1 (7-ounce) Brie wheel
1/4 cup red pepper jelly, I like Stonewall Kitchen
1 package (6-ounce) raspberry, save a few to garnishPre heat oven to 350F.Line baking sheet with parchment paper; place brie on paper
Preheat oven to 350F
In a small bowl combine pepper jelly, and raspberries, breaking up some and leaving other whole.
Spoon jelly mixture on top of Brie. Bake until cheese is warm and melted, about 15 minutes
Transfer to tray. Serve warm with crackers. Garnish with extra raspberries.
Enjoy!
Years ago I remember making French Onion Dip from a box mix which tasted good but was high in fat, salt and preservatives. So I decided to make the dip from scratch and I can control the calories and make the dip healthy.
I keep the ingredients on hand and serve as a snack or with dinner. Easy, healthy and quick what could be better. And my family loves to eat their veggies with this tasty dip!
2 tablespoons dried chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 container(16 oz.) low fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate and stir again before serving. Serve with an assortment of veggies for dipping.
Enjoy!
Olives are like food for the gods! Sun-kissed then cured in a rainbow of inviting colors. Green, black, brown all temping to even the most sophisticated pallet. I love a good olive tapenade so delicious, so easy to make. I like to make my own tapenade to serve on an antipasti plate or for a little different treatment, fill phyllo cups with the tapenade, baking for a hot mouth-watering appetizer.
Keep a package of Anthenos phyllo cups in your freezer for easy, quick, delicious bit-size appetizers or mini desserts. Also, you can use store-bought tapenade and be ready in 10 minutes with a tasty appetizer.
Olive Tapenade Tarts
1 cup pitted kalamata olives (you can use any variation of olives)
1 clove chopped garlic
6 sliced green pimento filled olives(for garnish)
curried red pepper, sliced(for garnish)
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a mini food processor, combine olives, garlic, and process until olives form a spread. Add oil, capers, and Herbs de Provence. Process until blended. Fill each cup with olive spread, decorate with olive filled with red pepper if you like. Place on a parchment covered cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes until hot. Cool slightly and serve.
Enjoy!
I am normally not a gadget person when it comes to cooking, My Phillips Air Fryer changed my perception of cooking appliances. I use my air fryer so often that it has become a cooking stable in my repertoire of recipes.
Eggplant is a favorite vegetable from my childhood. My mother, if you follow my blog you know she is my soul and inspiration as a cook, used eggplant repeatedly when she cooked. Not just to make traditional Eggplant Parmesan but in a variety of interesting dishes that she served to her family.
I combined using my air fryer with my love of eggplant to create Eggplant fries. Served with my quick marinara sauce for a delicious appetizer or side dish.
Eggplant Fries
1 large eggplant
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbs. water
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat air-fryer to 375F. Coat fryer basket with cooking spray.
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Slice into 2 inch long strips. Place it in a colander, sprinkle generously with salt (don’t worry, you’ll be rinsing most of it off before you cook it) and let it sit for about an hour. Before using, thoroughly rinse the eggplant and pat dry.
Put the flour into a shallow bowl. Stir together eggs and watering another shallow bowl. Put panko and parmesan cheese in a third shallow bowl. Dredge eggplant in flour and then in egg and then in pinko-cheese, shaking off the excess. Arrange half of eggplant or third if using a small air-fryer in the prepared basket. Coat with cooking spray.
Cook 10-12 minutes, turning once until eggplant is golden and crispy. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
Serve with Marinara Sauce.
Quick Marinara Sauce
1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, I love certified D.O.P.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
7 garlic cloves, peeled and slivered
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 large fresh basil sprig, or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. Reserve.
In a large skillet (do not use a deep pot) over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add garlic.
As soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown or garlic will become bitter), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. Add whole chile or red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir.
Simmer sauce until thickened, about 15 minutes. Place basil sprig, including stem on the surface. Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce and simmer the sauce for an additional 5 minutes. Discard basil and chile (if using).
Enjoy!
Entertaining should be effortless and stress-free. The easiest method that I know to entertain and enjoy your guests is to plan ahead and choose food that can be prepared in advance leaving you free to enjoy your company. I have a repertoire of quick and easy appetizers to serve for family and friends.
I belong to the Dedham Junior Women’s club; a hardworking group of fantastic women committed to making a difference. Our biggest annual fundraiser is a large artisan craft fair with over one hundred crafters. A very large event that we plan for during the year culminating on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I am one of the Chairs and I host the meetings where I experiment with new recipes on my friends!
They all agreed that my Hot Artichoke-Olive Dip was delicious!
Hot Artichoke-Olive Dip
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 green onions, sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 teaspoons Herbs d’ Provence
1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
2 cups (8 oz.) Monterey Jack cheese
1 (14-oz.) can medium-size artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup pitted Castevetrano Italian olives, sliced
Crackers and assorted fresh vegetables
Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 8 ingredients and 1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Fold in spinach and artichokes. Spoon into a lightly greased 1-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the center is hot and edges are bubbly. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve with crackers and assorted vegetables.
Enjoy!
Easy summertime entertaining is my philosophy for summer parties. I love to put together easy to make ahead dishes so I can relax and enjoy my guests. During the summertime with abundant produce at Framer’s markets, I just love creating delicious healthy food. Keep all the intendants my hummus dip ready for an impromptu get together or to bring to friends home for a barbecue.
