then added them to everyone's bowls just before serving. We simply ladled the soup over them for a more authentic look and flavor.  It was authentically AWESOME!!

Let's Be Brie(f)

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Oh, man.  I cannot TELL you how much this catering gig lit a fire under me!!  I had SO MUCH FUN doing this particular one because instead of a meal, it was a ton of apps for a ton of people.  And it was a SUCCESS!!  Among (many) other things, there was Teeny Tacos, Creamy Cake Truffles, Barbecued Meatballs, Stuffed Mushrooms, Pesto & Goat Cheese Stuffed Cherry Peppers, Shrimp in Texas Red Sauce, and so, soooooo much more.  One of the faves seemed to be the Streusel-Topped Baked Brie I made.  Considering the holidays, this is the recipe I'm sharing today.  It's so easy and very fast to make, but seems so sophisticated and like you spent all day in the kitchen!  I served mine with really hearty and rustic wasa crackers, but you can serve with whatever you like!  Happy Holidays indeed!

STREUSEL-TOPPED BAKED BRIE

1 full round of brie

cooking spray

1 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 sugar

2 tbs pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Gently cut the top of the brie round off and lay it back on top of the cheese from where you cut it from.  Spray a circular baking sheet with cooking spray and place the brie in the middle.  Bake for exactly twelve minutes.  While the brie is baking, combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  After twelve minutes, take the brie out of the oven and sprinkle streusel mixture all over the top.  Bake another five minutes.  Take out of the oven and let cool completely.  Serve with crackers or just eat it with a spoon!  

NOTES: If any cheese runs out onto the baking sheet while cooking, you will be able to scoop it up in its entirety if you want to place it on a platter.  Simply place the crackers over it or for a rustic look, don't cover it up.  Let that melty-cheese look do all the talking! 

She-cago Cubs

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Though I am not a Cubs fan, I am a fan of Cubs fans.  One in particular happens to be my favorite person - The Hubster!  As we watched the possibility of Back to the Future's prediction in progress, we were invited to two of my other Cubs fan-favorites, Cody and her husband Joe.  My job was to take a sweet and a savory.  I did not don the Cubs gear; however, in support, I did fix up some Cubs eats!  I did cupcakes decorated with a Cubs logo, as you can see from the picture above, and also dressed up some antipasto apps to look like baseballs!  That is the recipe I provided you below......throw them together for your next sports party!

BASEBALL ANTIPASTO APPS

1 pkg 'everything' bagel thins, sandwich-size

1/2 pound hard salami, sliced at a 2 or 3

1 pkg sliced smoked provolone cheese

1 jar roasted red peppers, keep the liquid

2 tbs mayonnaise

2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Toast the 'everything' bagel thins until just crisp.  Mix the liquid from the jar of peppers, the mayonnaise, and the Parmesan cheese in the jar, close and shake well.  Spread very thinly and evenly on toasted bagel thins.  Place a slice of salami on top of the dressed bagel thins, and then layer a slice of provolone cheese.  Cut each roasted red pepper into thin slices to make the baseball 'laces', and layer according to the picture above.

NOTES: I use Boar's Head salami because it has no nitrates or MSG, and is minimally processed.  Also, as the low-carb girl, I simply eat this without the bagel thin and it is DELICIOUS!

ALL FUN & GAMES

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Put together a game night for us and two of our favorite humans and just HAD to have some delish snackies.  So with leftover tuna steaks I made tuna-cakes, and with leftover ham, sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 a bell pepper I made some bruschetta sammies (that's what I call them, anyhow), set out some cheese, crackers, and olives, and we had a full belly and a great time!  I've given you the bruschetta sammies recipe below.  DO IT.

BRUSCHETTA SAMMIES

1 brick cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup cheddar shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 bell pepper, diced finely

6-8 sun-dried tomatoes, diced finely

1 cup sandwich ham, diced finely

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 loaf of your favorite crusty bread, sliced into 1-inch slices and open-faced

Mix all ingredients down to bread.  Generously pile onto bread.  Eat.  Say YUMMM!!

NOTES:  Isn't is crazy that it's THIS EASY?!?

Tapas Totales!

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To sum it up, this was a night of tapas and home-made margaritas that would make you slap yo' mammasita!  A couple of friends came over and I made gambas al ajillo (shrimp and garlic sauce), empanadas with crema-paprika sauce, chorizo-tortilla pizzas, baked pappas (fingerling potatoes), and a little concoction I put together that we will call Frito Masa Dulce (fried sweet dough).  I wanted it to be a play on sopapillas, but more Spanish-style and doughnut-y.  So I took our go-to home-made pizza dough recipe, sweetened it up and then fried it, and sprinkled good ole powdered sugar on top!  And that is the recipe I am sharing with you today.  De nada. 

FRITO MASA DULCE

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 pkg fast-rising yeast

2 tbs sugar

 1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp apple pie seasoning

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 tbs honey

1 cup warm water

canola oil

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add wet ingredients and water and stir with a fork until combined.  Cover with a damp paper towel and let rise for an hour.  In a heavy pot (I use my cast iron Dutch oven,  of course!), heat 1 and 1/2 inches of canola oil on medium-high heat.  Using a little extra flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands, use fingers to flatten out the dough to about 9x12 on a counter sprinkled with a little flour.  Use a cookie cutter to cut into 12 equal-sized pieces.  Gently drop one piece at a time into the oil, and fry for about one minute on each side, until golden brown.  Take out with a slotted spoon or spatula and let drain on paper towel.  Once they are all done, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NOTES:  Drizzle with honey or maple syrup if you want to raise the bar of delicioso even higher!!  

Party Preserves

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This night was all business, so how could it have been SO FUN?!?  This was a seven-course meal made by yours truly for our Guest Services Team Captains for our home church, Crossbridge.  It was a Summer Dinner Theme because well, it was in the summer.  This picture was part of the amuse bouche, which had a cheese board, a black currant preserve brie wheel, canapes, and potato latkes.  It was all so 'amuse-ing'.  See what I did just there? For the sake of this particular post, I will give you the brie wheel recipe because it was a HUGE HIT, not to mention really, really pretty. 

BLACK CURRANT PRESERVE BRIE WHEEL

1 wheel brie cheese

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

1 cup black currant preserves (or any seasonal preserves of your choice)

1 egg

1 tsp water

Place the cup of black currant preserves in the middle of the puff pastry in a circle, eye-ing the size of the brie and trying to keep the circle to about the same size.  Place the brie cheese on top of the preserves and very gently close up the puff pastry to a tight "present", sealing the edges together and cutting off any excess.  Turn over so that the seal is on bottom and place on a prepared baking sheet.  Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl, and baste all over the puff pastry.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve with crackers, celery, or just drop a whopping spoonful into your mouth by itself!

NOTES:  I used the scraps of the excess to make a decoration by cutting out a butterfly with a cookie cutter. I placed it on top of the puff pastry prior to basting with egg wash.

Here Comes the Bride! (A Shower of Love)

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Last Saturday, we had a bridal shower for my Daughter-In-Law (to be!), Kiren.  The Daughts (Miz Chelsea Erickson of Beauty by Chelsea), our sweet friend, Dixie Moreau, and I, did NOT do too shabby!  The two of them worked the Shampps (our word for champagne) Bar, and EVERYTHING ELSE.  I handled the cooking and baking!  We had creamy pasta salad, lemon thyme bars, crudité, crack sammiches (see past post Man Food, which obviously became Woman Food), two kinds of quiche, cinnamon rolls, bread pudding, fruit salad, mini panny-cakes (my own word for pancakes) with blueberries on top, orange cranberry muffins, and cucumber-radish canapés, along with three different juices and fruits for the Shampps Bar to go into the sugar-rimmed glasses!  Whew!  So you can OBVIOUSLY see why I am only going to post one recipe, and probably the easiest, and yet super-chic: canapés.

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These little beauties were DELISH!  The wedding is boho-chic, and these went perfectly with the theme!

1 pkg white bread (I know, I know.  I preach against it all the time.  But this is a MUST to make these successfully)

1/2 stick butter, softened

2 cucumbers, washed and sliced thinly

1 pkg radishes, washed and sliced thinly

1 cup sour cream

dill, for garnish

Take the bread and with a round cookie mold (or some other kind of pattern that will mold two small rounds out of one slice - a small glass, perhaps?) make two small rounds without crust.  Lightly butter each round, then pile cucs and then radishes on them.  Place a very small dollup of sour cream on the pile and then garnish with the dill.  Sounds too easy to be delicious?  Try it and see for yourself!

I appreciate all the hard, HARD work Dixie put in.  She is a MACHINE!

Please do not copy this photo - all rights reserved through the Moreau Family

(I seem to be focused more on the food and less on Dixie Doodle! - sorry Pretty Girl!)  And of course, The Daughts and all HER HARD WORK!  (#hostesswiththemostess)

Below is the Love Fest among The Daughts, The DIL, and me (She!)

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And last but certainly not least: THIS gorgeous bunch of crazies!

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Man Food

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There is some TOP-SECRET stuff going on around here!  And all in the name of my 45th birthday party in November.  So I can't let the cat out of the bag just yet, but I CAN tell you that once-a-month I have five men meet here at my place to rehearse, two of whom are The Hubster and The Sonster.  Well, I certainly have to provide snacks!!  How to feed five hungry dudes?  See below.

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CRACK SAMMICHES

Look, if we're being honest, here, I did not invent these babies.  I've had them a few times and they are good no matter who makes them!  I did put my own little twist on them, though, and the guys huddles around them like they were stalking their prey.  And they just couldn't get enough!  Hence, the name.

CRACK SAMMICHES

1 24-pack of Hawaiian mini-rolls

1 large pkg ham of your choice

2 pks sliced Swiss cheese

1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted

2 tbs Dijon mustard

2 tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs onion powder

2 tbs poppy seeds

Place roll bottoms in the bottom of a greased baking pan.  Thinly layer ham, then Swiss cheese, then ham again, then last layer of Swiss cheese.  Put roll tops on.  Mix butter, Dijon, Worcestershire, onion powder, and poppy seeds.  Pour or baste over top (see notes) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

NOTES: I used a silicon brush baster to ensure the tops of the rolls got every bit of flavor and so that not one single poppy seed was wasted.  I was unable to find organic ham or Swiss that I thought would hold the flavor I was looking for, so I used Boar's Head instead, which has no artificial fillers, no MSG, and no nitrates.  And GOOD LUCK finding organic Hawaiian rolls!  So I used the good old-fashioned Hawaiian rolls and decided not to feel guilty about it!

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CRESCENT LOVE

2 containers butter-flavored crescent rolls

1 pound ground turkey breakfast sausage

1 can ro-tel

1 large handful shredded sharp cheddar

1 large handful shredded mozzarella

Brown turkey sausage in a pan, and then add ro-tel until all liquid is absorbed into meat.  Meanwhile, roll one can crescent rolls onto un-greased baking sheet.  Pinch together your seams, using a little water on your fingers to seal.  Pour sausage mixture over the top.  Sprinkle your cheese hands-ful over the sausage.  Roll your second can of crescents over the top of the cheese and sausage, using the same method to seal the seams and sides of the crescent dough.  Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

NOTES:  I found organic crescents at Trader Joe's!  I also found extremely inexpensive turkey breakfast sausage there, too!