Hummus Dip with Tobbouleh, Feta, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Tzatziki
1 container prepared Hummus*, I like garlic
1/2 cup prepared Tabbouleh Salad*
1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped English cucumber
1/4 cup chopped feta
1/4 cup prepared Tzatziki*
sliced tomatoes and cucumbers for garnish
Mound hummus on serving plate. Top with tabbouleh, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, feta, then drizzle with tzatziki. Garnish with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Refrigerate. Serve with pita bread or crackers.
Enjoy!
* I use Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods brand for the hummus, Tabbouleh, and Tzatziki.
Airfyers are so easy to use and cook healthy food quickly without much fat or oil. Since purchasing my Airfyer I’ve tried so many different recipes; chicken, veggies, all with excellent results. We were out to dinner one night with our family and we ordered roasted cauliflower for an appetizer; it was delicious. I thought cauliflower would be great in an Airfyer -Buffalo style. And I was right! I also adapted this recipe for a conventional oven*
Ingredients
Buffalo Sauce:
Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix together almond flour, tapioca flour, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt. In another small bowl, whisk together the eggs. Set up an assembly line with cauliflower, eggs, and flour mixture.
2. Bread the cauliflower by dipping it in the egg mixture, fully coating. Roll in the flour mixture, fully coating. Place on a plate and repeat with remaining cauliflower.
3. Place cauliflower in the Airfryer basket, evenly spreading out and leaving room in between each piece so the air can flow through them. Spray cauliflower with a light coat of olive or avocado oil. Close drawer, set Airfryer on manual at 375°F for 15 minutes, pausing halfway through to stir them up. Make sure they are still spread out after you stir them around. You will probably have to cook cauliflower in two or more batches to ensure they are not overcrowded depending on the size of your Airfryer.
4. When the cauliflower is almost done, make the sauce. Add hot sauce, ghee, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and salt to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until warmed through and combined, about 3 minutes.
5. Once cauliflower is done, add to a large bowl and pour buffalo sauce over cauliflower. Carefully mix to coat the cauliflower.
6. Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks, blue cheese dip, or eat as is. Enjoy!
Making Guacamole is so easy resulting in a fresh delicious homemade rather than a packaged version. I keep the ingredients on hand so when friends drop by I can serve Guacamole.
3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 clove garlic, minced
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.
Enjoy!
Looking for some casual New Year’s Eve Appetizers for an easy celebration with no fuss yet so tasty to your family and friends will just love; I have a few suggestions for you. Both my Baked Brie with Olive Tapenade and Baked Artichoke are perfect for any celebration. I usually purchase hummus, tabbouleh, and tzatziki cut up some carrots, celery, peppers, cucumbers and serve for an array of snacks. Then we open some bubbly and ring in the New Year!
Purchased puff pastry is so easy to use with the wonderful professional results that anyone even a beginning cook can wow their guests. I like to make different spreads for my baked brie, sometimes sweet and sometimes savory. If you love olives this is your baked brie. You can either make your own olive tapenade, you can find the recipe below or save time by purchasing store made tapenade. Decorate with sliced olives creating a delicious tasting, easy, appetizer.
Baked Brie with Olive Tapenade
1/2 package of frozen puff pastry (one sheet)
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
1/4 cup homemade tapenade or purchased
1 (8 ounce) Brie Round
sliced olives
Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix egg and water. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll into 12″ square. Cut pastry to make a 10-inch circle. Spread olive tapenade spread to within 1 inch of pastry edge. Place cheese round on top. Brush edges of puff pastry with egg mixture. Fold two opposite sides over cheese. Trim remaining two sides to 2″ from the edge of cheese. Fold these two sides on the Brie. Press edges to seal. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Decorate the top with rolled out reaming pastry to decorate like a holiday package. Brush with egg mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 1 hour. Serve with crackers.
Olive Tapenade
1 cup pitted kalamata olives (you can use any vary of olives)
1 clove chopped garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
In a mini food processor, combine olives garlic and process until olives are from a spread. Add oil, capers, and herbs de Provence. Process until blended.
Baked Artichoke Dip
I keep marinated artichokes in my pantry, along with mayonnaise and parmesan cheese in my refrigerator for this quick and easy dip which I can make for guests. A favorite with my family!
2 jars(6.5 oz) marinated artichokes, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
whole capers for garnish
Preheat oven 350F. Combine the first four ingredients. Place in a baking dish, I like to use a decorative pie dish or white baking dish. Tope with whole capers. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden. Serve with crackers or toasted pita bread.
Enjoy!
‘Summertime and the living is easy’ a phrase that I’ve adopted from the song is my mantra during the relaxing summer months. Summer food fresh, easy, just deliciously good. I prepare make-ahead cold salads and dips to compliment grilling and barbecuing so I too can relax enjoying time with family and friends. My Greek Layer Dip fits all my qualifications for summer food. A great appetizer that is a family favorite, sure to please your crowd too!
Greek Layer Dip
1 carton(8 0z) garlic hummus*
1 carton(8 oz) tabouli*
1/2 cup Tzatziki*
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1 cup sliced cucumbers, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
On a serving plate spread hummus then top with tabouli. Next drizzle Tzakziki over the hummus and tabouli. Add chopped tomatoes and cucumbers. Top with feta cheese.
So easy and delicious!
* I use Cedar’s a New England company for the hummus, tabouli, and Tzatziki.
Enjoy!
